Future of Music

[ceyhun242]

Hello everyone,

I'm songwriter, I sing and play guitar yet I define myself more as a lyricist, poet, melody generator and arranger. Lately I'm more dedicated to learning more about music production and so with his first post on the first day of my registration here, I'd like to ask you some questions and wonder about your opinions.. Here we go:

1- There are just too many sounds, VSTs, plug-ins etc to explore, choose from, too many things to try out, make decisions to make a song better, perfect. I mean for a perfectionist there is no end to improving and finalizing a song. How can we stop and say this song is finished and if it is impossible to try out everything about sounds to try out in a lifetime then what could be a good rule of thumb to balance exploration vs exploitation of what's already known, learned and what we have on hand? I'd like to improve my mixing techniques and open up myself to new possibilities of sounds, genres and methods to create my new songs, so what steps are useful to take to begin with? What are some most popular instruments, VSTs, sound libraries you recommend every rock/pop musician check into? (with an open mind about adding elements from other genres such as electronic)

2- Why do people use sound libraries? Like Splice, Loopcloud. To create loops? How can one best make use of these services? There are great VSTs like Exdrummer, Ezkeys with great sounds, why do people still look for their own sounds and how do they use those sounds differently than existing libraries of VSTs?

3- What are your opinions on online DAWs like Soundtrap, Bandlab? Which ones do you use and like the most and why? How can a musician make use of such available services to positively impact their song production?

4- What are your opinions on affordable or free DAWs like sound bridge and waveform pro? How would you compare them to Studio One which I quite enjoy..

5- I have no music theory and I want to improve myself in recording/mixing/mastering. Are there compact free or paid online courses like on coursera, udemy or youtube free or premium that you advise every songwriter/ musician better complete with full absorption to get all the fundamentals about recording/mixing/songwiting/basic note/chord progression/harmony essentials/ Major mand Minor scales, Circle of Fifths, and basic Chord Theory etc.. Do you think having knowledge od basic or advance music theory helps better songwriting/arrangement or impedes? How can it help or impede?

6- Do you think next level (or already current) trend is for a musician to play or using vsts and record all instruments and create a song from scratch, record/mix/master all by oneself, and publish steaming ready quality albums and disintermediate all the other people. If yes how can I quickly adapt to this trend and get to produce steam ready quality albums as soon as possible?

7- What do you think future music will sound like? Like daft punk changed things and what is the next daft punk sound? Do you think country and rock will die out? Nowadays I like to use more synths and maybe even electronics to bring my 60s-90s sounding pop/rock sound to 2020s and preferably more future proof 2030s level. To that end, what would you advise? What VSTs, tutorials, sound libraries, plug-ins you'd recommend me to check out that you think are the most popular now or will be or even if not are the best or most popular out there on the market bot aspiring musicians who want to produce extraordinary work should definitely check out?

8- I feel like today music became a commodity, it's hardwork and long time investment to create an original song and it's so easy to consume it for listener like a single use entertainment as there are endless choices and I feel like today we live in the age that nothing is so special anymore. Internet and consumption have replaced "God" and morality and humane pace of producing cooking sth at a low heat you know? slow but steady, joyful production. It feels like music cant be a single career and source of income for one anymore with all the competition and ease of home production. So for me I came to the conclusion that music production is to be done analogous to keeping journaling ow ones private feelings and thoughts as self reflection function. Okay maybe it's always been like this and because some journals were really interesting read, people wanted to "listen" to them so they got a career and this cycle maybe still remains. But Im just not sure if things got easier with internet and home daws or much harder? I feel like people care so much less than the past today in general, music is not much for connection or relation anymore but entertainment. I mean for me music is about being curious about existence, exploring deep insights, interacting with other inspiring feelings, thoughts, perspectives etc.. Either such people switched to producing entertainment music to keep up with society's direction and not feel isolated or they kind of gave up producing thinking that people would probably not care or give due attention to listen to serious pieces.. Like is it still possible to create masterpieces like Radiohead, Muse, Keane did or those days are gone for good? Now how can I reconcile those great bands with the modernity of new age music without making concessions and compromises in quality, soul and emotions? Is there still room in music for soul and emotions in rock? Or is it dying.. This is also a moral question you know. Should one give in to degeneration and moral decadence? Correct my perspective if it's too narrow when it equalize future and modern with moral decline etc.. please provide me with examples like how can past great music be better today and in the future and still have same sincere deep soul and emotions if not more and stronger? What is the direction of music in the near and far future? What can musicians do to adapt to future direction and still preserving vintage, timeless values of music, life and being human?

