I think I'm retarded.

[NinjaEdit]

I don't see why you need a preset on a limiter anyway, it only does one thing.

If you're after that quick simplicity, try Classic Limiter, which only has one knob (input gain), and actually sounds pretty good to me.

[legskeattch]

I think that track you posted on Soundcloud sounded good...!

Everything was in a nice place!

Chin up man

[BYTEME]

A very shitty put-together preview of my first Chiptune EP I made months ago but was too nervous to post it.. Please tell me if my music is worth listening to and if anyone wants my EP.. It's free.

Soundcloud

Notes: I've been practing my mixing and mastering, so I've gotten quite a lot better since the tracks in the first EP.
My stuff now sounds more clean and less ear-drum scratching or muffled. I'm working on my 2nd EP which is already almost finished.. Should be done by mid-November.

[Maxxan]

1:48 through 2:20 sounds pretty good man. Not a big fan of chip (Although if the real chipdudes heard you calling it chip they would probably rage out, kick samples and all haha) but you've got some nice melodies and stuff. Mixdown was a bit rough and I didn't really care for a couple of the tracks but all in all not bad, definately not at the point where you'd want to quit. Keep it up bro

[Inconnu]

Pearson Sound uses fruity loops and his tracks are quite good

[BYTEME]

1:48 through 2:20 sounds pretty good man. Not a big fan of chip (Although if the real chipdudes heard you calling it chip they would probably rage out, kick samples and all haha) but you've got some nice melodies and stuff. Mixdown was a bit rough and I didn't really care for a couple of the tracks but all in all not bad, definately not at the point where you'd want to quit. Keep it up bro

Probably because I'm not very good at mixing/mastering my tracks. All my tracks sound like dry synths with reverb. They don't sound very live, professional, or anything like that because I don't know how. I call it Chiprave. It's a mix of Chiptune and Rave. Where-as Rave is a genre typically revolving around repetitive melodies that made you feel very happy or intense emotions. It just so happens it is also a name for music you'd hear at RAVES.

The Chiptune comes in because I DID use some Chiptune drum samples, noise bits, lots of minimal waves (square, fm, triangle, and saw.)
All I did was modulate the hell out of it and wash it in equalizers... I also took very careful tweakings in the knobs of the synths, spending hours listening to it over and over.
It took a year and a half to make that EP.. >X<"

[Thekid54]

Just like the original poster, I am going through a similar situation. I have my bad habits as well. I've lost a little bit of confidence for a while until reading some of the comments on this thread and just wanted to thank everyone for their motivation and kind, along with motivational words. I have been messing around with FL studio or about 7 months now, taking a break for about 3 months total and have unrealistic expectations of how quickly I can learn everything to make amazing music. I try to make difficult sounds with VST's such as FM8 and massive but often forget I've only been using those programs for about a month.

Perhaps I should take time to thoroughly learn these programs

Again, thanks everyone! And for the original poster, just remember you're not alone. There will be times we all get frustrated, the important thing is to keep at it.

[BYTEME]

^Start with simple waves and basic drum patterns.
Tweak with sounds, don't keep them the same as tutorials, and avoid learning things that are too far ahead.
(Example: I have no clue what granular synthesis or FM junk is and I can't figure out proper limiting or compressing, so I'll just stay away from it FOR NOW. Until I fully understand my stuff I use. )

..START VERY SIMPLE.
Don't over do it, you're not Skrillex, and you'll almost never be like anyone you want to be. (I wish I was like Wolgang Gartner, Feed Me, or 16 Bit. Fucking love 16 Bit. Stormy Weather, Funhouse and Toxic all up in this bitch.)

[BYTEME]

One great thing about my production I've notced that I think is different and unique is thay, I come up with very pretty melodies, I use short lengthed minimal drum samples usually from 606's or 909's, and I always put a 2-octave up 'squeak' at thd 2nd measure of a melody.

[3za]

A very shitty put-together preview of my first Chiptune EP I made months ago but was too nervous to post it.. Please tell me if my music is worth listening to and if anyone wants my EP.. It's free.

Soundcloud

Notes: I've been practing my mixing and mastering, so I've gotten quite a lot better since the tracks in the first EP.
My stuff now sounds more clean and less ear-drum scratching or muffled. I'm working on my 2nd EP which is already almost finished.. Should be done by mid-November.

Thats pretty sick man. Reminds me of watching Tiny Planets, when stoned

[BYTEME]

This week I did this. It was suppose to be some funky reese bass inspired by KOAN Sound but I was limited, and I was experimenting a lot with the whole thing.

