How long has it taken you to musically get where you are today?

[loomcore]

It's a good end goal, but it takes a long time for music to become intuitive and to recognize what the standards are. It's really easy to deceive yourself into thinking something is awesome just because you made it.

This is so true. Just going back and listening to some of the first pieces I ever made is enlightening; sure, I cringe hearing everything I did wrong, but it makes you realise just how easy it is to go, "Yeah, I can do music, me," especially when your mates are too kind about your mixes.

To answer the original question, I've been producing electronic music in various forms for 2 or 3 years now, ocasionally doing game tunes as a side project - I've not submitted anything to OCR yet (most of my game remixes get half-done and forgotten about), though I did once do a grime/dubstep version of Ice Cave from Pokémon G/S/C as part of a live set

Thanks to the time I've invested in music, I've picked up a reasonable amount of music theory, DSP and sound design along the way, and I now sound-design and songwrite for the Cambridge Footlights, amongst other things, which isn't bad for someone with no formal musical training In other words, as the first post in this thread said:-

If taken seriously, this thread can help a lot of prospective musicians get the idea that this isn't an overnight deal for ANYBODY... but it's always worth it at the end.

[EC2151]

Most of my songs, when I make them, fall under the category "Wow, these sounded a helluva lot better in my head." Not all, but most.

Though I just got myself a new software program, so I am excited to use it and see what i can get- things actually sound good thus far!

[Evahn]

It took me a couple tries before I got my first (and only, as of yet) mix accepted. I was still pretty new to playing and producing music when I'd recorded that track, so it was a big achievement to me. After that, after I'd reached my goal, I basically gave up on trying to get on OCR again.

It's been more than a year, and I'm now working on my next sub. I feel like I mostly got lucky with my first one, so I want my next to actually be good, especially after all I've learned since then.

It just takes time, no matter who you are. I think we forget too, that there's always more to learn. Some of us learn faster than others, but that doesn't mean anyone learns better than others, necessarily. Regardless of how long you've been doing it, you have to keep challenging yourself.

Some people might not be destined for music, but I don't know, if you have a passion for it, and you keep an open mind about it, and you never give up on it, I don't think you could ever go wrong.

[Salluz]

I have been playing guitar for 11 months and I am just now able to consistently play certain chords. i still have trouble pulling of B minor and stuff, ones that require full finger stretching

[hewhoisiam]

For what it's worth, wanting to be a posted ReMixer and make stuff as good as McVaffe was pretty much 95% of my motivation when I started producing music. Sometimes, it's good to have something to shoot for.

This - only + Zircon, Malacos, Radiowar, AmIEvil, Rozovian, BigGiantCircles, Sixto too many to name... The bar is frighteningly high, but it gives you something to shoot for, and something to listen to at the same time. I call it a double win. There are examples all over OCR of what you can do.

I started out drumming and mostly ignoring things like 'notes' and 'pitches' because... Well you know... That stuff is for losers and you can't hit it with a stick. I did have to learn enough bells and xylophone to know my notes and scales, and I spent 2 years in high school jazz band in addition to normal band stuffs. But not much in the way of theory, which is my fault for not paying nuff attention. I've been remixing unsuccessfully since that little joined on date up there ^ says I have. I get my stuff to a point where it can't go any farther, then I put it on a shelf with the threat that I'll finish it someday. So far an empty threat.

[Robotaki]

Haha great thread Gario. Definitely is a pleasure reading everyone's posts.

I started "producing" music about 4 years ago using FL Studio, which I still use today. I say "producing" because it was earlier around the winter of 2005 when I first got an interest in making music on a computer using the pre-made loops on Garageband, but then busted the balls the next year to jump into FL Studio. (Zircon heavily influenced this decision methinks hehe) This was by FAR the most rewarding hobby decision I've ever made in my life.

I still remember sweating like hell over posting my first Secret of Evermore - Boss Battle Theme remix to the WIP forums, waiting for the harsh comments and whatnot haha. To my pleasant surprise, all the feedback was very constructive. So whatever you do, if you feel fairly confident about your track, POST IT TO THE FORUMS and you'll get help that will make you better as a musician. This is even if it's just a midi rip - if it is, so what, you'll be told it is and from there you'll get better ^^

OCR is one of the most (if not THE most) growth promoting online communities I've ever been involved with.

[Salluz]

^Very much so, because without OCR I probably would have been an industry clone.

[BlackPanther]

I've actually started messin with FL back in 04 or somethin like that. I didn't get serious till about 2 years ago. Within that 2 year time frame I switched from FL Studio to Reason and I've had a ton of help from Brian, which everyone knows him by Tweek, and I thank him for that If it wasn't for him my stuff would still sound pretty bad lol.