Thank you

[whyterabbyt]

1- There are just too many sounds, VSTs, plug-ins etc to explore, choose from, too many things to try out, make decisions to make a song better, perfect. I mean for a perfectionist there is no end to improving and finalizing a song.

That's why perfectionisnt dont finish anything. In any endeavour. Pragmatists do.
The problem is not the number of tools, its you.

How can we stop and say this song is finished

By doing it instead of not doing it.

2- Why do people use sound libraries?

Because they want to.

How can one best make use of these services?

No size fits all.

why do people still look for their own sounds

Because they want to.

3- What are your opinions on online DAWs like Soundtrap, Bandlab?

I generally find offline tools to be preferable.

4- What are your opinions on affordable or free DAWs like sound bridge and waveform pro?

Judge tools by their utility and value, not their pricetag.

5- Are there compact free or paid online courses like on coursera, udemy or youtube free or premium that you advise every songwriter/ musician better complete with full absorption to get all the fundamentals about recording/mixing/songwiting/basic note/chord progression/harmony essentials/ Major mand Minor scales, Circle of Fifths, and basic Chord Theory etc..

No. No one size fits all.

6- Do you think next level (or already current) trend is for a musician to play or using vsts and record all instruments and create a song from scratch, record/mix/master all by oneself, and publish steaming ready quality albums and disintermediate all the other people. If yes how can I quickly adapt to this trend and get to produce steam ready quality albums as soon as possible?

Trend? That would imply people do it because of its 'popularity' with other people. That's not a sensible way to choose tools.

7- What do you think future music will sound like? Like daft punk changed things and what is the next daft punk sound?

For people who think daft punk changed things, it'll sound like old music but with a slightly different hi-hat pattern. For people who think punk changed things, it'll potentially sound like anything. Mileages will vary between those two extremes.

8- Should one give in to degeneration and moral decadence?

Have you tried Reaper?

[vurt]

whats wrong with a bit of decadence and moral decay?

[whyterabbyt]

whats wrong with a bit of decadence and moral decay?

I only like their first album.

[DJ Warmonger]

What do you think future music will sound like?

We already have music in every style imaginable, be it good or bad. Dozens of millions of tracks are uploaded to Soundcloud every year, from gems to utter rubish.

The only possible question to answer is what kind of music wil be popular in the future. It's not like we don't have modern, or sophisticated, or original music already. But what's popular is often simple and derivative. What hits the charts must digestible by largest common denominator, especially as the music reaches more distant parts of the world.

There are just too many sounds, VSTs, plug-ins etc to explore, choose from, too many things to try out, make decisions to make a song better, perfect.

You are probably more interested in future of music production process rather than actual music that audience listens to. As audience does not give a **** about all these plugins and everything else.

[jancivil]

Daft Punk changed music? lol.
I’m outta here.

[whyterabbyt]

Daft Punk changed music? lol.
I’m outta here.

yeah, seemingly they made it harder, faster, somethingelse-erer.

[jancivil]

alrighty then

harder better.JPG

[foosnark]

1- There are just too many sounds, VSTs, plug-ins etc to explore, choose from, too many things to try out, make decisions to make a song better, perfect. I mean for a perfectionist there is no end to improving and finalizing a song.

