I play a bit of guitar, read just a bit of music, have loads of software, and have toyed with Cubase and other DAWs, but there's too many details. I want to sit down and layer one track after another and I need something with wizards or guides. Is there such a program which takes you through the whole composing process? I get creative ideas but by the time I have to fiddle with a million details I lose them. I am an artist not a magician or electrical engineer. Help!

Whoops, I thought this was just beginner's forum, I didn't see the DJing part. Please move if you will. Thanks.

 

lol, now you can see its not a easy game you can start yesterday & go big on the next

start with an order with learn your DAW, production techniques, song arrangement, sound design, mixingm, mastering, music business

there are terabytes full with tutorials as video or pdf whatever

and it takes some years to learn :dancing: *yes* *yes*

 

Composing s Like the journey of life. You have to crawl before you can walk, walk before you can run.

we have all been there.

 

Everybody have/had that problem my friend, in one moment you have so much ideas and in another you are stuck in the middle of nothing

It works for me, If I have another great idea but I'm working on one particular track, I just open another project and save the idea,then return to my main thing.

Fast workflow is the key to stay in the one idea or concept, to transform that first urge very quickly and than return to the details or just polishing everything, work fast but efficient.

Personally I make almost whole track in the loop, than lay down more ideas and just draw the skeleton of the track, never go to arrangement if I don't have the most parts of my track, works for me, than just try different things or experiments with everything i have,but basically whole my track is done already

Work,work,work, the more you work the more work you get done, If you are lacking some things, try to learn them ASAP,shortcuts and your DAW inside out, your tools and synths too, make templates for quick start, take few days just to sort out your library and make everything easy accessible.

Don't get frustrated very quickly because everything is time consuming, remeber I spend one whole year making only kicks and basslines, now I can make one in minute, kick too, so basically take your time and learn everything, experiment, take whole day just to tweak synths, save presets, play with effects, you must try and explore everything you have before you can make exactly what you want, and remember you are always learning, there is always some new things and approaches, it's going to take time when you will be satisfied with your work, but it will come

 

Luckily there's no program which takes you through the whole composing process! :dancing:
This would be catastrophic - or very sad i'd would say - for your artistic work!!!

But it's very true what you say: The whole arsenal of digital tools available today can make it very difficult to work straight + fast. Best is, when you exactly know what you want - then start with 1 single track or melody and continue to work on it, like on layers. That's my approach!

+ 1 hint:
Don't loose yourself in details when you compose - leave them out for the mixing part later!

 

I have said it here before. Sometimes the machinery gets in the way of just getting on with it. Set up your studio so that you can capture your ideas from guitars and vocs with the flick of a few buttons. When I write in the virtual studio I try to get the basic sketch of the song, which is usually some sort of rhythm, underlying basic chords, and a melody/lyric with structure. Remember, once you have the basic section a section b cection c, or intro, verse, chorus, bridge, etc., you can always slice, dice, copy, cut and paste and to change the structure later. Once you have a clearer outline or sketch of where you are headed, then you can start tinkering with all the fun toys in a way that is more productive. Good production can make an average song fun or a hit. but a good song will transcend just about any treatment.

 

software doesn t make u a composer,first of all write what u have in mind,if u re not comfortable with writing,record the idea,then study

 

As everyone has said, choose a DAW say cubase learn to use it (there are lots of guides on youtube, plus you can ask questions on here) I personally like to start with a beat, or just a noise something that gives you a bit of inspiration to start the track. My other tip is to print off a copy of a key/chord chart really useful for developing progressions.

 

duskwings: "software doesn t make u a composer...."

*yes* Very true!
Likewise tons of Plug-Ins unused or wrong-used won't make you to a musician nor sound engineer!

 

Some great advice in the thread so far, so I won't repeat what's been said but give an added tip. This is especially for those who are looking to get into film, game, tv, or orchestral music.

If you haven't gotten into the habit of it yet, the biggest tip I can give is NOT to compose solely within Finale or Sibelius. Some people do and write fantastic music, of course (someone out there is successful with every method, including using only the mouse and no midi keyboard with a DAW), but often writing in those programs leads you to think much too rigidly about time signatures, tempos, and sometimes key signatures/key changes/transpositions. If anyone reading insists on using those methods, those would be the pitfalls you'd want to watch out for while using Finale/Sibelius.

