Question for anyone who writes, records, or produces their own

>>52762054

Definitely see how an audience reacts to it.
Feedback is always crucial, also make sure your song is mixed well and mastered. Do you have a soundcloud? Id be interested in hearing your music. (producer for 1 year)

>>52768583
I've been working on music since I was 16 (currently 19). I work about 1-2 hours a day on a normal day and 3-4 on vacations. I haven't released anything because I hold myself to the standards of my favorite artists best works. It's kinda weird seeing the low quality shit people release on soundcloud and bandcamp.

>>52768947
>>52768812
so i got one vote for seeing how it goes and another vote for waiting till you have something you like as much as your favorite songs that you didnt make.

that brings up another question. when artists release full albums do they only use songs they consider like 7.5/10s or better or do they mix their favorite shit in with stuff they thought was atleast 5/10?

>>52768583
Everything is worth sharing. Not everything is worth listening to, but the more you share the more feedback you get. If you internalize that feedback you can make something better next time until you make something that is worth listening to.

Music is an art, man. I've been recording since I was 13, and I basically uploaded everything I recorded to my soundcloud. I think at one point I deleted it for some reason, but I made a new account and I still do the same thing. You upload it when you think it's done.

I actually have a bad habit of recording unfinished tracks just because I want to show off what I've already made. I end up re-recording a song and uploading that too. It's all up to you.

>>52769137
A bit of both. I think most artists make a bunch of tracks then pick the ones they like the best and order them cohesively and them maybe make a couple interludes. If you've heard some demo tracks they are usually pretty bad compared to the finished product. See

Rejected track off R+7
https://soundcloud.com/oneohtrix-point-never/rush

Early version of 2 songs off Syro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep85vLrT0e8

Check around for some compilation albums of rejected material from your favorite artists

>>52769137
>waiting till you have something you like as much as your favorite songs

Trust me, this will NEVER happen. Not because it won't be as good but you made it yourself and you'll always have a (more than often) negative bias towards your own compared to other people (especially artists you really like).

My personal advice is to find a middle ground. Get personal with a few people whose opinion and taste you value and ask for constructive criticism

soundcloud.com/inthebedroom
This guy makes some good music You should like check him out.

>>52769963
your band sucks

>>52769900
This is some pretty good advice. I find that artists are generally on extreme ends of this. Either attaching to much praise to a piece because they did it themselves or never being happy with a piece because they instantly know all the flaws with it.

I'm a musician so naturally I hate anything and everything I write and if I had it my way I'd never release anything because I'm a perfectionist shit.

But I found it best to share ideas and early takes with other musician friends and go from there, it's amazing how much insight another musician can give you.

>>52769900
OP here I also wanted to know weather people liked their music as much as they like the music of others...

>>52768583
Oldfag songwriter here. The problem I've noticed with you kids is that just because you think it can be done, that it should be done.

Years ago, you had to work at putting out demos and then handing them out to the right people. Because it took time and money just to make your first demos, you made sure they were good first, so as to not waste time/money and subpar product, even if it was a demo.

But now, it's too easy to make and distribute your music. So now we are all flooded with subpar material. People who should be honing their craft at songwriting/performance/production are just putting everything out there.

I would wait a year before you seriously put music out in the market, and even then only release half of what you have.

>>52770391
Shut up grandpa.

>>52770391
>The problem I've noticed with you kids is that just because you think it can be done, that it should be done.
Kinda related, you reminded me of the first track I ever made, it was a mashup of Death Grips and Flute Salad from runescape. This is something that imo should not exist, but does exist if only on my hard drive.

>>52770391
>Oldfag
Way to misuse words, newfag.

>>52771173
No need to get defensive, just trying to help.

>>52769900
This is fantastic advice. If I only released music of mine that I actually thought was good, I wouldn't release anything.

>>52770449
post it bb

>>52771372
and here's my soundlcoud, filled with all of the music I've made that I hate the least
https://soundcloud.com/robcliffordmusic

>>52770449
Do this: >>52771377

>>52771459
>https://soundcloud.com/robcliffordmusic

god awful

not op, but this is the first time i've been on 4chan in months and it's coincidental that i just started producing music. my question would be what kind of shit do i need? i've got a macbook and i just bought an akai mpd32, and i've got ableton running. is that enough to make say, hip hop instrumentals, or should i invest in anything else? i've also got speakers so that's not an issue. ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

>>52771481
thanks

>>52771459
If this is actually yours, then consider suicide.