Paul Valéry in 1933 wrote "a work of art is never finished, merely abandoned." It's been quoted by dozens of artists and authors long before VST plugins were invented.

Personally I like working fast and loose, committing to my decisions in the moment, and making it as difficult as possible to second-guess myself later. When I choose an instrument or an effect, I stick with it (though if it's not working out, I'll remove it entirely later in the process). My recording process always involves live performance elements, I usually do it in one take, and I record only the full mix.

...but then I've also spent hundreds of thousands of hours just noodling and learning to get where I am now.

2- Why do people use sound libraries?
3- What are your opinions on online DAWs like Soundtrap, Bandlab?
4- What are your opinions on affordable or free DAWs like...

I have no opinions here, I don't find them relevant to me.

5- ... Do you think having knowledge od basic or advance music theory helps better songwriting/arrangement or impedes?

Some bits of knowledge aren't always relevant, depending on what you're doing, but it's never a hindrance. Sometimes it will help you make connections or lead more quickly to intuitive inspiration. I think the danger of being too formulaic or uncreative because you know too much theory is overstated.

When I make music I don't really pay conscious attention to things like modes and scales, etc., though sometimes the harmonic series, some rhythmic theory, etc. are directly relevant.

6- Do you think next level (or already current) trend is for a musician to play or using vsts and record all instruments and create a song from scratch, record/mix/master all by oneself, and publish steaming ready quality albums and disintermediate all the other people.

I wouldn't even call it a trend, it's just everyday reality.

7- What do you think future music will sound like? Like daft punk changed things and what is the next daft punk sound? Do you think country and rock will die out? Nowadays I like to use more synths and maybe even electronics to bring my 60s-90s sounding pop/rock sound to 2020s and preferably more future proof 2030s level.
To that end, what would you advise?

I don't think there's any point in speculating, or trying to "future-proof" music.

Some music doesn't necessarily sound like it comes from any particular era. Other music is very much a product of its time. I think the more you try to stay current, the more dated you're going to wind up sounding in the future.

I don't think any genre of music since the recording era began will ever really die out, even though they fade and evolve and are absorbed into other genres. People tried to literally murder disco in 1979 and yet its influence on recent and present electronic music genres is undeniable.

8- I feel like today music became a commodity, it's hardwork and long time investment to create an original song and it's so easy to consume it for listener like a single use entertainment as there are endless choices and I feel like today we live in the age that nothing is so special anymore.

That's probably been true since Tin Pan Alley, and definitely since the radio era at least, but it's been accelerating over the past few decades.

And yet, music still touches people and is incredibly important. Sometimes people do pay attention. That's worth remembering.

[ceyhun242]

That's why perfectionisnt dont finish anything. In any endeavour. Pragmatists do.
The problem is not the number of tools, its you.

So how do pragmatists choose the right instruments, right arrangement without trying out first everything like perfectionists would do? How do they stop and be content with what they have?

For people who think daft punk changed things, it'll sound like old music but with a slightly different hi-hat pattern. For people who think punk changed things, it'll potentially sound like anything. Mileages will vary between those two extremes.

What do you mean by "it'll sound like old music but with a slightly different hi-hat pattern"? and also "For people who think punk changed things, it'll potentially sound like anything."?

Have you tried Reaper?

I tried, i find its interface too gloomy and it felt like it's missing many editing tools? Like it wasn't also intuitive to set up a track and start recording right away. What I found the most intuitive was Studio One. So I m considering switching from Mixcraft to it. Mixcraft has been really easy and nice but lately it crashed way too frequently and I just don't feel safe with it as I record. I lost progress a few times.. By the way how does reaper have to do with degeneration and decadence?

[ceyhun242]

Please delete this

[ceyhun242]

Please delete this

[ceyhun242]

Paul Valéry in 1933 wrote "a work of art is never finished, merely abandoned." It's been quoted by dozens of artists and authors long before VST plugins were invented.

