Music Production - Creating your own tunes

if you are interested in running a less DJ oriented DAW check out UA's Luna, should work out well w/ your volt 2

I am a mostly DIY audio engineer. I have recorded all of my own shit since I was 8. All the bands that I have been in I have recorded and constructed the demo tracks for. Some more raw than others. Its something I have always done. Usually its shoegaze, synthwave, post punk, grunge or sludge metal ( not sure if thats a real thing but it is to me damnit wwf meme)

I use multiple daws/recording methods based on use case/what I think I want. Nothing I create is really special but its just some sort of ritual that I have maintained for, well since I was like 8 years old recording shit on my acoustic into an old voice mail recorder I bought at a garage sale and im 40 now lol.

Originally when I started making what I would call 'actual tracks' I would basically track drums, bass and layer on top of that either on tape or through audacity because thats what I had. but now I can to some extent do a couple tracks live, aside from what needs to be recorded acoustic ( live drums, solos, vocals, non repetative aspects of a track). Back in the day I would stem tracks and share them with friends to make things but lately its just me, which is ok.

I use ableton for session view mostly, its a nice little eco system for drafting mostly non rock Ideas. I try not to be too attached to it because while convenient, it usually yields repetative results because of the nature of how looping and session view works. So often times if I want to create something more progressive I dont use it.

I use cubase for recording arrangement, or anything that isnt repetative. Not because its better at this point but more or less because its what I mastered for making arrangements. Its really good for tuning vocals or just fine grain adjustments. I spent most of my recording non career using cubase 5 becausee it was the first legit DAW that was pirated. I use cubase 10.5 now.

If I want to not fuck with the PC, I can record multitrack straight into my interface ( tascam model 12) or record into an akai mpc one if I want a daw ecosystem away from the computer.

I have my full size KB which is a novation 49SL MK3, which I purchased because it has its own internal step sequencer, as well as my arturia keystep for when I want to jam not at home.

Most of the times when I do drums I will either record my little jazz kit, or just do something electronic. I have the MPC which is a powerful sampler, as well as an elektron digitakt which is even more powerful for synthwave or whatever I vaguely consider what the fuck I am making at this point.

a fair amount of analog and digital synths as well. I will post some pics of my setup later when I clean the garage. I have a newborn right now so the garage has become a total mess and doesnt look cool at all right now.

my one spotify song lol. While it sounds like synths its actually all guitar, which at the time was something I would do, make songs that sounded synth driven but were more or less tons of guitar tracks layered.



the other tracks from that project

https://soundcloud.com/proudnobody
more recent ideas

https://soundcloud.com/lilaccity

but yeah I am to some extent similar. I dont care what comes out, I just try to chase the idea of the moment in my mind. I am sure there is some current or external influence but at this point I just want to latch on to an idea I am passionate about and complete it.

I play guitar and record using a microphone into a 1/4" tape reel to reel at 15 inches pers ond. Guessing that's not what you are looiing for. I don't share with anyone obviously.