Where to start?

[guitarskills]

I am now in complete and utter despair after trying to get this (composing, mastering, producing) to work over the past few months. I have watched countless youtube videos, spent hours messing with a single vst, and given up any and all free time (I have a lot) to music, yet I can not even come close to making anything that sound good... This sucks. I understand that you all went through this point somewhere in your life, but I would like it if someone could teach me. I have no skills what so ever, but just like the rest of you, I want to learn. Is anyone willing to help?

[Whitetail]

Well if you seem to be having problems coming up with something good, maybe the DAW you're working with works against your normal work flow? What program are you using, maybe we could suggest you try a different one that works better for you (sorry, I'd help teach but I'm not necessarily all that good, definitely not qualified to teach someone else haha).

[guitarskills]

Well if you seem to be having problems coming up with something good, maybe the DAW you're working with works against your normal work flow? What program are you using, maybe we could suggest you try a different one that works better for you (sorry, I'd help teach but I'm not necessarily all that good, definitely not qualified to teach someone else haha).

No, I love FL studio's pattern setup... That's how I have always written music.

EDIT: You know how to make your instruments sound good...

[Dr_Dissonance]

I'm guessing you're after being taught the electronic side of music...if so, there are waaaay better people on here than me at that!
The most electronic stuff I've done is of the live manipulation variety...
Well, I hope you lose the blues quickly!

[RobotPony]

You said you have trouble with "composing, mastering, producing". I can't really help on the last two, as I don't know that much about them yet, but I might be able to help you with the composing. Or, at least I can tell you how I compose. You're sort of on your own with synths and other stuff, I'm trying to figure that out myself as well. This would just be chord progression, melody and bass lines - primarily. If you don't need help with that, then I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.

[guitarskills]

Okay, well, yes, I do know a little bit about composing... I took a year of classical theory... So I can come up with chord progressions... I need help with adding rhythms to my repertoire... I hate how songs like "strobe" by Deadmau5 are so simple yet sounds so beautiful... (F#,B,F#,F#,B is the melody for 3 minutes straight with a few variations) I could compose that! I really could! But no matter how hard I try, I can't make the songs. (I only had 6 health, by the way.)

[Stars In Autumn]

Okay, well, yes, I do know a little bit about composing... I took a year of classical theory... So I can come up with chord progressions... I need help with adding rhythms to my repertoire... I hate how songs like "strobe" by Deadmau5 are so simple yet sounds so beautiful... (F#,B,F#,F#,B is the melody for 3 minutes straight with a few variations) I could compose that! I really could! But no matter how hard I try, I can't make the songs. (I only had 6 health, by the way.)

Haha, I feel the same way! Strobe is probably in my top 5 songs currently. It's sad how amazing that song is and yet how simple it is! Like, wtf, how do I create that atmosphere with that few notes!? Deadmau5 is too amazing...

Right now music composing for me is picking a random key and just recording me smashing on my keyboard for a few minutes and seeing if I can pick out an interesting melody.

[Icky]

Listen to other artists.
Start listening to your favorite tracks, but instead of just focusing on the melody or the beat try to catch every little detail. When and how does he use FX? Are those strings in the background? There's a lot you'd usually miss if you dont pay attention to it, but all these small things really make a huge difference.
Try to emulate some of the things you hear others do in your own tracks.

An artist also doesn't start drawing out of nowhere.
Have atleast a basic idea of how you want your track to sound like in your head. Ofcourse you can still change things on the go, but it helps a lot if you know what kind of track you want to create.
Inspiration for tracks may come at the most random moments, or when you least expect it. I'm in greece right now, so I'm without my DAW or VSTs and I've got about 5 ideas for songs in my head at the moment.

Ask questions!
Don't know how to create a specific sound, or how to master your tracks? Ask other people on the forum for help! I'm sure there are a ton of ponies on this site that could help you.
There are also lots of tutorials on Youtube and other forums on how to do specific things.

Hope any of that helps.

[guitarskills]

I love how I get to ask questions to people who's music is on my ipod.

Yeah, I've been watching this guy called ste1438... He explains a bunch of buttons.

EDIT: ere is a question. Where do I get the vst Pro-53? Native Instruments discontinued it...

[Interrobang Pie]

How to be best:
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.

Seriously, practice makes perfect. I managed to pick myself up from nothing to where I am now (it took almost two years but that's besides the point). You'll keep improving as long as you don't give up.