Oh I love this quote, thanks for sharing, it can help deal with perfectionism as now maybe I dont need to think I need to be done and finish the art the best way possible, I can just say you are already good my baby, you re good to go on your own now.. What does VSTs have to do with this quote tough?

Personally I like working fast and loose, committing to my decisions in the moment, and making it as difficult as possible to second-guess myself later. When I choose an instrument or an effect, I stick with it (though if it's not working out, I'll remove it entirely later in the process). My recording process always involves live performance elements, I usually do it in one take, and I record only the full mix.

Oh this is a great answer. So in a way you trust your intuition as you mix on the go? and later you coma back and if you think sth is off you remove or change it? But say I have a midi and there are maybe 1000s of instruments to try if that midi would work better with another instrument sound. Then it's just too time-consuming. Like what is the most practical approach to finding the best or almost best one with only a few scrolling among instruments? Most VSTs are new to me so I don't have a mind map of which instrument I liked previously etc...Like can this work? spend a week just listening to all the VST instrument sounds and make a favorite list and then only stick to those list form now on for the next I dont know 5 years of music making, so that you just have now preset settings and instruments that work for you the best and you can just focus on lyrics, melody and arrangement.. What do you think on this? The thing is Mixcraft dont have a neat favorite feature. Like Id like to be able to favorite instruments or effects or any presets so that even if I fresh install windows and install the same DAW it will bring up all the previous favorite items automatically. Or even better, any DAW I install will bring up those favorite items even if I had favorited them using other DAWS. What could be the method to enable this functionality?

"My recording process always involves live performance elements, I usually do it in one take, and I record only the full mix."

Could you please open this up? I haven't had performance elements in my recording process. How does it go and how does it contribute to the overall recording and song quality? What elements you take form live and what elements you record in studio? Why this hybrid solution is better do you think? What d you mean by doing it one take and recording only the full mix? Like you record live in one take and you record all the things once more in the studio, full mix? Could you please help me understand this, one take and record only in full mix?

...but then I've also spent hundreds of thousands of hours just noodling and learning to get where I am now.

What do you noodle about? What takes the most of your time? Lyrics, experiences melody?
Also do you think a musician needs definitely tragedy, suffering and pain to be more creative and come up with great melodies? Is there a way that is emotionally easier for musician to create still great music and even better than when they suffer maybe? Like can one produce with no suffering songs like Manic street preachers or Depeche mode do? I'd like to be cheerful and positive all the time and still be able to produce songs in various feelings, sth Depeche mode like sth say nelly furtado, usher, Justin Timberlake uplifting positive types.. (not all of their tracks maybe are uplifting I dont know, I meant just the positive ones they have) I like to put aside my belief of the need for suffering to produce great works like I did in the past and ease my heart and still be able to produce great music. Is that possible?

harmonic series, some rhythmic theory, etc. are directly relevant.

How can I learn harmonic series and rhythmic theory? So I dont need to learn these? :"Major mand Minor scales, Circle of Fifths, and basic Chord Theory"

I wouldn't even call it a trend, it's just everyday reality.

Do you mean today musicians do all of their songs themselves and not use any help of mix, mastering engineers or other musicians? How can I be like that self-sufficient musician with all-rounder skills so that all the songs I ll produce will sound radio streaming quality?

I don't think there's any point in speculating, or trying to "future-proof" music.

Some music doesn't necessarily sound like it comes from any particular era. Other music is very much a product of its time. I think the more you try to stay current, the more dated you're going to wind up sounding in the future.

I don't think any genre of music since the recording era began will ever really die out, even though they fade and evolve and are absorbed into other genres. People tried to literally murder disco in 1979 and yet its influence on recent and present electronic music genres is undeniable.

