Ask Brilliant Venture

[BrilliantVenture 334]

Ask me anything!

 

My name's Brilliant Venture,

 

I'm a DJ/Producer who lives in the middle of nowhere,

 

I also go by artist names such as, "Wrillez Basics" "Questry" "Retheemal Desini"

 

"The Trancha" and probably a few others

 

If you have any questions for me, please ask them here!

 

I'll be sure to leave a response!

 

 

Lazers!

-BV-

[Leavinh 313]

How did you get started DJing and what equipment/programs do you use? 

[BrilliantVenture 334]

How did you get started DJing and what equipment/programs do you use? 

I've been a DJ for 10 years actually, Started out with vinyl and mixtapes!

I actually got into EDM after I went lazer tagging one night and heard a remix of the tetris theme...

this remix to be exact...

It took me ages to find the album it was on, but when I got it, I was hooked. So I picked up a bunch of mix comps, listened to them

constantly, and began making my own.

I started out with Hard House, Moved onto hardstyle, got into Trance and Electro later, and then moved onto Dubstep/DNB/Agressive

Genres. (Although I'm a big fan of classical music as well!) About 3-4 years ago, I got tired of playing other peoples records all the time, so I started making my own. For DJing, I started with vinyl, moved onto CD, and now I'm on full digital with midi control. Basically I have 2 laptops running a HEAVILY modded version of VDJ, hooked to a standard 2 channel mixer, that's wired to 2 Modded DM2 Controllers from the late 90's early 2000's...I use them to trigger fx's and slicing. All that is then fed into a Tweakalizer which contains my filters, samplers, shifters, and on-board scratcher. Then I've got a 3rd laptop which is running a DAW that's all midi-wired and connected to a portable midi keyboard, so I can play live synths in time with whatever track I'm currently playing. It took a long time to finally get everything hooked up and customized, But I'm pretty happy with it. I still miss my old vinyl days, but ah well...time goes on! Thanks for the question btw!

Edited December 15, 2013 by BrilliantVenture

[Ansollis 7]

Hey, I'm an aspriring music producer (along the lines of a hobby, not a profession). I was wondering if there are some big tips, tutorials, eye opening moments that you would care to share with me about music producing that would help. I have made a few songs, but only lukewarm to awful as a result. Sometimes I just can't get anything started or I can think of something but not build on it. Also, how many people live where you do? 

[BrilliantVenture 334]

Hey, I'm an aspriring music producer (along the lines of a hobby, not a profession). I was wondering if there are some big tips, tutorials, eye opening moments that you would care to share with me about music producing that would help. I have made a few songs, but only lukewarm to awful as a result. Sometimes I just can't get anything started or I can think of something but not build on it. Also, how many people live where you do? 

 

OMG...WOW...This is OLD! I feel like such a jerk for missing the notification!!!

 

heck, I don't even know if you're still active!!! I mean, I saw this thing, and was like..."Wow! I forgot I did this way back when!"

 

long story short...

 

 

But yeah, I suppose since I've stumbled upon this, (if you still are interested that is...)

Here's the much belated answers to your questions.

 

*ahem*

 

For me, producing is all about capturing memories/emotions, and putting them into a format that you can revisit anytime you want. You have to see and feel the world around you, and process it into music/art. For me, I started simple...much like you!

 

I downloaded a program called LMMS, which is a free music studio application, and made my first record in a mcdonalds, with only a laptop and a pair of headphones. LMMS is a really good starting platform for new producers, (Shoot, I still use it today!)

 

It'd also be best to invest some money in a midi keyboard of some sort...it's a lot less of a pain than trying to use your computer keyboard. It's not nessesary, but it's definitely helpful.

 

Also, download some free sample packs...learning to make your own sounds is wonderful! But sometimes it's best to start off with just the basic sounds. Get some good drum packs, and download some Free VSTs...There are a TON of great free ones out there...just play around with them, and I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually!

 

Most importantly though, is listening...

Listen to music...all the time.

Listen carefully to the structure, analyze the intricacies, and learn how to replicate them.

I can't stress enough how important that is. While EDM has room for a lot of creativity, there are some basic

rules when constructing a track, and that's what listening will do to help you in the long run!

 

Now as far as how many people live around where I'm from?...

...

 

..

..

.

what are people?

 

jk. Small town for the most part. Then again, could be a lot bigger really...I'm kind of a Recluse...so yeah. XD

 

Anyway, sorry it took so long to respond, hopefully if you ever see this, it'll help you out in some way!

 

Take Care!

-BV-

Edited August 9, 2015 by BrilliantVenture

[catnet 9,353]

Hi! What's the greatest advice you've heard in your life? ^.^

[BrilliantVenture 334]

Hi! What's the greatest advice you've heard in your life? ^.^

 

Hm...There's a lot of good advice I've been given through the years, and I've been very blessed to have been surrounded

with some really wonderful people in my life...

 

I think if I had to choose two off the top of my head,

The first would be an old saying I fell in love with as soon as I heard it.

 

"Good, Better, Best...Never Let it Rest...Until Your Good is Better, and Your Better Best..."

 

Those are words that I remember anytime I need motivation. When I'm doing a hard job at work, or when I'm making music...

Or just getting through life in general.

 

The Second would be to never take anything or anyone forgranted.

