Developing Your Sound

[Final Kingdom]

As with any kind of art form, everyone has their own style, which makes every artist unique. I'm still knew to composing my own pieces, so I'm having trouble finding my place in it. Two questions: How did you develop your sound and what can I do find my 'signature' style?

[Radiowar]

gotta keep working! make something new every day, know when something feels good and when to throw something away. dont ever think about your "sound" and definitely dont think about it relative to what other people are doing, or what you think they want from you. do what makes you happy!

[dannthr]

Your voice is a lens, shaped by your influences, tinted by your preferences, and it will bend the light of music to shine upon the world in a way that is unique to you.

Unless you're a hack, then you just sound like everyone else.

Enjoy the journey!

[SnappleMan]

Just do what you like and don't think about sounding original.

[dannthr]

There's no point in stressing over it as you'll always sound LIKE something.

Every once in a while, a composer will step so far outside the musical conversation that they will bring something new back with them--like an explorer finding new land or establishing some new trail, but those people are RARE!

[Argle]

Yeah just enjoy the ride. Eventually you'll have your own sound, even if you don't realize it.

[Esperado]

I once heard someone say in an interview(crystal method i think it was) to also NOT try to sound like your favorite artist. i mean, take what you can from songs they make, borrow transitional idea or things you like, but dont try to sound like them.

[dannthr]

Just do what you want to do--if sounding like someone is what you love, gives you pleasure, then do it.

Trying to sound like someone can be a guide in your artistic growth.

It has its use.

How can you express and articulate to your fullest desire if you don't know what it takes to sound like everything else out there?

[Skyline Drop]

Just do what you want to do--if sounding like someone is what you love, gives you pleasure, then do it.

Trying to sound like someone can be a guide in your artistic growth.

It has its use.

How can you express and articulate to your fullest desire if you don't know what it takes to sound like everything else out there?

I'm gonna side with this, I think. When you learn to express yourself verbally, you do it by imitating speech you hear around you long before you start to consciously break down the grammar and syntax behind it. It can be worthwhile to learn to express yourself musically in the same manner.

[Garpocalypse]

Just to kind of go with what everyone else is saying,

Stay open to learning different styles, of everything, then you'll find that your favorite aspects of each will start to bleed over to create something your own.

Is originality even possible nowadays? I don't think it is. Try to google an original thought. You'll see not only was it thought of years ago but some shmuck even made a dubstep version of it.

[Chimpazilla]

Yeah just enjoy the ride. Eventually you'll have your own sound, even if you don't realize it.

This! Just dive in and make sounds you like. Try out different styles just to see if you can replicate them. Practice practice practice, and your favorite elements from everything you've tried will eventually come together and become your "signature style." It doesn't happen overnight though, and your style can change and morph over time as well. It's all good!

[Final Kingdom]

Just do what you want to do--if sounding like someone is what you love, gives you pleasure, then do it.

Trying to sound like someone can be a guide in your artistic growth.

It has its use.

How can you express and articulate to your fullest desire if you don't know what it takes to sound like everything else out there?

You have a point about that. I remember when I used to draw often, I would take little things from artists that I loved and applied them to my own work. My style developed a lot since then (until I stopped). And guess listening to someone I like can help develop my ear as well.

Everyone else in the thread, I'll definitely keep doing my thing and exploring new directions that I can take my music

[Nase]

It's like, back in the heyday of classical, everyone was fine with stealing. There were so few composers around compared to today, and i don't think they worried about being "progressive" or original enough as much. Every composer was more 'avantgarde' in his own little way because there weren't as many compositions around for reference.

These days, it's a tad more crowded.

And humans like to compare. Sad story.

With an infinite amount of stuff to compare your own stuff with, you might arrive at a point where you doubt if you have anything original in you. It's a psychological road to hell.

I think the art lies in somehow tricking your comparative system and just keep doing shit.

Think of it in terms of this site: When you join it and want to get a mix posted, you're joining a sub-community of the larger community that is music makers. Duh.

If said wish of a posted mix overrides your Ego's previous wish of reinventing music, you're narrowing your comparative scale.

It might still be a petty wish compared to the actual awesomeness of making music, but at least it might get you somewhere.

Originality for the sake of originality = lethargy

[Rozovian]

Don't make a big deal out of what you do, just do stuff. First you'll sound bad, then you'll sound either weird or generic depending on whether you try to sound different or not, and then, some times after that, you'll begin to have a style.

