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Beginner Info
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AusTrancer
Started Topics :
1
Posts :
1
Posted : Aug 30, 2005 05:05
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Hi all, been reading this site for some time now, but i'm still lost on alot of things.
A bit of background, Been listening to electronica for nearly 10 years, have a keen ear for eq'ing systems etc, love psytrance, have very little musical knowledge (although i was good at playing wind instruments in primary school), and i can beat match *shrug*.
What i need, is some sort of starting point in making psytrance. I have reason and FL 5, i have been using FL5 for 3 months now and just cant get any sounds i like.
I guess what i'm asking for is where to look or what books to buy to make me proficent enough to actively make trance.
I dont have the time any more to just plot around on FL "trying" ... I know all you guys are pro, but do you all have musical degrees? is this the only way to go? ..
I really wanna get into it, and i'm not afraid to be looking down a 10 year track to do what i want, which is be able to make psytrance and have the ability to do "live" sets. I love this music to death!
Thank You. |
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Colin OOOD
Moderator
Started Topics :
95
Posts :
5380
Posted : Aug 30, 2005 07:20
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fuzzikitten
Annunaki
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
603
Posted : Aug 30, 2005 15:37
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Unfortunately there is no better teacher than just "trying."
If it helps, there are a lot of topics you can start researching to make your trying more inventive:
-Check out the Sound On Sound articles regarding synthesis (the link has been posted on here many times). There are a TON of articles, but they will help you understand synthesis to an incredible depth.
-Read up on compression. It's magic.
-Read up on EQing. When you're sure you want to be writing music, invest in some monitors and start learning them. Your ability to EQ will be dependant on how well you know your particular set of monitors.
-Effects - Reverb, delay, and... maybe a flanger are key.
Take one good softsynth and learn it, well. Get comfortable with it to the point that you can get some great sounds out of it.
Try not to learn too many devices at once. In today's age of plugins, it's easy to get overwhelmed with drum machines, reverbs, compressors, phasers, flangers, do-whoppers, hoodingers, and (of course) EQ. Try to keep it simple.
Write simple songs and be proud of them. Face it, you won't be writing amazing tunes in the first few months that you start writing music. Be patient, there is a *lot* to learn. Be content to write silly, awkward, childish music.
Oh, and R T F M! |
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phantom
Started Topics :
1
Posts :
8
Posted : Aug 30, 2005 19:45
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I also like to play around with FL... but I will follow my friends advice: "Learn Cubase..."
Good Luck |
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Psylopath
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
13
Posts :
87
Posted : Aug 31, 2005 02:17
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The best thing you could do is to invest in good monitors (as already mentioned), because you have to hear what you are doing.
then go on and listen listen and listen ...
you have to know your monitors very well in order to make good tunes.
when you listen, dont do anything beside, just listen. try to focus on single tracks and signals (like one lead sound, or percussions), try to analyse them and then try to copy the sounds as close as you can.
this was the best way for me to understand my equipment and the effects of every parameter on the sound.
and the last tip is, read read and read. try to get as much infos as you can about recording (dont limit yourself to psytrance tutorials).
lg psylo
ps: i forgot to say be patient ...  |
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NikC
BeatNik
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
601
Posted : Aug 31, 2005 03:30
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IMHO, monitors arent't the first thing that AusTrancer should get... Let's be frank here; you won't be finely EQ'ing your tracks for the first few months of making music because you don't know what you're listening TO yet...
Personally, I recon it's best to start by listening to artists you like and understanding the structure and flow of their tracks: what is it with one particular track that makes it a dancefloor destroyer? (rhetorical question)
THEN...
Make your own, learn the basics of harmony etc. (unless you're making dark psytrance  ) and just experiment with sounds...
I personally think the frame of mind of: "I dont have the time any more to just plot around on FL "trying"" is pretty crap... the only way you can learn and innovate is through trying hehe
Play with eq, see and hear what they do... Play with reverb, see and hear what it does... It doesn't matter how much you read about it unless you can link it to the sound itself. Experiment by playing with presets and seeing how different parameters change the sound...
That's the way forward in my opinion, and if you enjoy it and you're feeling like you need to progress sound-wise, buy some monitors... otherwise if you stop enjoying making the music they're a waste of cash.
And who knows, maybe in a couple of years you'll be releasing stompers every week!
Peace
 www.myspace.com/beat_nik |
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AusTrancer
Started Topics :
1
Posts :
1
Posted : Aug 31, 2005 05:59
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I think you are all taking that one small line wrong.
Of course i'll have to "Try" make good tracks, but i dont have the time to "try" finding out all the ways to control the software. I've read the fruity manual, and it couldnt even tell me how to copy and then paste parts of piano rolls to the next set of 8 bars etc.
I'm skilled enough to get around the program, and fiddle with the sounds in the plugins etc. But how do you create neat piano rolls, or is it maybe part of making the music that each time you put in a note for the piano to play its not exactly where it should be adding that analogue element to the sound.
Then there is the real music stuff (not just finding sounds and putting them into a piano roll), things like, which notes sound ok together, i wanna create melodies, but have no idea where to start. I think my problem regarding this is that its hard to just throw down random notes and see if it sounds ok due to the piano roll interface, it seems apparent it would be easier to discover melodies by having a midi keyboard ? is this right?
I've already got some basic rolling basslines, hi hats is a different thing all together, the timing of them, or even how to get a sort of a break sounding high hat escapes me at the moment. Btw i did try copy a high hat that i heard in a entropy track, it was like two short hits with a stretched hiss on the 3rd and couldnt even get near to sounding right in terms of timing over a rolling baseline that i had also made.
What i need i guess is basic music theory and i guess info on getting some sort of timing in my head.
Thanks for your help so far, but atm you have replied on the sound engineering side of it rather than musical structure. I've come across people saying "harmonic progression" and stuff like that, and most of the stuff i read on the web that contains info on that just goes over my head, which means i need to know the basics obviously.
Again, thanks for any help! |
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Drunken Monk
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
427
Posted : Aug 31, 2005 16:06
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First of all welcome
Your guessing right my friend, you will need basic music theory (and l8r more advanced..) and sound design to create somthing that you have in your mind (from a melody to whatever...). Yes it works also if you do it randomly but knowing how you can do what you want saves you time. (so that saved time can be used to learn more things). A midi keyboard indeed, it will help you. Lot of stuff comes out while playing with it.
As for your first statement.. "...but i dont have the time to "try" finding out all the ways to control the software...". This is something that is a must to do! Knowing your tools will really help you. Spend time on that, dont expect your first track(s) to be super duper killer or whatever ready to be released. Read,play,try and you will see by your self that every track is better than your previous.
I hope you da best on what ever you want to do!
+-+talking with ali3ns around the universe+-+
mit [muzik industry tunez] |
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DJ Kontakt
Started Topics :
8
Posts :
153
Posted : Aug 31, 2005 20:36
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I have a degree built around producing and recording music electronically, but the basis of my knowledge came from buying an analogue synth and a drum machine, and tweeking the knobs till i found the sound i liked. In the time between, i learned how to make all sorts of other sounds on demand.
I think that buying a real piece of gear for cheap, like the korg electribe EA-1, is the way to go to learn the basics of making sounds you like, as well as start to build a sonic production arsenal. |
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