Creating Dubstep

[Kandicaine]

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right forum. This is only my second post. If this is the incorrect forum could an admin please move the thread, thank-you.

So I've been messing with FL studio and Massive for the past 2 months. Ive been doing tons of reading, experimenting etc. I know what I'm making sounds good but its not at the level I want it.

I'm making music with elements of dubstep but its so simple it sounds like. Its missing something and I'm at the point where I dont think I can teach myself what I'm missing. I don't really know if that makes sense.

Heres my soundcloud. Some feedback would be great. The sounds are there, theyre just not quite in the right structure I think...
https://soundcloud.com/kandicaine-vybz/halcyon

[Kandicaine]

I'm also not expecting to be at top production level after only 2 months but I really do feel like what I've been doing and what I've learned has come to a stand still.

Whats wrong with my music? Are the drums not complex enough, is it the structure, should the synths be more complex? If so, how? I love EDM but I can't seem to make it!

[Benji]

I think it sounds pretty good on the whole, but some more EQing and mixing might make it a bit more crisp and maybe some more variation in the bass notes

[Benji]

And yeah someone might move it to the Feedback area

[John_Dope]

I'm in the same boat mate

[Hostile Invasion]

When starting out, you're going to think that the music you're making is good. It isn't how you want it to be, but you think it's good. Then a few years down the line you'll listen to what you first made and you'll laugh your ass off at how you ever thought that sounded good.

Starting out sucks. It really sucks. While everyone else is pumping out kickass tracks, you're still trying to find your way around your DAW, hindered by technical skills that you don't yet have. The thing is, you'll have to push through it. Accept that your beginning tracks sound like garbage, but strive for making each track better than the last. Learn new things with each new song.

Example: This was the first track I ever made three years ago
Soundcloud

At the time I thought it was bad ass. I knew it wasn't perfect but dammit I was proud. Three years later I look back on that track and laugh. I had some good ideas going I guess but hell, amateur city right there. Now one of my latest tracks (in my signature) shows why I think that.

I'm making music with elements of dubstep but its so simple it sounds like. Its missing something and I'm at the point where I dont think I can teach myself what I'm missing. I don't really know if that makes sense.

-good, this is the mindset you want. Especially early on. Never be fully satisfied with your work. Be proud of what you made, but if you think you made an absolute perfect song, you're in the wrong mind-set.

My advice for you is to keep at it (yes not very insightful I know). You'll develop an ear for what sounds good overtime. A/B your tracks to those that you can't get enough of. If you do, I guarantee you that 2 years maybe 1 year down the road you'll listen to music you made just starting out and be amazed with the progress that you achieved.

Progress is slow but the reward is tremendous.

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

mak harscore techno

[Benji]

That was an awesome post, when I started out I wish I could appreciate things that I do now. Like making a track that's better than the last, it's not gonna sound pro right at the start but you can at least make steady progress and knowing that helps a lot. And even so, I still like listening to my really old stuff, it's just a shame I didn't manage to keep all the project files. If I'm feeling a bit shit about my production skills I like to have a blaze and listen to all my music in the order that it was made and it always makes me feel better, the black and white confirmation of improvement is nice and I get a better sense of what areas need more work

[Kandicaine]

Thanks for the awesome feedback. I'm really hoping that if I keep expirementing, watching videos, reading, making sounds, tracks etc that I will get better.

I used to play the guitar but I also got to a point where I wasn't making any progress anymore, that was after 4 years... this is only 2 months. I really hope that with what I'm doing now I am on the track to getting better in a years time.

[outbound]

Right.

Mixdown:-

Everything sounds overly scooped. The only thing really occupying the low-end is the kick, there isn't any real sub presence. The midrange synths seem to be overly bright but there's not a great deal in the middle of the mix. Try pushing the mids on the synths. Bring up the sub, drop the volume of that kick. Ease up on the distortion, it's making it very hard to differentiate the different elements in the mix.

Track:-

There isn't a great deal of contrast, there are heavy sounds in there and naturally you're aiming for as heavy/loud a mis as poss but when it's that full on the whole time then it's hard for different parts to stand out. Try things like cutting parts before the next 16 (to help differentiate different parts of the track. Can't tell if the bit at the start is the beginning of the track or whether this is just a WIP where you've started at the drop. If it's the first then you need to ease up on this section. The intro is the calm before the storm, it needs to hint at what is going to happen at the drop but needs to leave enough space for it to have impact when it happens.

Master Buss processing:-

I would ease off on any master buss compressing/limiting/maximising etc for now. When a mix is struggling to achieve definition then this will only hinder progress. Make sure you get separation right at the mix down stage and then when you're happy revisit this section.

Good luck!