I need help making music

vluis99 · 11-14-2015, 12:09 PM

I'm a 16 year old male singer and I want create an ep, or album.
I've got some problems, I only have a Samson mini mic and audacity
and I don't have money for music softwares rn so I been using free beats that people make on YouTube, the problems is Everytime I record over them is sounds super unprofessional and it doesn't mix with the music, and their good beats but their not really the sound that I want. I want to make music similar to Lana Del Rey, James Blake, Lorde, Jack Garret, Halsey, Marian Hill, Sza, Troye Sivan, FKA Twigs, and especially Sevdaliza. I want to make elegant sounding pop music that's has like a little bit of experimental indie sound in the mix. Someone please help me do this on the cheap. And I also want to add small little 3D audio sounds in my music to give it a flare when you listen to it with headphones.
Any help is appreciated honestly, it would mean the world to me

Thank You��

Trollheart · 11-14-2015, 02:37 PM

I would talk to people here Stereo & Production Equipment - Music Banter but honestly, though I'm not a musician, if you want to make music and sound good (assuming you have talent) then I think you're going to have to pony up some cash. I doubt anyone made it big "on the cheap". Guys in that subforum would be able to advise you better though.

~~MicShazam~~ · 11-15-2015, 02:57 PM

Maybe you should read some articles about equalizing, sound mixing, applying reverb, etc. If you don't adjust your vocal tracks to fit the production style of the underlying music, then it is going to sound like it doesn't belong together. If you write the music yourself, you will know what effects and adjustments you used on the music, thus making it easier to make the vocals sound like a part of the whole.

There are free music programs you can use in the beginning if you don't mind it sound less perfect than professionally produced music. Look into ModPlug Tracker for a good place to start. Also check out albums made by artists on the cheap. Ramona Lisa made the album Arcadia using little more than an iPad, I think, and it sounds great.

But in the end, much like Trollheart is saying, "quality" - in the conventional, mainstream sense, doesn't usually come cheap.

~~MicShazam~~ · 11-15-2015, 02:58 PM

Also, maybe your first album effort shouldn't aim for a super polished mainstream pop sound. That stuff is generally made by engineers working on serious, professional equipment/software suites.

a4m · 11-16-2015, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicShazam

Also, maybe your first album effort shouldn't aim for a super polished mainstream pop sound. That stuff is generally made by engineers working on serious, professional equipment/software suites.

Exactly. You won't get top notch production right now, so it's best to work with what you got until you have the money to record at a better quality.

mrsvend3245 · 03-04-2017, 10:43 AM

Just use EQ and reverb. For the most part reverb is going to make a big difference. Also recording your vocals DRY straight into the recording mic is bad and you should try using some type of outside amplification to get yourself sounding right.

Chipobut536 · 01-20-2018, 03:05 PM

If you want to use MPX output from Stereo Tool how you should you need pure MPX input at transmitter.
Without shematics of board no one can help.

Also this is not Stereo Tool issues how you call it.

Guybrush · 08-14-2018, 06:11 AM

You need a proper DAW. Reaper is a good and relatively cheap one.

To make your vocals seem to blend in better with whatever arrangement you have, you're mainly going to need to do three things, maybe four:

Adjust volume
Adjust EQ
Use a compressor (/ limiter)
Add some reverb

Using EQ and volume to make your vocals sit right in the mix is the most important. Compressor will tame your peaks, make your performance more dynamically "even" and professional sounding and has a tendency to "glue" things together.

And for best results, you need to get as dry sounding (no natural reverb) vocal recordings as possible, then add that reverb back in with a reverb plugin. If you have like a backing track without individual parts, you just have to play around with reverb until yours sounds right. If you have the individual parts of your backing track (like a drum track and a bass track, etc.), then hopefully they are dry and you can pan them left or right and send them to the same reverb that you got for your vocals.

But all of this requires that you look up on some tutorials for how to use your chosen daw, how to use a compressor, how to set up reverb in an effective way etc. You have to learn how to produce yourself and all in all it's a big subject.