[EC2151]

Yeah when I was younger, I wanted to make stuff like the Zelda Orchestrated Overture, and what-not.

[No Escape]

I didn't play any instruments until I was 18. I started out with a Radio Shack keyboard, and that was it. Now I'm a live sound tech and I compose regularly. I play keys (I upgraded to a Korg N1), Guitar (PRS, 24 fret 10 top custom SIIICK), some drums, and do all my own mixing, editing and mastering. Quite a jump.

[DusK]

I played guitar as a hobby about 9 years ago. I didn't start seriously thinking about doing something in music until maybe 5 or 6 years ago.

[Cerrax]

I think one thing people need to remember is to be involved in the community. OCR is the best online community to learn and grow. The more you do in the community, the better you will be. I've honestly learned more about myself and my music and gotten more exposure from compos like the Robot Master Remix Battle and projects than from when I was posted!

[EightBitAssassin]

I started playing instruments when I was about 10, took a break, discovered OCR about 10 years ago, and started messing around with Impulse Tracker.

Then due to some personal crap I wound up not focusing on music for about 6 years. Now I'm getting back into it and I must say that the stuff I used to do is borderline embearassing, but at the time I thought it was awesome.

Heck, stuff I did 2 months ago sounds like a joke to me now. One of these days I'm eventually going to feel like I've progressed to the point of submitting some remixes, but for now I'm just having fun improving my skills and listening to game music for ideas.

[prophetik music]

I think one thing people need to remember is to be involved in the community. OCR is the best online community to learn and grow. The more you do in the community, the better you will be. I've honestly learned more about myself and my music and gotten more exposure from compos like the Robot Master Remix Battle and projects than from when I was posted!

except that everyone and their mother knows the SotC mix you did

[Subz1987]

I'm not a remixer or composer, but I had been playing the trombone since 3rd grade. I haven't played it since high school. Those were some good times.

[Guifrog]

One day, I decide to play the drums. One year later, I quit.

One day, I decide to play the guitar. A few months later, I quit.

One day, I decide to play the piano. One year later, I quit.

So I've messed with the flute a bit, then I quit.

[...]

XD You see, I've always enjoyed music, but I think my real desire was to join everything in order to make an actual orchestrated song. So, when I bought FL Studio , I knew I'd finally get the chance to do that. At first, of course, I experienced some difficulty on porting what I thought to FL playlist. But there's always OC ReMix to teach us a thousand!

My taste for music varies a lot according to how the soundscape develops itself (the 'see and feel what you hear' thing), so I might like to listen to almost every genre available. There's a preference for uplifting kinds of song, though, and I pretty much enjoy listening to electronica.

What about my decision on trying to mix electronica with some exotic rhythms? Y'know, besides brazilian music, I grew up having fun with greek, arab, japanese, tibetan, chinese, argentine, mexican, spanish, african, turkish, german, indian and so on; as long as those tunes sounded good, I'd have them on my computer! ;P

[ShrackAttack]

I played percussion throughout Middle School, High School, and now 4.5 years into college going for a degree in Music Technology. I was all into Marching Band like most drummers usually are for a while and I still like to watch DCI shows and such but its just not my thing anymore. I didn't pick up drumset until a year and a half ago oddly enough. I'm decent enough to do some pickup Jazz/Rock style stuff, but it's not something I'm particularly proud of. I guess my main forte in music is I'm a pretty solid Marimba/Vibraphone soloist and I actually feel like I'm a fairly solid arranger at this point in my life.

I actually just had the Madison Scouts practicing about a mile from my house today, but sadly I missed them due to work.

As far as mixing goes: I only just started about a year and a half ago. I actually started out on Digital Performer (ugh) and moved to Cubase/Reason about a year ago. I remember listening to OverClocked Remix 7-9 years ago for the longest time but never really posted until more recently. I guess you could say I chose my degree in Music Technology due to a love of video game/film music and just music in general really. I've always felt like it's never really gotten the credit it's deserved. Though, it does feel like more people in general are starting to enjoy this area of the music industry.

I keep all my stuff that I've ever done just so I can see how I progress. And I can definitely say listening to stuff when I first started a year and a half ago to now there is a very large difference in the quality.

[Groovemaster303]

Bought myself a Yamaha DJX and PSR330 keyboard back in 98 and basically taught myself how to play, by listening to my favourite artists and songs (no internet back then for me), although it took me until around 2002 to buy my first groovebox the MC-303 and 505.

During 2003 and 2004 I bought myself the Roland TB-303 which I absolutely loved to bits. To be truthful though it really hindered my growth as a composer... I always ended up taking the crazy acid route whenever i got stuck for ideas.

In 2005 I made the jump to software and started using Reason which was so much more convienient to use than hardware. Then in 2007 I moved onto Fruity Loops and never looked back.

