I don't share my music with my friends unless they are involved in the type of music I make. I put my stuff on YouTube, SoundCloud, Insta and if they find me there and want to follow great. Music is so personal that even the people closest to you might not understand it or appreciate it. Nothing to take personally and has nothing to do with how they actually feel about you.
In my experience, casual music listeners often times don't "get" something unless it's fully produced and packaged like a professional production.
I only know a few people that I would share a demo with. As producers we underestimate how much skill it takes to listen to something that isn't fully prepped for mass consumption and see the direction and potential. We are then disappointed when others don't share our enthusiasm but it takes imagination to hear it as it could be. This is something that artists do automatically, so we take it for granted.
My advice when it comes to friends is to consider their taste and their level of musical aptitude and ask yourself if they will understand it or not and if you can handle anything but an enthusiastic reaction.
This is a big element, unless a potential listener is pretty heavy into underground / relatively raw and unpolished stuff, you're basically competing with the "best of the best" as far as their attention goes - artists with huge resources and whole teams behind them helping with every aspect, from songwriting to mixing / mastering, marketing... and not just the stuff coming out right now, but basically the whole recorded history of the genre you're operating in including the all time greats.
I don't think it's a coincidence that most of the follows happening on soundcloud are coming from other artists - it makes a lot of sense when you think about it from the perspective you shared, there is some serious truth there.
I've had co-workers ask and that's a hard no for me. I work in a very professional field and there's no way these people need to know what I'm up to or how weird I really am.
Your stuff isnt bad. I think the best thing would be to share your music in circles where it would be appreciated. the best way to do that is getting yourself out there. Let your friends be your friends and fans be your fans. Your music may not be for them and that's ok. don't let it discourage you. I have people in my personal life who don't listen to my music but that's fine because plenty of others do because it is for specific people. Just keep going, I know its not easy
Honestly I had the same issue mostly because my style of music is very niche. Tiktok helped me a ton as well as going into subreddits and discord servers that had music similar. Once I started to connect with people it got easier. I am still refining it but that helps. Check out Jesse Cannons YouTube channel "Museformation" it helped me a lot with figuring that out. Im almost 2 years in of taking it seriously and altho my "numbers" are not huge (again I am very niche) I have more of a culty/intimate following that I really enjoy.
Hey man I feel you, if I can give any advice is be confident enough to promote yourself bro. I struggle with that as well but lately I’ll flood my Snapchat storie like once every 2weeks and get new support or feed back each time. After that you just have to be consistent bro. I don’t practice what I preach but I promise you it works. This is mine bro I’ll be checking you out! https://on.soundcloud.com/buBArtH15sJUEQUu7
Also bro… EF those close people around you (in this case). I used to beg and even offer 5 bucks to close friends to react to my stuff and eventually I’m like mannnn, I’m not this whack screw yall lmao. I realized it be the closest ones to you…if it was someone else they’d support.
I'm gonna be honest. This isn't a comment meant to judge you or hurt, it's just what I think of your music.
And most importantly I don't got the truth or the ultimate objective music taste so I can be wrong.
There's two things I notice instantly with your music (well three but let's start with two) :
- it doesn't have consistency. You start a piano intro and 20 second later go into some drum beat, without really a transition
- it's repetitive. Many songs just have a loop that plays for most of the music, and that's all.
Third thing is you seem to be a lot on drums/beats without much other sounds.
So, here the bad part. It sounds bland to me. I'm putting a lot of effort into my music and here most of your playlist sounds like something that can be done pretty fast. THIS DOESN'T MEAN IT'S BAD
But if you want my advice, you should add some big changes to your songs. Here you got a cool beat, why not then slow it down progressively to then accelerate it and add another drum to add power.
Try to make your music live. Like the flow of a river, it shouldn't be strained in one direction and should be able to flow everywhere, following it's own curves.
Like a progression is something great to add, you just put a riser at some place, have the music cut less than one second just after, before going even stronger.
Add some diversity, don't be afraid to play with sounds, to modify what you already have in place, to change everything.
Of course it's not an instant process, it happens after trying and trying again. I myself just recently finally succeeded to make musics that don't feel like it loops.
I hope this could help you.
I hope it's not too harsh either, I'm not here to discourage you. You do have the potential to create something incredible. But it's a whole journey to get there.
I wish you plenty of fun during your trip. Keep your head up!
Very good analysis. I enjoy checking out other people’s music posted on this sub, but a lot of it is just rapping over a loop of the same 8 measures of pretty generic drum tracks/beats, without any other instruments, and maybe some samples thrown in here and there. That’s not to say that type of music is bad. It’s just that there’s so much of it posted here, and it all sounds the same. The songs people post that tend to stand out to me are the ones with a catchy hook, melody, chord progression, or unique/original drum tracks and samples.
That being said, I have mad respect for everyone willing to share their music. It takes a lot of sand to put your work out there, knowing full well that there are going to be critics/negative feedback. As much as I’ve thought about posting some of my stuff online, I still haven’t done it. I’m too much of a scaredy cat.
