Don't know how to progress

R

RonTheDon

New member
I currently have FL Studio 10, a pair of headphones, and some free sound kits I downloaded. I am having trouble with progressing and being able to make cool sounding melodies that last longer than 8 bars or have multiple instruments. Is this because I don't know layering or music theory, or is it a lack of sound which could be fixed with a beat pad and/or VST?

I have a lot to learn and just need help with where to start learning how to build a beat so that all the instruments come together and flow properly. I'll add in 2-4 instruments and can make a decent 8-16 bar melody every but I don't know how to progress it other than dropping out the bass/snares every once in awhile.

Once I start adding in more instruments to make it sound fuller it just starts to sound choppy. How do I fix this and what am I doing wrong? I know I have the ear for music and can tell when the music just doesn't sound right. I am just having trouble understanding exactly why. I have never played a music instrument in my life, which may also be a big reason.
 
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will be a vague answer, do what you feel like and dont overthink.you need no hardware, but if you have fun with the hardware then get it.
you said you have a musical ear, can you sing a melody from a song you remember exactly but can't name the notes?relative pitch(i have this problem)
can you name the notes but have a long lag time?(strong relative pitch)the answer for the beatmaking question would be to just add more patterns and transitions if you want them in there.

also can't tell if you mean slicex or sytrus melodies.for samples there are manual time modules that allow you to shift the length to the absolut length you want by ear or with math.
sytrus or other vst, you'd need to mess with some synthesis.
 
Invest some time learning some basic music theory, your problem is not the sounds it's the music theory. Learn how to play chords because once you have your chords then you're done, meaning it will be easier to come up with the strings, bass, pads and melody by using the chord progression. Once you understand keys the rest just comes naturally
 
Nytshade said:
Invest some time learning some basic music theory, your problem is not the sounds it's the music theory. Learn how to play chords because once you have your chords then you're done, meaning it will be easier to come up with the strings, bass, pads and melody by using the chord progression. Once you understand keys the rest just comes naturally
Click to expand...
Cosign.
 
It's gonna come with repitition bro. A big block for me when I felt like I wasn't progressing was when I was using the same set of sounds in every track in a lot of my songs. Also learning music theory helped me open my eyes to what the possibilities were and that helped to push me a lot. As far as not sounding repetitive, as long as you make small tweaks every few bars that are each unique throughout the song your music will sound more natural. Just try not to over think it, music is about feeling. Also learn about panning your instruments when mixing so you can see how to create a separate space for every individual sound.
 
get some new vst's not the stock ones fl studio has .. those sounds are reeal basic.. also start listening to beats critically and be critical of your sound choice and melody selection..
 
Okay thanks guys I appreciate the feedback. I have some sound kits that aren't stock FL studio beats which help a little but I feel like getting a midi keyboard would help also. This is because FL studio makes you put notes at specific increments/steps.

I was wondering if I had full control of when the beats hits, that it will be easier to make beats as well. For example, I would like to put in a "stuttering" hi hat but don't know how to other than adding an echoe, which ruins the whole pattern. However, if I had a keyboard, wouldn't I just be able to place the notes wherever I want instead of at certain steps?

My next step will definitely be learning music theory and chord progression. I will get back to you with some more questions after doing so, if you guys don't mind.
 
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Practice does make perfect when practicing RIGHT. so grace it, have patience, and do it it out of love. you will find rest and peace, and free yourself and know your passionionate beats that underly your emotions in your heart.

MUCH love. peace and grace-

Faith Fox
 
So I have been doing some researching and found I have been making progress. One of the new things I am going to try is to finish a song, no matter how bad it is. It is a fabulous idea because with each song I have heard producers learn something and slowly progress. Lately I have been just making 8 bar beats/melodies and then leaving it to go to another melody and I'm losing creativity. I believe by going back to these short melodies, and turning them into semi-shitty, but complete, beats that I will learn quicker on how to shape a song ie)chorus, build up.

I was wondering if someone could give me some more tips and hints other than "just practice". The type of beats I am interested in making are dark rap songs. I don't know how to explain it other than posting songs I find that I really like the beat, such as:

(Dizzy Wright-everywhere i go)

(jarren benton- gimme the loot)----0:34 the drop is the type of drop I'm looking for

(A$AP Rocky- long love asap)

(Schoolboy Q-man of the year or there he go)

Do I need VST's or a midi to start getting more professional sounds like above? I feel like having a midi keyboard in front of you makes making a beat a lot easier vs using the piano roll in FL studio.

Do you suggest trying to mimic and recreate a professional song? this way you get to see how the beat is formed and will start to see patterns and common practices?
 
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it depends on the feel.it depends on what you prefer to use to make beats.whatever makes you comfortable naturally makes you faster.
 
yea i think its just a matter of learning a little bit of music theory. its just annoying when you watch tutorials and people are telling you chords that you good together but you don't really understand what keys make up that chord. I guess i gotta start basic (chords),then work my way up to chord progression, then layering, then mixing
 
You hit the nail on the head with the idea of finishing a track, no matter how bad it sounds. That's exactly what I did when I first started. It's funny, but no matter how good your 8 bar melody may be, you won't know how to use that to make a song until you actually finish one.

You can copy or make your own ideas, but just focus on getting your patterns down into the playlist. It doesn't even have to be too complicated starting out. Once you keep doing this, you'll find that you'll want to adjust certain parts in your track to sound better. Then you'll start using a lot of automation to change things up. Voila, you'll start making some legit tracks! It's definitely a music theory issue, but it's something that can easily be learned if you just get a song structure down.

I like using a MIDI keyboard just to quickly mess around and create new sounds, but I make most of my actual notes using the piano roll. Just my preference.
 
So I've been learning play in key but need help with chord progression and modulation. Any good tutorials you could point me toward?
I find myself writing the same basic melodies over and over because I don't know music theory and how to develop the song.
 
A great thing for you to do is download an FLP somewhere and see all the things going on in the track. You could also try recreating beats you really like to know the techniques involved
 
Hey if you guys could check out my sound cloud and just let me know some beginner mistakes you may be noticing or have any suggestions. Please let me know if these tracks are absolute garbage, normal tracks for a noob,or slightly above average for a beginner. Thanks!

https://soundcloud.com/ronthedon702
 
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Learning music theory ios way easyer and way more fun with a MIDI keyboard. Also to me it feels like it a better way to put your emotion into a piece of music, i found that verry hard to do before i had a MIDI keyboard.
 
Due to the help of a fellow member I found the awesomeness of the sytrus plugin that comes with FL studio and has a ton of presets. This is exactly what I've been looking for to help me come up with new sounds and melodies! Is this called a VST or a synthesizer or are they the same? Is this a part of every producers arsenal?

One question I have is how to get a bass/kick that humms loud. I have some good sounding bass but it always gets drowned out by other instruments even when raising the volume of that instrument. I want my bass to sound something like @:23-:24 during
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VqjUI3jmfI
 
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