Please help

[Chillieman]

So i know there is plenty of threads on this site that specifically say :"Beginners start here" But im gonna be ballsy and ask these questions even thought i will probably get alot of responds saying "Its called google", use the search field... yada yada.

First of, im using FL Studio 10 and iv been playing around with making dubstep for quite awhile. I follow tutorials on youtube basically. and iv noticed that most of the tutorials are always. Take this synth. Tune The oscillator so it looks EXACTLY like this, to get your desired sound. But that doesnt work well for me. I get a nice sounding preset, but i still feel like my creations are completely plagiarism.

Keep in mind that im a logical learner, im used to learning things like C++(computer programming), where if i need to get a desired result for my program, theres basically one code that will get that result . But making a dubstep song that actually sounds good, i havnt yet found a template that i can follow to get any of my songs sounding good. Im just not good at blending the sounds together in a drop for instance, no matter how many tutorials i look at,, i cant just learn how to make a bunch of sounds, put them together, and get the desired effect that i want to hear.

Im aware that this comes with practice, but im looking for something like a sound production book. Like something you go on amazon and buy. Something that will bring me though a process that one: teaches me how to make original sounds, but DOES not say "Step one:" tune osc 1 to Saw wave, 32% tension, 63% volume..... if you catch my drift.
Then the book might teach me how to to lay out a drop that gives me numerous algorithms that might sound good

So the question is: are there any good books on techno design? Or a REALLY good tutorial that brings me through the process of mixing my sounds together in a couple of different formats?

Im just wondering where i can go to get a good sounding song, ill post a couple things that iv made and maybe i could get some opinions and tips that way?

Oh and another thing. Sense im not too strong on the creative part, like making note patterns that sound good. Any good places to start on making melodies, or basslines that dont just repeat though out the whole song.

My main subjects i want to learn: effective drops, creating note sequences(my biggest issue), mixing my sounds together, Song structure, creating original sounds(i want the theories of making good synts, not direct instructions)

like i said, i have went through so many tutorials online and i feel like i have just reached a peak and im not getting any better.

Please help?

P.S. Im not trying to be lazy and just asking this information to be spoon fed to me. im dedicating most of my day tomorrow to look for good tutorials that will help me. i just desperately need assistance

Heres what were working with here:
Soundcloud

id say this is my best piece of work =/

[outbound]

Search for 'Dance music manual' that should get you started

[mthrfnk]

There are hundreds, if not thousands of sound design and mixing/composition tutorials available on the internet. There are a lot of people who do walkthroughs as they create a track or do series' of tutorials cover things step by step - you might want to sit through something like that. I've found a lot of helpful stuff on http://howtomakeelectronicmusic.com/ and similar blogs. You may also want to consider subscribing to a magazine such as Future Music or Computer Music, both are pretty good reads and come with a DVD including tutorials/samples/stuio session with an artist each month.

There are also books/pdfs such as "How to Make a Noise" that covers synthesis. If you're interested in mixing/mastering this: http://downloads.izotope.com/guides/iZo ... hOzone.pdf is a good read, it primarily covers mastering (with Ozone) as you'd expect but touches some key points about getting your mix right and how to apply "mastering tools" in general.

In relation to your point regarding "a template" - there is no template you can apply to get a good track imo, music is a creative art and as a result practice and experimenting is the best way you can improve your skillset. There are obviously "standards" you can follow such as the layout of a track and the style - but just by copying these from artists you like won't guarantee a good track if you're lacking the content (musically/sonically) or skills to present it properly (sound design/mixing).

How long have you been producing? If it's under 2 years don't feel disheartened... it's a long road to becoming good at this imo. I've been producing for 3 years on and off, I've taken massive breaks here and there but for the past 10-12 months I've been producing for at least a couple of hours every other day - most days I'll just fuck around with making new sounds, following a tutorial on something or just playing with melodies rather than actually making a track - so when I come to create a new track I can pour all of that learning/ideas into that track... if it's shit I move on, if it's good I'll polish it and upload it to SoundCloud... I've only recently started to make stuff I actually like.