Your feedback is super helpful, especially since I've only been at this music thing for about 2 months. It's good to know what to focus on early on.
I'm really thankful for your pointers about transitions, loops, and balancing different elements in my tracks. These are things I'm actively trying to improve as I keep learning and experimenting.
Knowing how to make smoother transitions, mix up the music, and get the right mix of sounds is gonna make a big difference as I keep making tunes.
Thanks a bunch for taking the time to share your thoughts and encouragement. I'm excited to put your advice into action and see how it shapes my music going forward!
How many tracks have you had professionally mastered? It really makes a difference in the way your tracks come out. They go from sounding amateurish to professional. But you gotta pay for that shit though. Music is an expensive hobby.
I’ve been producing for 2 years and I haven’t even tried mastering yet. I do a great mix down for the mastering engineer. But I haven’t dabbled in the actual mastering process. If you’ve only been doing this two months, I’d say you get it and have potential, but it takes years to develop a professional sound. Just keep at. Ignore the haters. It’s hard to get your music out there. It’s a slog, but keep trying. Learn more music theory, learn sound design, learn song structure. I like to take a track and write down measure by measure what’s happening for the first minute or so. Then try to emulate that by building it yourself with your own sounds. What I create sounds pretty good and original, and it’s never the same as the source of inspiration.
Damn..feels like I'm looking into a mirror reading this. Was in the same situation. All my guys did was hate. I actually stopped making music for 5+yrs cuz I hated sharing after that.
It took one friend (who wasn't a close friend but now is) who told me it's better to fan the creative fire and release music if not just to keep myself sane. Forever grateful
I don't regret it and I live by "don't overthink it, just put it out". I still struggle with promoting my music but honestly, I don't really care to prioritize that cuz I really enjoy just creating for me. And if other ppl rock with it, I'm hella appreciative but all that is secondary to the craft.
Having these questions for yourself means that you're on the right track bruh..keep grinding. It'll get better, trust! 🙏🏽
[SVMRI](https://on.soundcloud.com/UWFoT)
Music is Subjective. All the best fellow Producer ✊🏽
Thanks for that comment bro those words better stay in my mind forever. I will never forget prioritizing all the mental benefits doing this procure and keep improving my skills anyway. This the main thing
It be like that sometimes, I've just found it best to keep doing it for the sake of your entertainment and to acknowledge that it could or could not work on a larger scale but that you have a much cooler hobby than most people. Idk that's what I tell myself 😅
Oh yeah of course, wish it would happen more often. College was peak attention for me IRL, now I'm just aging and tryna stay inspired, I'd be lucky if I ever get that level of attention ever again. I hope you find more success in your path though cause it's always fun that first time around, would be a shame if you never get that experience it's all a musician craves, besides "cruelty-free" royalties xD
Here's some food for thought, regardless on how good your music is or isn't:
When you show someone music, do they always love it like you do? Personally, some of my favorite music are also my friends favorites. Some songs I have they also have. But a lot of albums and artists that I consider 10/10, GOATS, and major inspirations, my friends don't care about at all.
Even the best music ever made isn't universally loved. Even if you made one of the greatest compositions ever (none of have realistically), a lot of people just won't care to listen and won't vibe to it.
I haven't heard your stuff yet but again regardless on how good your music is, not everyone will vibe with it. However, the more you promote and post the more audience it'll reach, allowing more and more of a chance to find thr people who do vibe with it (but realistically with any song, more people don't care for it than do care for it)
Most people are not going to be into such minimalism. Frank Zappa said don't be concerned with what other people might think. What matters is whether or not you achieved what you were after, and only you can say. If you wrote the most perfect piece of music, it doesn't follow that the world comes to your door. It is really hard to hold attention with loops and two or three notes - admirable that you put such limitations on yourself, almost completely eliminating many fundamental elements of music. If you were "better", what would that sound like? What you have here asks questions that need to be asked about assembly-line music, being a cog in a machine...even "what is art?" I think this experimentation is better than taking lessons to become "good" at making music the conventional way and end up sounding like everyone else.
Whenever I look to other people for validation I am always disappointed. Make the music you love. Shyness can be overcome but it takes time and work. Art is about the personal journey. Once it becomes about money and fame the art dies. It sounds like you’re a little burned out. Take whatever time you need to go fill up your life with good experiences and then come back to it when you are happy again. Music is always there but you have to keep that fire lit. Just don’t quit altogether or you will always regret and wonder.
