LMMS • Forums

Hi, I have been using LMMS for fun for the past couple of months. I am looking for some feedback on a track I'm making and what I could do to improve the track and my skill in general.

My music background: Played "Music" (Playstation 1, I think US version had a different name) when I was very little. Played Music 3000 (Playstation 2) as a teenager. Failed basic high school music and didn't really pick up... well, any of it really, never even learned to play an instrument but the theory was especially hard. Also not a huge music listener, only very recently started listening again, last time I consistently listened to music was about 10 years ago.

Now with that boring but necessary info out of the way, here's my first track I feel comfortable sharing: (Edit 8 Sept 2016: I added a second one, a bit more unusual and slow but actually started developing before the first one posted)

https://soundcloud.com/user-412254415/asdfglkasjd
https://soundcloud.com/user-412254415/a ... p-feedback

I appreciate all feedback, but would especially appreciate feedback that can be reasonably understood by a layperson. Thanks all who took the time to listen!

Great first track!
I think this song is chiptune, you have a very good sounding track. I realise you know scales, sidechaining and song structure, good job!
In your track is a bit background distortion which comes from an instrument (i dont know if this was intended)

Have a great time in our forum!

ACYDE Music wrote:Great first track!
I think this song is chiptune, you have a very good sounding track. I realise you know scales, sidechaining and song structure, good job!
In your track is a bit background distortion which comes from an instrument (i dont know if this was intended)

Have a great time in our forum!

Well, I certainly didn't expect a compliment, thank you and for the welcome too.

I don't think I actually did know what scale, song structure or side chaining are (Edit: Actually, some of it is coming back to me now). I had to google them and I now think I know basically what is song structure and scale, but still don't understand sidechaining. From what little I can gather and through reading the steps needed to achieve it, I don't think I used it.

Well it sounded like sidechaining in your song.

Let me explain you:
You sidechain an instrument to give a kickdrum more space in the mix. It also is a common feature in edm drops. Everytime the kick hits in, the volume of the intended instrument is going a tiny bit down (depending on how strong you set the sidechain)
Sidechaining is a good tool to make the kick drum more audible.
Look at that tutorial - that explains advanced sidechaining in LMMS:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5363
Well, thats what I know

Well, about the scales, I think you have a good ear for melodys. I orientate to scales just to avoid weird sounding melodies

ACYDE Music wrote:Well it sounded like sidechaining in your song.

Let me explain you:
You sidechain an instrument to give a kickdrum more space in the mix. It also is a common feature in edm drops. Everytime the kick hits in, the volume of the intended instrument is going a tiny bit down (depending on how strong you set the sidechain)
Sidechaining is a good tool to make the kick drum more audible.
Look at that tutorial - that explains advanced sidechaining in LMMS:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5363
Well, thats what I know

Well, about the scales, I think you have a good ear for melodys. I orientate to scales just to avoid weird sounding melodies

Your explanation made a lot more sense than any of the others so far, thank you. I know now that I didn't use it but probably needed to - I had that exact problem and it took ages of random tweaking to make it audible without drowning everything else out or sounding like thunder, so hopefully learning sidechaning will be worthwhile. Wouldn't have known about it had you not said it so again thank you.

Nice Chiptuney sounding music.
My only suggestion, is to raise the volume up, on this track.

brandystarbrite wrote:Nice Chiptuney sounding music.
My only suggestion, is to raise the volume up, on this track.

Thank you.

Could you please elaborate turning up the volume on the track? Excuse my ignorance but can the same effect not be achieved through turning up PC volume? Or do you mean it still sounds quiet at max volume?

0Beechlgz wrote:Could you please elaborate turning up the volume on the track? Excuse my ignorance but can the same effect not be achieved through turning up PC volume? Or do you mean it still sounds quiet at max volume?

Okay sure.
Turn up all of the instruments volumes, or the master channels volume slightly up, to make it sound loud enough. Most of the tracks, I have heard so far from other users, sound loud, when I have my speakers at slight less,
than half volume. I use that as a basis, when making music.

brandystarbrite wrote: Okay sure.
Turn up all of the instruments volumes, or the master channels volume, to make it sound loud enough.
Most of the tracks, I have heard so far from other users, sound loud, when I have my speakers at slight less,
than half volume. I use that as a basis, when making music.

I understand now, thanks. I'll experiment a bit with turning the volume dials up beyond 100.

0Beechlgz wrote: I understand now, thanks. I'll experiment a bit with turning the volume dials up beyond 100.

And to add to what I forgot to mention before, it is best, to leave the Master FX channel on 100 volume.
And from there, do all of your volume experiments, to make each instrument sound, sound loud enough,
without causing clipping.

Clipping is when an instrument or sound track sound too loud, to a point you hear distortion or noise, when playing the track. Clipping kinda sounds like noisy static.
Your track doesn't have any clipping, which is very good.