Minimum HW and SW for top/professional audio quality output

[RichardT]

I’d say no - others might not agree. I use Tidal as it plays back at CD quality. I find having access to a streaming service very good for referencing because I can vary my references, and I can listen to the latest releases to see what’s going on.

[The Elf]

I also use Tidal for casual listening, but for references I want a CD in my hands, ideally, or at least a download that I can add into arrangements for quick A/B checks.

[James Perrett]

I'd be looking at Qobuz for referencing - their tracks are available in CD quality as minimum and often better.

[FullPoker]

Many thanks. I will have a look at them. I did not even know that something like that existed...

Cheers,
FullPoker

[FullPoker]

(I subscribed to Qobuz. I am afraid that I perceive a difference in quality between CD standard and high-resolution. High-res feels a bit more immersive, which is something a value a lot... I think that the difference with CD quality is real, does not look like suggestion...Well, I have now a problem I did not have before knowing Qobuz: I need/want high res audio quality!)

Anyway, let me change subject, which is the reason for this other post.

I recall this here: I am a beginner! No doubt about that. Despite that, I am afraid that I get my inspiration by the type and quality of the sounds used in a song.

I will make a couple of examples to try to explain better what I mean with that. Let's check these two very simple but yet famous disco songs:

1) Guru Josh Project - Infinity
I am strongly convinced that the success of the song is very much linked to the main instrument chosen, which is that sort of brass. I dare to say that any other sound would have likely produced a total failure. I would not exclude that by playing with that sound he got the inspiration for the melody and not vice versa. Does it make sense? Who shares that with me?
2) ATB - 9 am. Same story here. That chosen sound is key. Any other sound would have been a failure...Who disagrees here?

Having said that, I have now a strong urgency to start to "understand" sounds. For instance:
- What to expect from a specific type of sound modulation: Wave, Sinusoidal, etc... before the chosen sound is enriched with any sort of effects (e.g., reverb)
- The effects are of course key, but I think that the first step is to understand what to expect from the "pure" sound wave form before an effect is applied
- and there are many different types of synthesizers (e.g., WAVETABLE, SUBTRACTIVE, ADDITIVE, AND FM...). I do not know PROS and CONS of them, what type of sounds they are best at, so on and so fort...

Any suggestions where I can start to dig into this? Any guru's book to buy on this topic to understand the basics, like Mike's book?

Of course, if you think that I am not clear with this post, or that I am clear but somehow off-track, any comment is more than welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
FullPoker

[Drew Stephenson]

If you want to understand how synths create their sounds then you could do a lot worse than reading (and playing) through this sequence of articles:
https://www.soundonsound.com/series/syn ... ound-sound
There's a lot, but it's a big subject.

[zenguitar]

+1

Nothing comes close to the Synth Secrets series as a resource for understanding synthesis and how it relates to real world instruments.

Andy

[FullPoker]

WoW!
I will start diving into all that RIGHT NOW!

THANKS!

Cheers,
FullPoker

[FullPoker]

OK. I went through a good number of this 63 series and I think I have now an understanding of the basics of sound synthesis.

I spent also quite some time online through several demos to choose which soft synth to start learning. I have already in my bundle Harmor and Sytrus, but I do not like the visual interface to start with and I never came through a demo that fully satisfied me from a sound point of view. Serum and Vital seem nowadays the most popular on forums (at least this is the perception I got online). I was literally one click from purchasing Serum when I accidentally bumped into a demo of Diva. I thought, uhmmm this demo seems interesting...let's watch another one as I seem to like the sound and visual interface of this up-to-that-time unheard to me synth. Second demo, same story. After having watched a dozen of Diva demos, I concluded that I wanted Diva despite it is an OLD synth! So I bought it.

I somehow knew it already, but with Diva I got it confirmed. I love PADS, PLUCKS and in general immersive sounds. I think Diva is the right synth for that. But now that I have it I have realize even more how badly I am penalized by my lack of knowledge of music theory and in particular of chords/harmony. If you read my first post of this thread, you know that I am not able to read music nor play any instrument apart from the keyboard/piano where I can do some very basic staff - period. However, just using my "ears" I am able to find and reproduce on the keyboard the melodies and chords of almost any song. I rarely fail with that. And usually I do it faster than many friends who have studied music/pianos for years and got diplomas...

However, and here I get the point of this post, most of the time I get the basics rights but not the full chords right. For instance, I perceive (but I would also love to understand why) that chords with two notes sound borderline (they seems wicked to me, but still perfect in some situations), that chords with 3 notes are the most straight-forward ones, but there I stop. When a commercial song uses more than 3 notes for the chords I have difficulties to reproduce it. Still I perceive I miss something...by my "ear" does not make it to fill the gap. It hears the gap, but I can't fill it and it is so frustrating. In addition, even with straight-forward chords of 3 notes, there is still some freedom about which combinations of tones (higher or lower octaves) to use foe each one of the notes...and also there, I often have doubts about what is the right combination.

Sorry to have made the story long, but I tried to give you the most accurate context about what I want to learn next so that you might guide me best, as you did so far.

Do you have any lessons online (also paid content is OK if of trusted quality like Mike's book) to suggest?

Thanks again.

Cheers,
FullPoker

ps sorry for misusing this thread. Since several posts I have quite diverged from the title of this thread...

[RichardT]

It sounds like you have a good ear! That’s a great gift.

What genres are you interested in? If you want to understand jazz theory, I can recommend a couple of good books, but if it’s not jazz you’re going for, they won’t really help. Jazz theory is not really applicable to most contemporary genres.

