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I am starting to make music. But I suck and I need help.

Kobusvdwalt9Kobusvdwalt9
edited in General
Hello there,

So yesterday I listened to chipzel's spectra (http://chipzel.co.uk/album/spectra) and I decided that I want to learn how to make 8 bit music since it would be valuable for making games. Especially the sort of games I want to make in future.

I have no music composition background though I can play the guitar but I cant write songs. But I have made this yesterday:
http://kobusvdwalt.tumblr.com/post/98628606460/i-made-a-song-although-its-really-crappy

So I would like to know :
Do you guys know of a forum that I could go that is as awesome as this one but for music specifically ?
Do you have any suggestions on what I could improve in the song above ?
Do you have any suggestions about how you can get better at composition in general ?

Thanks for your time.

Comments

  • MCAMCA
    I'm not aware of any chip tune forums, but I'm fairly sure a quick Google will find you some like http://chipmusic.org/forums/

    To improve, listen to lots of over chip tune music and make notes on what they do - try and figure out what they are doing to the sound and if you like that then try and emulate it. And of course make your own sounds.

    Practise, practise, practise. Get a book, or watch videos on basic music theory.

    Found this site of VST's for 8-bit, some are free:
    http://woolyss.com/chipmusic-plugins.php

    Or you can take other virtual instruments/sound samples and run them through a plugin that down-samples the sound to 8-bit format.
  • GibboGibbo
    edited
    Have you checked out the 'getting started' advice thread which provides some starting points and tips, including a few bits on chiptune?

    A quick Google search also turns up this guide for creating chiptunes using a Gameboy specifically (if you're wanting to sound like Chipzel this is the approach she takes, she creates the music with the Gameboy itself using LSDJ and then takes it across to a DAW, in this case Logic, for production and mastering)

    There are easier ways to create chiptune sounds with plug-ins like Plogue Chipsounds that replicate the various console chips, so that'll probably be your best bet, though I haven't tried creating chiptunes so not sure how 'authentic' the sound is in comparison.

    Best way to get better at composition in general is to practise... keep making tracks, try out different DAW's, read tutorials for guidance, find what works for you and ultimately just keep making music as the best way to learn... I've been making music with a computer for over 10 years and have still got a ton of things to learn. It's a life-long obsession :)
    Thanked by 1MCA
  • hermantullekenhermantulleken
    Another suggestion is to use your guitar to experiment with sound (it's much faster to experiment with a real instrument if you can play it, and guitars are great: you can play in bed, they can make a large variety of sound, they don't keep others awake). A great way to experiment is to take a familiar tune and see in how many ways you can distort it. Something simple is best, but anything will do. See what happens if you change the rhythm, or the chords, or replace / remove / insert notes. Over time, push this as far as you can (I mean, the distortion must be extreme). If you study some music theory, that type of experimentation will complement it nicely.
  • Kobusvdwalt9Kobusvdwalt9
    Cool guys,

    I did do a google search for the forums but I was looking for a recommendation from you guys. But whatever I will just try them all.

    @Gibbo I missed that thread, thanks. I looked in the FAQ but didn't find anything of use. Maybe we should link to it there.

    I will post any further developments here but things are a bit busy so I will probably only get into this by next year.
  • rustybroomhandlerustybroomhandle
    edited
    Roger Hicks, aka rekcahdam made a fun browser-based 8-bit sequencer which you can toy with at http://www.pulseboy.com/

    perhaps also have a look at sunvox - it's free and easy to get into making synth-based music with. http://sunvoxsolstice.blogspot.com/ (This is not the sunvox site - can't get to it for some reason)
  • MexicanopiumdogMexicanopiumdog
    Bottomline dude: Making music is damn hard...well...making GOOD music is hard. And if you aren't super talented and can pick up composing quickly it may be more disappointment than reward. Unless you find a quickfix like what @rustybroomhandle mentioned. Learning a music program from scratch takes many months/years until you feel comfortable in it. I'm not telling you to not venture into Music, by all means...EXPLORE! But keep in mind that to reach a certain standard of 8 bit Music especially for Games - Super Meat Boy, FEZ - you need the technical expertise.
    I reckon the best step for you right now is to grab a free software synth preferably in standalone format (without having to go through a DAW) and learn what ADSR knobs, Modulation, EQ, Distortion types etc are. Synths are what define 8 bit music these days..
    Hope you find a solution!
    Thanked by 1Gibbo
  • Kobusvdwalt9Kobusvdwalt9
    Thanks for the comments and advice.

