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General Discussion => Creative Corner => Topic started by: SlowandSteady on December 19, 2019, 03:05:55 pm

Title: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: SlowandSteady on December 19, 2019, 03:05:55 pm
Hey AN!

I thought I'd create this thread to share/get back into one of my main hobbies: making music (strong word) through software :). I'll be occasionally uploading little pieces I create and I hope you'll enjoy them!

After being introduced to the wonders of 7th chords, I made this, which has been beautifully named Thingo.wav.

This is pretty much only the start of the song (I'm still working on expanding it). I don't really know how orchestration works, so I'm kind of scared to do anything past a crash cymbal for the drums, but I think it sounds alright so far.

I'm looking forward to improving and creating more ;D

Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: Sine on December 19, 2019, 07:33:02 pm
I used to play around with FL studios a bit too.

That snippet of "Thingo" was nice, looking forward for more updates from you.
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: caffinatedloz on December 22, 2019, 01:44:08 pm
I'm always impressed and astounded by people who can create art and music digitally. Tech skills are certainly something I don't have! Look forward to seeing more of your creation. ;D
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: SlowandSteady on December 22, 2019, 08:19:17 pm
I'm always impressed and astounded by people who can create art and music digitally. Tech skills are certainly something I don't have! Look forward to seeing more of your creation. ;D
I used to play around with FL studios a bit too.

That snippet of "Thingo" was nice, looking forward for more updates from you.
Thanks for the encouragement! It means a lot :)

I've finally finished the Thingo; it has now been dubbed Thing2.0. The ending was quite abrupt because I couldn't be stuffed working on it more than I already have, but I really like it. It's probably the first one of my songs that don't make me cringe too much.

A Couple Points:
  Basslines can be freaking annoying if you have a weird chord playing
  I'm actually not sure what parts a flute is meant to perform, but they sure sound nice
  God bless the tambourine

I'll probably start working on something else over the next couple days if I can think of any ideas :P

Listen to Thing2.0 here!
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: SlowandSteady on December 25, 2019, 10:58:16 pm
I finally found a nice sounding piano and guitar plugin, so I made this one this morning. I'll probably add more to this as well, but for now, I've just looped it once so it doesn't feel too short. Can't really find a realistic violin, so I just tweaked with some effects and it sounds... acceptable? (probably pushing it there).

(https://i.imgur.com/M6R39oh.png)

Is This How You Violin?
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: Poet on December 26, 2019, 03:02:05 am
I have sincerely enjoyed going through the beginnings of this thread and listening to your little snippets of music - the development of Thing to Thing2.0 was a pleasant surprise and I love how much effort you've put into this. There were even some rhythm changes and a key change along with the instrumental variations in Thing2.0 and I was not expecting anything as complex from how you were talking - please don't underrate your own skill when it comes to composing. Perhaps you have a lot to work on, but it seems you've done a lot already.

  I'm actually not sure what parts a flute is meant to perform, but they sure sound nice

As for this, when a part of song composition, a flute will traditionally play along the melody or separate a distinct harmony, some of a different tempo to the song to offset other instruments on the main melody line. Higher or lower pitch is your game. Don't worry about where an instrument is "meant" to go though - if it sounds good, it's in the right place.

Is This How You Violin is a nice little piece too; and if you're going to improve upon it, perhaps slow the beat a bit? All of your trials seem like fast and upbeat songs, but from what I've heard of this new little snippet, it could use a bit more rest. :))
Well done again and keen to hear more!
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: Bri MT on December 26, 2019, 11:12:00 am
I'm not sure why, but to me Thing2.0 sounds like what you'd hear in a game when you're casually walking around a town/friendly area and IsThisHowYouViolin sounds like what you'd hear in the game when there's an encounter.

Maybe I just played too many games growing up
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: SlowandSteady on December 26, 2019, 03:49:53 pm
I have sincerely enjoyed going through the beginnings of this thread and listening to your little snippets of music - the development of Thing to Thing2.0 was a pleasant surprise and I love how much effort you've put into this. There were even some rhythm changes and a key change along with the instrumental variations in Thing2.0 and I was not expecting anything as complex from how you were talking - please don't underrate your own skill when it comes to composing. Perhaps you have a lot to work on, but it seems you've done a lot already.

As for this, when a part of song composition, a flute will traditionally play along the melody or separate a distinct harmony, some of a different tempo to the song to offset other instruments on the main melody line. Higher or lower pitch is your game. Don't worry about where an instrument is "meant" to go though - if it sounds good, it's in the right place.

Is This How You Violin is a nice little piece too; and if you're going to improve upon it, perhaps slow the beat a bit? All of your trials seem like fast and upbeat songs, but from what I've heard of this new little snippet, it could use a bit more rest. :))
Well done again and keen to hear more!
Thank you so much for the feedback. I'll keep pushing through at my own pace and see what sounds good / works for me :D Slowing down the song is a good idea; it just sounds more appropriate.

