i have been producing music since the past 9 months and have only managed to produce 12 track up till now and obv neither have i reached commercial quality.
The thing is im currently stuck and i dont know what to do. Im working on ableton live 9. I feel that everything i make on operator is just sounding so boring or static. i majority work on operator or massive. neither can i think of anything different to do while producing. like i have a standard process..filter some pads in, put chords and a melody on top of that. While i obv like that on commercial releases mine sound very boring : /
i wana try out different stuff and different genres for e.g.. dubstep but dont know how to! all i know is how to make those wobbles and talking basses but i dont exactly know where in what arrangement to apply them. I tried making a song on the lines of a movie background score. it was very average.
Can someone whose probably gone through the same thing gimme some good advice. Thanks
Try working with loops. Not just placing them on the timeline. But twist them up, warp them, eq them, filter them, etc. You will learn a lot about sound design and arrangement faster then trying to make every sound from scratch. Eventually you start using more and more of your own sounds.
Don’t feel bad about using loops. Watch a lot of the “making of” videos by big name producers like Avicii and they are all using presets and loops combined with their own sound design.
Google + Youtube is your friend. Just immerse yourself in it, that’s all I can say. It’s a learning curve, and there’s only so much we can tell you on here. There’s no “magic bullet” that’s going to do this for you. Just have to keep on trucking until you have that “aha!” moment. It’s all part of the learning process.
Just keep having fun during the process of writing music, don’t worry about how your stuff sounds compared to other people yet. It took those pros you’re comparing your tracks to a lot longer than 9 months to get their song sounding that good, practice, practice, practice!
I’m not sure what you mean by them two words. In my eyes, the definition of commercial means trade or business.
So you’re trying to sell your tracks? I think just about every producer thinks their first tracks are going to be hits (I certainly did/do slight_smile:. It doesn’t work like that unless you know some one that’s heavily involved in the music industry, or you are rich, or you are extremely lucky.
Think of every track you make as a learning curve.
If you have used some of Adobe’s software such as Photoshop or After Effects then you’ll be familiar with the preset ‘curves’. Might sound a bit stupid but basically, you start at the bottom, and then you work your way up until your image (song) looks (sounds) better and better. And then you progress, and then if your track is really good… Then there you go, there’s your hit.
NOTE: This may take fucking years.
Please don’t hate I just want to put a different view point on things . I am a fairly new producer myself, I haven’t done as many tracks as you but I’ve been producing for about 2 or 3 years. And I’m still at this level.
What I’ve noticed about peoples songs that sound more exciting and not boring is they actually put a lot of shit in for example effects, loops, samples etc. And then a really good job on the mixing/mastering.
As I’m sure others have said on this post, spend time googling and youtubing and foruming loads of shit, any thing to do to help. Also take breaks often, go have a coffee, go for a smoke etc. Don’t let it get to you! You have to show the music who’s boss! I know it’s frustrating but you’ve got to take control and have fun at the same time!
I think the best advice i could give you would be to explore sounds… i think the limited use of operator and massive
{while they are fine synthesizers} i think you need to hear new sounds and like one person said do not be afraid to use presets… if i were you i think the thing holding people back sometime is having a grasp on arrangement, i know when i get into a rut its actually because i am spending too much time on one section or in fact,on production..sometimes spending so much time on a track we lose sight of the big picture, damage our ears, and annoy ourselves,try to go a little time not prodcuing between sessions so that you cant remember the melody…work with better samples…make your own…etc …goodluck!
I have a similar problem, I’ve only been producing for about a year now. A friend of mine told me the first step to becoming a better producer is working with the fact that your going to be a terrible one for a few years. Being musically illiterate I’m current learning the piano, which is helping a lot. Also, to make my tracks sound more original I start building around a sample, I’m a sucker for jazz, so it’s normally something I’ve lifted off a record.
Seems like you’ve hit a plateau! We all have been there but it still sucks, you will have a period where everyhting you make feels uninspired and boring. I have these moments every few months or so, then a few months of mad inspiration where I start projects and don’t finish them, then a month or so just finishing those projects with a clear head.
What always works for me is to focus on my sticking points, what don’t you like about your sound. Focus on those topics, one at a time.
Do your kicks sound boring? Focus on your kicks only, immerse yourself in making kicks and kicks only. Do your melodies suck? Listen to a lot of tracks and re-create melodies from other producers. Do you get dull sounding synths? Learn synthesis, open up some presets and fiddle around, watch tons of youtube videos. Don’t do them all at a time, but learn point by point.
yeah must agree, well produced loops (loopmasters, primeloops, beatport) can make a world of difference and save lots of time. Dont feel bad using loops but make sure to your best ability to cut, slice, sample those loops so your sound does not sound like the next guys.
(argh! i typed a long reply and just lost it!! i’m going to try one more time)
like many others here i too know how you feel - its part of the creative process - there will be days you will struggle - don’t beat yourself up about it!
firstly don’t allow “commercial” success to warp your thinking - make music that you love, rather than music you think you should love (excuse the cheese please)
when stuck i generally do the following:
listen to new music for inspiration. when i find a song that i love - i dissect it into its component elements as far as possible to get an understanding of the intricacies of why it sounds so good - i mean how it flows, what changes when and why.
read everything (music, science, art) - there are so many great ideas in other disciplines - its always great to get fresh concepts from other areas.
take a break - a proper break. turn everything off and have some silence in your life, or maybe go for a walk.
i look to artists that I’m inspired by, i read their back story - there is so much to learn from their mistakes and successes.
technical advice is difficult since every producer will have his/her own way of doing things. I’ve picked up a couple of producer manuals off Amazon that helped a bit. like others have mentioned earlier in the thread youtube and google are great.
there is no magic formula of course. somedays everything just works for inexplicable reasons. other times this feeling of being stuck can go on for weeks. but the trick is to keep at it. and over time things will begin to work.
Words of wisdom. I started with Youtube tutorial after Youtube tutorial. Also, don’t restrict yourself to a specific structure or arrangement; experiment with different styles, genres, and sounds.
Another approach you could take is focusing on your technical skill first, rather than creative skill. Learn from other people’s styles, and once you have the techniques down, you can develop your own unique sound.
slight_smile:. It doesn’t work like that unless you know some one that’s heavily involved in the music industry, or you are rich, or you are extremely lucky.
. I am a fairly new producer myself, I haven’t done as many tracks as you but I’ve been producing for about 2 or 3 years. And I’m still at this level.