Soundcloud

[BYTEME]

I took some advice from someone that I should ditch the limiter, so I did. And I may have mislearned some stuff about volumizing instruments. Then I EQ'd everything to pass through together. A few notches in everything, and some big boosts. To be honest I'm not sure how loud or big that sub bass is, so anyone who has a sub woofer would you mind telling me if it's too loud?

[BYTEME]

Seriously I still can not understand how to f**king compress or limit anything properly.
I can't even figure out how to use side-chaining and if I even should use side-chaining. I just don't understand.
I REALLY want my tracks to sound really good and not muffled, or all the clashing instrument sounds and samples.

Sure I can go by my ears (and I have been) but I think it's about time that I SHOULD learn the basic mastering junk.

I've tried reading the money-shot/mixing and mastering thread. It's just still a blur to me. I don't think I've learned anything there other than some junk about personal preferences on drum volumes and lowpassing. Which I already know how to do now. I know how to use the EQ properly, and I understand headroom.
The rest is still all clashing instruments and stuff I want to improve.

For example, I want to just make a SUPER SIMPLE clean as possible track using JUST
808 OR 909 OR 606 drums, and a 3xOSC sub bass. Nothing else. Using 4 sub bass notes.

How would I go about mixing and mastering that together on FL Studio to make it sound as clean as say.. Minicoffee, Tempa, Donkey Pitch, and Circus Records.

[wub]

Anything I write here would be a generic response. You've got the basics down, it's a case of using your ears and practicing. Good monitors will help you getting the mixdown to sound good as your ears train themselves, then for the mastering side of things send it to a mastering engineer to get it down.

[BYTEME]

Uploading a small track I JUST NOW made after the previous post.

Here's what I did.

Master channel, removed limiter.
909 Kick at -8.1db
909 Clap at -7.8db
909 Closed Hat at -11.2db
909 Open Hat at -10.6db
Opened up 38911BYTES and made a simple triangle wave, no envelopes or ANYTHING else. JUST A TRIANGLE.
Drew in 4 sub bass notes with a few small half notes for the kicks on the ends of the drum patterns.
Lowered the volume of the 'Triangle Sub' down so it will hit -0.2db below the clap.

NOTHING ELSE. THAT'S IT. I did not EQ or Limit.
Here's the track. Now how can I improve it MUCH BETTER?

Soundcloud

[BYTEME]

^Using my CS40's headphones, because my laptop speakers are shit.

[fragments]

I'll admit this is a bit of an asshat response...but if you knew how to EQ properly you wouldn't have clashing frequencies. Getting a good, clean, punchy mix has nothing to do with mastering.

Those peak values you listed for your drums are really high IMO. My kick drums usually peak lower than your high hats. If you really understood headroom you'd leave more than that. That kick as to be eating almost all of it by itself.

[BYTEME]

I'll admit this is a bit of an asshat response...but if you knew how to EQ properly you wouldn't have clashing frequencies. Getting a good, clean, punchy mix has nothing to do with mastering.

Those peak values you listed for your drums are really high IMO. My kick drums usually peak lower than your high hats. If you really understood headroom you'd leave more than that. That kick as to be eating almost all of it by itself.

Really? I wouldn't know.
What volumes would you put your drums and bass at?

[fragments]

I start with my kick at -12dB these days and usually my sub about -15dB...but it's all relative...these numbers are merely rough guidelines. What ever the "main" percussion instrument is...clap/snare etc...that's usually at like -14 to -16...again just a rough place to start. Stuff like hi hats can be really low -20dB or more (again, all depends) because we perceive high frequency sounds as being louder (subjectively).

With those values for that sub and kick, there can't be much headroom left.

[BYTEME]

I start with my kick at -12dB these days and usually my sub about -15dB...but it's all relative...these numbers are merely rough guidelines. What ever the "main" percussion instrument is...clap/snare etc...that's usually at like -14 to -16...again just a rough place to start. Stuff like hi hats can be really low -20dB or more (again, all depends) because we perceive high frequency sounds as being louder (subjectively).

With those values for that sub and kick, there can't be much headroom left.

Alright then I'll try moving my instruments to those volumes.. And I'll try highpassing the kick and lowpassing the sub bass so it doesn't clash too much.
I'm not sure which frequency the 909 is hitting the most at though. Usually kicks hit around the 56-58hz. Which sometimes bothers me a little. Or am I looking at the wrong part of where the kick is hitting... Hmm.... I'm really not sure.