I noticed comments on one of the tracks saying I needed better quality on some sounds and adding effects. The thing is, I don't know about upgrading the quality, and I barely know about any effects besides Boo Bass, Reverb, Blood Overdrive, Soundgoodizer, etc..How would I learn about making it sound better? Im guessn NFX tutorial?

main thing u should try learning is the EQ

im not going to give a description of EQ here, but do a quick search on youtube, and also NFX does mention EQ on some his video's.

Watch the tutorials, and what you could do also is researching each effect before you use it, and do little exercises with it.
For instance if you gon' take your hands on da reverb go in the help file first see what each knob does and try it out on sounds and then try to create all kinds of effects using only reverb, and then you go to the next and do it all over again..

Whew, sounds like a lot of work, is that the method you used Intergrated?

^ Basically yeah.. First it was fun playing around with FL, then I said to myself.. I know what a reverb does, but I need to know when to apply and WHICH knobs to TWIST when I'm applying it... Then I thought, in order to know which stuff to twist I need to learn about the terminology etc etc.. So I went back to the core and worked from there.. and that's still how I do my stuff.. It involves work.. *alot* actually, but it worked for me..

See I never had Warbeats or stuff like that. I had to learn everything myself.. When I ran into issues I just went online and started reading, or try to do it on my own in FL (which I had to do 90% of the time)..
My personal progress regarding sound and overal musical skills was really and I mean REALLY slow.. Sometimes when I hear cats, who've only been making beats for 1 year, drop beats, I'm like: "Damn kid I had that level after 3 years lol >.<".. Then again you kids got WB and I know this is like the heaven for FL noobies..

Anyways I'm strayin' from the subject..

Yea I understand, the only thing I don't like about NFX tutorials is that their so dang LONG. I mean no offense, they do help me a LOT, the one's I watched, but I seirously can't have a 40 min sitting u know...But yea because my friends here in college boast about this guy they know that just started making beats over the summer and already sold them and then compare his to mines saying why haven't I sold any yet and so forth..

It doesn't matter. You have to take the time there is no quick route. And in the end watching the 15 minute tutorial is still going to be quicker then trial and error or any other method because at the end you will know everything that you need to.

Yea I guess your right, if I want to achieve my dreams I have to put the effort in, the only thing I'm worried about is if all that time comes to a waste but thanks a llot guys...

Believe in yourself main, and you will get *somewhere*..

If the gutter counts as somewhere


umm sorry

In regard to sound quality the only effects you absolutely need to learn how to use is compression, EQ, and reverb. The first and easiest step is learning what the different parameters are for each effect. The second step,which is a bit more complicated, involves understanding when and where to use those effects. The information is available. You either take the time and learn it or you don't.
http://www.recordingeq.com/EQ/req0400/OctaveEQ.htm
http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/compuncomp/index.htm
http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/tips/reverb_parameters/

Here is an example ill give you bro if you really want to *Hear* what they mean. This is just my examples this track is mixed purely with Fl stock effects reverb, Filters, EQ etc... Not the best but will suffice for me still learning myself, Make sure both are at the same volume on the screen so you can get hear what im talkin about the mixed one will have more quality and sound louder since its got Eq and other effects plus a limiter.

Here is the Unmixed version No EQ that is the main diffrence and volume diffrences. This is the version with nothing in the mixer at all no volumes have been adjusted mix wise. So say this is Pre mix. http://www.zshare.net/audio/677202829a41c753/

Here is the Almost finshed version still thinkin about adding stuff but almost there, the main diff you will tell will be the *Quality* as you could say or how each individual sound is more recognizable to the ear compared to the first version. http://www.zshare.net/audio/67720422dc64d5a9/

At times its not about throwing a bunch of Eq or Reverb on something rather than bringing it up more in the mix, all depends on the track and how you want it to sound or the artists. Hopefully this helps some I know it might not be the best example since im still looking into buying some non Fl Stock effects, but also the Vsts used help alot also, and so you know not one of the vsts I used were stock Fl except for that low wistle you hear used Sytrus.

Others were bought vsts and one Warbeats soundfont.

only way it will be a waste of time is if you don't apply the knowledge that you learn.
and another thing, don't worry about people selling beats and thinking that their beats are "better" than yours in some way.

i've let people hear beats b4 and they didn't like em...

made a song to the beat and let them same people hear it and they love it and wonder why i didn't let them hear THAT beat when they were looking for something...

i just laugh...and be like "I DID!!" and they be like..."oh...."

you just practice your craft and get better at what you do. don't worry about the next man. once you start comparing your beats to someone else's, you'll start to only try to compete with their level.

and if you ARE going to compare stuff to somebody's, shoot for the big boys...timbo, dre, blaze, or whoever else you like.

pastor troy said this in a song one time..

"i aint jealous of none of dese dudes round here...i'm jealous of oprah winfrey, bill gates, michael jordan...i aint stuntin none of these dudes around here, they aint got nothin just like me..."

I recommend learning about EQ, Compression, and Layering. When mixing, you want your sounds to sound better in the context of the rest of a track, oftentimes, one sound can compliment another and it works. Maybe there's a snare sound that just sound great in a track when used with a certain kick sound, for example.

It's very tempting to go through each instrument individually and try to beef up the sound so that each instrument sounds great on its own, but you don't want that. What you want is for everything to sound good when it's played together. In other words, you need some instruments to be loud and some to be quiet, and that contrast will make the louder instruments sound even louder.

Also know that if a track isn't sounding quality, after a certain point adding more sounds only creates more problems. You've got to deal with what you have in the track, and don't be afraid to remove an instrument from a track if it isn't working out.

Ok thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate the help, I'm already watching Youtube tutorials on it right now...Thanks a lot once again for taking the time o help me..Willl report back later..Peace

Pompey thanks a lot btw man I'll take that into consideration my friends here always say my beats sound like "mario kart" (well more like 1 friend everyone else liked my beats) and compare me to some friend of theres that supposedly sold beats already and what not you know. So you right I should just do my own thing everyone else has different flavor, and your right you could have a "OK" beat but if the recording on it is hot it will compliment the beat as well.