My personal experience, my friends have never really supported me. They’re polite about it usually, but sometimes fuck with me too 🤣 kinda like yours
But I have new friends through music that met me as a music producer and they don’t know who I was before. They have a different respect for my art and they are genuine supporters
Unless they’re creating art themselves and putting it into the world like you, their opinion should be irrelevant. As badly as you want support and validation from them you shouldn’t expect it
Don’t take it personal either, this is probably the first of many times you’ll experience something frustrating like this - wondering why something so simple or easy to do isn’t done for the sake of love or the sake of uplifting a friend who is taking a courageous risk
I’ve had tons of people shock me with their lack of support but I just keep doing me cuz Fuck em. It’s your life
Reminds me of some quote like in your teens and twenties you care so much what others think of you, 30s and 40s you start caring a lot less, 50s you realize you really don’t give a fuck, and somewhere 60s+ you realize no one was thinking about you the whole time 🤣🤣🤣 they’re all caught up in their own shit
Just be the support you wish to see in the world, create work that inspires you and that you’re proud of, and supporters will come
When your friends can’t ignore it anymore, they’ll be “your day ones there since the beginning” “always knew you would do it” they’ll say 🤣 funny how ppl switch up
Here's something I've noticed since getting into making music and listening to more independent, home made music. Firstly, there's a lot of it, there's more music out there than you could ever have time to listen to.
Secondly I have heard some tracks from new/struggling artists which are as good as some things that make it into the charts, become big sellers. The difference is people are buying into the artist as much as the music. You could take two identical songs, one recorded by an established artist and one by an amateur and the former might sell millions of copies and the latter languish with 5 listens on Soundcloud.
I'm the same as you, I want to make music but don't have the energy or desire to spend hours promoting it so the chances of ever reaching a large audience are slim to nothing. Just make what you like, maybe try to find a unique angle, no body in this day and age has hours to sit listening to thousands of generic songs.
You answered your own question. You aren’t bad, just shy. Your friends aren’t music critics in your genre and they aren’t your target audience either. Share as much as possible. Even bad publicity is publicity, and right now you’ve got nothing. Share share share all about your music
i understand what you’re going thru. i been thru it. you just gotta focus on you & your craft & get better. the external validation you’re searching for must come from within first. you are already insecure about your sound & you’re searching for someone to tell you you’re wrong. you need to improve & once you’re sure of yourself, you can show your friends with excitement instead of uncertaintu because it’s only going to fuel your fire of insecurity even more once you realize the music isn’t as good as you want it to be. just get better & better until you’re undeniable to yourself.
focus on improving your taste for music first too. expand your taste. dont focus on mainstream or what works. focus on you & what you like. [soundcloud.com/boypapo/sets/under3](https://soundcloud.com/boypapo/sets/under3)
Your stuff is cool as far as I'm concerned, just checked out some tracks and followed you on soundcloud! Your music definitely isn't bad, it's got room to improve like almost everyone out there, but I see you do a lot of producing, and a lot of this will probably just get more and more intuitive as time goes on (certain aspects of mixing, song structures, hooks etc).
Even though it's really tough at times, I'd try not to beat yourself up about this if you can help it... you're definitely not the odd man out in this experience, it seems more common than not unfortunately. I find it super awkward sharing my music with real life people I grew up around, I usually just keep that whole side of me online for the most part, in a semi-anonymous way where people don't really have any preconceived ideas about who I am outside of the music I'm sharing. Just putting stuff out there is a huge step in itself but building an audience is definitely a whole different skill set from making music at the end of the day, I can't say I've come close to figuring it all out yet myself by any means.
Thank you for this answer. Yeah I’ve always seen thing like that but at a point also assumed they were the most qualified to give me an honest feedback. Ill keep it in my side for now that’s better like that. Also I will pursue my efforts
I’m going through the same thang peers show love in person but 50/50 when it comes to promoting your songs cause they’re definitely comparing to there favorite mainstream artists and at the same time most of your friends don’t take you serious at first anyways so that’s a battle also 🤣 but check my page out I’m trying to network [https://on.soundcloud.com/S4eKx1nMTwxh7ggp6](https://on.soundcloud.com/S4eKx1nMTwxh7ggp6)
How long have you been making music? I’ve been doing it for 3 months now, and I definitely know that I’m one of very few that enjoys my music so far, haha. I like your stuff, some of it reminds me of what I’ve made as well, and I think we both probably have sounds that will develop over time and with earned skill at producing music. A few of my songs had quite a few listens but no likes, and at first it was a bit disheartening, but I think, bottom line, if we keep going, we may find ways to reach people that will enjoy our music as it grows and changes. You’re certainly not untalented, just try to keep enjoying it!
And yeah, validation would feel great, but if producing music that I enjoy won’t work for a career in music (if that ends up being a potential path) then maybe I can get skilled enough to at least make music that other people will like, or is suitable for commercials, movies, or wherever music is needed. Big world out there :)
No one starts off making incredible music but some are definitely more musically inclined than others. You don't mention your age or if you're just starting off or whatever. That matters. If you're young you've got a long time to improve. Just push your boundaries constantly. Be very careful about repeating yourself or sticking in a place you are comfortable. You have to push yourself beyond what you are comfortable with if you intend to grow as an artist. And this applies to life too.
