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Earwicker
Jan 6, 2003

MJP posted:

I'm not exactly a creative type. I liked Legos as a kid, but I only liked building based on instructions.

How does one become better at being creative? I've always been good at analytical stuff

there are a lot of different approaches that suit different kinds of personalities. some people get their ideas by improvising, losing themselves in the music, channeling emotion. but you don't seem like that type.

What I would suggest is this: start by thinking about specific songs you really like and start breaking down what it is about them exactly that makes you like them so much. Why do those songs in particular appeal to you more than others by the same artist, in the same genre? Once you've figured out these musical elements that are making these songs really work for you, you can start learning how to imitate and build those particular musical elements by yourself - whether that's a particular bass synth patch, a beat, or a song structure. Then try modifying them in small ways, or combining them in ways you haven't heard, and go from there.

Earwicker fucked around with this message at 22:36 on Jun 13, 2017

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Earwicker
Jan 6, 2003

Davinci posted:

Lift weights until you can lift heavier weights, make songs until you can make better songs.

This is true but it's just as important to constantly listen to music as it is to constantly make it. As many different kinds as you can. Influences are a huge part of most musicians' development, and of course its also a good way to learn specific techniques.

Earwicker
Jan 6, 2003

D.Ork Bimboolean posted:

The human mind curls back on itself in a tight ball of familiarity and conservatism when confronted with boundless freedom.

its true, but deadlines are hardly the only (or healthiest) solution to that. limiting your palette or theme can help enormously. especially given how many amazing sounds are now accessible to anyone with a DAW and kontakt, I find its really helpful to pick a specific - and generally small - set of instruments and tones/atmosphere for a particular project and stay strictly within that, at least at the beginning phase

sound design, especially when it comes to synth patches etc is fun but it can also be a dangerous rabbit hole that you can fall into before getting to the actual writing music part

Earwicker fucked around with this message at 18:00 on Sep 15, 2017

Earwicker
Jan 6, 2003

morally adept posted:

Lots of great responses and I have a question which isn't worth starting a completely new thread over. On the rare occasion that I actually sit down and jam with my equipment I unfortunately always end up in a great mood and end up creating relatively happy sounding patterns/tracks. How do I channel the constant sense of fear, dread, anger, and hatred that I experience outside of my bedroom studio?

record your happy tunes, grab a loop from one of said tunes, slow it down 150-300%, add in a slow detuning effect so that the whole thing is constantly going between +1 and -1 semitones off.

now, find the root note of your tune, and then add in a nice low sub bass tone that is a minor 3rd below the root note and then a good 2-4 octaves down (so if your happy song is in C major your bass tone will be a low A). a nice synth bass at a frequency you feel more than hear is best. and there you are.

for added effect, slowly fade out the loop of your original happy tune, increasing the reverb while it fades, eventually leaving only that low bass tone., and sprinkle in some extremely echo-y low volume samples of children playing or singing.

Earwicker fucked around with this message at 13:20 on Oct 31, 2017

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