Different headphones, different speakers.
Reference monitors are the best if you can afford multiple reference points, but obviously that gets quite expensive. Eventually you get used to whatever pair of headphones you have. 1 good pair of headphones and an understanding of it's response graph and help you compensate for a lack of other references. The graphs and
rtings and
crinacle really help with getting a sense of my headphones responses. Due to moving across the globe, I was forced to downgrade my reference equipment, so I just have my nearly 2-decade old
Sennheiser HD280 pro (that review is for the 2016 version). These use to be my main referencing cans for most of my music career, but I would tend to under-emphasize bass and over emphasize trebles due to their response. A couple years ago I finally bought the near universally used
Audio Technica M50x which if you have ever watched a podcast, you can bet the hosts are using the M50x. I am happy with their reference capabilities, but construction and comfort are a bit lacking.
Prior to moving I had some Yamaha HS8 speakers for reference - these are well respected as they are picking up the legacy of the NS10 speakers from the 70's and 80's and were a studio staple. In fact, many studios still seek out second-hand NS10s since their response is basically "if you can make it sound good on these, it will sound good anywhere.", or in other words: disgustingly flat. I'd kill for a set of NS10s myself. A seller on Amazon had listed a pair of NS10s for an "affordable" price but they were sold before I had a chance to save up enough
;_;
Anyways, obviously large 8-inch cones in solid speaker housing is a bit tough and expensive to lug across the ocean, so unfortunately they stayed in the land of the free while I moved elsewhere. Despite that move happening 6 years ago, it's been tough getting the "studio" back up to spec and have just relied on my cans for monitoring.
Additional monitoring for "sanity checks" will happen on other, non-reference speakers, such as my computer speakers or my Galaxy Buds (I hate these stupid bluetooth earphones, but the damn things came free with my overpriced gimmick phone, and since Apple had the "courage" to remove a feature, obviously I can't just whack my phones right into my ultra-expensive flagship phone because everyone has to follow the "courage" Apple has. Courage.)
I do a lot of piano drafting and always end up hopping back to the piano a few times throughout scoring and notating.
I'm honestly a little bit jealous. During my earlier days of music production I lived with my father. He owns a Steinway 7 foot grand, and I would also often just go to the piano and try noodling out some chords or melodies. I'm not a great pianist - quite terrible in fact, but just having that immediate, frictionless response of hearing what I was playing NOW just made the work flow so much easier. He did loan me one of his many workstation keyboards (not DAW, but just W - as in a hardware workstation) which I used as a MIDI controller, but once again, after leaving the country, it couldn't come with me. I also left behind the 1970 Gibson he said he gave me, but that was when he was drunk, so obviously he meant "loan" (still a disappointment when I thought I could at least take the guitar but then he hit me with the "no, I'm not
giving you that.")
Now for doodling I have this hateful little Akai 25 key MIDI controller. For some reason this thing was highly recommended by musicians, and I just don't see any reason to like it other than its price. Price is definitely good, but you get what you pay for.
So mostly I start a new song by just creating a "main idea" - whether it's the chorus or verse or even a bridge, doesn't matter, but it's the main element that inspires the whole song and most of the arrangement. Once I feel the loop is refined, I begin to stretch it out. Chances are I'll need ideas for the other missing areas (verse/chorus whatever the main element isn't) and will likely go back to the looping while I find and fill out the idea. Once the song is mostly fully constructed, I go back and add variation to rhythms and melodies to reduce the "looping based" construction feel to it, and if the song isn't finished at that point, then I finally go in for the final part.
The whole thing with game music vibes and the loop point is it came to me a lot more naturally when I was learning on my own.
And maybe that's the reason why it's easy for me too. Since I am mostly self taught I never learned the finer points of theory. I took music classes in middle and high school, played Bassoon for most of that time, was the drummer in the jazz band at the high school, but after my time at those schools wrapped up I actually stopped doing music for awhile. That's pretty much where my theory learning ended. My father, as implied, is a musician and has been raised as a prodigy musician since a young age, so he has a golden ear. When I lived with him he would share some theory with me but it was obviously just bits and pieces, not a full course or anything. Sometime during my "college" years, I picked up "computer music" and started learning about it then. It was still mostly self taught, but I found it really interesting so I often used forums and read lots of information about it.
My early stuff was still pretty ugly, and I would say that things finally began to feel more refined starting with the
album I released in 2021 and finally reaching what I feel I would call "the beginning stages of mastery" with my current soundtrack. (and by that, I mean I'm not a master - still plenty to learn - but I am competent and confident in my skills; at a commercial level.)
I also rather enjoy working with other people or working with other people's material just to see another process. I always end up taking something away even when it doesn't gel perfectly.
I could always send you the MIDI files to one of my songs. I would also send you a project file, but I doubt we have the same plugins so it would be effectively useless. I could always do a "making music" stream. I've done them in the past, but I get too caught up in trying to be an "entertaining streamer" by narrating everything that I become too distracted to actually do work. Maybe I could just walk you through a completed project
:LZSskeptic:
TL;DR GPT summary
The person discusses their experience with reference monitors and headphones for audio monitoring in their music production setup. They mention the advantages of using reference monitors and multiple reference points but acknowledge the cost involved. They emphasize the importance of understanding a headphone's response graph to compensate for the lack of multiple reference sources. They talk about their Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones, which they've used for a long time but note that they tend to under-emphasize bass and overemphasize trebles. They mention acquiring Audio Technica M50x headphones, which they find suitable for referencing but lacking in construction and comfort.
Before moving, they used Yamaha HS8 speakers for reference, noting their reputation for flat response similar to the legacy NS10 speakers. They express a desire for NS10 speakers but mention the difficulty of transporting large speakers across the ocean. Due to their move, they've relied mainly on headphones for monitoring. They also mention using non-reference speakers like computer speakers or Galaxy Buds for additional monitoring checks, expressing some frustration with the latter's inclusion with their phone due to Apple's influence.
The person reflects on their envy of having access to a Steinway 7-foot grand piano during their earlier music production days. They mention how playing chords and melodies on a piano offered an immediate and smooth creative process. They also used a workstation keyboard loaned by their father for MIDI control, which they found helpful for their workflow. However, they had to leave these behind when they moved, along with a guitar that their father didn't ultimately give to them.
Currently, they rely on an Akai 25-key MIDI controller for doodling, expressing dissatisfaction with its performance despite its affordable price. They outline their music composition process, which begins with creating a "main idea" that serves as the foundation for the song. They elaborate that they refine this loop before expanding it, usually focusing on areas lacking in ideas. The person then adds variation to rhythms and melodies to prevent the song from feeling overly loop-based. Finally, they address the finishing touches for the song.
A responds to B's statement about struggling to write convincing looping music for video games due to increasing knowledge of music theory. A reflects on their own experience and mentions that being mostly self-taught in music may have contributed to their ease in creating such music. They briefly outline their music education background, including playing the Bassoon and being the drummer in a jazz band during middle and high school. A notes that their theory learning essentially stopped after high school.
A's father, who is a musician, shared some bits of theory with them during their time together but not in a comprehensive way. A mentions that during their college years, they became interested in computer music and began self-teaching themselves. They used forums and read extensively to learn more. A acknowledges that their early music was not very refined, but they started noticing improvements with the album they released in 2021. They consider their current soundtrack to represent a level of competence and confidence in their skills, though they emphasize that they are not a master yet and still have more to learn. Overall, they convey a sense of growth and progress in their music production journey.