I'm not sure why, but to me Thing2.0 sounds like what you'd hear in a game when you're casually walking around a town/friendly area and IsThisHowYouViolin sounds like what you'd hear in the game when there's an encounter.

Maybe I just played too many games growing up

Haha, I thought I'd be the only one to notice this. When I first made Thingo and played it back, it sounded (to me) like it was straight out of a Pokemon game, specifically a town theme. That idea sort of inspired the flute part of the song afterwards.
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: SlowandSteady on January 03, 2020, 05:36:30 pm
Snippet Number 3: I'm Not Good at Names
(Click Title)

Not too keen on admitting how much effort went into this very short snippet (only 13 seconds!), but I'm proud of it nonetheless. Definitely want to turn it into something longer. I actually ended up writing (?) this part, the very end of the piece, before the beginning. I was trying to go for a boss-battle-like feel, using similar instrumentation / style to some old-ish games (see below). That's also the reason why even the very end of it sounds unfinished:  it's meant to loop back into the beginning. I've gotten a bit less scared of the drums, so my arsenal is no longer restricted to the tambourine 8)

(https://i.imgur.com/GNe0tzf.png)
Finally, a plugin that lets a tiny person dance on my screen; wonderful!

(https://i.imgur.com/7svXsUW.png)

My next post here will probably be the finished version of that theme. I've no idea how long it will take, but I'll have fun making it ;D
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: caffinatedloz on January 04, 2020, 08:19:56 am
That sounds really, really great! ;D I could listen to it all day and can't wait to hear the next instalment!
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: SlowandSteady on January 14, 2020, 01:11:17 pm
I was too lazy to work on my other stuff, so I ended up making something for the...

(https://i.imgur.com/ujL4JpO.png)
Elloh

Music box! They sound nice and the music made with them aren't meant to be complicated; it's the perfect match for a lazybones like me. I find it sounds a bit like a lullaby, which is funny considering I made it at about 1 in the morning :P

Lullaby
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: Ionic Doc on January 14, 2020, 10:49:14 pm
//

The sound is so soothing, makes me wanna fall asleep.

It's so cool how you can make music digitally, S@S. How long have you been doing this for?  :D
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: SlowandSteady on January 15, 2020, 09:29:21 am
The sound is so soothing, makes me wanna fall asleep.

It's so cool how you can make music digitally, S@S. How long have you been doing this for?  :D
Thanks for the compliment ;D

I started trying to make my own stuff around half way through last year, when that was our assignment for Music. Before that, I was just transcribing other songs into the program. I'm really enjoying it so far, but it can be frustrating when I can't think of anything :o
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: caffinatedloz on January 15, 2020, 02:23:59 pm
Definitely sounds like a lullaby. Does FL studio have lots of different options for types of sounds? I know that the music box piece has a sound that is distinct and different from the other pieces you've made before.
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: SlowandSteady on January 15, 2020, 02:35:04 pm
Definitely sounds like a lullaby. Does FL studio have lots of different options for types of sounds? I know that the music box piece has a sound that is distinct and different from the other pieces you've made before.

It has some sounds built into it, but I don't really like how they sound. There are plugins you can download off the internet that comes packed with heaps of different instruments and that's what I use. Looks a bit like this:

Sound Plugin
(https://i.imgur.com/HOsvZ8p.png)
For instance, the music box that I used would be listed under "Chromatic Percussion" (with all of the mallets, xylophones etc.)
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: SlowandSteady on February 05, 2020, 10:48:48 pm
Old-Timey Jams
(Click Title)

I tried to make something with this image in mind:
Bean Incoming
(https://almostholmes.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/maigret_atkinson1.jpg)
This character isn't even Mr Bean, but I can't associate Rowan with anyone else at this point.

It's kind of repetitive catchy, and I think the clarinet fits pretty well with what I was going for. I have some other projects that have been lying around that I need to get around to finishing, but enjoy an entire minute's worth of saloon music while you wait :P
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: Coolmate on February 05, 2020, 11:05:30 pm
Old-Timey Jams
(Click Title)

I tried to make something with this image in mind:
Bean Incoming
(https://almostholmes.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/maigret_atkinson1.jpg)
This character isn't even Mr Bean, but I can't associate Rowan with anyone else at this point.

It's kind of repetitive catchy, and I think the clarinet fits pretty well with what I was going for. I have some other projects that have been lying around that I need to get around to finishing, but enjoy an entire minute's worth of saloon music while you wait :P

Hey SlowandSteady! ;D

I really like this you have done a great job with overlaying the clarinet with the tapping of the symbol (I think that's what it is). Also, it sounds like it could be background music placed in a game! Keep up the awesome sounds!  ;D
Title: Re: SlowandSteady's FL Studio Struggles
Post by: SlowandSteady on June 19, 2020, 09:48:50 pm
Time to finally come out of hiding to show you all this short thingy I've been working on for the past hour. I present to you: Swanger Banger (really need to work on these names).

I tried to go with a sort of big band / jazzy feel with this one. Not sure what it'll develop into, (or if I'll end up adding anything to it at all) but the swing was pretty fun to do.