Also in regards to your track, it sounds like a beginners track I'd have heard back in 2010, you need to practice a lot of things... specifically creating something that sounds relatively fresh rather than wubs/yois.

[R3b_Official]

You are way over complicating things! I doubt there is a definitive book that lays out everything in front of you on how to make a solid track. Plus if you did, it wouldnt help much from experience and just in general having fun. Ive also done some c++ in one of my classes last year. TBH i hatted it, whats the point of this sort of programming if you have to do it exactly step by step?

I could just google the fucking code and results in the display and such. Music on the other hand is completely different. 50% is knowing what you're doing, 40% is music theory which you should know quite well instead of make random patterns in piano roll and doing trail and error for a melody. The other 10% is just random nonsense, especially in dubstep. You can throw in about 10 instruments at a time and its just a crazy mess that sounds amazing!

Having everything told and laid out for you is not the way to learn and you should know that by now if you are coding. Nothing beats actually trying hands on knowledge.

Advice that im doing now is working on making all my synths and growls or whatever now for a couple months so i have a ready arsenal of sounds that are well made sounds and i could worry more about the arrangement and mixing of my track.

Try for a week or two and read on the forum on make different sounds, even if there not what your into. You might bring the patch up and change it completely out of randomness.

Learn a bit of music goes a far way. Most electronic songs are not that complicated music wise... but that little knowledge goes far.

For months all i did was look up tutorials and make this sweet skrilly wub wub or how to make a "bass". Learned nothing. I learned more from doing and understanding how the synth works and what properties does adding a reverb or phaser do to a sound.

Understanding a solid basics of what youre doing will get you there and lots of patients and years of making a song after a song. You never see a 19 year old producer that makes a very big song but they make something very catchy and sounds pleasing to the ear. In a couple years they be making some complicated shit that blows peoples minds, since they have been at it for at least 10 years.

[fragments]

Well, why don't you stop watching tutorials that only show you how to make a "preset" and just experiment a bit? Turn a knob. Listen. Really listen to what it does. Take notes. I highly recommend the free resource "How To Make a Noise" or the inexpensive "Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook".

The fact is you are just going to have to learn some music theory. I highly recommend Raven Spiral's Guide to Music Theory as a free resource (it uses electronic music as the example often). For a pay resource I like "Music Theory for Computer Musicians" from Cengage Learning. It uses a DAW piano roll.

That's the problem with most youtube tutorials, they are like giving a man a fish instead of teaching him how. There is way more crap on youtube than anything good. Tons of those tutorials are made by people that don't know much more than you do.

[Chillieman]

Thanks for your replies guys. I appreciate you giving me your attention and time =]

@outbound

Search for 'Dance music manual' that should get you started

Thanks! a place to start is always great

@mthrfnk --

How long have you been producing?

Iv started producing last year in march. It hasnt been a continuous thing, and theres large periods of times where i dont even start up FL studio, so id say right around a year of experience

you need to practice a lot of things... specifically creating something that sounds relatively fresh rather than wubs/yois

I cannot agree with you more. One of the main reasons im posting this thread is to find something that will help me make something that sounds fresh.

In relation to your point regarding "a template" ... ... ... There are obviously "standards" you can follow such as the layout of a track and the style

I was more or less talking about the layout standards.

I've found a lot of helpful stuff on http://howtomakeelectronicmusic.com/ and similar blogs ... ... You may also want to consider subscribing to a magazine such as Future Music or Computer Music... ... ...There are also books/pdfs such as "How to Make a Noise" that covers synthesis.

Thank you very much for the references!


@R3b_Official --

.... C++ ...

Not what the thread is about, just simply letting you guys know that i learn better logically and less creatively.
IMO, its like asking : whats the point of making your own bass when i can google EXACTLY how to make a bass. Its all about how you USE the bass.