My own method varies depending on the task, from writing purely within my DAW to being "old fashioned" and playing at my piano and sketching down themes and ideas on paper, bringing virtual instruments in afterwards.

Edit: And don't get me wrong, I use and enjoy Sibelius but I personally use it purely as a notational tool (when I have to get sheet music to musicians after finishing the composition) and not the only way I compose. Although when I write classical music that I'm not planning on mocking up with virtual instruments at all, I've been lazy from time to time and written straight into Sibelius too.

 

yo man just choose one daw and learn it inside out
learn the basics--- reverb, compression, eq
choose one or 2 synths and learn them. alternatively just learn the controls (adsr etc) and get loads of presets to tweak
youtube is a very dangerous place... so be careful whose advice you take seriously

u have an advantage on knowing music theory so shouldnt take you that long
all about what u put in

 

Use Ableton Live. Its really easy. It also has tutorials in it. Best DAW ever (4 my opinion). U can do everything with it. No limits, no supercomplicating routing, editing etc. I used Cubase, FL Studio, Logic pro, Samplitude, Sonar X,. For what i can say Ableton is the best. Making music, also if u have no midi keyboard, because the program u can use ur PC keyboard to input the MIDI data. One disadvantage is that it is really expensive. 800,-€ boxed Live Suite version.

So try it and u will be excited.


Greets

 

I think of it as making a painting... and it takes quite some time to finish one, doesn't it? ;) First you have an idea what to "paint". Then you lay the foundations. After a while the "painting" almost draws itself, and all the pieces just fit, until you finish the arrangement and about 90% of everything. Then you bring the secret, final "weapon" - "turd polish". So after polishing it nicely, you can call it a finished track finally. If you didn't get what I meant, for me, it's a process that starts slowly, then it goes faster and faster, and then it slows down again in the end. The most important thing is to keep going when it's going faster. ;) The part when it's getting slower can be done later.

Some great black producer, I think Quincy Jones, said something along these lines in an interview: "Making an album is like polishing a bus with a toothbrush." So I guess nobody makes it easier than others, be it Quincy Jones or Johnny Bravo. It's just a matter of focus, intuition, inspiration, persuasion, persistence, and first of all - love of music.

Cheers!

 

Use everything you have, to keep your idea alive and record it straight away !!
Tapedeck, mobile phone, webcam, pen and paper, etc...( ANYTHING ! ).

The important part is, for you not to lose your original idea/data.
You'd want to refer to it later ( trust me ).

The rest is just to get your ideas across...., and is part of the arranging stage.
Take it slow..., and loosen up/ let go of the original idea. ( Try things ! ).

Be fast with your first ideas.
Change/alter/arrange them later.

There are NO rules (consrevatives might think otherwise) and-,
There is no program,DAW, that can help you with that.
The difficult part is, to come up with THÉ original idea !

The rest is, what everyone else said already, about learning your DAW/multitrack system etc..,
to arrange your ideas, you might had in mind in the first place ( then, let go of it !! )
And try something else, to make things worse ( or better ).
;^)

By the way...; this book was a huge help to me...,
maybe you can find a downloadable copy of this, somewhere on the internet, or just buy it (it's worth it ! )..:
http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Arranger-Composer-Russell-Garcia/dp/0910468052
If you are serious about composing, that is....
But my guts tells me, we are not dealing with composers on this thread....
A shame, really...

You just need a couple of chords...

Here is some inspiration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUJOfey7e4M


Or this...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiQCrEk0e24

Hugs and thumbs up !!

;^)

 

Yubidi practically nailed it, the best and full answer on this page

 

Thanks Xsze !

I didn't want to overdo it...
But love to see some real young talent giving it a shot, wherever they can.
Doesn't matter if you're a beginner or someone all down the line.
Working with loops or actually, really writing stuff.
New compositions should be a way of waking up with, everyday (if we can)...

Hope I didn't offend anyone...

Hugs and happy hunting to all of us !!
Cheers !

 

I would highly recommend this little Android app .. Chord!

It's the best £2.99 I have ever spent, and it really helps a lot to come up with new ideas, as well as improving established ideas. They even have a free version, but you lose some features.

PS I am using it on a Nexus 7 tablet, so I'm not sure if there are extra features or not.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pm2tQhnvvE