Can you make pop hits with just a ti virus?

[TychoStar]

would i need more equipment/software......? I want my tracks to compete with todays industry mainstream music........

[Yoozer]

Do more ingredients result in better meals if you can't prepare a steak decently?

What do you already have? Why do you think it's not enough?

[natrixgli]

It sounds like you would be better off with a workstation than a synthesizer. Buy a Macbook and iLife (Garage Band).

[msl]

Yeah you need a daw, and you need to learn it well.



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[TychoStar]

i have logic & TI VIrus...... run on MAC.......
i feel like i make some the cheesiest sounding tracks.....

[DarkPlasma]

Originally Posted by TychoStar

i have logic & TI VIrus...... run on MAC.......
i feel like i make some the cheesiest sounding tracks.....

Here is a hint: its not the Virus.

[Yoozer]

Alternatively, post some fragments of what you've made - perhaps it's not as cheesy as you think it is and a few pointers might help you out.

You now already have more and better gear than Stock, Aitken and Waterman had in the entirety of the 80s so that's not going to be the issue.

[NewSc2]

Many current commercial pop hits are made solely on Logic.

[NewSc2]

Originally Posted by TychoStar

i have logic & TI VIrus...... run on MAC.......
i feel like i make some the cheesiest sounding tracks.....

Then you're almost there! Many of today's hits are some of the cheesiest sounding songs I've ever heard.

[subby33]

I would say you cant make mainstream hits with just a virus . . .

But a virus combined with a DAW that you learn inside and out? yes. And having very good sample cd's for drum sounds.

Lady Gaga's The Fame album is practially all just Logic DAW, and even some of her newer songs are made in this way.

The mastering process is probably done in a fancier place w/ all the bells and whistles though, although I am starting to hear some mastering people are using them less and less. I do not know that for fact though.

[TychoStar]

Originally Posted by TychoStar

would i need more equipment/software......? I want my tracks to compete with todays industry mainstream music........

Originally Posted by Yoozer

Alternatively, post some fragments of what you've made - perhaps it's not as cheesy as you think it is and a few pointers might help you out.

You now already have more and better gear than Stock, Aitken and Waterman had in the entirety of the 80s so that's not going to be the issue.

track178.mp3
here a R&B POP cross over track.....

how can i keep with productions gorups like max martin, dr.luke, benny blanco, stargate, & now bruno mars production group The Smeezingtons
my dance record sound terrible to me maybe because i dont like whats out now to begin with........

[subby33]

It really doesn't come down to gear, it comes down to knowing your equipment and knowing music. Two things that are really lacking when people start creating things.

I've seen people make amazing things on an MPC 1000 with a few samples. Give those same samples to someone else and its a train wreck. Spend a lot of time learning things. Go to youtube and look up tips and tricks. You will learn new things every day. Keep an open mind. I dont make dance music but I do watch "tutorial" videos on them because I invariably learn something that can be applied to what I do make.

There are a LOT of tips and tricks that you just have to put a lot of research in. Most of the time you dont even know they exist.

A big one for me was "ghost" notes when making a drum beat. You put a drum hit right before the real hit, but you make it very quiet, and it "pushes" the beat forward. These are the types of things that seperate pros from novice. Not the gear.

[TychoStar]

Originally Posted by NewSc2

Then you're almost there! Many of today's hits are some of the cheesiest sounding songs I've ever heard.

yeah i guess its just me , maybe i can make them , but am not happy with the end result..........
i just wish music would go back to a state where many genres were thriving at once......... mid 90's late 90ish....

[bbow73]

I don't know what they are using, but the V Ti+Machinedrum will do almost all of the sounds that Gaga, Usher and BEPs are using. Fill in the rest with a DAW loaded with traditional instruments.

They are pretty standard progressive trance/breakz sounds... well, standard 5 years ago.

I predict in the next 5 years popstar tracks are going to be filled with IDM sounds from ten years ago. So if you want to stay ahead of the curve then start using Malstrom and Rebirth.

Actually, I heard a Sean Kingston track that had a bunch of darkwave DnB sounds, that was weird.

[kaz1]

Originally Posted by subby33

A big one for me was "ghost" notes when making a drum beat. You put a drum hit right before the real hit, but you make it very quiet, and it "pushes" the beat forward. These are the types of things that seperate pros from novice. Not the gear.

examples? my curiosity has been piqued

[keybdwizrd]

Originally Posted by subby33

Lady Gaga's The Fame album is practially all just Logic DAW, and even some of her newer songs are made in this way.

Ah, except for the Lady Gaga part.

[invisiblekiduk]

Originally Posted by TychoStar

Attachment 219349
here a R&B POP cross over track.....

how can i keep with productions gorups like max martin, dr.luke, benny blanco, stargate, & now bruno mars production group The Smeezingtons
my dance record sound terrible to me maybe because i dont like whats out now to begin with........

