My songs don't sound fat and bouncy

[SuperSawBrass]

I'm quiet new to producing music (bit more than half a year) and I listen to a lot of music on soundcloud and realized one thing:
Allthough I have made a lot of progress up to now and when it comes to arranging, composing, sound design etc my songs sound even more advanced than many others on soundcloud there's still something in the overall sound of my songs, which shows that I'm a noob (but the problem is I can't find out what it is). Even the most "primitive" songs sound somehow clearer and richer than my songs. When I listen to my songs I get the feeling that there are simply some mechanically played melodies, stacked to one song and adjusted in the Volume. They sound flat as pancake and everything sounds the same, no live. First I thought it is FL Studio which has a bad sound quality, or Sylenth's soundcharacter (the synth I use most), but I heared also songs by some musicians who use the same programs and still they're music sounds fuller and not that sizzleing.
I know that this all sounds strange and many of you won't understand what I am trying to explain, but I hope that somebody can give me some advice (I guess there is something wrong with the Mastering).

Here's a link to one of my songs, maybe when hearing my songs it is easier to understand what I mean. Just listen to it and tell me what you would do to make it sound more voluminous and not so static. Perhaps listen also to some other songs to get a clearer idea of my sound, they all have the same overall sound.

http://soundcloud.com/technotronics/sweet-dreams-remix

Thanks in advance for any tips you will give me.

[qa2pir]

most glaringly, you picked a flat and shitty song to remix

other than that I think you should practice listening and you'll come along.

some hands-on concrete stuff you can do is learn side-chaining, use way more and more rhythmic percussion (your song has almost nothing faster than 8ths), make the bass simpler and cleaner, stop relying on super saw patches, use more than 2 synth sounds, be aware of what treble does to the presence of a sound, and of EQ in general.

[Loki Fuego]

When I listen to my songs I get the feeling that there are simply some mechanically played melodies, stacked to one song and adjusted in the Volume. They sound flat as pancake and everything sounds the same, no live.

You are completely right. It's the way it sounds.

First of all the problem is with arrangement. Try adding feels at the end of each four bars or even maybe more often: mute kick for last beat, high-pass bass, pitch-bend lead, add snare roll, try whatever else comes to mind.

Second, your sounds are flat. You need to make sounds move: try throwing in chorus, flanger or phaser, add LFO controlled filter, add autopanner, better yet try manually automating all those FX.

These to simple techniques should help you a lot. Once you hear how your sounds start moving, breathing, changing and evolving, you'll learn how to make your music more interesting.

[qa2pir]

dp

[SuperSawBrass]

Thanks for all the helpful advice, I think you understood perfectly what I mean.

I already read about side-chainig often and wanted to do it, but never really understood what exactely it is and how to do that in FL Studio. I know you use a compressor to mute the bass when the kick is played but how to do that, on which channel etc I've never really understood.I'll google it again and try to use it in my next song.

I'll also use more automation clips, not just some opening lowpassfilters and volume automations and that stuff.

I also often thought about modulating the panning somehow, so that with every note which is playd the panning jumps to the other side but also didn't get how to do that (maybe do it with an LFO which rate is equal to the timing of the triggered notes).

I will try to use some of the techniques you wrote in my next song, so let's hope that it will already sound more professional than the songs I made up to now.

[djpuzzle]

Thanks for all the helpful advice, I think you understood perfectly what I mean.

I already read about side-chainig often and wanted to do it, but never really understood what exactely it is and how to do that in FL Studio. I know you use a compressor to mute the bass when the kick is played but how to do that, on which channel etc I've never really understood.I'll google it again and try to use it in my next song.

I'll also use more automation clips, not just some opening lowpassfilters and volume automations and that stuff.

I also often thought about modulating the panning somehow, so that with every note which is playd the panning jumps to the other side but also didn't get how to do that (maybe do it with an LFO which rate is equal to the timing of the triggered notes).

I will try to use some of the techniques you wrote in my next song, so let's hope that it will already sound more professional than the songs I made up to now.

wait hold one there. Using side chaining and compression doesn't mute anything. I would suggest using side chain and a gate to get the "mute" effect you're looking for.

[qa2pir]

Thanks for all the helpful advice, I think you understood perfectly what I mean.

I already read about side-chainig often and wanted to do it, but never really understood what exactely it is and how to do that in FL Studio. I know you use a compressor to mute the bass when the kick is played but how to do that, on which channel etc I've never really understood.I'll google it again and try to use it in my next song.

I'll also use more automation clips, not just some opening lowpassfilters and volume automations and that stuff.

I also often thought about modulating the panning somehow, so that with every note which is playd the panning jumps to the other side but also didn't get how to do that (maybe do it with an LFO which rate is equal to the timing of the triggered notes).

I will try to use some of the techniques you wrote in my next song, so let's hope that it will already sound more professional than the songs I made up to now.

wait hold one there. Using side chaining and compression doesn't mute anything. I would suggest using side chain and a gate to get the "mute" effect you're looking for.

limiter is a type of compressor

thank you for your useless non-input man!

[osiris]

A good soundcard with dedicated ASIO helps.
Pan your instruments.
Kick (and sometimes bass) are always mono
Roll off everything else but kick and bass @200 Hz
Find the frequency of your kick and do a little Peak EQ cut of your bass there.
Vice versa for bass
FL Stereo Shaper is your friend

[djpuzzle]

Thanks for all the helpful advice, I think you understood perfectly what I mean.

I already read about side-chainig often and wanted to do it, but never really understood what exactely it is and how to do that in FL Studio. I know you use a compressor to mute the bass when the kick is played but how to do that, on which channel etc I've never really understood.I'll google it again and try to use it in my next song.

I'll also use more automation clips, not just some opening lowpassfilters and volume automations and that stuff.

I also often thought about modulating the panning somehow, so that with every note which is playd the panning jumps to the other side but also didn't get how to do that (maybe do it with an LFO which rate is equal to the timing of the triggered notes).

I will try to use some of the techniques you wrote in my next song, so let's hope that it will already sound more professional than the songs I made up to now.

wait hold one there. Using side chaining and compression doesn't mute anything. I would suggest using side chain and a gate to get the "mute" effect you're looking for.

limiter is a type of compressor

thank you for your useless non-input man!

huh? I know what a limiter is , been using them since probably before you were born. I was simply correcting him as he thought a compressor would "mute" the signal. Pay attention man!

[qa2pir]

huh? I know what a limiter is , been using them since probably before you were born. I was simply correcting him as he thought a compressor would "mute" the signal. Pay attention man!

it would """"mute"""" the signal if set to infinite ratio.

even if that wasn't the case correcting him for using mute as in: dampen, attenuate, is real nit-picky.