Author Topic: A HELPFUL PRACTICE for BEGINNERS  (Read 17204 times)

TheAGNO3

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A HELPFUL PRACTICE for BEGINNERS
« on: January 07, 2016, 07:42:00 pm »
Here's something I used to do to hone my skills:
Take a track you love, or that's in the style you wish to produce, and try to copy it as closely as possible. Everything from the synths, to the drums, etc.. This practice not only gives you a first hand lesson in song structure, but it also teaches you to be more creative in you approach in terms of sound design. You may not emulate a synth etc the same way the original artist made it, but you just created your own new method! This is also very helpful in learning how to reach the "standard" of mixing.


Try it out!
« Last Edit: January 07, 2016, 07:49:02 pm by TheAGNO3 »

clearskys

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Re: A HELPFUL PRACTICE for BEGINNERS
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2016, 07:47:59 pm »
I'll second that and add in that actually transcribing your favorite tunes from start to finish helps you immensely in understanding the relationship of music theory and music making. If you're interested in composing music for games/film, this is an absolutely necessary step in your artistic progression.
https://soundcloud.com/clearskyss (Musical Project)
https://soundcloud.com/raresfinatan (Composition/Sound Design)

Kyle King

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Re: A HELPFUL PRACTICE for BEGINNERS
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2016, 08:06:31 pm »
I like this idea, and I think I'll give it a shot, but is there a best way to go about this? I just think of trying to emulate the sound design and hitting a very strong brickwall.

Mussar

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Re: A HELPFUL PRACTICE for BEGINNERS
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2016, 09:12:41 pm »
Look at the songs not just in waveforms, but in a spectral analyzer (SPAN or a visual EQ). Try to see how the sounds move, and see if it reminds you of things you know how to do. Spend tome time putting various waveforms through different filter types, both with and without other FX like phasers and flangers and reverbs and distortion. Listen to what they sound like, and look at how their frequencies move.

TheAGNO3

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Re: A HELPFUL PRACTICE for BEGINNERS
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2016, 09:19:23 pm »
Look at the songs not just in waveforms, but in a spectral analyzer (SPAN or a visual EQ). Try to see how the sounds move, and see if it reminds you of things you know how to do. Spend tome time putting various waveforms through different filter types, both with and without other FX like phasers and flangers and reverbs and distortion. Listen to what they sound like, and look at how their frequencies move.

Honestly that's kind of the point! Hitting a brick wall teaches you to be creative with your approach. Like if you honestly cannot reproduce something, record yourself mimicking it with your mouth and try processing that, that's the beauty of making music, there's a million ways to reach your goal :) and through doing that you'll be crafting your OWN style in the process