Always make sure to tie up loose ends, before you can no longer do so.

 

A few years ago, I lost my Grandfather, who was a wonderful and talented man.

He inspired me so much musically, as well as personality wise. So before his death, I wrote a song just for him as a tribute.

He loved it, and listened to it everyday...a couple months later, he passed...and at his memorial, that song was played

in his honour. My cousins made tributes to him at the memorial, and they were great...but my tribute actually got my grandfather's approval...which was really special to me. I also made sure that my last words to him, were "I love you ol' timer, thanks for everything."

 

So yeah...those two I would say are most likely my top 2.

 

Thanks for the Question!

Edited August 10, 2015 by BrilliantVenture

[Ansollis 7]

Hey I've made some newer projects and have improved since last time, but if you're still around I have another question or two. Namely, how do you solve clipping issues? I can never seem to get my stuff to be an appropriate volume or if it is, it clips too much. Also, if you use vocals in your stuff, any suggestions of good editing, cutting, tuning, or clipping software? Other than that, I've listened to your advice and I've loved making pieces out of feelings. Thanks again for the advice!

[BrilliantVenture 334]

Hey I've made some newer projects and have improved since last time, but if you're still around I have another question or two. Namely, how do you solve clipping issues? I can never seem to get my stuff to be an appropriate volume or if it is, it clips too much. Also, if you use vocals in your stuff, any suggestions of good editing, cutting, tuning, or clipping software? Other than that, I've listened to your advice and I've loved making pieces out of feelings. Thanks again for the advice!

oh boy, this is old, oh boy am I late.......I completely forgot about this! This year has been soooooo crazy, I haven't been on in a while! If you're still around as well, here's my answer: (if you haven't already figured it out by now that is lol)

 

It's all in your mixdown, your sound design, and your song's structure in general.

In your mixdown, you want to make sure all your instruments are set to volumes where everything flows together properly.

That does NOT mean that they all need to be the same volume, and somehow get "EQ'd" to blend properly.

That's a mistake that I've made in the past, and something a lot of aspiring producers do. You need to treat your piece like an orchestra.

You need to keep some sections quiet, some accents nicely placed here and there, and keep the important stuff forefront.

One thing I learned, is subtle panning can do wonders. On smaller less-important synths, simply pan some a little to the left, and pan others

a little to the right. Not a huge pan but a little one. You'll be surprised how much headroom you gain from doing that.

 

Your sound design is also important, make sure you're using really high quality samples,

make sure your synths are clean and not distorted, don't neglect the sub-bass, and

don't use more sounds than you can handle mixing. Sometimes you need to trim stuff that's

better left out. I've probably got over 10gbs of loops and samples I didn't end up using that I made for tracks

that I ended up leaving on the editing room floor. Sometimes, you just have to.

Your structure also plays an important roll. This is hard to explain, but I'll try to anyway,

leave "dips" in your synth-making process, that you can fill with other instruments,

that way, each instrument gets its chance to shine. In other words, sometimes if you're say...making a drop for a dubstep

track or something, you'll want to have a contrast of bass growls in one area, and trance stabs/synths in another.

You DON'T want to overlap those, because then both lose their shine, and become one big garbled "bleeeeh."

 

You need to purposely leave silence in areas during your melody making so you can fill that silence with other instruments.

Back to the orchestra analogy, if you watch a concert, you'll notice the conductor brings in certain instruments at some times,

others at other times, and then lets the whole symphony play in unison at others. It's a structure where each part has its place and time.

 

Just doing that alone will dramatically improve your mixdown/master.

 

Oh, and as far as the vocal thing goes? well...you don't want to ask me that, because the way I do my vocal chops is really really stupid.

In fact most of the ways I make music are stupid and overly complex, because I'm a stick in the mud who likes to use what he knows. Basically I open up a brand new project, I play a melody I made on my other laptop, so I can stay in key, or I load a melody loop from the project into the sampler. I load all the vocal samples I want to use into my DAW, and cut points that I think would make a good chop sample. Usually they're longer notes in a vocal track, or they're words/samples that'd be good impact cuts for a complextro drop. (the "uhs" "unfs" and "ahs" etc.) I take all those vocals samples one at a time, and place each cut on a piano roll/grid, and manually pitch shift every single sound/sample, and repeat it until it flows nicely with the melody. I sometimes run the completed chop session through dblue's "glitch" program, and insert small audio glitches into the track, depending on the mood I'm going for. After all that's completed, I add my finishing effects, (compression, delay, chorus, Trash2, etc) and mix it into the rest of the track, and attempt to make it sound semi-pro and decent. And as with all my projects, I listen to it completed in the car, or on the worst stereo system I own to see if the mixdown still sounds good. I do that because a good stereo system/studio is going to play me my track in as good sound quality as I can get, but that's not what most people are listening to the track on, they're using overly compressed youtube rips on cheap earphones, or in overcompensating stereo systems. So I want to make sure my mixdowns sound the same on everything, and that no matter what quality sound system I'm listening on, people will get a similar balanced listening experience sound-wise. (I hope that made sense)

 

Anyways, Thanks for the question! Feel free to send more if you want!

I'll try to get back on here more often lol.

 

-BV-

Edited November 6, 2016 by BrilliantVenture