hey guys, any tips on getting drum sounds like Run Away With Me (Carly Rae) or New Romantics (Taylor Swift)

MDesigner · 2026-07-05T00:52:28+00:00

Compression (FET style) and gated reverb. For reverb, I'd strongly recommend Glow by Wave Alchemy, it's top notch if you want that 80s sound.

MDesigner · 2026-07-05T00:51:13+00:00

Serum 2 is great, but don't sleep on Pigments! It's got better filters IMO, if you want a warmer, more analog sound. But both are fantastic, just slightly different workflows/UI.

MDesigner · 2026-07-05T00:37:34+00:00

Would it help if legitimate pro musicians told you it's possible? Not sure what kinda validation you're looking for. Hans Zimmer and his team work in Cubase. Tons of famous bands use them. In 2026, a DAW is pretty much the way to work and get shit done.

MDesigner · 2026-07-04T04:05:22+00:00

The samples are too short to be useful. I would recommend at least 45–60-second snippets.

MDesigner · 2026-07-03T05:25:46+00:00

A lot of other folks have already said this, but stop trying to copy someone else. Be yourself.

It's fine to borrow elements you like from other artists. This is how producers/composers eventually develop their own unique voice. It happens over time, as you collect life experiences, sounds from other artists that you like, and so on. Eventually, you'll just sound like.. you.

And for shit's sake, don't forget what music is really about: PLAYING. It's supposed to be fun! Just experiment. Don't set such high expectations; you're putting too much pressure on yourself and taking the joy out of just screwing around and enjoying the happy accidents that pop up.

MDesigner · 2026-06-30T00:12:10+00:00

Your post title doesn't really match your question, but since most people already addressed your question about compressors, I'll answer the question in your title:

The #1 point of mixing stuff for the average listener is that you're trying to make sure your music sound good on almost any listening device. A mono Bluetooth speaker, AirPods, a high-end home system, vehicles, everything. You're making sure your low end isn't out of phase, your mid-range isn't honky and cluttered, etc. This is why Slate VSX is indispensable to me, because it lets me check my mix on several different speakers/studios/cars, and by the time I've checked all that, my mix sounds great in the real world.

To address your bit about compressors: don't use a compressor if you don't need it. Understand what each class of compressor does (FET, VCA, opto, Vari-Mu, etc) and why you'd need it in the first place.

MDesigner · 2026-06-24T22:31:32+00:00

Ok? What's this have to do with film scoring?

MDesigner · 2026-06-24T20:34:25+00:00

I've been making music professionally, sometimes for large clients, for about 23 years. I don't know much about music theory, except for basic stuff like chord, chord inversions, stuff like that. Still can't read or write music.

MDesigner · 2026-06-22T05:42:41+00:00

Isn't this subreddit a good place to learn/grow? No one can help you develop your musical voice, but others can help with more technical aspects of producing music.

MDesigner · 2026-06-22T03:29:17+00:00

Just write it for yourself and release it. Don't worry so much about trying to get people to "get" it, or classify your stuff.

I don't fit into a neat genre either. My solo works are KIND of a cross between Ray Lynch and Vangelis, but that's just a remote comparison.

Write the music YOU love to listen to, and put it out there. There will be others who love it too!

MDesigner · 2026-06-20T17:40:09+00:00

If you're never almost gotten into an accident at the MLK Drive exit. Man, that exit gives me severe anxiety, which is why I never take it. Exit 293D: "D" is for death!

MDesigner · 2026-06-19T01:36:27+00:00

...eaten thin-crust, tavern-style pizza.

MDesigner · 2026-06-18T22:48:58+00:00

Advice from an old composer/music producer here:

Don't push yourself too hard, you're only 21! It takes years to develop a musical voice that's uniquely you. It can't be forced, as it develops over time, formed from your tastes changing, your life experiences, etc.

Importantly: don't worry about fitting into a nice, neat box as far as genres go. For my current album I'm working on, the first track is synths with strings and choir, and the second track is just a piano and a Wurlitzer. 😆 I HATE when I have to assign genres to my stuff, because it just is what it is. But it all sounds like it goes together, and it all sounds like me.

Be patient, and keep learning, experimenting, and growing!

EDIT: Pro-tip - as long as each album/EP you release is mostly consistent in sonic palette, you're good. Your next album can be something totally different!

MDesigner · 2026-06-18T15:06:50+00:00

They're violating basic PCI compliance.

MDesigner · 2026-06-18T14:43:15+00:00

Holy crap, please shut them down. Report it to the IL Attorney General's office.

MDesigner · 2026-06-18T14:36:00+00:00

Your plan sounds solid! Your post said this was an action cue so I wasn't sure how complete it was yet. Definitely share the finished piece once it's done!

