I am really not good for the home studio ... I CAN'T DO IT

Hi everyone

I hope that i will find help, because it’s so important to me
Since 2014 i own Cubase for a musical project that i started in 1989 & stop in 1992 (for many reason)…
I still have my K7’s (4 tracks) who have been made with a tascam 644 that i do not have anymore … I also have my midi data of floppy disk 3.5 that i made on a Atari 1040 Ste … Master Track pro was the DAW.
25 years later i restart all my work with ALSO new composition from 2014-15 & everything is great, BUT :

But for me Cubase is complicated because i do not have the technical skills that you have to do all the stuff that Cubase offer !
Because of this my work advance slowly & in a bad way since 1 years in a half … it was more easy in 1989.
Yet in term of composition my work is very very good !
Where is the gentleman or the ladie who will bring to me the solution ?
I am not lazy, i work hard to understand what FXInsert mean or Fxreturn ect … i just can’t do it !
CAN I:
Is it ok to ask for preset where i will be able to use all of these tracks & mixing thing, EQ ect , already created to record my audio & to work my midi ?
I mean there is too much stuff in Cubase to me to see clearly where i go !
Create tracks isn’t a problem to me, it’s the technical aspect … i already done complete songs with all the tracks i need with some effects but everything is stop there …
So i download the demo Eights Good Reason from Steinberg … & i can see all the work they have done. A work that i will never be able to do !
Can i use these arrangements & tracks as prototype to start from the beginning all of my works in it ?
The sample of E.G.R is not Rock , so it’s a bit problematic you know !
Please, at 15 minutes from my home there is a Musical Professional Studio Voce Studio in Morin Heights …i spoke with the owner about the price , the price is good, but my work must be in a better shape because if not the cost will be too much for me
I understand that my demand can be too complicate & you can forget it … but there is a project who wait since 25 years to be completed : and it will be good in your ears when everything will be done IT’S A PROMISE !
If it’s possible, if some presets arrangement exist, this is my own description :
My music is Rock but nothing agressive … it is a pleasant music.
My voice is clear (acute) can reach high level
4 track for my voice
sometimes my voice can reach low level
My Guitar is crunchy
3-4 track for the guitar
the rest is midi
2 bass track
5 track for Drums
3 for synthesizer

Where can i find these presets with EQ & arrangements, tracks ect ,?
Thank you all
Daniel

No.
You will not find a preset to exactly (or even close) match your needs.
What you want to do - recreate your old music and create some new music - is a very involved process.
And nobody can write two paragraphs to tell you how to do it.
More like a book.

So . . . From what you say your level of experience in - at least current - audio technology is low.

I would say you have 2 choices:

  1. Hire someone with lots of experience to work with you on it.

or

  1. Watch Videos, Read the manual, listen to people here on the forum and others . . . etc, and learn to do it yourself.
    It takes a long time. But it can be a lot of fun, also. And allow you to keep creating more new music!

Good luck.
Hugh

Hugh’s advice is correct.

You might find this free Coursera class useful. The current session just started a few days ago.
https://www.coursera.org/learn/music-production

Third option is to seek co-operation with à cuby, advertize of make à call in this forum with your location. If you were in Holland in à hour drive distance…

Operating a daw, is like playing an instrument. It takes time to learn, years in fact. Once the technical stuff is learned, it’s more a question of taste and decisions of how to achieve the desired sound.

25 years you say, so say you spent £100 per year, that’s £2500 you should get a good mix from someone for that amount.

1: Chill out, put your feet up and watch the Steinberg/Cubase tutorials on you tube.

2: Download the example project tutorials from Steinberg download area

You can also search and find people who will charge you a small fee for transferring your Atari midi files on a cd/DVD that you can then load into Cubase.

3: Enjoy it, your gonna love it!