>>52771511
fuck off and get to work

>>52771511

Start making music and buy more hardware as you get better and know what you actually need.

>>52771666
im done for the day. slowed down a foster the people sample so much it sounds like a clipping beat. fantano would be proud.

>>52771736
that's good advice, i just don't want to end up having an idea and then not having the tools necessary to create what i imagined it would end up sounding like.

>>52771775
>fantano would be proud.
Kill yourself, faggot.

>>52771511
YOu should invest (time, not money) into learning musictheory, songwriting, DAW and general studio practice. Don't get fooled into buying tons of equipment that you'll never use to it's full extent.

Now I don't know much about macs but I think their built in audio drivers are good for making music. So unless you're getting noticable audio latency when playing on your MPD, or are planning to record audio in the future, you won't need an external sound card for now.

Do you have actual studio monitors or consumer-grade speakers?

I am about to release an album and I haven't shared anything on /mu/ because I'm scared everyone will tell me its shit and offer no constructive criticism. My friends all seem to like it, some of them also are musicians.

So OP, I feel ya, and thanks for posting this.

>>52771888
Post it.

>>52771825
i have some older pioneer speakers that work pretty good but idk if they'd be perfect for recording. and where would some good places to start learning the things you mentioned be?

File: arturia.jpg (100KB, 800x532px) Image search: [Google]

100KB, 800x532px

>>52771511
just work with what you got and get more stuff as you feel a need for them.

eventually try and pick up a reasonable quality hardware synth. i think one problem these days is that too many people limit themselves to software synths and samples.

>>52772237
thanks for the advice, are there any decent ones you'd recommend? doesn't have to be anything fancy

>>52771931
Well if you're ever going to mix something, you probably won't be able to trust you speakers, so get a pait of headphones first. These will reveal everything that's wrong with your mixes so you can make objective decisions. (I recommend Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO).

http://www.musictheory.net/lessons
Do the lessons. All of them. Also, do you play an instrument? If not, start doing that too.

Now the important thing about DAWs is to settle on one and learn it inside out. Do the tutorials that come with ableton and look for blogs/youtube channels that specialise on teaching how to work with it.

Also, http://www.soundonsound.com/ has tonsof good articles about mxing and mastering.

>>52772329
just google inexpensive synths and when you find some that are reviewed well scope out a few youtube demos...

>>52772334
jesus christ I'm tired. sorry if my stuff is getting hard to read

>>52772329
microbrute and microkorg are the classics

>>52772356
iigh

>>52772381
shmanks

>>52771931
lots of material to digest here:

http://pastebin.com/pYGCLu6q

>>52772359
nah its fine. i played guitar and piano for a bit but i wasn't really into music back then and kinda just did it to satisfy my parents wishes. i'll get onto that, and yeah from what i've read ableton seems like the way to go and logic and garageband didn't really cut it when i tried them out.

>>52772237

i personally think hardware synths are overrated in terms of their importance. you can get ableton live or logic and mainstage, a novation impulse midi controller keyboard, and have just as much interactivity as you would with any hardware synth

>>52772474
not tonight but i bookmarked it, thanks man.

>>52772529
im more into it for the actual sounds they produce compared to software...

I typically wait until It's something that blows my own mind. I often produce songs that make me think "yeah this is good, pretty much how I thought it would sound" and after a while those end up sounding stale and amateur. I only release songs that make me think "holy shit this is way better than I thought it would be. how did I make this?"

>>52773209

i think software synths sound just as good. im just putting that out there.

i'll argue the same standpoint against people who complain that digital music downloads aren't as "authentic" as vinyl purchases

>>52772529
technically, yes, but there's a comforting simplicity with plugging a synth into a pedalboard and then into an amp and then recording the amp.

>>52773322

i hate cords though

>>52773376
corduroy?

>>52773412

no i love corduroy, im wearing a pair right now

Usually when it comes to sharing things i wait until I really really like the song I'm working on - if I can think of something wrong with it or notice something about it I don't like, I'll take the time to work on it more until those bits are improved. Of course that means writing and arranging songs takes fucking forever (sometimes years) but I'm always really dissatisfied when I rush songs to completion.

>>52773431
Trust me there's people who like to eliminate as much of the computer aspect as possible, and thus turn to hard synths. It's just easier to gather your thoughts and patches and keep them ready for recording or live performance. There is a value in hardware, despite the fact that it can technically be replicated for less money via VSTs.