how do I figure out which sound/timbre/instrument I should use next?

Always when I write music, I get stuck at the point where I don't know which sound/instrument/timbre to use next...

When this problem appears, I just fall into some kind of depression. and making a track can take a very long time.
am i'm alone ?

 

That also happens to me a lot.

What i usually do is just mindlessly scroll through sounds while playing random stuff so I guess in your case, you should not force anything.

Simply let things happen so to speak.

 

Well people have been trying to come up with answers to that since forever. Sound design and even orchestration may give you some very useful pointers, but ultimately it's trial and error.

 

Having a project template really helped me with this.

When writing / creating, you want to get your ideas down as quick as possible

So having (multiple) go-to's loaded for the type of sound you want is great.

Then later, you can go back and switch the sound up for something more fitting.

Or you start on that instrument and cycle thru some similar patches and tweak the knobs.

Better than staring at an empty project and a list of 100 plugins.

 

I have this happen, and the problem usually turns out to be my arrangement. I will usually make too much extra stuff or dive into the Moog rabbit hole. When I should just fix the arrangement.

 

Usually, I'll use a bread n butter (B&B) sound that has a good fundamental presence, then I can choose 1 or 2 more "wild, random" sounds to duplicate-layer on top of that. Another trick is to listen to reference tracks and try and get closer to the direction you're envisioning.

A problem with stock presets for a lot of these VSTis is that they are usually crazy-wide-ridiculous sounds that show off the capabilities of the synth, rather than give you those more simple 'B&B' sounds that you could build a foundation with right away. i.e. NEXUS 2 was a great B&B synth out of the box.

 

Last edited: Jan 22, 2023

Totally agree to this. Investing more time in arranging, than in adding more and more layers is helpful.
Even with a just a few tracks it is possible to arrange some nice parts, variations, transitions and drops. A side effect is that in most cases you create more space. Space for your imagination and creativity. It might help you getting more intentional with sounds/timbres/instrument. Do you even want to add more? And if so, learn how your imagination works... it takes time and practise to build your own inner voice. Your mind can get really strong in "hearing" things, that are not there yet. Sometimes it is trial & error, yes, that's totally fine and it's making happy mistakes possible. In my opinion it is really rewarding to improve your imagination. It is one of the biggest weapons in creating music for me.

 

Last edited: Jan 22, 2023

Also, there's always the possibility that if you can't think of a sound to add, it might not need one, maybe it's done! I often go the "pull up something random and see what speaks to me" route.

 

Pal, I wish you peace, patience and a little luck. You're talking about instrumentation (knowing how to write for each instrument individually) and orchestration (the art of combining timbres from different instruments to obtain different colors and effects), skills that define the character you aim to achieve when looking for a mood or emotion in music. And there are different types of instrumentation and orchestration (either involving ethnic, electro-acoustic, electronic or acoustic traditional instruments). The best way to learn is: listen to the masters and get to know their way of writing/combining sounds, be they Asik veysel, Jean-Michel Jarre, Ravel, Stravinsky, Ligeti, John Williams, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, or the guys who make the arrangements on the records of the big celebrities and who, many times, don't even receive credit for the work done. For this you will need peace (calm down your anxiety in the present), patience (and perseverance, to acquire sheet music and recordings and study a lot, for a few years) and a bit of luck (in my case, a little bit of luck was lacking, because when things were starting to happen for me, I got my partner pregnant, we had a beautiful daughter and I had to put music aside, momentarily, I hope, to put money at home). For a while you will repeat combinations that work and, with progressive experience, you will be able to create unusual and/or even unique combinations! So, take it easy and make a real commitment to music. Creating music, whether composing, arranging or orchestrating, should be a reason for happiness, not frustration or depression. Enjoy every second that passes in the presence of music and remember, whoever is in the presence of music is never alone!

 

Last edited: Jan 22, 2023

that is because you do not distinguish between writing and producing.

you should try to finish a composition without playing around with synths and effects and sample libs, then produce next week.

 

Why don't you imagine a band? Imagine your next collection of songs are being made by a band, everyone in the band plays a certain instrument (of your choice) and takes turns writing a part and recording it, the limit being that each "person" in the band can only contribute one part/instrument. That way, you've already decided on a set limitation that focuses you on what to do next. Are you a guitarist or pianist or anything? Write the bulk of a song on one instrument and then approach the rest of the composition as though there a handful of musicians waiting to add their parts. A drummer and bassist will write and record the rhythm section, then a lead guitarist or synth player will add their part and so on. If you force this simple limitation on yourself, it might not help you create better music, but you'd certainly finish a lot more of it.

 

I do have a somewhat simple solution.

Why not team up with someone who enjoys arranging? That way you can enjoy the writing and they can enjoy that side of things!

It says nowhere in any rulebook I've ever read you have to do everything yourself!

Hey Buddy, I swear when I typed that ^^^ I hadn't read anyone else's comments yet

I've gone away for a second and had a thought. Is it possible you have too much choice to pick from? If so, delete all the vst's and put away all the keyboards/ instruments you think you wont use.. Leave yourself a core of one synth, guitar/ drums/ bass option. Maybe an alternate one other option and work using just those no matter how much you want to reinstall/ put back your other instruments..
See how that goes.. Cos I reckon with less choice comes more focus!

 

Last edited: Jan 22, 2023

How many finished songs do you have in 10 years?

 

Something than can help you : VISUAL mix

Another trick : listen to classical music
You will ear "layers", frequencies, harmony ... better

 

1 year - around 10-20

 

For me I have to have a vision for the song first before I start. In other words, I can already hear the song in my head. The hardest part is when you have to transfer that idea to a daw. Sometimes it works out better than expected. Sometimes it doesn't work at all.
As your experiences of success and failure build up, you start to get better at it because of those experiences.

Not sure if that helps but basically what I'm saying is you have to at least have a general idea where you'd like to end up with the song.

 

I do a lot of projects from a formed idea in my head but absolutely all my favorites have come about from a "well, let's see what happens" approach starting with either a very minimal idea or nothing at all.

 

I always start with a melody. If I have one (or part of it) I try to imagine how it should sound. What is it? Is it a lead or a bass or something else? This knowledge about function restrict my search. Mood is important too. I prefer to listen what I hear in my head.

If I don't know how this melody has to sound I pick any synth or sampler and try timbres randomly. This way I can restrict my choices too as one timbres sound well, other ones don't. When doing this I understand what sound I need. If I can't find a preset I use this knowledge to create my own one.

Then I usually tweak this preset.

If I don't have melody I just pick synth and sampler and search for a good timbre. How does this timbre sound in a mix if I have one and don't start new composition from scratch? Sometimes a good timbre may help to create melody.

When you don't know which timbre or instrument you shold use next don't stop. Make something, try timbres randomly. It's better to do something than suffer from depression. Action is better.

IMHO, searching for right sounds is a pain. Big work.

 

Another thing to do is revisit a "cold" project with fresh ears and an aim to arrange it mercilessly. You add and color Markers (in Logic) that show you exactly where you want "Verse Two Variation" or whatever, to occur. And then arrange the song into the Cookie Cutter'd Markers.

If you get used to using Region Mute in your track Inspector; you can be even more heavy-handed jamming material into the allocated area of the arrangement template, instead of making your Arrangement around the material. (without actually deleting anything).

 

First of - what genre are your songs? Rock, Pop, Electronic, Jazz, etc.
How do you organize and classify the sounds you have? Are they samples, vsts?
Any books or pdfs related to the topic? Research?

What kind of emotion are you trying to convey?

 

Last edited: Jan 23, 2023