Music Production

Okay, I'm fairly new to music production, and I've made some okay shit, but I keep getting told by other people that I absolutely NEED to get (insert some product here) and most of it sounds unnecessary. I use the FL Studio Signature bundle, because I got it as a gift.

So Sup Forums, what do you really NEED to get started on music production?

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dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31418734/Music/VOCALOID/Clockwork.mp3
instagram.com/p/BH_mTLujGeF/?taken-by=ok_shellfish
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>I use the FL Studio Signature bundle
>I've made some okay shit

You've just answered your own question.

mics, audio interface, pro tools, Musical instruments and talent

Well, I'm not making anything that requires instruments. I'm aiming for more late night lo-fi, ambient music.

if you're not using live instruments you have literally everything you need already. just learn how to use it properly and you'll be fine

Okay, I was just checking. I was talking to the people who gifted me FL Studio, and they said I needed a sample pad, a midi keyboard, and a fuckton of plugins that I didn't even give two shits about. I was just using the 3x osc for pretty much everything, and it worked extremely well.

Keep experimenting, try to find plugins online and learn to install them (torrent them), and keep playing around. The only two things I use outside FL Studio are Adobe Audition for final mixing (I find easier to do it there) and then iZotope Ozone for a final polish. Last thing I finished was a VOCALOID song, all the music was entirely made within FL Studio. I can link you if you want to listen to it.

a midi controller is helpful but not neccesary

there are a shit ton of free plugins for flstudio that sound cool

try out fruity dx10 ive got some cool digital sounds out of it

Yeah sure, hit me up with a link, and I'll send you the link to the clip I have posted with my current project.

this

there are producers out there who have made stuff using FL studio, mostly hip hop producers, but you can easily do ambient and such on it

it gets shit on because people think it's entry level but it's a good platform before you move on to other DAWs, should you decide to do so. as someone who does shit "the old fashioned way" (a guitar, a tube amp, and a mic) i found it the easiest DAW to open and jump right into

FL Studio is shit, mate. Choose whatever else you want. Hell even Anvil Studios is better than that shit.

I make music without a soundcard, i've 2 Yamaha HS80 monitoring speakers and a midi keyboard.
I use windows 7 and ableton live. Don't waste your money, buy some essentials (midi keyboard, monitoring speakers and good headphones)

You just need that (and i make music for 6 years)

Why is FL Studio shit though?

Terrible interface, not really a good entry DAW either. Of course anyone can make something good of it if they spend enough time with it, but I don't think you should waste your time. The best entry DAW is probably pro tools or ableton but definitely ableton, which you can work with for years. You can create stuff pretty quickly even without a midi keyboard.

dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31418734/Music/VOCALOID/Clockwork.mp3

It's my second song I've ever done and doing the final mix was really tough because I had never mixed so many instruments. The music itself took about 48 or 50 hours spread over several weeks. I always try to get a mix as clean as possible while working inside FL Studio, e.g., I put EQ on the bass and guitars in FL Studio, then added a very similar EQ on Adobe Audition with small modifications according to things I did to get a better sound, like the equalisation of voice, the bells in the middle, etc.

It's a process that takes practice to learn but fortunately there are many resources online. I literally Googled "how to mix drums" every time I opened AA to work on this

you should add "groove" m8

I got a non-pirated version for free, and that's why I use it. I've also gotten used to the UI, and really like a lot of the tools like the 3x OSC, and the ability to easily take samples in Slicex.

I'm straight up broke, and don't have enough money to get a new DAW. I was told to try out Anvil, and LMMS, but they just weren't as good IMO.

I am bad at music and I never know what I am doing.

instagram.com/p/BH_mTLujGeF/?taken-by=ok_shellfish

This is what I have on my current beat, extremely basic as of right now, but it's something. 2 instruments made from a 3x OSC.

Also, your song is pretty solid. I'd also recommend making the drums ever so slightly louder, since when drums are played in person, the drums are just so much more impactful.

For someone who says "i'm bad at music" it is pretty cool stuff !

When it comes to mastery and mixing, you should look to the album Neon Golden, by The Notwist. The mixing on that album is perfect, and I use it as a model for all mastery.

>instagram.com/p/BH_mTLujGeF/?taken-by=ok_shellfish
This sounds good. I'd listen to it while programming.

And thank you for the positive review. I've been composing music for about 6 or 7 years, self-taught, but this project is a collaboration between a friend and me—he writes lyrics and tunes the voice, and I do the rest. And this motivates me to finish things instead of just starting them and quitting as soon as I hit a difficult spot. I must have about 40 unfinished pieces. I'm in the middle of another song right now but it's giving me so much trouble I'm tempted to just start over with a completely different introduction and instrumentation.

Thank you! I really appreciate it.

As a model I used some other VOCALOID songs I found on YouTube and bands I like. I hear things that can be improved but I just don't know how. Maybe with time when I'm better I'll come back and re-release it. It's not even released yet because my partner yet has to upload the video with the lyrics and all

What do you think of the use of the vocaloid instead of actual voices?

VOCALOID is almost a kind of sub-culture in some circles of the Japanese internet, and its focused on using the software. Some people do covers of actual songs with VOCALOID, and some people who can sing cover VOCALOID songs. I personally am satisfied with the use of VOCALOID, because my partner is really good at tuning, and satisfactorily recording a person singing can be pretty hard, especially if you are broke like me. And with VOCALOID you can use the different voice banks for different styles and ranges and such. You don't have to worry about being stuck with only one singer and their range, or the few singing styles they may be able to do, you don't need to do several takes and splice and mix to get all the words right, etc.

But those are only the pros. I do not need to mention the cons because you surely know them already (the main one: doesn't sound real).

To answer your question with few words: I think that there are amazing artists in the VOCALOID genre and they exploit the software to its maximum potential and I wish to be like these producers one day