[Sam Spoons]

What Richard says is true.

But, whether Jazz is your chosen genre or not, I would go on to expand your keyboard knowledge by learning basic scales and chords and how they are constructed to help you understand a little about keys and harmony*. For example, a pop song in C will probably have a Cmaj chord in it, that chord has the I, III and V steps of the scale, the C, E and G notes, which on a keyboard are alternating white notes. Usually the other chords in the song will also be constructed from alternating white notes, most likely the chords starting on the IV and the V notes (the F and G notes), the aptly named "Three Chord Trick" around which countless pop, rock, folk, blues and may other songs have been built.

* What I wouldn't do in your position is try to learn to read music, it is not necessary to be able to read notation to develop a good understanding of music theory and harmony. I don't read music** but after over 60 years playing music my knowledge music theory is pretty good.

** Well, I have never learned to read properly but you can't avoid picking it up a little once you enter the theory rabbit hole. I'd say I can decipher a melody or bass line but very slowly and laboriously, and not entirely reliably .

[Sam Spoons]

It sounds like you have a good ear! That’s a great gift.

What genres are you interested in? If you want to understand jazz theory, I can recommend a couple of good books, but if it’s not jazz you’re going for, they won’t really help. Jazz theory is not really applicable to most contemporary genres.

Which books would you recommend Richard, my basic theory is pretty good but I have struggled with 'proper' Jazz theory and would love to learn more?

[RichardT]

Sam, Two books by Mark Levine.

The Jazz Piano Book

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+jaz ... e&ie=UTF-8

The Jazz Theory Book

https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJ ... e&ie=UTF-8

[Sam Spoons]

[FullPoker]

Thanks very much for the feedback. You rightly wondered about a key issue that I forgot to mention: "how do I relate to Jazz?".

I have profound respect for Jazz. And the main reason of my respect is because I have profound respect for all what I do not understand but yet is very popular.

I would say (sorry if I dare to say things like that being nobody/newbie in music production) that if somebody forced me to partition music in only two different types of music, I would partition it as follows:
- Jazz
- all the rest

Of course it would be a silly partition because the forcing is silly. Nevertheless, I believe there is some thruth in it and it should help you understand better what I am looking for.

So, so far, never say never, I am not interested in Jazz. I am interested in all the rest.

What could you suggest me now that it is clear "how I relate to Jazz"?

Thx.

Cheers,
FullPoker

[Sam Spoons]

So, so far, never say never, I am not interested in Jazz. I am interested in all the rest.

What could you suggest me now that it is clear "how I relate to Jazz"?

Thx.

Cheers,
FullPoker

In that case I think my suggestions on the previous page are a good starting point for learning enough theory/harmony to be useful to you. I suggested using a keyboard as the notes are all laid out in front of you and it is easy to play them and hear how they relate to each other and the background harmony. You don't need any of this of course, nor do you need to know the names of the notes/chords but if at any point you choose to collaborate with others those things, at least, will make communication much easier. And, you never know, you may find learning it fascinating and hugely rewarding as I do.

[Wonks]

Jazz is really just the ability to play all the wrong notes in all the right places.

[FullPoker]

Jazz is really just the ability to play all the wrong notes in all the right places.

[RichardT]

For contemporary styles I would study major, minor, dominant 7th and minor 7th chords.

I would look at major scales and the mixolydian mode, and the dorian and aeolian modes, which can be played over minor scales. The aeolian mode gives you the basic sound of metal styles and some rock too.

I would look at minor pentatonic and major pentatonic scales too. These are used a lot for melody lines and solos.

[FullPoker]

Thanks Sam, thanks Richard,

Do you you also have any book/material to suggest where I can study what you refer to?

Thx.

Cheers,
FullPoker

[MaestroMikeT]

Sam, Two books by Mark Levine.

The Jazz Piano Book

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+jaz ... e&ie=UTF-8

The Jazz Theory Book

https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJ ... e&ie=UTF-8

These two books, specially The Jazz Theory, are absolute gems.

[Sam Spoons]

I'm pretty sure you could get what you need from YouTube. I'm a guitar player with minimal keyboard skills but I found the keyboard helped me visualise what I was hearing and how chords are constructed which would have been much harder on just guitar. As you don't play an instrument using a USB keyboard controller to input notes, even if it's just one at a time, would let you see where those notes fall relative to each other which would tie in with your desire to learn about harmony.

[ef37a]

I'm pretty sure you could get what you need from YouTube. I'm a guitar player with minimal keyboard skills but I found the keyboard helped me visualise what I was hearing and how chords are constructed which would have been much harder on just guitar. As you don't play an instrument using a USB keyboard controller to input notes, even if it's just one at a time, would let you see where those notes fall relative to each other which would tie in with your desire to learn about harmony.

This is what my son tells me. He had to work through all the keys and scales on the piano at Uni (Leeds) and though he is primarily a guitarists, working mainly now on classical guitar, he says the work he put in on piano helped his musical theory and practice immensely.
He got pretty good on the Joe, I am no judge but "The Entertainer" takes some chops I would bet? Well out of practice now but now Covid is over he can go back to the church where they let him play a grand out of hours.

Dave.

[FullPoker]

Sam, Two books by Mark Levine.

The Jazz Piano Book

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+jaz ... e&ie=UTF-8

The Jazz Theory Book

https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJ ... e&ie=UTF-8

These two books, specially The Jazz Theory, are absolute gems.

Sorry, just to be sure...Despite the titles (I am not interested in Jazz) this is good for those not interested in Jazz?

FullPoker