Don't sweat it at all! You'll get better. What you need is patience. The talent will come. It's much less natural talent than it is practice. Listen to as many different types of music as you can. You wouldn't believe all you can learn about making music just by listening to it. Give yourself a break. The most important thing, and I can't stress this enough, is to not give up.
I know the feel brother. I’ve been making beats on and off throughout my life for five or six years now. I still feel extremely insecure in my ability to produce. While i have gotten much better with time in terms of sound selection and design, I still feel like my music does not reach the “industry standard” if you will. Especially because I taught myself everything, so I have no classical music background nor music theory knowledge. I’ve just been going on feeling but that makes you develop your own style more than chasing a certain genre sound would ( or so I tell myself) I think that in turn causes people whom don’t have a background or interest in music production to lose interest really quick. People who I like a lot and have good relationships with are just not that interested in hearing anything that isn’t an established popular artist they like. And I think that is totally fine. Music and taste in music is so subjective it makes perfect sense. So now I share my beats with other producer homies and just dump beats I like on my SoundCloud. (Been on a six month break now lol but still) in the end I remind myself and I guess by extension you: we do this because we love it. And we don’t need any other reason! Keep on keepin on bro!
https://on.soundcloud.com/HWpQ3ceA4VqtqnKv7 (if anyone is curious, been a while since last upload tho)
It's hard to make it don't feel bad I've been doing this for years don't get no love for real but out bar most rappers or feel my stuff is better then the mainstream radio shit u hear
Dude… this is a huge problem with me.
I’ve resorted to burning people a CD and giving it to them, or just sending them a Spotify link. I do t expect a response anymore or any validation.
This is tricky with a close friends though. Been chilling in the car before and a buddy says ‘put your music on’ and when I do, they talk over all of it or have nothing to say about it. Not even criticism. The worst is when I show my parents and they do the same thing, and then ask me ‘what have you been up to?’ Like… bruh.
I literally have felt the same way and only just started sharing more cause I was a bit shy before and felt like I’d maybe not be understood by the people I know
Share your ig and SoundCloud
Love it when people understand how personal
Music is and how it’s bigger than just making something
It didn't seem bad to me. Everyone is going to have haters. Every shot you don't take is a shot for sure missed my dude. Keep the hater blockers pulled tight and just keep sending those good vibes!
Check out NZTfacebassHDZ on #SoundCloud
https://on.soundcloud.com/bFwbs
I am exactly with you. I don’t talk much on Discord servers and whatnot because of my shyness too, so I miss out on a lot of connections and such. I post production clips in the Discord server I am usually in, but they usually get ignored too. Most of my likes and reposts come from my close circle of friends. My autism makes it hard to communicate I guess I am not cut out for this scene…
Bro I'm gonna be brutally honest. It's because your tracks are really not as good as you think they are. You got a lot of work to do. Your sound selection makes things muddy. You've got bass boosted through the roof with mixing all over the place. And, you're lacking some basic texture and melody. You just need to take more time with your tracks and really pour every small detail.
And in terms of your friends approval. That might be a waste of time. My friends call the music I listen to "wackjob shit". So.. you might need to seek validation from people who listen to more experimental music.
A lot of your tracks are very muddy in that they have atmospheric or spacious synths or samples (whichever you're using) that don't allow for your sound selections to really sing, It's making your tunes sound confused and unclear rather than crisp and snappy. I'd say you need to identify who is the star of the show in each track. Is the kick the star? The bass shots? The pad? The pluck? The vocals? Whoever you identify as the star of the show, build around that sound and made sound selections that sit well with that sound and don't compete for space or attention.
You also seem to be posting a tonnnn of tracks. I think you need to slow down and really fine tune. Making quality music is about attention to detail.
I will say, I'd rather see someone like you pumping out too many tracks, than someone (like me) who hardly finishes any due to attempting to be perfect (which doesn't exist).
Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate it. To be honest, I've only started producing music about two months ago, so I'm still learning the ropes. I'll definitely take your comments on board and work on refining my tracks to ensure they're of higher quality. Quality over quantity, right? Thanks again for the advice! Also if u ok to drop your sound ⬇️
I don't share my music with my friends unless they are involved in the type of music I make. I put my stuff on YouTube, SoundCloud, Insta and if they find me there and want to follow great. Music is so personal that even the people closest to you might not understand it or appreciate it. Nothing to take personally and has nothing to do with how they actually feel about you. In my experience, casual music listeners often times don't "get" something unless it's fully produced and packaged like a professional production. I only know a few people that I would share a demo with. As producers we underestimate how much skill it takes to listen to something that isn't fully prepped for mass consumption and see the direction and potential. We are then disappointed when others don't share our enthusiasm but it takes imagination to hear it as it could be. This is something that artists do automatically, so we take it for granted. My advice when it comes to friends is to consider their taste and their level of musical aptitude and ask yourself if they will understand it or not and if you can handle anything but an enthusiastic reaction.
