...
it wasnt THAT long ago, a guy was here in this same section, asked a thoroughly similar question, basically just advice for tips and such on construction in this genre...
I remember multiple posts, many containing detailed ideas and intellectual somnambulism on the subject... it was not long ago, a easy search will turn up the small treasure trove of good responses...
although, I also agree with the first response you got here now as sage advice, too. critically listening and "deconstructing" a song you admire in the genre(works in any genre, really) , with an aim towards trying to construct as close a copy as you can from scratch...
should tell you asfter one or more attempts, thru comparison with your result VS the original... a number of things...
you'll be IDing the basic components you want, you'll be listening to a commercial successful version as a ready guide to what you want to sound like, when done with an attempt, you will easily figure out what you already know how to do towards that goal, and you will see which parts you need to work on as it isnt "right" yet.
ever since I started composing at home... every now and then, I try to make something "from scratch" to see how close I can get. I remember never being able to do it at first, and my wild excitement the first time I was able to sit there, and get very close to what I was trying to imitate.
it was fulfilling to know that my "ears" were doing SOMEthing finally (my ears dont do practically anything I want, LMAO, but ANYthing was a great feeling, I tell you! lol)
this will be great, as it sets you a "goal", and its a goal by degrees... IE, you fiurst nail the bass, the drums, the other sounds one by one. When you can make your "goal" song from scratch and the result is judged credible... you will have impressed yourself, which will give you a great sense of accomplishment.
I would say dont be OVERLY concerned up front with "little mix issues", and concentrate on picking the sounds and the notes to match... if you get the notes and the timing right or very close... you can worry later about details like compression and eqing and stuff... I found my composing came along steadily and better once I "abandoned" miing and just concentrated on picking the rright notes and instruments.
my young musical instruction was just in proper sheet music sight reading, but for percussion only... hence, I started trying to compose with virtually no ear for pitch and key whatsoever, and its a slow battle. YOUR prior experiences will naturally give you a different set of "starting point" to go forward from... perhaps you had some training earlier with a PITCHED instrument (I didnt, all percussion, lol), or, maybe you played a pitched instrument by ear, which is equally as valuable to this goal.
Good christ, a drummer suddenly trying to teach himself any sense of pitch and key, well... trust me, I was just MISerable early on, LMAO. Heck, if I had a year of piano, or sax, oir ANYthing pitched earlier, or just played a little guitar by ear when younger... I bet I could have shaved a year or two off my early learning curve.
imitating an established commercial song in your genre would be a EXCELLENT set of exercises for you, I should think. I enjoy thoroughly when "noodling" trying to figure out a note melody by memory only as an exercise.