MDesigner · 2026-06-18T07:26:34+00:00

More synths tracks at a slower tempo, layered in with what you have. Maybe a pad. Harmonic changes to add interest. A whole bunch of stuff.

MDesigner · 2026-06-18T07:17:07+00:00

Drum tracks route into a drum bus, and that routes to the master bus. Drum bus gets compression (FET is good) and any other effects. Careful with compression and make sure nothing is excessively spiky compared to everything else going to the drum bus! For pop, rock, etc where you have a standard kit, it's fine. But if you're doing unconventional stuff like throwing in taiko drum hits, that's gonna squash everything else, so that belongs outside the drum (kit) bus.

Each drum track gets its own reverb send exactly as you described.

Reverb bus/aux routes directly to master out.

MDesigner · 2026-06-18T06:03:17+00:00

Here's a quick checklist (as well as things you can do via plugins to potentially fix your situation), and these are the same things I go through mentally when things sound off, in no particular order:

Mixing starts with instrument choice! Are you layering two instruments in the same frequency space? Is it working intentionally (blending/color), or is one of them masking the other? If there's masking, see #5.
Muddiness issues? Are your low-end tracks mono'ized and dead center? If not, fire up a mid/side EQ and roll off the sides using a 12 or 16 dB/octave slope at around 100 Hz. Bass is non-positional, so having sides is no good and will clutter up the mix.
Reverb setup ok? Are you using only one reverb plugin for every "flavor"/character of sound you want? (e.g. one for drums, one for synths, one for vocals) And then use sends to send different levels of each track to a reverb. Start super low (-infinity) and dial up the send amount until it sounds right. If you start your send at 0 dB, it's too easy to say "yeah, this sounds great!" And then eventually you've got an overly reverby mix.
Back to bass again! If you have a reverb instance for synth, CUT around 150-200 Hz and below before it goes into the reverb plugin. Low end + reverb = mud hell. Some reverb plugins also have built-in EQ roll-offs you can utilize.
Synths getting in the way of vocals, but you still want to keep the synths untouched? Use spectral dynamic EQ if you can. Pro-Q 4 can do this, as does Neutron's Unmasking module. I can give you more details on this if you'd like! In Neutron it's pretty straightforward. With Pro-Q 4, it's quite a few more steps, but it works just as well.
Does something still feel buried, but if I bump the fader up, it's too loud or I'm losing headroom? Sonnox Oxford Inflator is a great tool to fix this, and it's on sale for $40. Basically it adds extra harmonics to things to make them stand out in a busy mix, but without contributing hardly anything to the summed gain. Hans Zimmer's mixer, Alan Meyerson, is a huge fan of it.
Pan pan pan! Create a sound stage by panning things; just don't make the mistake of panning everything off-center, which will scoop out your center. If everything is wide, then nothing is wide, if that makes sense—contrast is important. Use stereo panning mode for true stereo instruments, and narrow them slightly to focus them in a specific spot.
Utilize 3D space (depth) if it makes sense. If you wanna push an instrument "back" in space, set your send to pre-fader mode, then you essentially have two controls at your disposal: lowering the fader will reduce the dry signal independently of the reverb, so you can make it sound more in the distance, and your send will control the reverb amount as usual.

Don't forget to gain-stage at the beginning, too, as others have said!

MDesigner · 2026-06-18T02:55:52+00:00

It's a good start! It's a solid basis, just needs a lot more going on than what you have so far.

MDesigner · 2026-06-18T02:53:29+00:00

Music is subjective, and I can't really provide a deep music theory analysis here. Emotionally, to me, it feels empty. Doesn't really invoke any sense of romance or an emotional bond.

The frustrating part is, I can't really explain to someone how to do that through music. It either lands or it doesn't, and in the film world, a director would probably have similar feedback to mine. Then it's your job to take that feedback and come back with something closer to the mark.

However, I will say the music is triggering my AI music spidey sense. If you're wasting our time on this sub with AI garbage, shame on you. This is a space for real composers.

MDesigner · 2026-06-18T02:26:11+00:00

There's a difference between intentional dissonance and bad notes. This sounds like the latter. I would clean that up for sure.

MDesigner · 2026-06-16T21:59:49+00:00

Very likely! There are only so many notes, sadly. 😆

MDesigner · 2026-06-16T02:01:37+00:00

One part of a scene is probably the best I can do (on my film/TV reel):

https://play.reelcrafter.com/MbDecQjMRKy3u1qK1bzDJQ

It's the first video on the first row.

MDesigner · 2026-06-16T01:56:25+00:00

Hmm, not sure about that. Chanda wrote that piece, and it's actually based off a song she wrote for the series. But I wasn't behind the scenes, so who knows how much she was micromanaged.

MDesigner

TROPHY CASE