Not a bad arrangement, could do with swapping the super saw lead sound for something else. Not only is it a bit dated but it sounds kinda out of tune in the rest of the mix. After that all you need is some highly strung pseudo-political mc ranting over the top and i think you might be onto something!

[boon]

Originally Posted by TychoStar

i have logic & TI VIrus...... run on MAC.......
i feel like i make some the cheesiest sounding tracks.....

isn't that what pop music is these days?

[Antitrope]

Originally Posted by kaz1

examples? my curiosity has been piqued

Best way is to try it yourself.



Construct a simple-ish beat without ghost notes, then insert some, say, snares just before the main hit, but reduce the velocity so that it's barely (but still is) audible. Hear how it affects the groove of the beat.

You can also try it with quiet shaker samples throughout a beat to give a real sense of momentum without it being overpowering. Switch it up so the ghost notes are after the main hit, and listen to how that affects the groove.

This isn't an electronic music phenomenon; real drummers use them all the time (e.g. a jazz shuffle beat will have them in abundance). In general, mixing up the velocities in beat programming is probably what most makes a beat sound natural and interesting. Every sample hitting at identical velocities and volumes makes for a wearing and boring beat.

[kilon]

Originally Posted by TychoStar

would i need more equipment/software......? I want my tracks to compete with todays industry mainstream music........

For pop hits you need a nice body with sexy curves and a big company backing you up. For great music, the only tool really needed, is strong will and hunger to learn.

In both cases, gear comes much later.

But yes you can definitely do it, using only a virus ti.

[natrixgli]

If you have taste and skill you can make killer tracks with a Casio keyboard and a Tascam 4 track Portastudio. Or an iPad.

Lacking those two key elements though, a $50k pile of gear and software could go to complete waste. (though your local music shop will thank you.)

[gr8ape]

I actually want to give a shout out to the TI for being able to create ultra-cheesy sounds.

[cane creek]

Originally Posted by TychoStar

would i need more equipment/software......? ...

The Flying pickets got a UK number one (1983) just using their voices, i'm sure a TI would cover all of the synth sounds you need however to be honest i wouldn't bother with a TI id get a selection of softsynths instead and save some money.

[artech909]

This is amazing when somebody trying to do some proffesional work with such a simple PLAN (1. Got a MAC Check!, 2. Got a Virus TI Check!, 3. Got some HOT Samples Check!.... 4. Got some great skills and many years of experience ****

[bbow73]

being professional is totally different from being a pop hit.

skill vs BJpolitics

[Amber]

Checked out your track, to be honest if you haven't been doing this long it's not bad. With a good topline writer and tidy up the production I reckon it could come out sounding good.

A few things to note, the arp is slightly out of time. If you're using your Virus going in via audio and no midi, it's not going to sync well. Try nudging the audio in Logic.

The piano at the start and through out seems slightly out of time as well and very rigid. Maybe try some strings there instead as well.

The white noise sound is slightly too loud compared with the rest of the beat.

Stop the sweep that comes in just before the chorus so it doesn't carry on when the synth comes in. I'd used a faster sweep as well and automate the volume so it gets loud in the second before the chorus. Make the whole chorus a bit louder too.

The slap back on your main synth is also out of time slightly. I'd get rid of it (the slapback).

[modularjack]

I would like to answer your question with a question. Can you make pop hits?

[Pier]

Originally Posted by TychoStar

Attachment 219349
here a R&B POP cross over track.....

how can i keep with productions gorups like max martin, dr.luke, benny blanco, stargate, & now bruno mars production group The Smeezingtons
my dance record sound terrible to me maybe because i dont like whats out now to begin with........

If it's one of your first tracks is not so bad. Not that I like it... but with a good production it could pass in it's (cheesy) genre.

You need some vocals there too. There is no instrumental mainstream pop that I know of... but I admit I know nothing about that genre.

The sound is terrible honestly. It seems as if you were doing things to make it sound better, but in fact you're making it sound worse. Remove all compressors, all fx and leave it natural sounding. Then start again.

For example the drums should be powerful, have impact... but somehow you managed to remove all that. Start with natural samples (no fx), add a little bit of reverb, some EQ, and compression. Stir until you like what you hear.

On the long run it would be nice if you studied some harmony or piano. That would make your tracks a lot less cheesy. You could add nicer chords, modulate the harmony, etc. For example Quincy Jones produced Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (afaik the most sold record in history) and he was a master in those kind things because he had a big Jazz background. If you know some music theory grab some sheet music from that album and study it. Even if it's 25 years old it's better in music theory than anything produced in mainstream pop today.

[DocT]

Originally Posted by TychoStar

would i need more equipment/software......?

Yes. A Virus can't do appropriate female vocals.

[JoaT]

The original Pop Corn by Hot Butter was created using only a Minimoog and a multitrack tape recorder.

The Prodigy's first hits were done with nothing but a twelve bit sampler with 14,4 seconds worth of sample memory.

There are lots of people making hits using acoustic guitar and their own voice.

Flying Pickets was already mentioned...

So yes, if the song has it , you can make a pop hit with just just about anything.