Necrox Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 I have this problem quite frequently where I sit down and want to make a tune but don't really know where to start. I have a decent amount of tools but it can take a long time to even get a basic loop done. How do you guys get ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 I listen to other music and imitate the sound design, and that usually gives me enough ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nase Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 I go for a walk or some shit and stuff pops into my head. Then i sit down on the pc and it's gone again Can't exactly help ya lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eino Keskitalo Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Having a child really helped me to use the time I had for myself effectively. Haven't had a writer's block or anything like that ever since. Other than that, I just bang rocks together even if it doesn't sound any good right then. Most of the time stuff that sounds like shit when I'm making it sounds ok the next day, at least in the sense that there's at least something salvageable. Also "taking a long time to get even a basic loop done", making music takes hours and hours for me so that doesn't sound out of place to me. Deadlines really help, I can heartily recommend participating in compos, such as PRC, MnP or OHC. As for getting ideas or inspiration, all of it tends to come to me in the moment I'm actually making the music, so I can't answer your question exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Music is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. You have to force yourself to compose and keep chipping away until it's done. "Done" is basically whenever you decide it is. One thing that can definitely help on the "inspiration" side of things though, is to write music that serves a purpose. Like, take some footage from a film, game or TV show and write your own music to it. Find a picture and compose a piece that fits with that etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necrox Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 I go for a walk or some shit and stuff pops into my head.Then i sit down on the pc and it's gone again Can't exactly help ya lol Yeah I get that. I get cool ideas that seem like no other music I know and then they disappear. I don't want to double or triple thread but I have a few other questions. 1. field recorders $100-$200 What is good? I get very mixed reviews on everything ("this is highly durable"/"it broke on the first day") 2. sampling. I like to record my friends saying funny stuff on FL Mobile. But my computer is terrible at allowing me to extract those files, so what should I do if I want to upload recordings? Also, where can I find audio clips of voices (Ex: SFX of Link yelling when he swings his sword)? Sorry if this isn't allowed, but I think spamming three threads right now would be even messier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Probably should have started a new thread, but a mod can split off my reply just as easily. Yeah I get that. I get cool ideas that seem like no other music I know and then they disappear.Happens to all of us, but what you can try doing is hum a few bars into your phone's recorder, slap on something for rhythm. It won't even remotely approximate what you're going for, but it's sometimes enough to jog your memory back onto the same track.2. sampling. I like to record my friends saying funny stuff on FL Mobile. But my computer is terrible at allowing me to extract those files, so what should I do if I want to upload recordings?I'm not familiar with FL Mobile, but there are other apps that make this easy. Evernote, for one. You can also try Stringnote, which integrates into Evernote to let you double-tap the power button for instant recording. (My phone, the G5S, is only partially supported and that aspect of the app sucks for me).Although I can't fathom why it would be hard to upload WAV's with FL Mobile. That seems like it's the single most important thing it could do. Also, where can I find audio clips of voices (Ex: SFX of Link yelling when he swings his sword)? http://bit.ly/1qzLZIg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necrox Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 .http://bit.ly/1qzLZIg Sorry, I'm tired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypnotikid Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 What happens with me, is I start with an idea. (Example: Like I want to make something commemorating Blues Clues) Then let's say I want to try it as a dubstep sample... Then once I make my genre selection, I listen to other tracks of that same genre. (Example: dubstep = Krewella, Skrillex, Nero)... After that I start experimenting with 2 leads to form the beginning, once I find that good opening I fill in the rest with the bassline and synths. Then I find samples to include in it as well. Once you have this idea of how you want it to sound, then the rest is just finding the right note or loop. But this is just me, and I am not a musician =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omni-Psyence Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 The trick is that there is no trick. Everyone get's inspired in different ways. Some start with a simple chord progression, some with a melody, and others with a drum beat or a specific timbre or sound that they have designed. Music is a complex cooperation of many different elements, and every artist weaves their tapestry in their own way. I know that this sounds exactly like bullshit nonsense but it is actually completely true. The one solid piece of advice I can give is to keep making music as much as you can. The more you do a thing, the better you get at it (assuming deliberate practice and learning is involved). Don't give up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nase Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 (edited) The trick is that there is no trick. Everyone get's inspired in different ways. Some start with a simple chord progression, some with a melody, and others with a drum beat or a specific timbre or sound that they have designed. Music is a complex cooperation of many different elements, and every artist weaves their tapestry in their own way. I know that this sounds exactly like bullshit nonsense but it is actually completely true. The one solid piece of advice I can give is to keep making music as much as you can. The more you do a thing, the better you get at it (assuming deliberate practice and learning is involved). Don't give up! *Thumbs up* It's cool and possibly helpful to share your own experience ofc, but important to keep in mind how individual it all is. Trying to find some objective system of inspiration is a rabbit hole not worth exploring, imo. Thinking about it though, some broad things do seem pretty universal. Experiences of one kind can enrichen experiences of another. In other words, you get inspired by stuff. Duh. I noticed lately how just a good conversation, for example, can change what happens when i sit down on the keyboard afterwards. Music obviously is a reflection of other things in your life. What exactly is reflected can't be easily said, and isn't necessarily important either. All i need to know is it's another feedback system...inspired life, inspired output. Not necessarily music output though...idk, my creativity tends to move elsewhere atm. I've stopped being all that frustated over it. Just gonna see what happens. Edited June 22, 2014 by Nase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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