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Would you mind helping me with learning?

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 11:44 am
by BYTEME
I have had few problems with making my own music.
For example: I constantly do the same thing for every track I've attempted to make..

Drum beat (Usually: Kick, hat, snare, hat, kick kick, snare hat. OR a simple 4x4 beat.)
Put that pattern in Track 1 on the playlist.
Then open up massive, use like 4 or 5 bass's all layered on top of eachother with a lot of odd noise-cancellation and phasing. (No clue how to fix that..)
Make a simple 4 bar/4 chord rythme and paste that pattern into 2nd track on the playlist.
Then get a bunch of Vengeance samples, or my own samples, and put them in the small spaces that are under the bass notes.
Then I'm done usually.

I don't know how to spice it up. I don't know how to change drum beats, I can't find or know how to make any good build-ups or when to use them, I ALSO have no clue how to automate a filter sound on a Massive bass to make it go more rythmic and wobbly in different speeds. I have no clue how to fix noise-cancellation and how to improve sound quality. Also, where and how would I be able to view the hz/db or whatever the sound frequencies are and how do I change them?

So that's my problems with making music. I'm 3 months in, I have sample packs, a few bass's I made myself and that's pretty much it... :/

Re: Would you mind helping me with learning?

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 11:56 am
by SpungE
Don't layer basses like that.
Cut up old funk breaks and use their original groove for good shuffles.
Cheap an cheerfull way to 'automate' lfo speeds is to just bounce out a few bars at each speed you want and cut them up in audio.
You want a spectrum analyser. I think fruity's built in EQs have them.

Re: Would you mind helping me with learning?

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:07 pm
by Electric_Head
listen to tracks and learn to recognize what is happening in each stage.
recreate the tracks and move from there

Re: Would you mind helping me with learning?

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 4:12 pm
by jaydot
Spicing up drum beats is really trial and error, I'm pretty confident at making most drum patterns in most genres now by listening an (attempting) to replicate.

A little tip of making a good wobble, set your synth LFO rate to almost zero, and put an arpeggiator on the synth channel, and just automate the rate of the arpeggiator.

Don't layer basses as someone said, layering oscialltors is find and in fact encouraged, detune them slightly or even a whole octave apart to get better sounds.

Learn envelope ADSR parameters, at least to a basic degree also, when you're synthesising. I use attack the most on pads/synths because to stretch or "compress" the sound.

Trial and error, trial and error, trial and error.

Re: Would you mind helping me with learning?

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 4:16 pm
by -[2]DAY_-
learning ADSR and EQ fundamentals were a huge leap forward. also the tip of using breaks to introduce new grooves to your track is a great one

A good idea I find is to use the break beat you like, and cut all the low end out so you get their hi hats/air and the feel of it, but layer in your own kick and snare. can make for some good beats

#1 tip imho: listen ot a LOT of music, enjoy it, learn about what makes you enjoy it, and explore ways of achieving those aspects in your tunes
its a long hard road
good luck, and have fun

Re: Would you mind helping me with learning?

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 4:19 pm
by jaydot
Breakbeat snares are sick, hell whole amen breaks are useful in some way-I've never thought about using their hi hats I may try that one day

Re: Would you mind helping me with learning?

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 4:34 pm
by click me
A couple of neat tricks that I have taught my myself over the years with fl is just experimenting. Find a plugin that sounds cool, fuck with it. Then go to the help section and read all about it. They have a lot of external links on there that can really help you out. When I was starting out making music I was in the same position as you, it felt like I was in a rut and I didn't know what to do next. A couple things you can try is getting really familliar with the piano roll, it will make your basslines waaay less stale. Secondly, if you have some basslines, vocals, or any kind of 5 - 30 second sample you could load it up to slicex and chop it up. Its super easy and hella fun. I am on my blackberry right now so I'm not gonna proof read this but if you need any help pm me and I will go in to a little more detail. (:

Re: Would you mind helping me with learning?

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 5:18 pm
by -[2]DAY_-
jaydot wrote:Breakbeat snares are sick, hell whole amen breaks are useful in some way-I've never thought about using their hi hats I may try that one day
the hats are pretty much all i ever wanted to get from a break, bc they're what i could never emulate with 1-shots. the choke of a real open hh into a closed, the humanistic groove, and the air. i'll have to take a stab at using the other drums some time. I know you're in FL but on Reason we can open .Rx2's in the nnxt sampler and send each slice out of its own output, so i can toss a big plate reverb on just the snare hits. could even vary the amount of wet without automating it, just use a different output. not sure what the equivalent would be in FL.

Re: Would you mind helping me with learning?

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 5:46 pm
by click me
On fl you would open slicex or something and make a cool break beat with some drum loop, then you would clone that channel but only KEEP the snare notes that are in the pianoroll and delete everything else. Then on the original slicex channel you would KEEP everything BUT the snares. Then on the clone you would send it through the mixer and apply reverb.