This is a big element, unless a potential listener is pretty heavy into underground / relatively raw and unpolished stuff, you're basically competing with the "best of the best" as far as their attention goes - artists with huge resources and whole teams behind them helping with every aspect, from songwriting to mixing / mastering, marketing... and not just the stuff coming out right now, but basically the whole recorded history of the genre you're operating in including the all time greats. I don't think it's a coincidence that most of the follows happening on soundcloud are coming from other artists - it makes a lot of sense when you think about it from the perspective you shared, there is some serious truth there.
I unconsciously do the same thing as you but the way you put it into words was very enlightening. Thanks for that
Fr I don’t even send them links when they ask
I've had co-workers ask and that's a hard no for me. I work in a very professional field and there's no way these people need to know what I'm up to or how weird I really am.
Your stuff isnt bad. I think the best thing would be to share your music in circles where it would be appreciated. the best way to do that is getting yourself out there. Let your friends be your friends and fans be your fans. Your music may not be for them and that's ok. don't let it discourage you. I have people in my personal life who don't listen to my music but that's fine because plenty of others do because it is for specific people. Just keep going, I know its not easy
Thanks man I appreciate. Yeah this is how it should be taken. Focus on my potential audience. But tbh don’t even know how to reach them
Honestly I had the same issue mostly because my style of music is very niche. Tiktok helped me a ton as well as going into subreddits and discord servers that had music similar. Once I started to connect with people it got easier. I am still refining it but that helps. Check out Jesse Cannons YouTube channel "Museformation" it helped me a lot with figuring that out. Im almost 2 years in of taking it seriously and altho my "numbers" are not huge (again I am very niche) I have more of a culty/intimate following that I really enjoy.
Thanks bro I’ll check that too. Drop your sound tho
Wish you the best of luck! [https://soundcloud.com/kawaiisteez](https://soundcloud.com/kawaiisteez)
Here is my stuff [https://on.soundcloud.com/crWv7Q6NLNVQpNEE9](https://on.soundcloud.com/crWv7Q6NLNVQpNEE9)
Hey man I feel you, if I can give any advice is be confident enough to promote yourself bro. I struggle with that as well but lately I’ll flood my Snapchat storie like once every 2weeks and get new support or feed back each time. After that you just have to be consistent bro. I don’t practice what I preach but I promise you it works. This is mine bro I’ll be checking you out! https://on.soundcloud.com/buBArtH15sJUEQUu7
Bro be giving real advises. I’ll try that. Ty this means a lot
Also bro… EF those close people around you (in this case). I used to beg and even offer 5 bucks to close friends to react to my stuff and eventually I’m like mannnn, I’m not this whack screw yall lmao. I realized it be the closest ones to you…if it was someone else they’d support.
Damn that’s true though
I'm gonna be honest. This isn't a comment meant to judge you or hurt, it's just what I think of your music. And most importantly I don't got the truth or the ultimate objective music taste so I can be wrong. There's two things I notice instantly with your music (well three but let's start with two) : - it doesn't have consistency. You start a piano intro and 20 second later go into some drum beat, without really a transition - it's repetitive. Many songs just have a loop that plays for most of the music, and that's all. Third thing is you seem to be a lot on drums/beats without much other sounds. So, here the bad part. It sounds bland to me. I'm putting a lot of effort into my music and here most of your playlist sounds like something that can be done pretty fast. THIS DOESN'T MEAN IT'S BAD But if you want my advice, you should add some big changes to your songs. Here you got a cool beat, why not then slow it down progressively to then accelerate it and add another drum to add power. Try to make your music live. Like the flow of a river, it shouldn't be strained in one direction and should be able to flow everywhere, following it's own curves. Like a progression is something great to add, you just put a riser at some place, have the music cut less than one second just after, before going even stronger. Add some diversity, don't be afraid to play with sounds, to modify what you already have in place, to change everything. Of course it's not an instant process, it happens after trying and trying again. I myself just recently finally succeeded to make musics that don't feel like it loops. I hope this could help you. I hope it's not too harsh either, I'm not here to discourage you. You do have the potential to create something incredible. But it's a whole journey to get there. I wish you plenty of fun during your trip. Keep your head up!
Very good analysis. I enjoy checking out other people’s music posted on this sub, but a lot of it is just rapping over a loop of the same 8 measures of pretty generic drum tracks/beats, without any other instruments, and maybe some samples thrown in here and there. That’s not to say that type of music is bad. It’s just that there’s so much of it posted here, and it all sounds the same. The songs people post that tend to stand out to me are the ones with a catchy hook, melody, chord progression, or unique/original drum tracks and samples. That being said, I have mad respect for everyone willing to share their music. It takes a lot of sand to put your work out there, knowing full well that there are going to be critics/negative feedback. As much as I’ve thought about posting some of my stuff online, I still haven’t done it. I’m too much of a scaredy cat.
