Author Topic: Writing Music (Read 11006 times)

Zundara · « **on:** April 12, 2016, 05:37:23 am »

So first I'd like to apologize if this is on the wrong thread but I think it on the right one anyways I've been trying to produce a track I'm actually happy with for the past 2 weeks and over & over I write something & I don't like it because when I transfers my Chords or melody to say a synth say Serum or Massive, or Spire they don't sound as eloquent or as nice as they do on piano, now I know that the piano is a completely different thing with harmonics going here & there but it's like I would be designing the sound because I don't like using presets because I don't feel it to be me who did the hard work so then I make my own sound but when I do the sound either because abysmal or not good enough...Am I focusing too much on writing a good song that actually designing? Do I lack knowledge in harmonics? Should I spend not 80 percent of my time on writing? Instead put it in like kicks snares, mixing & sound design? Am I wrong to believe than in order for a good song to be good & a good sound to be produced it has to have a amazing or good music writing? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

:/

Marrow Machines · « **Reply #1 on:** April 12, 2016, 06:11:22 am »

I tried to write music with a piano sound and then transfer the music, but i always ended up writing music for a piano.

To me, the notes are just as important as the sound.

I end up writing piano music if i use a piano sound.

I think, you have to get comfortable enough with the scales to know what sounds good with the sound you've created. And synths do some pretty weird things if you've ever delved into different forms of synthesis. I've literally have gotten two different sounds if i change octaves.

Zundara · « **Reply #2 on:** April 12, 2016, 06:28:34 am »

So would you say my problems is writing which leads to a bad sound? 'cause I see some people write then transfer and it sounds great but I just can't seem to do it for example I'll post the link to guy who writes and transfers to what seems to me very easy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo2Lx1beW4A

Lydian · « **Reply #3 on:** April 12, 2016, 06:47:18 am »

Quote

Am I wrong to believe than in order for a good song to be good & a good sound to be produced it has to have a amazing or good music writing?

No

Quote

I don't like it because when I transfers my Chords or melody to say a synth say Serum or Massive, or Spire they don't sound as eloquent or as nice as they do on piano

Could you give us an Mp3? I write all my music on piano and I've never had any problems getting chords to sound just as eloquent with electronic instruments.

Quote

I don't like using presets because I don't feel it to be me who did the hard work so then I make my own sound but when I do the sound either because abysmal or not good enough

There's nothing wrong with using presets. Screw hard work. Focus on efficiency. If you can crank out a good patch in 2 minutes using a preset then why not use it?

Quote

Am I focusing too much on writing a good song that actually designing?

I don't know. You should focus on both. Sound design is a part of writing a good song.

Quote

Do I lack knowledge in harmonics?

I mean... that's not something we can really answer without being you. Dance music instrumentation DOES involve sounds with different harmonics but you don't need to understand any of that technical stuff to know whether a sound is good or not.

Quote

Should I spend not 80 percent of my time on writing? Instead put it in like kicks snares, mixing & sound design?

Do what inspires you. If you wanna spend 12 hours tweaking a synth then you should do that. Ultimately though, the average music consumer doesn't care about how many sounds you can make. It's the music that you're able to create with those sounds that really matters.

Quote

So would you say my problems is writing which leads to a bad sound? 'cause I see some people write then transfer and it sounds great but I just can't seem to do it for example I'll post the link to guy who writes and transfers to what seems to me very easy

It's very hard to say what the "problem" is without hearing an mp3. Even if your music sounds good on a piano it can still sound bad if it isn't mixed correctly.

Marrow Machines · « **Reply #4 on:** April 12, 2016, 07:01:57 am »

Quote from: Zundara on April 12, 2016, 06:28:34 am

So would you say my problems is writing which leads to a bad sound? 'cause I see some people write then transfer and it sounds great but I just can't seem to do it for example I'll post the link to guy who writes and transfers to what seems to me very easy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo2Lx1beW4A

Same reason i go to my math teacher to tell me about the calculus 2 mistakes i make, and when she does it, it's super easy to follow what she's doing.

She has her PHD in Math, so of course it'd be easy for her, other wise there would be a problem if she didn't have the elegant ability to do so.

With out hearing an example i am not sure what you're dealing.

You just may not have the entire picture in mind when dealing with the transition, or your understanding of synth sound design is not up to snuff, or you're treating each instrument equally when you should in fact understand the differences in the transition.

Another friend of mine said this to me; A guitar part won't necessarily translate well to a bass part and vice versa. Even though you can play the exact same thing, it won't have the same soul because it was designed for different instruments.

Which brings me back to my original point of understanding the relationship with sound and notes. It's an experience and knowledge thing that you may not have under your belt. This could be a workflow that may not be one you should use, consider that and adjust.

A device at times chooses the individual to use it, at times it lets itself be chosen.

Understanding the region of the keyboard and the sound range that corresponds to those notes is a must, other wise you're never going to get out of "idk wtf to do brohamalama?"

Lydian · « **Reply #5 on:** April 12, 2016, 07:08:33 am »

Quote

other wise you're never going to get out of "idk wtf to do brohamalama?"