50% is knowing what you're doing, 40% is music theory which you should know quite well instead of make random patterns in piano roll and doing trail and error for a melody...

The 90% i completely lack =P i might have 2% of the 90%. First off i dont really know what i am doing when it comes to making any track(may it be r&b or dubstep)

The MAIN thing i want to improve on is the music theory. Because your right. All im doing is trial and error. My melodies are shit because im just doing everything randomly and then testing them out. It takes me FOREVER to get something that sounds 20% decent, and then i end up using the same f***ing notes throughout the whole song

Try for a week or two and read on the forum on make different sounds, even if there not what your into. You might bring the patch up and change it completely out of randomness.

I think thats where im at now in my producing level. Mostly up till now iv been watching specific youtube videos to get "This exact bass" and "This exact sound", and eventutally watching more educational videos that teach me how to use a synthesizer to create my own sounds. Its got to the point that i can now open up my daw, with no tutorial, and make a half-decent sounding noise. (Im not saying im good enough yet, i still need ALOT of work at learning more sounds) But overall, when it comes to mixing those sounds together, it just begins to sound horrible and it brings me down.

Advice that im doing now is working on making all my synths and growls or whatever now for a couple months so i have a ready arsenal of sounds that are well made sounds and i could worry more about the arrangement and mixing of my track.

I agree with this and i probably will end up doing this once i get more experience on music theory. Make a bunch of sounds i like so then i can worry about the arrangement.


@fragments -

Well, why don't you stop watching tutorials that only show you how to make a "preset" and just experiment a bit?

Thats not the only thing i watch on youtube. I watch the tutorial series that goes about telling me "How to make a dubstep beat" But its just mediocre, and doesnt teach me much because its still all about "Do exactly this" and "do exactly that"

I highly recommend the free resource "How To Make a Noise" or the inexpensive "Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook".

Thank you for the reference, i will definitely check them out, i love the idea of How to make a noise, rather then how to make THIS EXACT noise

The fact is you are just going to have to learn some music theory. I highly recommend Raven Spiral's Guide to Music Theory as a free resource..... For a pay resource I like "Music Theory for Computer Musicians" from Cengage Learning. It uses a DAW piano roll.

THANK YOU. This is what i was looking for. A resource for music theory that some one would recommend.

[SunkLo]

It baffles me that you say there's no creativity involved in programming. Production and programming are very similar in a lot of ways. You need to have a solid understanding of the objective foundation, the code syntax and music theory. But once you can speak the language, there's many ways to skin a cat. The reason the two disciplines appeal to me so much is that they use both sides of your brain. Without creativity, your programs and productions will ultimately be shit. Without proper command of your craft, your work will be technically inadequate. The two sides of the coin are equally as crucial.

Learn synthesis, harmony and arrangement first. Once you have a foundation, you can do your own thing instead of having to follow paint by numbers videos.

[Artie_Fufkin]

Learn to learn creatively.

But once you can speak the language, there's many ways to skin a cat.

[R3b_Official]

It baffles me that you say there's no creativity involved in programming. Production and programming are very similar in a lot of ways. You need to have a solid understanding of the objective foundation, the code syntax and music theory. But once you can speak the language, there's many ways to skin a cat. The reason the two disciplines appeal to me so much is that they use both sides of your brain. Without creativity, your programs and productions will ultimately be shit. Without proper command of your craft, your work will be technically inadequate. The two sides of the coin are equally as crucial.

Learn synthesis, harmony and arrangement first. Once you have a foundation, you can do your own thing instead of having to follow paint by numbers videos.

You're absolutely right if you look at it in that sense.... Im not saying theres no creativity but i think its very limited in c++ from my personal use. It depends on what type of coding you do but then i guess the same way goes for production. I think there both part of the same beast but very different in many ways. Personally im not into it but its pretty interesting how other programs work, like java and such.

You must able to speak your language fluently and confidently to make something unique and creative.