I would like to hear your music made with Renoise or other Daws

@ffx
Where is it?

Well, I guess so. Why should someone make the effort to write something down if it’s a lie he doesn’t have any advantage of?

Probably one of the shortest tracks I’ve ever made:
https://soundcloud.com/tnt-ffm/flex-off
I had some issues with my amplifier so I couldn’t do my mix as usual.
Hope it’s ok anyway. :wink:

IDK as I agree for me there would be very little advantage. But some people like (mis)leading people (for whatever reasons.)


My two cents in regarding your ‘Flex Off’ ditty btw. I tend to prefer short(er) tracks. What I would consider with it is a bit more variation of chord (roughly) Cmin-Eb-F-CMin-Gmin-F and then return back to Cmin. Holding on the Cmin for so many bars (to give the listener a breather) gives the sense that something different is about to happen (and ‘fingers crossed’) be just as smashing as the main idea. However what we get is pretty much the same chord/melody arrangement before the ‘Cmin breather’. What I would’ve considered is to try and find a second section (but still keeping the piece to around 3 minutes.) You probably wrote it in about 4 hours, so I can understand the pretty much verbatim duplication of your main idea. As for the mixing, I can’t comment as it is not my area.

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First of all, thanks for your feedback! :slightly_smiling_face:
I thought about this while making the track, but I dropped the idea because on one hand it’s too short and on the other hand there’s not really much repeating going on. The only thing literally repeating for one time is the refrain, and that’s 4 patterns or 28 seconds (the whole song has 26 different patterns), apart from that there’s not one single pattern used twice or more. I just wanted to keep the energy throughout the whole song. Variations can be good, but they also can be bad. The more variation you got in a track, the less energy a track will have to show. And in this case I think with too much variation you would miss the goal. My goal was a short in your face track. My build-up of a song usually ends up like this. First build-up, first part, break, different and shorter second build-up, and the second part is an extended first part or slightly different than the first part.

You probably wrote it in about 4 hours

Can you hear that or do you know that because I wrote this several times? All my Synthwave tracks are made in 4-6 hours, there’s not one single exception. :grin:

Because you wrote it several times :slight_smile:

Let me say this (purely as a listener.) Doesn’t matter if you put tiny variations in, whoosh sounds etc. The overall effect (to me as the listener) hears intro, main idea, 28 second breather, back to main idea to quick end. I hear the 28 second ‘breather’ a bit long but that’s probably just me. I find 28 seconds in music a long time :slight_smile:

I suppose in 4 hours it’s good. It’s synthey, it has an 80’s vibe. I know I couldn’t write that in that time frame. I could probably tap out the main theme/idea in about 10 minutes (on a good day.) I’ve got 3 hours and 50 minutes left. As for the percussion. Nah, I’m no good at percussion. But for the sake of argument let’s say that I came up with that ditty. I think I’d be thinking about the 28 second ‘breather’ part and if there is a second idea to it (even if it would kill some of the ‘energy’ of the main idea.) Anyway, on to your next track, be done in no time :slight_smile:

intro, main idea, 28 second breather, back to main idea to quick end

That’s what it is. :wink:
But there are different build-ups in between, each is as long as the breather.

I think I’d be thinking about the 28 second ‘breather’ part and if there is a second idea to it (even if it would kill some of the ‘energy’ of the main idea.)

I think I know what’s about for you and I get that.

Anyway, on to your next track, be done in no time

It takes as long as it takes. :slightly_smiling_face:
The only reason Synthwave doesn’t take long is because it’s simple music and all Synthwave specific instruments are well sorted. It can also take much more than that. Depends on the music style.

I recommend watching this, had to laugh out loud while watching for the first time:

It doesn’t show how you actually come up with the arps/pad chords/theme/percussion etc. It’s all pre done stuff. I could watch that video a billion times over and not be able to make a synthwave track :slight_smile:

I understand what you are saying (looking at it from that angle.) However, for me, I find all music composition a very difficult (complicated) affair. If you were to ask me to compose an 80’s style track, the first thing that pops into my brain cell is: I’ve got to come up with a really catchy theme (or a catchy chord progression that leads onto a catchy theme.) I could sit for the next 20+ years at a keyboard and not be able to do that. Likewise I could sit at a keyboard for 5 minutes and come up with a good idea. The chances are though if I do come up with a theme, it’s going to last for about 3 seconds worth of music. I want at least 3 minutes worth. It’s an uphill (tedious) complex battle, for one reason I’m constantly questioning what I’m doing.

I can only give you a quick little opinion about how your tune effects me (be it good or bad, right or wrong) as one listener TNT. Would I come back to you tune later on? I’ll be honest probably not. I don’t think I’d be walking down the street and suddenly think to myself that I want to relisten to TNT’s ‘Flex Off’. That doesn’t mean that it is bad. I do that with a lot of stuff (including all my own ideas). There could be a hundred people who tell you it’s perfectly fine (and maybe it is.)

Anyway 4-6 hours it works for you TNT and you seem happy with that, if the listener(s) say it is good art, then even better :slight_smile:

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It’s all pre done stuff. I could watch that video a billion times over and not be able to make a synthwave track

Nobody can show you why choosing this or that melody, this or that instrument or else, it’s an automatic process. If it fits it fits. There’s no scientific rule, no music theory needed. It’s just about feelings and flow.

