How do you know if you are getting better?

Gazelle

New member
Hi everyone,

I am a beginner in making electronic dance music. I have read a lot about it in books, watched video's from Groove3 and youtube and I can play a bit of piano. So with respect to theoretical knowledge I think I have enough of it for a beginner. I am using Logic Pro X and I made a couple of songs. I also try to synthesize several sounds and my goal is to synthesize almost all of them. I have read a book about synthesis.

However, I do not have a musical ear, I am not musical at all. So I cannot judge my own songs at all. I also do not know anyone that has a musical ear.

Therefore, I am wondering how I can see whether I am going in the right direction, if I am getting better?

Could you give me some hints about how I could judge my own songs so that I can see whether I am going into the right direction?
 
I reckon the best way to find the truth and to stop people pissing in your pocket is to find a PA system and play them in public, lol

the way you judge it is count how many people have looks of disgust vs how many look pleased and possibly dancing! Lol
 
1) Figure out what kind of music you intend to make and where you intend it to go.

2) Find a DJ who is already there- not in the scene or famous, but making mixes in that same lane and get feedback directly.

3) You can also get one confidant that you share your ideas with and take some pointers. If you make what you feel like making, you'll probably only need small amounts of criticism/advice.

4) You can also find out (through 2 and 3) who you sound the most like or similar to and share your music with that audience. You're not asking them "Do I sound like..?" or "How can I sound more like...? you'd be showing up saying "hey, do you like this too?"

5) You have ear for music already. You've probably been listening to EDM for some time and probably are familiar with quite a few songs. The elements that you gravitate towards are your core attractions. That's basically the kind of stuff you'd appreciate in your own music.
And so, if asked "what kind of songs do you like and what do you like about them?" Your answer is a big hint at your starting point. You'd like to get to a point where YOUR OWN songs please you the most. Why? Because you're making the kind of stuff you love to [insert you interest Dance/Drive/listen to/Work out to/Veg to/etc...] --- enjoy.
 
The best way I find is to get that friend which does not like electronic music and have him listen to your songs and ask for feedback. he will have a nice insight to your music because he is not influenced by professional EDM music.

Also ask you parents and brother or sister if you can. ask them to be honest though.

You can see you get better if the feedback they give is more about details.

Hope this helped

BRHSM
 
The best way I find is to get a bum off the street. It might be hard to get them to be honest before you put something in their cup, but you can ask them nicely to be truthful. I would also ask someone who hates EDM their opinion. because if you're getting better they will hate your music less and less every time they listen.
 
try and learn to listen to your music objectively. one thing I like to do is export the song and don't listen to it for like a week or more. then listen to the song and try and pick out what you like about it and what you don't like about it.
 
Thanks for all these tips. I do not have many friends I can ask and the people I can ask are saying it's fine. As I mentioned before, I do not have a musical ear and it is probably genetic because my parents and brother do not have a musical either. Just asking someone on the street is not something I would do.

So indeed I try to listen objectively to it, but there are certainly lots of things I am missing when listening to my songs.

Are there maybe software tools that can analyze the song and for example output the conflicting frequencies? Output the frequencies that are lacking? So would there be software that is somehow give advice to me about my song? (I am a logic pro x user)
 
Thanks for all these tips. I do not have many friends I can ask and the people I can ask are saying it's fine. As I mentioned before, I do not have a musical ear and it is probably genetic because my parents and brother do not have a musical either. Just asking someone on the street is not something I would do.

So indeed I try to listen objectively to it, but there are certainly lots of things I am missing when listening to my songs.

This was my mindset, too, until I stopped making excuses for why I don't have a "musical ear" and started taking lessons with musicians to develop one. But then again, I understand that it's easier to remain comfortable in ignorance than to invest in knowledge. Hope that "I don't have a musical ear thing, gimme a shortcut" thing works out for you, eventually.
 
You're overthinking this so so much.

You can tell whether your music is getting better or not by listening to it. End of story

Some of your friends might have different taste in music and not really be able to comment on your dance tracks, that's fine. Ignore them.
 
Honestly if you simply just feel like you are getting better, then you probably are. If each track you make sounds better than the last, you're getting better. If you learn something new about mixing/mastering/sound design/your DAW while making a track, you're getting better. It's a learning curve. Just remember that you can't regress in learning.
 
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