I can never seem to get the right sound

[amarcott11]

Hi, just a little bit about myself:

I am 16 years old. I am into recording electronic and alternative music. I have played the piano for as long as I can remember and I got the recording bug not too long ago. I always have an itch. I will randomly get a kind of musical inspiration and immediately go try to record it and just slap it into a computer so that I will always be able to come back to it.

This is the problem.

Whenever I try to record the little musical inspiration, I use simple presets and just try to get the essence of the song and the melody down, but it is never exactly how I was hearing it in my head or how I actually want the song to be heard. In my rush to make sure i record the musical inspiration, I can never get the exact instrument, feel, or sound that I originally pictured in my head.

I am always left asking the question: "What instrument would I use to make the sound I want?" I can't possibly scroll through the mass of preset sounds (I use Fl Studio) and hope one of them sounds the way I was imagining before I forget what is in my head and lose my inspiration.

Does anyone understand what I am getting at? Is there any technique or way that I can get my unique style and feel to a song that I don't know about? Am I simply too inexperienced with the software I am using? Is there any software or plugin that can help me experiment better with sounds?

I feel like what I could be producing has the potential to be great, but I simply cannot actualize it right now. It really bugs me. Any help or input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[miroslav]

I use simple presets and just try to get the essence of the song and the melody down...

Great, consider that your "demo tape"...
...now think like a producer and come up with a more polished/final production.

Record what you hear in your head...don't just grab presets.

 

[mjbphotos]

As a teenager I used to write full songs when I came home late at night (usually drunk and high), full lyrics, most of the time (remember this was before cheap 4-track cassette recorders).
Then I'd wake up the next day, look at the lyrics and have no recollection of the chords or melody!

Like miroslav said, think of these as demo tapes. Then go back find the sound you want, and re-record.

 

[amarcott11]

Thanks for the input, guys. One of my main problems, though, is when I come back to the "demo tapes", I can never achieve the right sound I have always wanted. I guess I'm just too inexperienced to know what effect will work best with what sound, and so on. I can describe it to someone exactly how I want it, but I can never get it inside the computer. Sometimes I wish I had a professional with me so that I could describe what I want and he could show me how to do it

 

[grimtraveller]

I guess I'm just too inexperienced to know what effect will work best with what sound, and so on. I can describe it to someone exactly how I want it, but I can never get it inside the computer. Sometimes I wish I had a professional with me so that I could describe what I want and he could show me how to do it

It can be a matter of experience and also inspiration meeting discipline. It sounds perhaps a bit obvious, but the more you practice writing songs, the clearer the pieces of the puzzle may become. Even many of the so called great writers hear great stuff in their heads but when it's finally recorded often are disappointed ~ the fantasy in our imagination is often more potent than the concrete reality.
I will often have an idea of instrumental colours in a song but this may change along the way. I might be thinking in terms of a guitar solo here but may be with a saxophone playing friend and so ask if they'll give it a whirl and it may work or not. There's a time to be flexible, there's a time to be a dictator. And when other people are involved they can bring to your songs totally unexpected, unforseen wonders that enhance what you have. Or they can make suggestions that'll never work or that you just don't want !
It's also an ongoing skill to lay down a quick demo [even if you're just humming into a dictaphone] and return to it a year later, not remember where you were going with it at the time of inspiration and give it your current whack. There are thousands of songs that the world loves that did not begin life in the form in which they come to be loved.
Keep at it, you shall go to the ball.......

 

[gecko zzed]

Sometimes I wish I had a professional with me so that I could describe what I want and he could show me how to do it

At 16 years, you are just starting on this musical adventure, so you can look forward to knowing that, just like driving a car, it gets easier with practice and experience. It's tough doing it all by yourself (just as learning to drive a car is). It would be easer if you could find yourself a mentor. However, like all skills, there's no avoiding the pain of learning, and it's not the place for those seeking instant gratification. Keep at it. Post examples in the MP3 clinic here, and you will get heaps of constructive help.

 

[amarcott11]

Gecko and Grimtraveller, you both pointed out something very interesting. I have found that, even though what I record isn't perfect, it is 100 times easier when I have someone watching or giving me ideas while I am making music. I guess the sense of approval of another person helps me move on through the song and prevents me from pondering on whether or not the riff I am recording "sounds right". The MP3 clinic seems like it would also be very helpful to get some experienced advice on my unfinished projects. Thanks for the replies.

 

[miroslav]

Electronic music can be quite "personal", and what only you hear in your head....but with more standard instruments and music, most any type of Rock/Pop flavor, just record the instruments as you (or anyone) would hear them played. Get your sound from the instrument, rather than from FX. You can always tailor them later on when you mix. Don't immediately try to slather on FX as you record.

Often...the more simpler setup and approach will yield the best results time and time again...

You should hang around, see if anyone from the forums is in your area (where are you?)...and maybe you can find someone with more experience to go work with if you like to learn by watching/listening rather than reading.