How to make music sound more professional

Envato Authors AudioJungle
1

Hello, friends! :grinning:

I need your help and would be very grateful to receive some your comments or advices.

I am on AJ more than 1 year (start uploading and selling generally on April 2016) but it seems my tracks still sound too amateurish and unprofessional. I don’t know how to explain, but when I listen to top authors tracks or just trend AJ music I hear the clean, clear, soft and very close sound.

So, what is wrong with these tracks? What they need to have sales? Or maybe problem in other aspect (not mixing/mastering)?

Also I have this track with 4 sales. Suppose it sounds not so bad, but sales have stopped - what this kind of track need to get trend or feature ?

So, friends, what is my main mistake - Technical or Compositional?

Thanks for all who can help! You are my only hope! :blush:

2

How much time do you spend usually on track?
And what books did you read in last year about music theory or music production?

3

Usually I make track within 4-8 hours, then have a rest, listen to it next day, make some corrections and then upload.
To be frankly it is much more easier for me to watch video tutorials. I try to keep up with trend music and make (try to make) some modern electronic music like future bass. So…information is enouth but maybe I don’t know how to apply it correctly. :confused:

4

I believe you know about youtube chanel of Junkie XL.
But there’s very cool video where he meets Armin Van Buuren
Somewhere in the middle of the video Armin talks how it was difficult to get the right sound and mixing for the label.Even Chris Lord Age couldn’t do the proper job and after him some tweaks was done
There’s similar video about creation of a track Bruno Mars-Uptown Funk.It was in progress for 6 month.
I just want to say that it’s ok to do track in 4-8 hours.We all do it often in same way,someone even much faster.I just think think that it’s almost impossible to create music that will stand out from others,where every single detail is nailed perfectly, in 4-8 hours.
I also like to watch tutorials,but I must admit that they do not create system of knowledge.It’s usually something here,something there.And then you try to mix all that in your head.
It can be some kind of a mess in the end.
And books are usually well structured and can describe better thing like music texture,voicing,how Eq or compressor works.Cause most of video tutorials don’t go to deep in details.They just tell what knob turn here and there to get desired result.
There’s great book about mixing from Roey Izhaki-Mixing Audio
Best,in my opinion,book about music theory from Andrew Cook-Foundations of Music Theory (can be bought only in US)
After reading both of them you can do step further to learn some advenced sound design,synthesiz,advenced contemporary orchestration.
All that knoweledge will help you to become better music producer overall and your music in every genre will be more creative and unique.
Sorry for big text in the style of Steve Vai :slight_smile: Hope it will help you to get better :slight_smile: Good Luck!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRugJY-LHLs

1 Like
5

Thank you for your advice! By the way I wanted to watch that interview but forgot about that)

6

With experience…

7

Why don’t you try 16 hours with the goal of making it sound as good as possible? You might be surprised at the result!

8

Sure, sometimes I even spend a week for 1 track. Just think that something doing wrong generally.