Starting out & Genre

[Starsong]

I wanted to lurk a lot longer before asking for help but, well, I feel like I could really use some insight. I guess I'm 'new' in the sense that I haven't produced anything that I feel is full and complete, though I've been playing with versions of FL studio (using 10 now) off and on for.. a while.

I feel like I have genre ADD or something because I tend to fall in love with whatever I've listened to most recently. So, excitedness and I WANT TO DO Chiptunes/rock/trance/etcetcetc. . . which I would love to do but I feel like starting out it's cutting into my development.

So maybe someone knows better. ._. To kind of get my footing, should I just try to really learn one particular genre? Or should I still try to experiment from song to song. Heeeeelp! And also, hi. Love you guys here.

[Versilaryan]

Hi! Welcome to MLR! ^^

I'll spare the usual "getting started" stuff because Bartekko will probably drop by soon with that. So I'll just offer my input on your question!

If you're just starting, I'd highly recommend learning one particular genre and then moving to other genres once you have a grasp of the first one. Writing a genre makes music a lot easier to write, and if you know you can count on certain elements of the genre having to be there, you can focus less on that and focus more on making it sound awesome. At the same time, don't ever feel like you need to do something because it's in the genre! Genres are just guidelines, if anything, just labels people put on music that sounds similar.

Once you've got some level of mastery with genres, you can jump around, but it's a lot better to be extremely proficient at two genres than kindasorta decent at a million of them. And besides, if you learn one genre, it's a lot easier to branch out to similar genres because the grand majority of the concepts stay the same.

[Navron]

Take what you love about your favorite genres and think of ways they can be implemented into your own music.

For example, my own sound seems to be a hybrid between psytrance and industrial, but even has some elements of dubstep and downtempo thrown in there.

Shpongle is classified as a psybient band, but their songs are a mish mash of tons of different genres, including jazz, lounge, psytrance, industrial, goa, etc.

[Freewave]

Yeah don't be afraid to make music outside the box or combine genres. genres will follow a lot of similar themes or guidelines on how they are created and what they emphasize (and often audiences who prefer a genre over others) but they also can become stale and lackluster when they sound just like every track. While I recommend jumping around in making music in different genres they key is to eventually put out a track that's solid enough where its "good" and that can be done through spending a ton of time on one WIP until its well produced or you can put out a few tracks that are good but not great until you master the techniques to put out more solid work. It's really up to you as people often either play one and only on style (and there audiences begin to expect that) or there are those really like to float around and try to sample a wide selection (and i think the music that comes out is a bit more unpredictable and exciting).

Either way welcome, keep practicing, and there's a wealth of of info on creation and techniques here and people willing to listen to WIP or any completed tracks to give you helpful advice. And remeber to have FUN with it and not get frustrated.

[bartekko]

I'll spare the usual "getting started" stuff because Bartekko will probably drop by soon with that. So I'll just offer my input on your question!

Not sure how to react.

So okay, usual stuff.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/43557387/ira-glass-quote.jpg


You want to make a lot of different kinds of music. That's good. That's very good. But keep in mind what Versilaryan said: master one genre first, before moving to another. But also, in this community there's an old saying: "Disregard genres, make music"
Help with various aspects of music might be gotten here: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1369 ,
but most of knowledge comes from doing music, not reading about it.

Try to remake a song once in a while, to get a hold of how does one make something sound like this, and not a different way.
http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/h ... y-told-me/

At first reading, this was just a funny article.

At second, and third, and fourth, it's one of the wisest things one has written to artists.

At one point, you might feel like "IT ALL MAKES NO SENSE, ALL MUSIC IS THE SAME AND I CANT BE CREATIVE WITH IT"

then, stop making music, for a week at most, and listen to music you don't usually listen to.

Dubstep, Country, Happy Hardcore, Orchestral, Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Electro, 60's Electronica, pop, The world is full of different sounds, and you'll just have to learn from it.

Or, change something in your software. There's a whole thread dedicated to various vst plugins,
here: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=490
Get a plugin or two, do something new. Try a new DAW if you really don't feel like the one you use is really your waifu.

When you want feedback on something you're working on, you'll be much more certain to get it by dropping into the IRC channel and asking someone personally, preferably someone who knows the ropes of a certain style, than you'll be while just dropping in the WIP to this forum.

[Starsong]

Goodness, thank you! ^=^ This place always seems welcoming so I'm glad to kind of sink my hooves in, even if I might be on the quieter side. Been perusing through the resources (and nabbing whatever looks good, nyaha) and I feel like I have a good place to start.

I guess I'll just trust that this rig is in one piece and make something... share it if I can stand it. I feel like I don't have much to add, but wanted to say thanks!