However, for me, I find all music composition a very difficult (complicated) affair

You’re obviously concerning yourself with classical music and music theory. Maybe that’s why. For me it’s pretty simple, I hear any instrument and there are immediately several ideas poppin’ up. Melodies, beats etc. are floating my head automatically. I even don’t need to think about it, I just do it and let it flow. And I don’t know shit about music theory, I even can’t say what you meant with Cmin-Eb-F-CMin-Gmin-F above (what I can say is, there is no chord with notes E, B and F in Flex Off). All I’m doing is an automatic process based on feelings. For example you can simplify the way how to create chords. I know there are several rules how to, but I don’t need them and I don’t use them. There’s only one thing I pay attention to, and that’s “my own” rule: If you play 3 different notes in a row and it fits and sounds good, it will also make a good chord if played all together at the same time. That’s it. And I always made my (electronic) music by using a tracker, so I got a lot of experience in how to do it. But I prefer simple music in any case. I’m listening to simple music and I’m creating simple music myself. And if you ask me, music can’t get more simple than Synthwave. Sure, there are Synthwave tracks which are more “complicated”, more “classical”, for example this oine (I think you’ll like it), but these are exceptions. Synthwave is simple.

Would I come back to you tune later on? I’ll be honest probably not. I don’t think I’d be walking down the street and suddenly think to myself that I want to relisten to TNT’s ‘Flex Off’.

That’s absolutely ok. This kind of music is not your cup of tea, so what?! :slightly_smiling_face:
I also would never think to myself “Man, I want to listen to (Little) Fugue G-Minor J.S.Bach BWV 578 by 4tey, that’s exactly what I need right now”. I don’t like classical music and its melodies, you know?! So if you’re more into the classical style and I’m into the modern electronic style, there’s no more question why you probably don’t like my music and why I probably don’t appreciate your single instrument classical reworks. But of course I’m cool with that, tastes are different, and music is always a matter of taste. :wink:

Sure, I actually don’t mind synthwave. For the record, I’m not a music theorist. I also compose (badly in my case) via just ear and feeling. The difficulty that I face when trying to come up with music is nothing to do with advanced music theory. I think it’s because I ask the question: does this sound work and will the listener enjoy what I’m trying to say. Is the idea boring? Is it corny? For me that’s what makes it difficult/tedious.

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The answer for this question depends on the listener. For the one it’s boring, corny or whatever, for the other it’s great. If your musical roots are classical songs, then you might probably think for example Techno is boring, repetitive, it’s not even music. But if your musical background is electronic music like Techno, Elektro or Electronica, then you might think that classical tunes or even some guitar styles like Metal aren’t straight enough, because there are too many changes in pace, volume, melodies or else. So of course the question for everyone creating music is “Does it sound good?”. But I would never ask myself questions like “Will the listener enjoy what I’m trying to say?” or “Is the idea boring?”. Of course I hope that I’m not the only one enjoying my music, but I don’t want to say shit with my music, it’s just an expression of a specific feeling or atmosphere, no more and no less. And “boring”, well, someone like me who’s listening primarely to electronic music, especially those who are listening to Techno, won’t think this kind of composition is boring! As you might know there’s A LOT of repeating in electronic music, more than that, electronic music mostly IS repeating. You don’t have to make everything different than before, not everything has to be varied. Every song in Rock and Pop has a refrain repeating several times without any variation. I only know one single genre with unlimited variations, and that is classical music. So I do ask myself only one single question: “Is the music I’m creating fun?”. And well, honestly I think it’s fun for me creating it and fun for the listener listening to it. In my opinion especially compositions like Flex Off is the most fun, simple, straight, in your face and relatively short. But obviously not everyone is thinking like that. :wink:

Any other opinions in terms of that?

You are overthinking I do it some times also and it’s the worst enemy of creativity.Stop overthinking and make the music you want to do.

I probably am overthinking music. If you want to look at it from the fun angle, that’s fine with me. I’ll go and do my music.

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Made with Bitwig, mixed in Mixbus:

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i definitely enjoyed that man. The title fits perfectly with the music you composed .A big robot came to my mind destroying everything in its path.

I might as well share some unfinished tracks here rather than making a new post so heres one

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Sounds good! But the fast tremolo on the pad makes me anxious, it fits in the outro tho :wink:

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Its a bit of a mess at the moment i have thought some lyrics for it. About the tremolo i know what you mean but this comes out in my music in general because i am a very anxious guy. Thanks for listening

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Even the snare? :smile:

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Yep totally fits,:grin:

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Finally some of your music in this thread. This has some good ideas. I like the “saxophone”-ish melody coming in. I’m not sure what I think of the sound. It is not something I would make but it may also be really fitting.

If you’re open for some feedback, read on. If not, ignore the rest. I don’t really think the drop round 2:13 is working just yet. There is no climax to the melody or rhythm. Maybe you’re going for some unresolved tension to keep the listener’s attention. But I think that needs some work still. Now it just kinda stops. Same goes for the the ending. Could be a bit more of a statement, maybe? Do like the ghostly trail at the end.

Looking forward to hearing the finished piece!

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That’s really cool. I like the bass and that it’s slightly off sometimes (e.g. at 0:50). Also enjoyed the oriental melody starting as 1:30. Reminds me slightly on CAN or Holger Czukay.

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