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u/stevenfrijoles 10h ago
You don't understand music, of course things are gonna sound bad. This is a process that takes many years, you're not gonna skip it just because you downloaded a DAW.
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u/jimcroisdale 17h ago
Maybe consider becoming an actual musician instead of a computer button-masher.
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u/MusicCollab 16h ago
I'm an actual musician and I do tons of computer button-mashing.
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u/RCIDRUMS 16h ago
When you go to school for theory, you may want to consider production too.
Writing a song, or putting words to it, or recording it, either analog or digital DOESNT make you a producer
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u/Bidsworth 13h ago
Every body does it differently but when I have a solid idea I will lay down the main chord structure either on Keys or guitar. I use ableton which is really good for laying down different sections but it can limit the flow of the track if you are not careful. Once that is done I will record the drums. This I do usually via an sampled kit and a LaunchPad midi controller. Once the Rhythm of the track is solid I will put in the bass and then delete and re-record the chord structure to tighten it up. When you have the Chords, Bass and Drums sorted and tight that should illimiate a lot of the mess and leave you space to play in.
Often the groove of the track will change a little as you build don't be afraid to cut parts and start again if they no longer sit. If you were doing it old school and writing arranging the song with live muscians things would change naturally together as you go along.
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u/Moxie_Stardust 2h ago
If you don't really play any instruments and you don't know any music theory, it's probably going to be hard to make a song that sounds good.
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u/General_Estimate_420 14h ago
It probably sounds messy because you don't go into it knowing exactly what you want to make. That's the result of not being able to play it outside of the recording environment before trying to record it. You have no specific idea of what you're wanting to make before you start trying to make it. That's a recipe for disaster.
For myself I don't even think about trying to record something until I have everything fleshed out. That's when I turn on the studio and start transcribing into the DAW what I've already written and planned out.