It also helps if you get in touch with people or join a community that uses the same tools as you do (obviously here is just as good as a tool-specific forum). I went onto the Famitracker forums, posted a few songs and got a lot of (negative) feedback - it was constructive though, so obviously I improved.

The good thing about the Famitracker forums and Famitracker itself is the easiness of sharing the files - since .ftms are very small (~50kb), it is easy to share, open and study other people's work - by studying you learn quite a lot (WHO KNEW).

I guess the above would go for any sort of tracker, and in fact any sort of medium (although sharing the sources might be a little more difficult).

Just find what's right for you.

[guitarskills]

Writing isn't what I want help on! Yes, I need to get better at that, but what I need is learning how to produce. Being able to to write a chord progression, a melody, a drum beat, I can do all that. What I can't do is make it sound good in the DAW. I can go play my melody on a piano and it sounds okay, but it sounds like garbage on the computer.

Umm... I'm sorry for yelling... *Insert fluttershy here*

[Interrobang Pie]

Oh right! AHHAHAH. Now I feel stupid.

Um, mess around with shit? Not too experienced in anything that isn't Famitracker, hah.

[ArtAttack]

Hey, I consider myself decent with the technical side of FL Studio, if you need any help with that, PM me or add me on Skype.

[guitarskills]

Thanks...

[Whitetail]

From what I've heard from FL users, never use presets
On top of forcing you to learn how to work the plugins, it also prevents you from falling into the trap of people being able to tell exactly what presets you used (thus it sounds less "noobish")

[ArtAttack]

From what I've heard from FL users, never use presets
On top of forcing you to learn how to work the plugins, it also prevents you from falling into the trap of people being able to tell exactly what presets you used (thus it sounds less "noobish")

Well, using presets is OK, but using built-in presets is not. I use presets, of sounds that I've made XD Building every synth from scratch everytime you start a song is not fun >_<

[guitarskills]

On top of forcing you to learn how to work the plugins

But how do you learn?...

[Interrobang Pie]

Practice. Study.

[Bagpipe Brony]

I encounter the preset thing every time I work w/ Massive. I try to get a skrillex growl and I had to save it or there'd be hell to do the next time I wanted that sound.
Now, as for you,
maybe if a melody sounds like crap on the comp you might need to tweak the individual note velocities?(only on touch sensitive instruments) So it sounds like a real hand playing the piano. or maybe ad some "small room" reverb and tweak the predelay?
Any of that what you're looking for?

[guitarskills]

Practice. Study.

Practice what?

maybe if a melody sounds like crap on the comp you might need to tweak the individual note velocities?(only on touch sensitive instruments) So it sounds like a real hand playing the piano. or maybe ad some "small room" reverb and tweak the predelay?
Any of that what you're looking for?

The melody itself isn't bad, Its the synth. Usually I just let a single note in pattern mode play while I mess with the settings. It's horrible...

[Bagpipe Brony]

[quote="guitarskills"
The melody itself isn't bad, Its the synth. Usually I just let a single note in pattern mode play while I mess with the settings. It's horrible...[/quote]
Could you tell me exactly what you want to hear at the end result? Or what synth are you using? And what you're trying to do w/ said synth? and what settings are you messing with?

[RobotPony]

I think the point that Interroband Pie is trying to get across is that you need to practice and study on you own. No one here knows every way to make a synth sound good, and we have no idea what sound you're starting out with and what you want to make it. That part is sort of on your shoulders. If you want suggestion, pick a particular song from an artist here and ask them how they got a synth to sound the way it does. That's fine. But, if you want some magical secret to make all synths sound good to be revealed, then you're out of luck, because there is no one way to do it.

[guitarskills]

I'm not going for any specific sound... I just don't want it to sound like a GM...

And I can't experiment with Chinese when I grew up in America...

I was hoping that there would be at least a video on youtube where someone messes with the knobs, describing what they do...

[RobotPony]

I'm not going for any specific sound... I just don't want it to sound like a GM...

And I can't experiment with Chinese when I grew up in America...

I was hoping that there would be at least a video on youtube where someone messes with the knobs, describing what they do...

Um, well, that's different. Ask about an effect. Someone here might be able to tell you what it does.

Your second sentence confuses me. I don't see how it's related to anything.

[Bagpipe Brony]

The second sentence is an analogy Robot Pony c:
And I think if you don't want it to sound like a cheap MIDI, then get a good synth plugin. Like reFX Nexus, or get it "under the table" if you're poor like me lol.