Last year I released an original album (Sound Of Future Past) which i feel is my best work to date and although i've never really submitted any remixes to OCR... I have also created quite a lot of videogame remixes too. These are mainly Streets Of Rage songs but I also don't mind taking on rare gems like New Rally X and Silkworm.

[Brandon Strader]

Short answer, 10 years

[ectogemia]

Well, I wouldn't say I'm very "far," musically speaking, but I'm a proficient guitarist and pianist, and I suppose I can sing fairly well when I feel the rare urge.

It all started when I was 9 with piano lessons which I quit 5 years later. Guitar and bass become my new thing after a couple of years away from music post-piano debacle, but I dropped bass. I focused on guitar technique, having been in love with speed metal at the time, and I actually got fairly good. At about that time, a fatal problem in my musical development became clear:

I knew shit-all about theory. Turns out, everything I had ever played in my previous 9 years of music had been rote, just mechanical practice of stuff on a page. Technically, I was a pretty good guitarist and pianist. Musically, I couldn't do much without a sheet of music.

College came, and the first two years were NASTY; not a lot of music going on then. In the last several months, I've really been focusing on music theory, composing, and remixing, and my improvements have been vast.

Here's my practice routine:

1. Read theory textbooks until my eyes bleed (doesn't take long)

2. Figure out video game songs on piano and play variations of the melody over the chord changes for hours 'til the roommates pull the plug (this happens quickly with Katamari's main theme and is really quite hilarious)

3. Abscond to my room to remix and write songs on trackers (because I have no clue how to even start with DAWs)

4. Play my NES and soak in what I'm hearing while blasting robots with my mega buster.

5. Repeat 2-4, occasionally sprinkling a bit of 1. on top.

Random side note: I can whistle like a hero. Really, you should hear it sometime. I've basically been whistling nonstop since 1993, and it shows. Someone ought to start a whistling choir. Anyone? Anyone?

[jabond23]

Short answer, 10 years

I 2nd that. And only over the past 2 and half have i really made drastic improvements in both my playing and writing/producing.

and then

[aceazure]

FIRST POST YAY

I'm not exactly proficient in anything related to music, but I do write music occasionally in my spare time.

...OK, that was a lie, I write music whenever I can. I do it on my computer, but I use a beginner-level sequencer so I don't really do much with my music besides just putting the notes down.

I started to play piano at age 7 and violin at age 9, both of which I continued playing for four years before quitting. I'm 17 now, with no musical skills... except I can play by ear on piano right hand only. Eh heh.

[ectogemia]

Ha. I can relate to "only being able to play by ear with your right hand."

Just start figuring out the chords beneath them and practice voice leading which, although not necessary to creating a good piece of music, helps you learn why chords often transition the way they do and sound "good" or "bad." You'll get over this right hand restriction, and you can have an awesome time doing it.

Might I suggest the Katamari main theme? Easy melody for the right hand, easy chords (C, Bb, G -- repeat) for the left hand. But start playing your own crazy variations (took me a few months to get to the point where I can vamp over it pretty much indefinitely). It's weird to say that themost important thing in my recent musical development has been Katamari Damacy. Awesome.

FIRST POST YAY

I'm not exactly proficient in anything related to music, but I do write music occasionally in my spare time.

...OK, that was a lie, I write music whenever I can. I do it on my computer, but I use a beginner-level sequencer so I don't really do much with my music besides just putting the notes down.

I started to play piano at age 7 and violin at age 9, both of which I continued playing for four years before quitting. I'm 17 now, with no musical skills... except I can play by ear on piano right hand only. Eh heh.

[BlackPanther]

Ha. I can relate to "only being able to play by ear with your right hand."

Just start figuring out the chords beneath them and practice voice leading which, although not necessary to creating a good piece of music, helps you learn why chords often transition the way they do and sound "good" or "bad." You'll get over this right hand restriction, and you can have an awesome time doing it.

Might I suggest the Katamari main theme? Easy melody for the right hand, easy chords (C, Bb, G -- repeat) for the left hand. But start playing your own crazy variations (took me a few months to get to the point where I can vamp over it pretty much indefinitely). It's weird to say that themost important thing in my recent musical development has been Katamari Damacy. Awesome.

I'm gonna have to try this....

[DragnBreth]

Been working on my remixing skillz for about a year now, and been attempting to teach myself how to play the guitar for about two. Before then I never really had the means to work with music except dabling a bit in MIDI editors.

Actually the only reason I got a guitar was my friends decided to pool their resources and bought me a guitar for my 19th birthday. Best. Friends. Ever.

Kinda wish I had started earlier, but at least I started eventually, right? Right.

Edit: To clarify, I am one of those guys craning his neck to see the bar, but I'ma workin on it.