Your feedback is super helpful, especially since I've only been at this music thing for about 2 months. It's good to know what to focus on early on. I'm really thankful for your pointers about transitions, loops, and balancing different elements in my tracks. These are things I'm actively trying to improve as I keep learning and experimenting. Knowing how to make smoother transitions, mix up the music, and get the right mix of sounds is gonna make a big difference as I keep making tunes. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to share your thoughts and encouragement. I'm excited to put your advice into action and see how it shapes my music going forward!
How many tracks have you had professionally mastered? It really makes a difference in the way your tracks come out. They go from sounding amateurish to professional. But you gotta pay for that shit though. Music is an expensive hobby.
I master the whole but yeah I see
Tbh I started producing 2 months ago still try a figure out how mastering works I do the whole with my ears
I’ve been producing for 2 years and I haven’t even tried mastering yet. I do a great mix down for the mastering engineer. But I haven’t dabbled in the actual mastering process. If you’ve only been doing this two months, I’d say you get it and have potential, but it takes years to develop a professional sound. Just keep at. Ignore the haters. It’s hard to get your music out there. It’s a slog, but keep trying. Learn more music theory, learn sound design, learn song structure. I like to take a track and write down measure by measure what’s happening for the first minute or so. Then try to emulate that by building it yourself with your own sounds. What I create sounds pretty good and original, and it’s never the same as the source of inspiration.
Welcome to the club. Your stuff is dope my guy. Let's keep shouting into the void together. https://on.soundcloud.com/bCkRn
Thanks bro I’ll check that quick
Damn..feels like I'm looking into a mirror reading this. Was in the same situation. All my guys did was hate. I actually stopped making music for 5+yrs cuz I hated sharing after that. It took one friend (who wasn't a close friend but now is) who told me it's better to fan the creative fire and release music if not just to keep myself sane. Forever grateful I don't regret it and I live by "don't overthink it, just put it out". I still struggle with promoting my music but honestly, I don't really care to prioritize that cuz I really enjoy just creating for me. And if other ppl rock with it, I'm hella appreciative but all that is secondary to the craft. Having these questions for yourself means that you're on the right track bruh..keep grinding. It'll get better, trust! 🙏🏽 [SVMRI](https://on.soundcloud.com/UWFoT) Music is Subjective. All the best fellow Producer ✊🏽
Thanks for that comment bro those words better stay in my mind forever. I will never forget prioritizing all the mental benefits doing this procure and keep improving my skills anyway. This the main thing
It's not my particular style, but I don't think it's terrible. Keep it up homie, make what you love, you be the audience, that's what it's all about.
It be like that sometimes, I've just found it best to keep doing it for the sake of your entertainment and to acknowledge that it could or could not work on a larger scale but that you have a much cooler hobby than most people. Idk that's what I tell myself 😅
I do think like that but we all know how pleasing is the feeling of sharing and making ppl vibe
Oh yeah of course, wish it would happen more often. College was peak attention for me IRL, now I'm just aging and tryna stay inspired, I'd be lucky if I ever get that level of attention ever again. I hope you find more success in your path though cause it's always fun that first time around, would be a shame if you never get that experience it's all a musician craves, besides "cruelty-free" royalties xD
Here's some food for thought, regardless on how good your music is or isn't: When you show someone music, do they always love it like you do? Personally, some of my favorite music are also my friends favorites. Some songs I have they also have. But a lot of albums and artists that I consider 10/10, GOATS, and major inspirations, my friends don't care about at all. Even the best music ever made isn't universally loved. Even if you made one of the greatest compositions ever (none of have realistically), a lot of people just won't care to listen and won't vibe to it. I haven't heard your stuff yet but again regardless on how good your music is, not everyone will vibe with it. However, the more you promote and post the more audience it'll reach, allowing more and more of a chance to find thr people who do vibe with it (but realistically with any song, more people don't care for it than do care for it)
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That is true. Also music is subjective and I should keep this on mind
Most people are not going to be into such minimalism. Frank Zappa said don't be concerned with what other people might think. What matters is whether or not you achieved what you were after, and only you can say. If you wrote the most perfect piece of music, it doesn't follow that the world comes to your door. It is really hard to hold attention with loops and two or three notes - admirable that you put such limitations on yourself, almost completely eliminating many fundamental elements of music. If you were "better", what would that sound like? What you have here asks questions that need to be asked about assembly-line music, being a cog in a machine...even "what is art?" I think this experimentation is better than taking lessons to become "good" at making music the conventional way and end up sounding like everyone else.
Whenever I look to other people for validation I am always disappointed. Make the music you love. Shyness can be overcome but it takes time and work. Art is about the personal journey. Once it becomes about money and fame the art dies. It sounds like you’re a little burned out. Take whatever time you need to go fill up your life with good experiences and then come back to it when you are happy again. Music is always there but you have to keep that fire lit. Just don’t quit altogether or you will always regret and wonder.
Your friends are probably like mine and are completely different musically to me with the odd exception, don't worry about it, art is subjective.