I would suggest to start with a program less complicated than Cubase, for example, Sequel: Sequel: Free Music Making Software for Windows | Steinberg

After using that for a year or so, then you might feel more comfortable moving up to something like Cubase.

dont stress out over it —
learn while doing read about what it is you want to do then try it
the best thing you will see … you cant break anything-----
also i dont think there is any persn on this forum who will not want to help you …just ask never be afraid to ask —
we all started from zero…
even the folks at steinberg do not kmow all the answers all of the time … the program is so complex–
you will more than likly have to get a buddy or a pro to mix your first things but evt you will want to try yourself…
i use cubase to write and do my own demos… i will however let a pro do his or her work to do the mix and pre master etc…
i have been a cubase user since the 90s… i still have to ask and i will always pass on whatever i have learnt … its what we do—
have fun …chill out and let your songs do the talking
cheers
T

Ok
I have created a good model that i have saved.
The sound is good & enough for me …
But before this, i have created many song without any model.
What i want is to have the same sound for all my compositions

Is it possible to integrate my new model into the songs that i already created to get this new sound ?

An other thing : In my new model, i have created a multiple output for the drum (addictive drummer 2) & the sound seems to be better, but the Peak shaving (clipping) is almost red all the time … this come from the Snare & the bassdrum that i can’t ajust.
This is not the case without multiple output : strange : any idea ?
Believe me it’s important to me because today (in an hour) i have my first appointment with a musical Studio at Morin Heights !

Thanks

As a teacher I have constantly disappointed students who wanted short-cuts when learning basic skills. You have to start at the beginning and familiarise yourself with all the basic functions in Cubase. There really is no other way short of getting someone else to do it all for you. To begin with give yourself achievable goals. For instance look at the manual in a language you are fluent in.

Do everything in small steps. Don’t move to the next step until you understand what you have been doing. Keep some basic notes about anything you feel you might forget. Make use of the forum - but try not to ask huge questions and keep it simple with one or two issues at a time. See if there is anyone near you who runs music technology courses or teaches Cubase.

Learn how to add different kinds of tracks - audio and midi.
Learn how to use your sound card and how to set up the input and output channels.
Learn how to use the mixer. Input and output levels etc.
Learn how to record with 1) a real instrument 2) a VST instrument.
Learn how to use Vsti’s with multiple outputs - Read the Manual!
Learn how to insert effects and how to set up a send effect.
Start learning the keyboard shortcuts.
And so on


When I was learning how to use Cubase it took me quite a while. In fact there is still much more that I don’t know. I am learning all the time. You have to be determined and not allow yourself to be discouraged. There will be moments of pleasure and excitement along the way. You will find your confidence increase. You will learn to problem solve and you will discover that you are not as hopeless as you think - in fact you might turn out to be pretty good. However, you have to put the time in.

This is absolutely true & important to get comfortable with. I’ve been using DAWs (and before audio was feasible, computer sequencers) since the early 80’s - text based on an Apple II back then. So I’ve learned the technology as it grew from its infancy. But even with that much experience it is amazing how frequently I learn/discover something new. Cubase is a remarkably sophisticated and complex program. Yet you can still make great music using only a small subset of its capabilities. Start small, master that and then add a new skill. You’ll be amazed at how far you can get by taking it slow and steady rather than trying to learn too much at once.

By model are you talking about the EQ? because you can save your user defined EQ i.e. “Rock Guitar 1” to use everytime you record guitars in the future if you like the sound of your mix. or simply choose an EQ preset and use the same everytime. Are you Mic-ing your guitar amp? or going direct to the computer?

.vmx (if it’s still called that in C8?)

I think what you want is a project template. Open your “model” project and select File/Save as Template. You can assign it a project category. When you create a new project, select the project category you saved it to from the project assistant and your template will be at the top of the list. This is a good article on how to use them: Project Templates

And THIS is the problem in MANY cases… not just with Cubase, from time to time i will have a friend or friend of a friend ask me if i can help them out with a track… invariably what that ACTUALLY means is ‘here’s half an idea and can you turn it into a full blown production for me’, oh yeah but i don’t want to spend any money or put any time and effort into making sure my instrument and myself are ready for the session… i’ve also got a really cheap guitar/bass(with an odd string or half a pickup not working… yes i’ve had this happen!/banjo/ocarina but i’m sure you can make me/it sound like (insert guitar god) and make my voice sound like (insert amazing vocalist) or i want the vocal to sound like tom waitts but our singer sounds like gary barlow… oh and we want to do 4 songs in an afternoon… ’
Some interesting psychology behind this but this is probably not the place to discuss lol…