Thank you. More valid points here that I will add to my thinking.

 

9. Learn to identify what doesn't fit and where it doesn't fit. Specifically, particularly. As long as you look at your composition in whole you cannot correct it.

10. Learn to work on every part of your arrangement. For a long time. Focus on a single part. Edit it thoroughly. Add notes, delete them, change their duration and velocities. May be mute side parts, leave main ones only. Work on it until you say: 'Oh, it fits!" Then repeat it with other parts. Yes, it'll take time.

 

Noted, thank you.
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Hmmmmmm. Thank you AS. This too is giving me much to think about..Without realising it until others have said too. I have kinda been boxed in. Everything about the way I have been trying to construct something has been wrong.


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@Sylenth.Will.Fall you can't get out of the circle you mentioned with the proposed methods.

It seems all the contributors of this thread themselves have already been stuck in this circle and still there. How can they pull you out?



We will all drown.

 

Oh no man! Speak for your own!
I am very famous music producer!
Everyone on this forum know me!

 

Stop to simulate 'the deep expert knoledge' and give us a real advice, please. At least one. Concrete one.

Why is your 'deep expert knowledge' so secret?

 

This is a complex topic that is totally different from a person to another for an infinity of reasons.

You can't expect a different outcome if you do the same thing over and over again.
You need to change your behaviour or you'll be stuck in a loop everytime.

1. Are you a creative person ?
- Be honest with yourself.

2. Was music the right thing for you ?
- There are plenty of different arts that could have been better for you.

3. What type of "music maker" are you ?
- A Hobbyist, a musician, a sound designer, an audio ingeneer, an artist, a professor, etc... Multiple at once ?

4. What is you goal with music ?
- Enjoying yourself privately ? Sharing it ? Performing live ? Meeting people ? Travelling ? Creating something unheard of ? Making money ?

5. Can you do it all by yourself ?
- Are you really able to produce a track by yourself ? Have you learned the skills to do it ? Wouldn't be a part of a band easier or more fun ?

6. What type of music do you want to make ?
- Define clearly what type of music you want to make, the sonical elements that are a part of it and the structure it should have.
- If you are creating something new, you have to make the rules, are you willing to put in the work ?

7. Choose the right tools for the job.
- Keep it simple, don't download the entire sister site, don't blow your money into hardware/software that is too expensive for you.
- Stop trying new plugins that are cracked every other week, learn how to use your tools properly.

8. Define your project.
- Is it an Album ? an EP ? A Single ? Film scoring ? other ? Do you want to pitch it to a label ? Post it on the internet ? What's your artist name ?
- How do you want to present yourself as an individual to the world ?

9. If you can answer these questions an be true to yourself you will be able to go forward and change things for yourself.
- There is Nothing wrong with enjoying recording yourself jamming with no intent, music is a nice pastime.
- If you are frustrated by the situation and want to change direction you must impose yourself a strict discipline.

10. Start a new session
- Try to come up with a high concept idea, give 100% of your energy, pour in your emotions, style and personnality.
- Not every attempt will be a hit, if you can tell it's not good, stop, put it in the vault and start over.
- If you can tell it's special, but it's hard to pull the thread, hang in there, work your ass off and don't let go at the first hardship.

Music is different from making a 10 seconds lip sync TikTok video with a little dance or rambling about anything on a podcast for 2 hours.
It can be hard even for the most talented people, every one has ups and dows, but hard work can, and will, compensate your flaws.

As for concrete advice, I can only talk about electronic dance/techno/experimental music and what I like to do.

- Set a strong mood with high levels of energy.
- Don't let people guess the next part and get bored by the wait, the surpise element is a great thing.
- Make your song look like a rollercoaster with rises, drops, bursts of energy, random hijinxes that scratches the brain.
- Stretch it, groove it, remove stuff, add stuff, double it with another sound, invert it, create silences that allows for something big.
- Open filters, close them, pan sounds, make them move around your head, create space, trick it but always with intent.
- Do no fill the void for the sake of it, do not alienate your audience with ultra autistic techniques that only you understand.
- Sometimes it can be simpler, sometimes more complicated but you should always be able to communicate your emotions clearly.
- Sometimes it's done, but the track can't stand on its own without a singer, you can't fix that with adding other instruments.

If you are after consistency/cohesiveness, stop using presets and make your sounds and FX from scratch, it is immensely rewarding and glues things together better than anything else.

Many artists are struggling with low self-estime, bipolar disorder, depression or manic episodes, if you are subject to mood-swings, don't let them cloud your vision and make you abandon something that would otherwise have been great.
Create a nice environement for yourself, sleep well, eat well, take a break from listenning, see if the track holds up after a week or 2, go outside and feel the sun, exercice, get positive feedback from close friends or strangers online on your ongoing track.
If you are lucky enought to have a family or a lover spend time with them, there is more to life than creative madness.

The only advice really is : Don't take yourself too seriously, don't be boring and have fun.
Just stretch that loop, put a bridge in the middle, do little tricks here and there, be smart but don't overthink it.

Be more confident, stand by your choices and just do it.

Cheers

 

Last edited: Apr 1, 2024

The method you mention might work in some Techno subgenres. Abstract-minmal or hard techno are more repetition based than, say, melodic or dub techno. Conversely, there are some trance subgenres like dark forest where you can get away with having the same loop for 8 minutes and just throwing in crazy sound design stuff, but a solid arrangement is key for stuff like Goa trance IMO.

But even if you use that method, you better mean it, cause it's very transparent when you use it as a cheat code

 

This should be pinned somewhere