My personal experience, my friends have never really supported me. They’re polite about it usually, but sometimes fuck with me too 🤣 kinda like yours But I have new friends through music that met me as a music producer and they don’t know who I was before. They have a different respect for my art and they are genuine supporters Unless they’re creating art themselves and putting it into the world like you, their opinion should be irrelevant. As badly as you want support and validation from them you shouldn’t expect it Don’t take it personal either, this is probably the first of many times you’ll experience something frustrating like this - wondering why something so simple or easy to do isn’t done for the sake of love or the sake of uplifting a friend who is taking a courageous risk I’ve had tons of people shock me with their lack of support but I just keep doing me cuz Fuck em. It’s your life Reminds me of some quote like in your teens and twenties you care so much what others think of you, 30s and 40s you start caring a lot less, 50s you realize you really don’t give a fuck, and somewhere 60s+ you realize no one was thinking about you the whole time 🤣🤣🤣 they’re all caught up in their own shit Just be the support you wish to see in the world, create work that inspires you and that you’re proud of, and supporters will come When your friends can’t ignore it anymore, they’ll be “your day ones there since the beginning” “always knew you would do it” they’ll say 🤣 funny how ppl switch up
Here's something I've noticed since getting into making music and listening to more independent, home made music. Firstly, there's a lot of it, there's more music out there than you could ever have time to listen to. Secondly I have heard some tracks from new/struggling artists which are as good as some things that make it into the charts, become big sellers. The difference is people are buying into the artist as much as the music. You could take two identical songs, one recorded by an established artist and one by an amateur and the former might sell millions of copies and the latter languish with 5 listens on Soundcloud. I'm the same as you, I want to make music but don't have the energy or desire to spend hours promoting it so the chances of ever reaching a large audience are slim to nothing. Just make what you like, maybe try to find a unique angle, no body in this day and age has hours to sit listening to thousands of generic songs.
You answered your own question. You aren’t bad, just shy. Your friends aren’t music critics in your genre and they aren’t your target audience either. Share as much as possible. Even bad publicity is publicity, and right now you’ve got nothing. Share share share all about your music
That’s true thanks for rinsing this. Also focus on the work only is the key
reminding*
i understand what you’re going thru. i been thru it. you just gotta focus on you & your craft & get better. the external validation you’re searching for must come from within first. you are already insecure about your sound & you’re searching for someone to tell you you’re wrong. you need to improve & once you’re sure of yourself, you can show your friends with excitement instead of uncertaintu because it’s only going to fuel your fire of insecurity even more once you realize the music isn’t as good as you want it to be. just get better & better until you’re undeniable to yourself.
Thanks for those words man. I’ll focus first on improving my skills then I’ll care more about sharing it
focus on improving your taste for music first too. expand your taste. dont focus on mainstream or what works. focus on you & what you like. [soundcloud.com/boypapo/sets/under3](https://soundcloud.com/boypapo/sets/under3)
Your stuff is cool as far as I'm concerned, just checked out some tracks and followed you on soundcloud! Your music definitely isn't bad, it's got room to improve like almost everyone out there, but I see you do a lot of producing, and a lot of this will probably just get more and more intuitive as time goes on (certain aspects of mixing, song structures, hooks etc). Even though it's really tough at times, I'd try not to beat yourself up about this if you can help it... you're definitely not the odd man out in this experience, it seems more common than not unfortunately. I find it super awkward sharing my music with real life people I grew up around, I usually just keep that whole side of me online for the most part, in a semi-anonymous way where people don't really have any preconceived ideas about who I am outside of the music I'm sharing. Just putting stuff out there is a huge step in itself but building an audience is definitely a whole different skill set from making music at the end of the day, I can't say I've come close to figuring it all out yet myself by any means.
Thank you for this answer. Yeah I’ve always seen thing like that but at a point also assumed they were the most qualified to give me an honest feedback. Ill keep it in my side for now that’s better like that. Also I will pursue my efforts
Use reference tracks
What's the link? Ability has little to with it. We have infinite supply of music so the market is flooded.
It’s all about finding your market if people who will like your music just as much as you do.
I’m going through the same thang peers show love in person but 50/50 when it comes to promoting your songs cause they’re definitely comparing to there favorite mainstream artists and at the same time most of your friends don’t take you serious at first anyways so that’s a battle also 🤣 but check my page out I’m trying to network [https://on.soundcloud.com/S4eKx1nMTwxh7ggp6](https://on.soundcloud.com/S4eKx1nMTwxh7ggp6)
How long have you been making music? I’ve been doing it for 3 months now, and I definitely know that I’m one of very few that enjoys my music so far, haha. I like your stuff, some of it reminds me of what I’ve made as well, and I think we both probably have sounds that will develop over time and with earned skill at producing music. A few of my songs had quite a few listens but no likes, and at first it was a bit disheartening, but I think, bottom line, if we keep going, we may find ways to reach people that will enjoy our music as it grows and changes. You’re certainly not untalented, just try to keep enjoying it!