Why do you think there is no point in speculating or preparing for future? What can we base our music production on? I mean I produce what I love to produce for myself first, but nowadays I also want to take into account what people enjoy hearing or in other words I dont want to be judgemental about people's tastes and want to be curiously interested in why they like the sounds they do, am I being prejudiced resisting trying some sounds or styles or I really dont like trendy things is what I want to answer.

"Some music doesn't necessarily sound like it comes from any particular era." Can you give an example of this? and to this? "Other music is very much a product of its time. " for the former I wold say Keaner, Muse, Radiohead, timeless and vintage. For the second I'd say ed sheeran, Rihanna, Beyonce? From my list I guess I believe rock is more timeless and pop is fleeting trend? would you agree?

"I think the more you try to stay current, the more dated you're going to wind up sounding in the future."

This is wise, so if we dont need to catch up with the current, then what is the most important aspects of music production when I intend to produce a great song? What can I take into account so that first I will love what I produced but also second minority or majority but there will be some people who will appreciate and value my work hard core, understanding where it's coming from etc..

I don't think any genre of music since the recording era began will ever really die out, even though they fade and evolve and are absorbed into other genres. People tried to literally murder disco in 1979 and yet its influence on recent and present electronic music genres is undeniable.

When did the recording era start? Now this question wont make sense but I still want to ask for the possibility of being surprised about an unexpected answer: can we listen to songs before recording era?

Who are those people who tried to kill the disco. It sounds like conspiracy-like there is a table fo people who decide for the fate of music. I guess nobody holds such power for any complex aspect of the work don't you think? Like do you believe a few eclectic elitist determine the fate of musicn and genres? And why would they like to kill disco anyway, isn't that so fun genre?

I'm producing in Rock genre, I was considering maybe it's time to mix it with some electronic sound to make it more like Jamiroquai, Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake style? Or probably better than taking example of already proven good music, come up with my own style that will create its own demand and be kind of future music that will create then its derivative songs by other artists. Like becoming a new Radiohead that will go int the inspiration list of many artists to come. I know this is a big idea, but I mean I wonder how Muse and Radiohead become that big. Can we reproduce their success formula or is there no formula in music and it's all unique case? But then I feel there can be some common truths that these great bands all apply or meet and then on top of them they add their own colors. So what are those basic right and working principles and fundamentals that all aspiring musicians better apply to their music production?

That's probably been true since Tin Pan Alley, and definitely since the radio era at least, but it's been accelerating over the past few decades.

And yet, music still touches people and is incredibly important. Sometimes people do pay attention. That's worth remembering.

Why since Tin Pan Alley and why also since radio era, what happened at those times that made music turn into a commodity? Why did things become item of consumption rather than slow digestion of joy? So you think there are and will be always people who will appreciate and be touched by our music so there is no need to lose heart and motivation to strive for creating great music? I feel sometimes that nobody cares or listens and Im just doing it for myself like a diary, to exaggerate uploading music for mast..b...your feelings for anyone to care.. like sometimes producing and sharing it feels selfish and one sided, like preaching, teaching etc.. not interactive with listeners so kind of dead. Like connotation of voyeurism or exhibitionism you know? Why would you share your most private feelings like you dont share your naked body online but why your heart?

Hey by the way I was considering also sharing this post on gearslutz, I'm new to these communities. I've been asking mainly on Quora.. What is the difference between Gearslutz and kvraudio? Is Kvr more popular than Gearslutz? KVR is also retailer of plugins whereas gearslutz only forum? why the name "slutz" by the way? isn't that derogatory for gear and music production? I followed them on twitter, would you also following them on other channels like youtube, twitter, facebook? Any other forums like these that you find worthwhile to follow?

[ceyhun242]

Daft Punk changed music? lol.
I’m outta here.

What is your disagreement with this? To me it's obvious. Why do you think they did not change the music? They created their own genre..

[ceyhun242]

alrighty then
harder better.JPG

What is your disagreement with this? To me it's obvious. Why do you think they did not change the music? They created their own genre..