    Technology wise I am fine. I can always learn that sort of stuff relatively easy. For now I am using FL studio.
    What I am worried about is the creative part of it. FLS is not holding me back in any way atm. I am sure down the line I will become unsatisfied with the sound I can make with it but for now its fine.. I think.. Is it ?

    The creative part is what scares me. :)

    Its weird for me cause I am drawing a parallel between learning how to make games and learning how to make music. I was expecting more critical feedback than general advise cause that is more actionable. When I started making games in construct a while back people gave really specific stuff for me to focus on, but from what I can gather music is much more open and free of "the right way" than I thought it would be.

    Don't get me wrong I am grateful for the advice I am merely mentioning that its different than what I was expecting.

    Thanks again for your time.
  • MexicanopiumdogMexicanopiumdog
    You want specific: Work with Square waves and White Noise. Play around with ADSR knobs and make a beat using just those tools. Maybe try rip something like the mario bros./pokemon theme tune? I dont know what type of chip tune/8 bit you want to make...old school (pokemon) or more contemporary (FEZ)? You can do a lot with FLs Harmor its a powerful synth with a lot of built in effects. Play around with arpegiators. Have a few simple synth patches that all sound slightly different. The song you wrote sounds very clustered with synths sounding too similar. Have different 'parts': 1 bass part, a few rhythmic/arpegiated parts and some sort of Melody on top. Start simple. Best advice is to rip something - a theme tune.
    Thanked by 1MCA
  • Tim_HarbourTim_Harbour
    Yo @Kobusvdwalt9! I think the two things needed to help make 8 bit music styles is firstly some nice plugins and sound that can emulate that stuff properly. I use tweakbench plugins...they free and sound great. http://www.tweakbench.com/ Also Native Instruments stuff like massive and fm8 have some cool 8 bit type sounds but they are bit more complex than what you would hear from traditional 8 bit stuff. Also any analogue synth can be made to sound very similar to 8 bit music, just use some sin waves or square waves for bass and experiment with different sound waves for different instruments. There is a lot of room to experiment!

    In terms of composition skill I would recommend one of two things...or both if you are so inclined...one is just experiment with the program you like a lot and just get familiar with it. Sometime music theory can be no replacement for just messing around and sometimes you can get the coolest ideas that way. Secondly I would say learning some music theory will really help to broaden your compositional possibilities. I am quite familiar with music theory and it helps me to experiment with new sounds/scales/song structures etc. If you want any help with music theory if you don't have any background I am more than willing to help. :D Let me know!
    Thanked by 1MCA
  • Tim_HarbourTim_Harbour
    Also don't forget to buy lots of hardware if you are into making music! I recently bought a Kaossiltor and it's also got a lot of cool 8 bit sounding effects. :D also buying myself a full size keyboard midi controller really helped to improve my composition skills.
  • Tim_HarbourTim_Harbour
    Also if you want to go into making 8 bit music in a more old school manner you can ue something like Milky Tracker or Pulse Boy as @rustybroomhandle mentioned. They are a bit more complicated to get used to but have a completely different feel and therefore result to using a DAW like FLS
  • MCAMCA
    Could also just use signal generators and manipulate the tones, e.g. a sawtooth wave at 80Hz, going through a distortion plugin with automated volume/filters etc. - basically what analogue synths do. As per the examples mentioned above, add 'real' instrument elements like kick drum, or do all the parts have to sound 8-bit? Use something like Bfxr to make your own samples… SO MANY POSSIBILITIES!
  • dislekciadislekcia
    Yup. Pick music you really like and cover it.

    Start off just remaking chiptunes you like from older games, then once you feel comfortable creating tunes, start remaking music from other genres as chiptunes. Eventually you'll either find yourself arranging your own music, or you'll know that you don't like doing that. It's pretty much exactly like learning to make games that way.
  • Tim_HarbourTim_Harbour
    Yeah I would agree real drum sounds are usually better than just using a sin wave for kick and noise for snare and hats....I;ve done it a few times before and it always sounds nicer with real drums..,.but you can experiment with bitcrushing to get a more 8 bit sound from the drums as well! :D Experiment is the key
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