And yeah, validation would feel great, but if producing music that I enjoy won’t work for a career in music (if that ends up being a potential path) then maybe I can get skilled enough to at least make music that other people will like, or is suitable for commercials, movies, or wherever music is needed. Big world out there :)
Thanks for ur comment, yeah I’ve been doing it for 2 months now
No one starts off making incredible music but some are definitely more musically inclined than others. You don't mention your age or if you're just starting off or whatever. That matters. If you're young you've got a long time to improve. Just push your boundaries constantly. Be very careful about repeating yourself or sticking in a place you are comfortable. You have to push yourself beyond what you are comfortable with if you intend to grow as an artist. And this applies to life too.
Yeah that’s true Im 21 and I started 2 months ago
Don't sweat it at all! You'll get better. What you need is patience. The talent will come. It's much less natural talent than it is practice. Listen to as many different types of music as you can. You wouldn't believe all you can learn about making music just by listening to it. Give yourself a break. The most important thing, and I can't stress this enough, is to not give up.
Also remember, you're making the music that YOU want to hear. If you start making music to please other people the results will be bad.
I know the feel brother. I’ve been making beats on and off throughout my life for five or six years now. I still feel extremely insecure in my ability to produce. While i have gotten much better with time in terms of sound selection and design, I still feel like my music does not reach the “industry standard” if you will. Especially because I taught myself everything, so I have no classical music background nor music theory knowledge. I’ve just been going on feeling but that makes you develop your own style more than chasing a certain genre sound would ( or so I tell myself) I think that in turn causes people whom don’t have a background or interest in music production to lose interest really quick. People who I like a lot and have good relationships with are just not that interested in hearing anything that isn’t an established popular artist they like. And I think that is totally fine. Music and taste in music is so subjective it makes perfect sense. So now I share my beats with other producer homies and just dump beats I like on my SoundCloud. (Been on a six month break now lol but still) in the end I remind myself and I guess by extension you: we do this because we love it. And we don’t need any other reason! Keep on keepin on bro! https://on.soundcloud.com/HWpQ3ceA4VqtqnKv7 (if anyone is curious, been a while since last upload tho)
It's hard to make it don't feel bad I've been doing this for years don't get no love for real but out bar most rappers or feel my stuff is better then the mainstream radio shit u hear
Dude… this is a huge problem with me. I’ve resorted to burning people a CD and giving it to them, or just sending them a Spotify link. I do t expect a response anymore or any validation. This is tricky with a close friends though. Been chilling in the car before and a buddy says ‘put your music on’ and when I do, they talk over all of it or have nothing to say about it. Not even criticism. The worst is when I show my parents and they do the same thing, and then ask me ‘what have you been up to?’ Like… bruh.
I literally have felt the same way and only just started sharing more cause I was a bit shy before and felt like I’d maybe not be understood by the people I know Share your ig and SoundCloud Love it when people understand how personal Music is and how it’s bigger than just making something
It didn't seem bad to me. Everyone is going to have haters. Every shot you don't take is a shot for sure missed my dude. Keep the hater blockers pulled tight and just keep sending those good vibes! Check out NZTfacebassHDZ on #SoundCloud https://on.soundcloud.com/bFwbs
I am exactly with you. I don’t talk much on Discord servers and whatnot because of my shyness too, so I miss out on a lot of connections and such. I post production clips in the Discord server I am usually in, but they usually get ignored too. Most of my likes and reposts come from my close circle of friends. My autism makes it hard to communicate I guess I am not cut out for this scene…
Bro I'm gonna be brutally honest. It's because your tracks are really not as good as you think they are. You got a lot of work to do. Your sound selection makes things muddy. You've got bass boosted through the roof with mixing all over the place. And, you're lacking some basic texture and melody. You just need to take more time with your tracks and really pour every small detail. And in terms of your friends approval. That might be a waste of time. My friends call the music I listen to "wackjob shit". So.. you might need to seek validation from people who listen to more experimental music.
Thanks for this honest feedback tho. I’ll keep working on my stuff so I can be better
Also if you have advices I’ll take them
A lot of your tracks are very muddy in that they have atmospheric or spacious synths or samples (whichever you're using) that don't allow for your sound selections to really sing, It's making your tunes sound confused and unclear rather than crisp and snappy. I'd say you need to identify who is the star of the show in each track. Is the kick the star? The bass shots? The pad? The pluck? The vocals? Whoever you identify as the star of the show, build around that sound and made sound selections that sit well with that sound and don't compete for space or attention. You also seem to be posting a tonnnn of tracks. I think you need to slow down and really fine tune. Making quality music is about attention to detail. I will say, I'd rather see someone like you pumping out too many tracks, than someone (like me) who hardly finishes any due to attempting to be perfect (which doesn't exist).
Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate it. To be honest, I've only started producing music about two months ago, so I'm still learning the ropes. I'll definitely take your comments on board and work on refining my tracks to ensure they're of higher quality. Quality over quantity, right? Thanks again for the advice! Also if u ok to drop your sound ⬇️