What's the focus of your project?

[Demon Lung]

i still respectfully disagree. all it takes to make great music is 2 people that are on the same page. fuck all that watered down mess. josh homme works with every shitty artist on the planet and everything he does now is watered down.

[AgentofOblivion]

Have you heard of the concept that all dimes are coins but not all coins are dimes?  You can like everything you use but not use everything you like.

My point was that I seem obsessed with throwing away riffs if they come to me easily, and that's kind of stupid.  For some reason I think the riff is only good if I torture myself for awhile first.  On the other hand, it usually leads to good results.   

[Hemisaurus]

[justinhedrick]

to survive

i agree. haven't practiced in months. damn you life and responsibility.

[Hemisaurus]

to survive

i agree. haven't practiced in months. damn you life and responsibility.

you still have bandmates?

[justinhedrick]

to survive

i agree. haven't practiced in months. damn you life and responsibility.

you still have bandmates?

yeah, drummer and bass player. We are a 3 piece now. no synth/noise guy anymore. more straightforward songs, and so forth.

do you still have bandmates?

[skydogdiesel]

How many bands have you heard say, "It took us 6 months and 10 practices to write this song and we're super happy everyone loves it..."?  Never

lots of bands take a long time writing songs. part of the process (if youre not a 3 chord punk band) is refining the tunes until you're happy with them. am i wrong?

anyways, dude it sounds like you and your singer have to understand and accept both your individual needs when it comes to writing.  maybe you guys do already-i dont know. 

[MR. CREEPER]

I goota say, by bud and I have these discussions all the time. I have chosen not to learn mucho covers in order to write my own stuff. In the same respect, I constantly push myself to write something that is fresh to me, and him. It's always drawing from multiple influences, and always with the intent of NOT sounding like a) something I've already written and b) doesn't sound like something I like. Now, the second part is extremely hard, but always acheivable. I throw TONS of ideas away because of these rules I place on myself, but certain parts are always in the brain back for possible use later. Don't kill yourself, just let it happen. My bro always tells me that I will always write and play heavy because thats how I am. He's a bit more all over, but it jells well. Just keep writing, and riffing.

[zachoff]

How many bands have you heard say, "It took us 6 months and 10 practices to write this song and we're super happy everyone loves it..."?  Never

lots of bands take a long time writing songs. part of the process (if youre not a 3 chord punk band) is refining the tunes until you're happy with them. am i wrong?

anyways, dude it sounds like you and your singer have to understand and accept both your individual needs when it comes to writing.  maybe you guys do already-i dont know. 

Yeah, it takes a while to finish a song, but I was talking more about the core riff(s) rather than the finished product.  Writing words takes a while too.  My least favorite part.

[Hemisaurus]

to survive

i agree. haven't practiced in months. damn you life and responsibility.

you still have bandmates?

yeah, drummer and bass player. We are a 3 piece now. no synth/noise guy anymore. more straightforward songs, and so forth.

do you still have bandmates?

singular

[spookstrickland]

i still respectfully disagree. all it takes to make great music is 2 people that are on the same page. fuck all that watered down mess. josh homme works with every shitty artist on the planet and everything he does now is watered down.

I totally agree.  The best music ever written is by two people together.  Any more than two and it gets watered down.

[justinhedrick]

to survive

i agree. haven't practiced in months. damn you life and responsibility.

you still have bandmates?

yeah, drummer and bass player. We are a 3 piece now. no synth/noise guy anymore. more straightforward songs, and so forth.

do you still have bandmates?

singular

godflesh tribute band?

[Hemisaurus]

Probably more like Ben Green's solo work

[justinhedrick]

Probably more like Ben Green's solo work

which ben(ny) green?

[Hemisaurus]

The one in Godflesh

[eyeprod]

I'm focusing on more unusual eqing and mixing. Trying weird scoops and waves and really going for some nasty guitar tones. Sometimes muffled, sometimes thin or peaked. As always inspired by some sub-genres or certain bands, but right now really trying to remove the Sabbath from my approach as much as possible, which is very hard. Having fun trying to come up with different riffs that have good staying power, almost danceable and are still punk rock and sound good with fuzz pedals and psych jams.

[da_qtip]

I just want to write and record something I'll enjoy playing/listening to and be proud of it.

[spookstrickland]

I'm focusing on more unusual eqing and mixing. Trying weird scoops and waves and really going for some nasty guitar tones. Sometimes muffled, sometimes thin or peaked. As always inspired by some sub-genres or certain bands, but right now really trying to remove the Sabbath from my approach as much as possible, which is very hard. Having fun trying to come up with different riffs that have good staying power, almost danceable and are still punk rock and sound good with fuzz pedals and psych jams.

I keep hearing these Muffled Watery guitar tones and it does not appear to be an effect more like mic placement, do you know anything about how to achieve that?  I've been really digging it lately.  Seems as I can remember hearing it in some old Bowie or Badcompany songs and there was a Black Keys song I just heard that had the effect but I don't know it's name.

[Discö Rice]

Ferocity.

[Hemisaurus]

Tremolo? or a Leslie?

When the H910 came out in 1975, Tony Visconti claimed that it "f*cked with the fabric of time".

[Andrew Blakk]

Interesting topic for sure! I guess having a focus isn't that bad as long as you always questioning your music, trying not to get stuck. Find new ways, riffs, arrangements, sounds etc... But for my part, songwriting and what I want to tell with my music, some times collides with band politics. Which can be a bitch.... So it isn't always that easy to stay totally true to yourself every time, but as long as I keep questioning myself. And I do have a band that most of the times works rather good which I'm really thankful for... Especially when it comes to every day life...

[eyeprod]

I keep hearing these Muffled Watery guitar tones and it does not appear to be an effect more like mic placement, do you know anything about how to achieve that?  I've been really digging it lately.  Seems as I can remember hearing it in some old Bowie or Badcompany songs and there was a Black Keys song I just heard that had the effect but I don't know it's name.

hey Spook. I've been using an eq pedal at the end of my chain and it's pretty powerful at that position. For muffled tones I just cut all highs completely, cut the lowest bass frequencies and leave a couple of lower mid bands really low. Watery? I'm not sure, but maybe some time of modulation effect would be required? I'm using a boss eq pedal and it's not bad, but makes me think of what I could do with a more powerful equalizer.