I heard Carnage knows thing or two about 808s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IPxxeb-4gk
(...sry, couldn't resist.  )

i am so cool, i learned how to do this before he learned how to say to do this...

It really depends what genre you're writing for but I'd suggest starting with pentatonics. If you look at a lot of Kygo's melodies you'll see that they're almost always restricted to just a few notes in a pentatonic scale (normally the key's pentatonic). Say what you want about him but his melodies are simple and still very catchy.

Also check out the rhythm in his melodies. A lot of notes are not aligned to a simple grid but are instead using triplets or swing and stuff like that.

swing and triplets go well with the pentatonic scale.

It's provides a good groove as well.

I keep my chords, above or below where i am writing my leads. And i make sure that they are different tonal characteristics.

To write leads to the chord progression means that you have to have a clear understanding of what you're playing.

to think to much, is a failure in emotion, to not think enough is a failure in understanding.


You also could be restraining yourself a little to much to the chord progression. Often times, i try to think of things as singular parts when writing it out.

If i go back and listen to it over and over again, i may or may not find something that i'll need to tweak or take out.

What you're dealing with here, is a mix of producer/writing difficulties.

I had to compartmentalize those two schools of thoughts after i was done writing the music. It wasn't until i started messing with arrangement that i realize things would be kept or changed.

This is the best i can do to explain it from a less technical point of view, outside of practice, study, and apply that's my advice really.

I'd also suggest you go and listen to classical music, and maybe even try to make a loop or a song that sounds similar that you can jam out to. It might help you understand what you're missing.

Thanks for the comment Marrow Machines.

The top end definitely needs a lot of work (there are problems with competing synths/hi-end hits that certainly need addressing, especially in the first part of this clip). I admittedly haven't spent a whole lot of time yet adjusting the mix since I'm still trying to get the general ideas and rhythms down first, but I'll go back and clean it up quite a bit to make it less grating on the ears.

I have some requisite, albeit limited, side-chain compression on the synths for the kick to come through, but I'll also go back and play around with that quite a bit more.

don't mess with your compression, it's the eqing and volume balance that's the problem.

But are 8 inch monitors good for a small room? I have a 3x4m room.

keep the volume low. unless some one else can say otherwise.


the idea is that you'd spend less money for when you get a larger space, or dedicated room.

and you can get a better monitoring range with out the added cost of a sub bass.

http://www.audiogurus.com/learn/speakers/what-size-speakers-room/85

get the cubic dimension of your room and consider the size.


http://www.acousticfields.com/speaker-size-vs-room-size/

This guy seems to be talking about the actual size of the speaker, and in this case the speaker is 6 feet in a 7 feet. We're talking about inches here....

http://recording.org/threads/monitor-speakers-and-room-size-a-disheartening-dilema.26162/

There's a post in that link that says that no speaker is to large for a room, but if you play it at a loud volume, then you'll start to get undesirable results.

I also saw some conflicting talking about how the speaker needs space to open up, and i think this applies to the sweet spot and the calibration of the monitor placement.


Soooooooooooooooooo, more things to consider and please rebut me if i am giving false information. I am not a professional or spend a large amount of time dealing with these things.

I just found that, i can hear a larger range for not that much more money if i bought the 8 inch speakers.

This is pretty good as is man.

2.23 it needs to end, the stuff that's extra is not needed.

I will also suggest, you literally allow 1 or two bars of silence between transitions of sections.

If you decide to not put more silence, i'd suggest you end it at 2.23 or where that last clap/hi hat hit is.

But if you want to throw in some silence, it should give it the breathing room and allow for more effect tails to resolve. And it'll add another level of dynamics to the track.

But it flows well, just gotta be confident on your ending.

I've only been playing for about 1 year & 6 month so I'm still a very big novice but I have taken some classes for piano in college tho I never really felt like I grasped it, especially not in 3 months, As far as harmony you can also say I have minimal understanding like I know what a primary, diminished, augmented is compound intervals, major minor 1, 2, 3, 4 etc like I understand them but how to use them properly or mix them I don't so I don't understand them I guess would be the ending answers if I can't use them in a proper way & yeah I do hope they fit sometimes but then I kinda hear the sound in my head you know. Would you have any tips or recommend anything?

Keep practicing, get critiqued, and practice.

Find a friend who writes music and go through the process as he sits down to write.

Also look up WHY so much music literally sounds the same. You'll start to figure out the successful chord progression and the not so successful.

But you can still do things if you tie it together in context, but that comes with practice and understanding the application.

Study study study...

That sounds like you may not be getting enough power to the headphones.


I use dt 990 pro 250 OHM, and i've only noticed that phenomena if i plug my headphones into my IPOD.