Lololol

Quote

A guitar part won't necessarily translate well to a bass part and vice versa. Even though you can play the exact same thing, it won't have the same soul because it was designed for different instruments.

This is true especially with chords. Even on a piano if you play chords in the very low bass region things start to sound muddy and inaudible. Play the same chord in the mid region though and you get much more note clarity.

That same phenomenon applies in electronic music interestingly.

Zundara · « **Reply #6 on:** April 12, 2016, 07:53:03 am »

"Could you give us an Mp3? I write all my music on piano and I've never had any problems getting chords to sound just as eloquent with electronic instruments."

Here the mp3 I deleted a lot and wrote another quick one up and this is what I got, ps it has the piano and a little sample with kicks in there 'cause I deleted the rest but at first I was aiming for something in the realms of Zedd's Canyman piano chords then I guess I would have the transition into electronic music come in or as some would say "the drop" sorry if I said that didn't mean to offend or Illenium's style song or also WRLD Champions song since he mixed the piano and what seems transitioned it nicely to a chord synth

(My MP3) https://soundcloud.com/new-gravity/with-you-1

Zedd's Canyman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4yu9n-VgEA

or

Illeniums Fortress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5auyUSI6as4

WRLD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSpOzYhhi7k

Would you have any websites or books you know I can read to understand and progress more in my music?

Lydian · « **Reply #7 on:** April 12, 2016, 04:16:30 pm »

I love all those artists and songs.

Do you actually play piano? It doesn't sound like it to me based off of the mp3. The reason why they aren't transferring well with electronic instruments is because of the notes that you've chosen. Even though your chords are in key, they don't flow into each other well. It also doesn't sound orchestrated in a way that a pianist would actually play it.

Do you actually understand harmony or are you just guessing a bunch of random notes together hoping that they somehow fit? Zedd uses a lot of seventh chords and undiatonic chord progressions. If you want to write chords like him then you should study seventh chords and proper voice leading. Limit yourself to four note chords and keep as little motion as possible in between the two middle voices.

Zundara · « **Reply #8 on:** April 12, 2016, 10:14:23 pm »

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?

Marrow Machines · « **Reply #9 on:** April 12, 2016, 11:58:15 pm »

Quote from: Zundara on April 12, 2016, 10:14:23 pm

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...

Lydian · « **Reply #10 on:** April 13, 2016, 01:16:42 am »

Quote

Would you have any tips or recommend anything?

Listen to your favorite chord progressions and transcribe them into your DAW. Analyze them. You don't need to know music theory if you're able to come up with your own method of doing things. You already know that you have a taste for seventh chords. That's a great start.

I'd also highly recommend transcribing or learning piano music. Learning songs on the piano is the best way to learn how music is arranged on the instrument. If you can get something to sound good on a piano then arranging it for electronic music becomes a breeze.

Finally...

Quote

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

STUDY DIATONIC HARMONY

That will teach you how to use...

Quote

a primary, diminished, augmented is compound intervals, major minor 1, 2, 3, 4

Zundara · « **Reply #11 on:** April 13, 2016, 02:31:11 am »

Well first of all, you guys have no idea how much this helps & means to me and I'd like to say thank you

also I'd like to observe a friend but I'm the only one in this town who cares about music this much and takes 9 hours out of his life & struggles to do this I'd spend more but I have work & will go back to school to take a class on Music Theory. Also I got a hold of Madeon beings Midi and Imperium & I'm observing & building a song with the same intro chorus, but with my own notes own writing based on the writing I get from his midi, I'm reading the scale he is in and how he's mixing it, I'm just using his midi as a guide basically to build my own song so if he adds an arp in a cesarian area I add an arp, If he post chords over and arp I add chords etc. One day I hope to produce something as marvelous as A&B, Zedd, Matt Zo, Flume, Mitis etc but yeah thanks for your guys help

ALSO THIS IS IRRELEVANT, KINDA, BUT INCASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW RAIN MAN FROM KREWLLA SHARED SOME OF HIS PRODUCTION TIPS I'LL POST LINKS HERE
So everyone can improve too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1En1L_CVmWk

https://splice.com/omgrainman/bbts-session

FarleyCZ · « **Reply #12 on:** April 16, 2016, 05:17:26 am »

Yeah, post some example. It's totally possible to do pleasant chord soubds on synths.

Zundara · « **Reply #13 on:** April 17, 2016, 01:05:05 am »

I have its in one of the comments I posted a souncloud =)

Author Topic: Writing Music (Read 11006 times)

Zundara

Writing Music

Marrow Machines

Re: Writing Music

Zundara

Re: Writing Music

Lydian

Re: Writing Music

Marrow Machines

Re: Writing Music

Lydian

Re: Writing Music

Zundara

Re: Writing Music

Lydian

Re: Writing Music

Zundara

Re: Writing Music

Marrow Machines

Re: Writing Music

Lydian

Re: Writing Music

Zundara

Re: Writing Music

FarleyCZ

Re: Writing Music

Zundara

Re: Writing Music