Jump to content

Bad habits/Things you wish you did differently in your music


Recommended Posts

Do you ever find yourself repeatedly doing things in your creation of music that you wish you didn't? Things that just sort of seem to happen, even when you try to tell yourself not to do them?

 

I have a problem of making things too subtle and mellow. I enjoy some progressivey stuff, but usually what really gets my excitement going when listening to music is aggressive, prominent parts, sounds and production values. Not necessarily abrasive, like I find a lot of full on and darkpsy to be, but things that refuse to sit on the back burner. Parts of songs that say "Here I am, and you're going to pay attention to me!".

 

However, when I try to incorporate those kinds of values into my own music, I inevitably find them too overt, like I'm trying too hard, and I retreat into more subtle sounds.

 

This of course is completely in tune with my personality, but you would think that if I really enjoy aggressive sounds, I would be able to use them in my own music without it feeling wrong and out of place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a problem of making things too subtle and mellow. I enjoy some progressivey stuff, but usually what really gets my excitement going when listening to music is aggressive, prominent parts, sounds and production values. Not necessarily abrasive, like I find a lot of full on and darkpsy to be, but things that refuse to sit on the back burner. Parts of songs that say "Here I am, and you're going to pay attention to me!".

 

However, when I try to incorporate those kinds of values into my own music, I inevitably find them too overt, like I'm trying too hard, and I retreat into more subtle sounds.

 

This of course is completely in tune with my personality, but you would think that if I really enjoy aggressive sounds, I would be able to use them in my own music without it feeling wrong and out of place.

That's funny, I have a similar (or maybe opposite) problem. I've got loads of scrap projects with some sort of synth lines, melodies etc. But most of these just stand out too much. Having a hard time combining them because they sound too massive when both included in a track. Kind of overkill, bit I just can't help myself when I'm tweaking a synth. It allways turns out too.. hmm... I guess too "noticable" or "powerful". I'm not a master of subtle sounds hehe. Even when I make pads they stand out too much.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Using too many stereo expanders on the synth tracks... Sometimes it can add the fatness the track is lacking, but some other times it muffles and distorts the dynamics a bit...

 

Cranking the low-low end of the bass, making it 'woofy'. Sometimes Ive managed to make really nice sounding deep-end basses, but most of the time it ends up woofing.

 

A lot of times my percussion fills end up sounding the same, too...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's funny, I have a similar (or maybe opposite) problem. I've got loads of scrap projects with some sort of synth lines, melodies etc. But most of these just stand out too much. Having a hard time combining them because they sound too massive when both included in a track. Kind of overkill, bit I just can't help myself when I'm tweaking a synth. It allways turns out too.. hmm... I guess too "noticable" or "powerful". I'm not a master of subtle sounds hehe. Even when I make pads they stand out too much.

Ooh, we should get together! We'd be like peanut butter and jelly! But not bad, salmonella peanut butter. Only the good stuff. :clapping:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's funny, I have a similar (or maybe opposite) problem. I've got loads of scrap projects with some sort of synth lines, melodies etc. But most of these just stand out too much. Having a hard time combining them because they sound too massive when both included in a track. Kind of overkill, bit I just can't help myself when I'm tweaking a synth. It allways turns out too.. hmm... I guess too "noticable" or "powerful". I'm not a master of subtle sounds hehe. Even when I make pads they stand out too much.

EQ and stereo? ;)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Using too many stereo expanders on the synth tracks... Sometimes it can add the fatness the track is lacking, but some other times it muffles and distorts the dynamics a bit...

 

Cranking the low-low end of the bass, making it 'woofy'. Sometimes Ive managed to make really nice sounding deep-end basses, but most of the time it ends up woofing.

 

A lot of times my percussion fills end up sounding the same, too...

Careful careful with stereo expanders/wideners. The more you widen the more sound disappears in mono, meaning that a track being played on mono radios and the like will sound "a bit different than what you initially intended" :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah I know about those, but that's not really my problem. The problem is that most of these sounds have too much character to be put in the background. But anywho, this all comes down to arranging the track etc etc. Not really a big issue.

Common problem. You could try turning off an oscillator or two if the sound is too fat. EQ'ing works well for me. Turning down detuning and phasing. Softsynths can have too much presence, I totally agree.

Or you could go extreme and change your default LowPass to BP ... :)

 

Besides you can give the illusion of a sound being more in the background anyhow with a good'ol' reverb drowning and lowering volume :-P :-P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah I know about those, but that's not really my problem. The problem is that most of these sounds have too much character to be put in the background. But anywho, this all comes down to arranging the track etc etc. Not really a big issue.

Ok, i just found the problem allways to be the EQ and filters.... Like chris said, use a BP filter, then you can change the frequencies, so the sound become less broad if you get what im saying... Then put on a compressor, to lower the volume differences when you tweak the BPF :)

 

Or maybe you just need to create a sound that will compliment the loud one :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...