Thank you Mr No Avenger. I think maybe there are some people mistake me when I say I want to play modern music. I don't have any desire to make dance music or even pop music. I just want to transfer from rigid piano practice to free form stylizing.

 

Some tips for you,
Don't download so many plugins. Download waves bundle and iZotope bundle. Spend lots of time with those plugins while mixing. Don't download new fancy effect plugin. Focus on songwriting instead of mixing techniques cause you cannot mix anything if you don't have any songs! It is a back and forth process, just try things and improve.
The golden tip : Open your favorite songs in your DAW and see how it is mixed. See the sections(Songwriting related). See the shape of wave, peaks, transients(If you don't know what peaks and transients are google them).
No music theory can tell you what a professional producer does! Study original works don't just blindly test things. Test things in an educational way.
Another tip, a day comes that most of the tutorials on web are not adding to your knowledge, that's the time you are on your own and you have to experiment to add to your techniques both mix and arrangement wise. That's why I say study work of others, study work of others and study work of others. Practice makes perfect and the best
Let me be honest with you, you've read the above lines and might think they're some obvious shit that you are already aware of and you totally understand but as time goes by, you will more understand the importance of what I've said as apparently simple tips.
If you have any questions just feel free to ask here or pm.

 

I only have my Akai keyboard plugged into my Macbook and a pair of headphones. So far I have worked out how to record midi and drop loops into the window. I am listening to Agnes Obel on YouTube and making notes of how she constructs a song. I think emulating her style is a good way to find my own sound. After all the great composers have all stolen from each other for hundreds of years.

 

Now it's interesting that you should say that... i can't guess what conclusions others ASers have reached, but my current theory is that @MMJ2017 is a jazzbot sent back in time by JazzNet to thwart an as-yet-undisclosed forum user from leading the still-yet-to-happen human counter evolution - by completely turning them off music altogether... i'm thinkin' it's just the sort of elegantly subtle strategy a super-evolved, out-of-control future AI mind would devise... i could be wrong of course.

The infamous phrase "Good Artists Imitate; Great Artists Steal" comes to mind. Maybe you're a natural!

 

Last edited: Jul 15, 2019

Hi Paul! As a student of the classics I have always found jazz annoying and intriguing. But it's not at all what I want to do. I've discovered that deconstruction and minimalising everything I know seems to be the way to slide into new ways of thinking. Maybe I'll steal some great melodies and disguise them. Hmmmm. That's got me thinking. Change time signature and note length. Might be a good exercise.

 

I honestly think if I knew how to play piano and read music knew all about music theory it would just get in my way..
I've been playing keyboard by ear for almost 20 years and it's just a piece of me.. I feel it feels and translate.

I would honestly say just gotta get out of your head. You'll never make anything catchy or good if your putting this much thought into.
The melody should roll out and catch your ear, i think it would be hard to put concentration into that.

As far as like tips on making your Low end tight, or spatial imaging we can definitely get you whatcha need round here.
But for how to write a catchy, good song. I'd say stop trying to write a catchy good song and just play.
Play a few of your favorite chords and let your fingers punch in a few notes and just see what happens.

 

dont listen to these dudes about FL Studio.
Learn a DAW with a normal interface so you have more options if you'd like to switch from FL one day.

FL, Ableton, are very unique in how they do things.
Cubase, Studio One, Pro Tools, Sonar, Reaper, etc etc etc are all basicly the same at the core and learning one gives you enough knowledge that learning a different one isnt bad at all.

 

If I had a Mac, I'd be working on Logic for sure. Everything you need, nothing you don't, and it's easier to learn and use.

I sometimes check out production tutorials with big name artists using Logic and get jelly about how cushy their lives are in that program compared to the BS I go through using 3 different programs on PC to get what I want to happen...

 

In Classical music there is something called Variations on a Theme. I think you're familiar with it.
You could vary the melody, scale, root note and, as you already said, the tempo and note length.

 

XD I always think of him as Noah. Mr Dr Noah Vengaboy. Or something. >___> sry Noah <____<

Good practice is to sing a melody and play it back. Also harmonize. And sing back a melody you just played, after improvising "freely". It forces you to focus on melody and (to some extent) harmony. It's also a good idea to section off a 5min / 1m / 30s loop in (ie) Logic and record, so you can start playing immediately if you have a good idea. It also focuses / expands your mind, to develop themes. Another good idea is to practice using different scales and modes; 5 min a day free improvising in a new "language / 'accent' " rly helps. Just jump in at the deep end and see what happens. It's sometimes music! =)

 

Unfortunately she's departing from AS island. A very short journey. Could not establish a communication with its aboriginal inhabitants.

What would be her next destination? Will she be able to make contact with them?

 

From a musical perspective why not try and learn some of what I like to term vernacular music.

Vernacular - 'the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region'

If you're competent at piano then the blues is a great vehicle to begin to understand melodic and harmonic form. But Country and Folk (of many varieties) have many common progressions and melodic forms. I'm npt saying study them to the Nth degree. Perhaps try and listen to simpler music. IMO pop music evolved out of the 'vernacular' forms as opposed to Chopin.

I think you're really asking a whole host of questions.

Learning how to use a DAW like Logic is a process. It's incredibly powerful stuff. From Beat making, soundscaping, harmonising, melodising, Midi, Microphones. Each one of those of subjects is huge.

Perhaps try using a DAW to play your fav piano recitals and then see what you can do with it. Quantize, transpose change the synth. ECT ECT.

 

That 'Mr Dr Noah' part is fine with me, especially the 'Dr' part , but what's that 'Vengaboy' part about?

Nothing to be sorry about.

 

It's just a rubbish pun (!) which pops into my poor brain everytime I see the words No Avenger => Noah Venger. The rest is just cos some ol salty pirate antics.

 

=> Vengaboy, now I got it. If you see it this way, it's obvious, kind of.

 

Same here Famouslut, that's why I call him Noa, I left out the h though because I doubt he can build huge boats.

What happened with Beth, she wasn't here long.

 

Hey, they may not be big, but

Spoiler: it's an Armada

 

Sadly, she had some trouble in MMJ's The Secrets of Music... thread.

 

I kinda suspected that tigers are the most determined boat builders; I've heard they generously reserve space onboard for other animals! (Or lunch, as it's prolly known?)

Yeah, but she got some good advice ITT, at least. Along with terrible non puns. I guess it's what audiosex is all about, rly! (Hope she reconsiders, it's tough to lose one Beth - two seems like real carelessness...)