Subject: How to collaborate

I have received a few emails from newer members wondering how to collaborate on Macjams. I realize this theme has been discussed in various past threads, but since it is an essential part of Macjams, I thought I'd bring it up again. Feel free to add to this post. Perhaps once the thread has run its course, these ideas can be added to the official Macjams FAQs page on collaboration which is kind of inadequate at this point.

There are three categories of interest (perhaps more) that should be mentioned:
1) How to find a collaborator
2) How best to share music
3) How best to share credit, citations, and other legal issues.

1) How to find a collaborator: On Macjams, there are several ways.
a) If you want to start by simply submitting a music bed or a track that others can add to or rearrange, make sure and choose the CC license that allows modifications of your submission; then submit under the "Open Collaborations" genre (to open the collaborative process to all members). You can then publicize the collaborative opportunity in the forums under the heading "Collaborate."
b) Or, you can simply use the forums to announce your availability (Collaborate: Available) or to ask for what you need (Collaborate: Wanted). Lots of folks not only find collaborators this way, they get suggestions on where else to find what someone less is looking for.
c) However, direct contact and person-to-person discussions work best. Email specific members to request collaborations. This is not as easy at it used to be, since the email function is temporarily down. To discover someone's email, you may need to leave a message in the forums, on someone's song page, or contact them via the chat function first.

2) How best to share music: Most collaborations involve sharing multi-track GB files as well as mono and stereo track AIFFs, WAVS and/or SDII files. In that case, you need to be able to send large files to your collaborators... Members use iChat, http://www.yousendit.com/>YouSendIt.com (for files up to 1 Gb), or post files/folders on their private websites for downloading. Members have also been know to share large files using their .Mac account Public Folders.

3) How best to share credit, citations, and other legal issues:
a) If you care about legal ownership of your music, you should know that having someone adding to you song can automatically give them a percentage ownership unless certain things happen. I don't want to go into legal details, nor am I a lawyer who can give legal advice, but if you just want someone to add a guitar solo to your song, make sure they know they are doing "work-for-hire" and not sharing authorship.
b) If someone is adding lyrics to a music bed, then they may automatically become 50% owner of the song. Be sure and copyright just the music first if you want to retain separate rights (or visa versa).
c) Posting lyrics with your submission is desired and helpful. Feel free to add a ©2006 YOUR NAME to cite music and lyrics copyrights in the Lyrics or Description section of the song page.
d) Use the Info Tag option in iTunes to affix a copyright notice to your downloadable mp3. (You can also add other citations, artwork and lyrics in iTunes.)
e) If you are going to post a song that has someone else playing/singing on it or has used others in the writing process, it is appropriate to mention them in the song description section of your song page. Since music is found using the various sorting function on the site, consider mentioning them in the song title (perhaps in parentheses); use their name or screen name as a keyword for that song, too.
f) Many members use the HTML function of their artist page to list the collaborations they have been a part of. (I do.) Consider adding these songs to highlight all the work (and play) you do here.

Please add ideas and questions to this thread. Collaborations is one of the coolest aspects of Macjams; they should highlighted and assisted in every way.

Hopefully, future MJ functions will include a way to nest-thread all the derivatives of specific collaborations. Other structural site changes not yet envisioned might help too, so give ideas about any site changes you'd like to see.

Some collaborations have been huge, like SlimGIrlThat, a birthday track to a favorite member, that included at least 37 member contributions. In that case, you may need to set up an offsite project webpage to track changes, pass messages, etc. Hopefully, MJ itself will provide such a collaborative project page capability one day.

Wow, that looks like a very complete subject overview, Tobin.

Just an idea about finding MJ-ers to do a collab with more easy: why not forseeing a field in the profile page that people can fill out to tell what specifically they can offer and/or what they search for in a collab. I mean: instruments, genres, etc...
Next step for the admins is to create a site topic where all these filled out fields are assembled and easily searchable. Hmmm.. okay, easier said than done, I know. But like you say, the collab facility on this site is one of its great features. Why not making it an absolute strength?

Hey, just an idea :-)

Walter

[QUOTE]2) How best to share music: Most collaborations involve sharing multi-track GB files as well as mono and stereo track AIFFs, WAVS and/or SDII files.

When I first started collaborating I would sometimes send the whole GB project. Now I use Logic Express, sometimes Cubase and I've sent a Logic Project (that almost rhymes) and a Cubase project before. Actually I've sent my Cubase project from my Mac to my brothers PC and it transferred fine. You may want to add these options. I'm sure there are more similar programs that will do the same.