11-14-2015, 12:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
vluis99 Groupie Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 2	I need help making music I'm a 16 year old male singer and I want create an ep, or album. I've got some problems, I only have a Samson mini mic and audacity and I don't have money for music softwares rn so I been using free beats that people make on YouTube, the problems is Everytime I record over them is sounds super unprofessional and it doesn't mix with the music, and their good beats but their not really the sound that I want. I want to make music similar to Lana Del Rey, James Blake, Lorde, Jack Garret, Halsey, Marian Hill, Sza, Troye Sivan, FKA Twigs, and especially Sevdaliza. I want to make elegant sounding pop music that's has like a little bit of experimental indie sound in the mix. Someone please help me do this on the cheap. And I also want to add small little 3D audio sounds in my music to give it a flare when you listen to it with headphones. Any help is appreciated honestly, it would mean the world to me Thank You�� Last edited by vluis99; 11-14-2015 at 12:40 PM.

11-14-2015, 02:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	I would talk to people here Stereo & Production Equipment - Music Banter but honestly, though I'm not a musician, if you want to make music and sound good (assuming you have talent) then I think you're going to have to pony up some cash. I doubt anyone made it big "on the cheap". Guys in that subforum would be able to advise you better though. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-15-2015, 02:57 PM	#3 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,634	Maybe you should read some articles about equalizing, sound mixing, applying reverb, etc. If you don't adjust your vocal tracks to fit the production style of the underlying music, then it is going to sound like it doesn't belong together. If you write the music yourself, you will know what effects and adjustments you used on the music, thus making it easier to make the vocals sound like a part of the whole. There are free music programs you can use in the beginning if you don't mind it sound less perfect than professionally produced music. Look into ModPlug Tracker for a good place to start. Also check out albums made by artists on the cheap. Ramona Lisa made the album Arcadia using little more than an iPad, I think, and it sounds great. But in the end, much like Trollheart is saying, "quality" - in the conventional, mainstream sense, doesn't usually come cheap. Last edited by MicShazam; 11-15-2015 at 03:03 PM.

01-20-2018, 03:05 PM	#7 (permalink)
Chipobut536 Groupie Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 1	I need help making If you want to use MPX output from Stereo Tool how you should you need pure MPX input at transmitter. Without shematics of board no one can help. Also this is not Stereo Tool issues how you call it.

08-14-2018, 06:11 AM	#8 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	You need a proper DAW. Reaper is a good and relatively cheap one. To make your vocals seem to blend in better with whatever arrangement you have, you're mainly going to need to do three things, maybe four: Adjust volume Adjust EQ Use a compressor (/ limiter) Add some reverb Using EQ and volume to make your vocals sit right in the mix is the most important. Compressor will tame your peaks, make your performance more dynamically "even" and professional sounding and has a tendency to "glue" things together. And for best results, you need to get as dry sounding (no natural reverb) vocal recordings as possible, then add that reverb back in with a reverb plugin. If you have like a backing track without individual parts, you just have to play around with reverb until yours sounds right. If you have the individual parts of your backing track (like a drum track and a bass track, etc.), then hopefully they are dry and you can pan them left or right and send them to the same reverb that you got for your vocals. But all of this requires that you look up on some tutorials for how to use your chosen daw, how to use a compressor, how to set up reverb in an effective way etc. You have to learn how to produce yourself and all in all it's a big subject. __________________ Something Completely Different

11-15-2015, 02:58 PM	#4 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,634	Also, maybe your first album effort shouldn't aim for a super polished mainstream pop sound. That stuff is generally made by engineers working on serious, professional equipment/software suites.

03-04-2017, 10:43 AM	#6 (permalink)
mrsvend3245 Groupie Join Date: Mar 2017 Posts: 32	Just use EQ and reverb. For the most part reverb is going to make a big difference. Also recording your vocals DRY straight into the recording mic is bad and you should try using some type of outside amplification to get yourself sounding right.