remote writing and recording collaboration experiment

I'm considering trying to work on a song as an experiment with other people where parts are mailed/shared back and forward, discussions happen online/phone/video chat and maybe even ideas recorded and sent to other people to play.

I'm looking to get a good, strong demo quality track, the key will be the remote writing participation and the skills and recording techniques.

I've never tried this before, I normally write alone or with someone local to me, and certainly never used my own gear to to collaborate with other remote musicians beyond sending the odd track / putting a guitar track on someone elses work, and even then it's normally in a studio.

From my understanding the software used to record shouldn't matter as long as the stems are compatible, but for reference I'm using pro-tools 12 on mac, 

I'm using Superior 2 and 3 with EZKeys both from toon track (I believe this doesn't matter what matters is if we share something like this its the midi map that matters) plus I'd also like to find someone who can do a real drum track, but thats more aim high and compromise down.

Would anyone be interested in trying the experiment, 

great drummer, guitarist, bass player, singer, keys, recording techniques / production all welcome.

I'm not set on a style or a theme I think the people (if any) that decide to work on this will natural find a common style or theme.

Anyone interested in trying the experiment or anyone done this before that would be willing to guide someone who has not for personal interest. 



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Comments

  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    darcym said:
    From my understanding the software used to record shouldn't matter as long as the stems are compatible, but for reference I'm using pro-tools 12 on mac
    The software platform might matter. Some DAWs can import or Convert Load multi-track Projects from other DAWs. e.g. My collaborator uses Apple Garageband on an iPad and I use Logic on a MacBook Pro.

    What definitely should be transferrable across all platforms is MIDI Song files. As you are already aware, MIDI Note mapping needs to be common for all contributors.
    Be seeing you.
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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    edited November 2017
    Yeah sure !..but Im not great....heres a piece I worked on with the Produce Like a Pro crew, we were given the complete song stems with just vocal and keys, the guitars, Bass, all other twiddly bits and production are mine, yes its long....but thats not my choice !



    Another colab I worked on but a bit different....on this one the gusy came with the basic acoustic song, I did everything else...

    https://8uddha8ox.bandcamp.com/releases


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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    Levin Minnemann Rudess recorded their albums without ever meeting. The thing is, those baskets can all sight read - including drum notation. 
    Be seeing you.
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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    Mmm...no soundcloud file showing...?,...is SC screwed up now?


    Mac Mini M1
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  • stratman3142stratman3142 Frets: 2177
    edited November 2017
    I did a number of online collaborations a long time ago on the Reaper forum, including some with people in the US. Although they were all between Reaper users we exchanged files in WAV format, I expect that format should work across different DAWS. We chose WAV to avoid loss of quality, also I seem to recall that I heard that mp3 files might be a bit dodgy regarding precise timing (although that might be heresay).

    To avoid a WAV file that spans the whole track (giving a huge file) it can be helpful to include some VSTi generated clicks (e.g. drum stick clicks) as a count in to aid alignment. Also, obviously everyone will need to have their DAWS set to the same tempo.

    There's also a setting in Reaper that allows the rendered WAV file to be auto placed in the precise location in which it was recorded but I'm not sure whether that will work across different DAWS. I think it was called something like 'Write BWF chunk' (see link below) which adds additional data to the WAV file, but my memory is a bit hazy on that.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcast_Wave_Format

    WAV files can end up being pretty big so I exchanged files using an online file sharing site.

    It's not a competition.
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  • If it's something i can contribute to and you're interested, i would be up for it. What style do you have in mind, and what do you play/do?
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    spark240 said:
    Mmm...no soundcloud file showing...?,...is SC screwed up now?
    Probably a permissions issue. Your default selection is probably SC on-site replay only.
    Be seeing you.
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  • andy_kandy_k Frets: 818
    i'm up for some collaboration on a protools track, halfway through a degree here, so its all good experience for me-msg me to arrange
    cheers
    andy k
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  • I collaborated with a chap in Djakarta thusly:

    He emailed an mp3 of the track, I burned this onto CD and imported it into my Yamaha digital recorder.
    Then I played various guitar takes against the stereo that I'd imported.
    Then I exported all the recorded tracks as WAVs to another CD, and bunged 'em all up in dropbox.
    He downloaded everything and mixed it:
    Does that modus operandi work for you?

    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    spark240 said:
    Mmm...no soundcloud file showing...?,...is SC screwed up now?
    Probably a permissions issue. Your default selection is probably SC on-site replay only.
    Where is that setting?....all my other tracks are public ( as is this one) and they are fine? 


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     https://www.studiowear.co.uk/ -
     https://twitter.com/spark240
     Facebook - m.me/studiowear.co.uk
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