Well said, Tobin.
When I joined this site, I never thought that I would be engaged in any collaboration.
I think that has been the most surprising aspect of this site. These experiences have been very rewarding and, as a neophyte to music creation, very educational.
I think one thing to keep in mind is to have patience when collaborating. As hard as it is to believe, not everyone here spends every non-sleeping moment of their lives creating music.
Also. I believe that many of us work on more than one musical creation at once, and the one being worked on right now by your collaborator may not be the one you're eagerly waiting on (egads!).

Well I have a few questions (which probably have been asked many times before):

I have a PC, and I work with Cubase, and mostly with sound fonts and modules, and very little audio tracks.

For example, the Cubase file of my latest upload VITRIOL derives all its sounds from an “Emu Proteus 2000”, including the sung parts which are replaced by a saxophone (as I am no singer).

How would it be possible for someone to do a cover, or collaborate on the song, without the sound module to link up with the actual midi file ?

I can imagine a way around it by having the person who is adding the voice tracks working with different instrument sound fonts, if he, or she is not in possession of the exact same module.

But what happens if that person only works with GB (which - as I understand it - cannot open midi files)? Is there a way around that one? Or is the only solution to record every individual midi track into an audio track and send them all that way ?

I would be grateful for some enlightenment

Wow. Very thorough, and amazingly informative. Thanks Tobin.

Let me answer two aspects of your question.

1) If you are looking only to add a singer to a song (or any solo instrument), then what you can do is send them a general 2-track stereo mix and have them add their vocals. They can send you their vocals track(s) and you can mix the tracks into your song as you wish. I much prefer to mix and master my own tracks, all the reverbs and other effects match that way, plus they will sound the way you want them. They should send a mix track that has been balanced for volume and EQd and other things to their liking, but they should send you a dry track as well as an effects-ladened track so that the choice of effects is ultimately yours.

2) If you want to compose with someone, that is much harder. Regardless of programs and platforms, you will always have the difficulty of matching software instruments, settings, etc. Still, sharing MIDI tracks can save a ton of time. It's not that big a deal to save MIDI tracks and share them. GB can fly in MIDI tracks in standard format. The sounds won't match up, but the notes will be there, which is what a composer needs anyway. Include a list/mix of the your draft demo so your collaborator can approximate your sound palette if need be.

Since matching percussion maps is perhaps the hardest thing to do, provide a mixed down drum track instead of a percussion MIDI track, since chances are those MIDI notes will make no sense with someone else's drum track.

Thank you Tobin for answering my questions, I am getting a much clearer picture. The problem for me is that audio tracks are a bit of a mystery . I’ve only used them as the final recording of whatever I’ve done on midi, and left it at that.
What I am still unclear about is what do you mean by a general 2 track stereo mix ? Is that a whole song divided into two (mono? stereo?) audio tracks ? And if so, how would you divide it ? Or is it just 1 stereo audio track of the instruments without the singing parts (as in the mentioned example)?

[QUOTE] Thank you Tobin for answering my questions, I am getting a much clearer picture. The problem for me is that audio tracks are a bit of a mystery . I’ve only used them as the final recording of whatever I’ve done on midi, and left it at that.
What I am still unclear about is what do you mean by a general 2 track stereo mix ? Is that a whole song divided into two (mono? stereo?) audio tracks ? And if so, how would you divide it ? Or is it just 1 stereo audio track of the instruments without the singing parts (as in the mentioned example)?

[QUOTE]Does that help at all?

Actually, I misspoke. Altho SDII files used in ProTools and DP utilize 2 track stereo files (separate yet attached mono files that create a stereo sound when played within these apps), I didn't mean to say what I did. I just meant a stereo track mix. Sorry for the confusion. I was thinking of too many things at once. It refers to a single stereo audio file (unless you are using SDII, in which case it is two mono files connected, which is how I was sending stuff to Alimar when I wrote the post, thus confusing you inadvertently).

[QUOTE]...I just mean a stereo track mix...

My most enjoyable work has been through collaboration, I answered posts in the forums
One has produced several song submissions. Give it a try! :P :? :) :D 8O :roll: :idea:

Since our live debut in NYC's Meatpacking District, we (Jim of the Infinites and Bob of Five Extra Arms) have been discussing how to pst our collaborative tunes here at Mac Jams. We decided to create a new profile using the name we've called ourselves since our very first efforts as a virtual band.

We are Willie Rotten and Hank Skank - The Skank Brothers.

http://www.macjams.com/artist/TheSkankBrothers

Since we have officially "performed" together in the "real" world where smells and tastes exist, we feel we are no longer just a virtual band. We are now a Real Virtual Band.

http://www.macjams.com/artist/TheSkankBrothers

We'll post our songs here as a testament to the possibilities of what can happen when like minds meet and collaborate. Thanks Mac Jams for letting us discover each other's work and encouraging such partnerships as this.