Production sounding 'cheesy'

[jmkhoy]

Hey guys,

I'm mainly a composer and a songwriter working with a piano, guitar and a bass. I don't have any good recording equipment yet, other than logic pro x. I am content as a songwriter and composer, but as soon as it comes to actually producing what I've wrote, I am never satisfied. There always seem to be quiet a corny, supermario bros vibe to the sound. I'm using mostly pre-set software instruments such as the on board pianos, basses, strings, brass drums etc. I wonder if anyone else has had similar issues? I'm hoping it's my production technique as apposed to the actual intellectual property of the music. 

Thanks

Josh

[Bernd]

Midi crap, I guess. ALL my stuff sounds like sh... I hate the production side of things, that's why I don't normally follow even the most basic advice:

1. convert MIDI to audio before you begin to mix

2. use a reference track from a professional recording that is to your liking and compare the sounds; EQ your sound, add reverb etc. until it gets close to the reference sound

Then mix the lot.

Good luck!
Bernd

 

[Nick Festari]

At the beginning everyone experiences what you're feeling with your mixes down and works. The fact you are using the preset sounds means nothing. Even if you use them you must pay attention to the amalgam of all sounds... I wanna mean... each sound must fit well together with the other ones, so you should not be happy at the first listen. If the whole sound doesn't satisfy you or even you don't like one sound only... well change it/them until the song touches your heart. 

There are a lot of timbres among the strings, brass, pianos, drums, basses preset sounds... Just pick the right sound to make a good work!

 

 

[jenellegarrett]

I like rich harmonic content, and it really shows in the tracks I write, sometimes to the point where it gets corny. At worst people say they're way to happy and at best I get a 'fun.' When I intentionally try to write darker sounds it swings too far into the sadness zone and takes on a cheese of its own.

How can I find the emotional middle ground that so much edm seems to sit in?

An example of the emotional middle ground I mean is SHM's One and Greyhound. The tracks manage to be harmonically interesting without being on either extreme of the spectrum. The danceable zone.

[MonoStone]

 

 

 

11 hours ago, jenellegarrett said:

 

I like rich harmonic content, and it really shows in the tracks I write, sometimes to the point where it gets corny. At worst people say they're way to happy and at best I get a 'fun.' When I intentionally try to write darker sounds it swings too far into the sadness zone and takes on a cheese of its own.

How can I find the emotional middle ground that so much edm seems to sit in?

An example of the emotional middle ground I mean is SHM's One and Greyhound. The tracks manage to be harmonically interesting without being on either extreme of the

 

Interesting question. I can only give an opinion...

 

I think... That kind of EDM isn't about typical happiness or sadness, it's about the groove and the trip and the trance/hypnotic state it puts you in. You could call it euphoria, but that's different to 'fun'.... and importantly it has to make you want to dance like you're lost in the music rather than just having fun. Has to be uplifting at the same time as hypnotic. Has to be intense too.

 

I mean 'fun' is for party songs/pop songs... to 'bop' around to... whereas as that kind SHM kind of EDM is about getting a crowd into a state of euphoria and taking them on a ride... I suppose it's almost a spiritual feeling rather than 'fun' and it's excitement too.

 

Well that's how I see it. That's the 'emotional state' as I see it. If you've felt that yourself then I think you get it, yeah? 

 

 

 

 

[john]

For me, production is like song writing or arrangement.... there is a balance to be had between familiar / genre predictable and creative expression / originality. Corny tends to be a close neighbour of unadventurous. As if you are sticking too closely to a genre specific production brief.

 

certainly using a preset pallet that doesn't stray too far from standard sounds will make the sound of a song unchallenging, safe. It is less that you use presets, so much as the presets you choose and how you choose to use them. It can be a good idea to use at least one prominent sound that strays into a significantly different genre. Also using expected sounds in unusual or unexpected ways can help reframe the production into something more challenging, more interesting... and that should stop it sounding corny.