It's not something you'll recognize yourself, you'll just think it's how everyone does it. That's because your influences sometimes do it, so you think it's just how it's always done. And that becomes a part of your musical palette, just like chords and scales, and squares, boosts and cuts...

For example, you might have influences that use reverse crashes and other reverse effects a lot. You'll just think that's how to signal a change in the track. Someone else might just write a drum fill, coming from influences with drum fills. Others don't signal their changes, they just expect ppl to keep count of the measures and follow a pattern common to the music they listen to. This applies to everything. Arrangement, chord progressions and texture, rhythm, bassline, sound design, compression, everything.

You know you have a style when ppl that listen to a lot of music, good and bad, newby and pro; say "yeah this sounds like you". Maybe they can identify the elements that make up your style, components of the style. Certain intervals you like to use in melodies, how the bassline changes with the chords, your choice of chord variants, some amount of shuffle to your performance, your usual go-to instruments... whatever.

I spent a fair amount of years trying out styles. They all count as my style, I based them all on previous tracks I had made, often using the same sounds and the same structure to the arrangement. I remember my dance style and my rock/electronic style.

I spent a fair amount of years just experimenting. Making up silly restrictions and trying to work within those. use only three monophonic instruments? Make my own synth patches for everything including drums? Only use fm synths, except for drums? Use a four-note source? Play everything with the computer keyboard? Pick an odd time sig? Yeah, I've done that and more. You learn a lot form that, it forces you to try new things, things that you can incorporate into what you normally do... and that might become part of your own style eventually.

And yes I know, experimenting and setting up silly self-imposed challenges is my go-to answer for a lot of stuff, but it's worked for me.

I think. I have a style, don't I?

[Rukunetsu]

Don't make a big deal out of what you do, just do stuff. First you'll sound bad, then you'll sound either weird or generic depending on whether you try to sound different or not, and then, some times after that, you'll begin to have a style.

This statement right here.

[XPRTNovice]

Don't make a big deal out of what you do, just do stuff. First you'll sound bad, then you'll sound either weird or generic depending on whether you try to sound different or not, and then, some times after that, you'll begin to have a style.

Seconded. If I look at my stuff on OCR, so far I have a bluegrass whistle-a-thon, a Sufjan Stevens-esque indie rock thing with Theophany, and soon I'll have: a Rachmaninov-style concerto, a flamenco tune, gypsy jazz, and klezmer. If I tried to use that to pick my style...I think it would just be noise. Or slience.

So far - and I've barely been here for a year, so take this with a grain of salt - I listen to source tunes and go "Oh, that would sound awesome as a ______". I'm not eletronica-oriented, so I've actually never "remixed" anything.

I have no idea if I even remotely addressed the topic.../ramble

[timaeus222]

Making up silly restrictions and trying to work within those. use only three monophonic instruments? Make my own synth patches for everything including drums? Only use fm synths, except for drums? Use a four-note source? Play everything with the computer keyboard? Pick an odd time sig?

I second that. Usually sounds that inspire me work out pretty well, but putting restrictions without really knowing it actually works most of the time.

[Nase]

Seconded. If I look at my stuff on OCR, so far I have a bluegrass whistle-a-thon, a Sufjan Stevens-esque indie rock thing with Theophany, and soon I'll have: a Rachmaninov-style concerto, a flamenco tune, gypsy jazz, and klezmer. If I tried to use that to pick my style...I think it would just be noise. Or slience.

So far - and I've barely been here for a year, so take this with a grain of salt - I listen to source tunes and go "Oh, that would sound awesome as a ______". I'm not eletronica-oriented, so I've actually never "remixed" anything.

I have no idea if I even remotely addressed the topic.../ramble

Sure you did, but you left something out; style transcends genres.

When an artist feels at home in many different genres, figuring out his overall style might be a slightly more abstract deal.

No matter what genre, It's still the same person though, speaking with modified syntax, and maybe another set of vocal chords.

The language analogy really works best. Additional languages open you up to new registers of expression. Each language has its little rules, quirks and limitations. Few venture to bend the rules dramatically, except street slang i guess. And that's where the crossover usually happens.

So...genre isn't style, but playing around with many genres can make for a very interesting style.

[Sinewaver]

You just have to keep making stuff. It takes a long time, but if you enjoy just making music, your "sound" will emerge on its own. It's best not to try and force it in my opinion. A signature style can be just about anything, like the instruments being used, production trickery, or even the way an instrument is played. It's not the most gratifying response, but there isn't a surefire way to get someone to develop their own musical voice. Just have fun and it will work itself out.