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hope you;re all doing well out there. For a very long time I've wanted to be an electronic musician. You know, making my own music, posting them, touring, helping people etc. I list to a lot of different kinds of music, from smooth jazz to death core. To indie and trance, the list goes on. But the genres that really hit me and stick with me the most are:

J-Pop ( Japanese Pop ) and Electro. Musicians like: Livetunes, Owl City, Supercar ( Band ), Perfume ( Band ), Dixie Flatline, Meishi Smile, and many others.

I grew up watching a lot of anime and cartoons, playing video games and reading japanese novels. So my most of the people I give my respects to are Japanese. I have others from varies of countries. But Mostly from Japan. When I hit around 13-16 I would play around with Ableton live and music in general, not really being serious but when I hit 18 I became more serious because I realized I was able to do things more on my own, wel not that I had a choice because neither side of both my families really support me. So I got a job to help me music wise if I ever needed something. I put a lot of time into trying to get things down. Like copying the sounds the musicians I like, and seeing if I can make a smiliar sound if its not the exact sound he/she is making. Sounds similar to this:

Arpeggios in Livetunes song here. That start in the beginning. I'm not the best at piano but I managed to make a similar arpeggio sound with a C chord I did. However, its not quite right and its certainly not the one in this song.

And the Bass and maybe distorted synth from the song below like sound that start in his song at ( Bass: 00:15 and unnameable sound at 00:18 and again at 00:21 and 00:25 )

I've asked around for some help on these things because I do not know how to go about making sounds like these to try and copy and then once I Get the sounds down, grow my understanding and then hopefully come to develope my own sound, is what I want. But everywhere I go its always either Hip-hop or Dubstep or House music. There isnt anywhere that helps me get sounds like this similar to J-pop sounds and its frustrating. Like I sit here for hours messing around with VST's and browsing around with sounds and sometimes I'll get something out of it but I"ve been deticating myself to this one song I"m working on so that I can get feed back from people and hopefully fourm a community for J-pop inspired musicians. It feels like I work so hard yet I"m not getting anywhere, I mean I get really happy when I"ve come so far and get something down but its just those sounds that I want and cant get the hang of that really bother me and sucks up my motivation to the point I start falling back into playing video games and watching anime a lot again. And I don't want that at all. I know it will take time and I will become a electronic musician no matter what, I'll make it happen but, its so tough. Please does anyone know where I can find these sounds or how to make these sounds. Any advice on making electronic music, that you think is helpful in anyway, no matter how small or big it is please do tell I really would appreciate it from anyone on any level. Thanks os much for reading and take care.

My email is: ofalvea@gmail.com my skype is : alveaaa pelase contact by any means if you have anything to give a help on or have any ideas to share. I appreciate it very much. :)

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closed as off-topic by AJ Henderson♦, Rory Alsop♦ Apr 30 '14 at 14:58

  • This question does not appear to be about sound design, within the scope defined in the help center.
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.

  • 1
    This question appears to be off-topic because it is about music, not sound design or production. – AJ Henderson♦ Mar 31 '14 at 14:00
  • @AJHenderson Really? o.o Sorry if I was mistaken. I thought sound design was basically like learning how to make and create your own sounds, learning how sounds work. My whole point was to figure out how to make the two sounds from the following two videos in my question o-o – OfJapan Apr 2 '14 at 16:31
  • no worries. The site is still fairly young and getting flushed out and the verbiage on the on-topic session is less than clear. The general discussion has been that sounds for music are distinct from the sound design being referenced here, which is more focused on effects work and sound for movies, videos and games. There is also a production sound aspect to the site, but it generally leaves things that are musical in nature to musicians. – AJ Henderson♦ Apr 2 '14 at 16:52
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Okay...I'm not sure if I grasp the full scope of your question, but I've got some tips that any electronic musician would probably agree with:

1) Be prepared to commit yourself, like 3-4 hrs PER DAY minimum, to your DAW. For 3-5 years. It takes a LONG time to get good at this game. I was a professional guitar player before switching to production and let me tell you nothing has challenged me musically like this endeavor. There is SO MUCH TO KNOW. It takes a well rounded musician to excel: performance, theory, talent, songwriting, natural ear, computer skills, math, knowledge of gear, sound design and more are all crucial to becoming a top level producer. It truly has to be your addiction; I literally can't get Ableton out of my head most days. And ask anyone who's been around. Advancements in technology have made it SO MUCH EASIER today then it was in the past. I started in the early 90's with huge midi chains and a room full of blinking red lights. Today is nothing compared to making electronic music in the past. 20mb hard drives...lol.

2) Be realistic about your goals. Forget about touring etc for now. The only place you should be worried about touring is whatever room you keep your computer in. Seriously.

3) Learn from the one's who know. There are many people here, and other places, who are a WEALTH of knowledge and you can learn SO much from them! Listen, learn, be humble and pay it forward.

4) Listen to music. Lots. Even more than lots. And objectivly listen. "What's this guy doing?". "How is this song structured?". Etc. Most underrated aspect of music production in my opinion.

That's lots for now. Remember to have fun. And there are no rules. Don't worry about sounding like someone else; be the guy that everyone wants to sound like.

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