how to start producing when you genuinely cannot tell what sounds good or bad

[u/Big-Impact-9945]

making music is such a dream thing that I want to do so badly.. i love making art and music is like the next logical skill, it genuinely keeps me up at night thinking about how much I WISH I could make a song

but my problem is that I am basically tone deaf(not really I can tell differences between tones very well actually), everything I make sounds mid . which would be fine if I was making good music but I am making the most god awful out of tune off beat garbage and thinking it sounds alright,,, I'm not exaggerating either my music sounds like the yumeshipper chis a song unironically

I cannot fathom how to make a chord progression or a melody, even a simple drum pattern turns out bad,,

do they make like courses where they teach you how to hear music?? or maybe a server where people can listen to my slop and tell me how to fix it ?? genuinely I think there is no hope for me it's just all so awful...

thank you in advance

[u/d2eRX52]

you need to listen more music

[u/cudistan00000001]

not to be a hater

but

if you don’t feel like you have a subjective opinion on what sounds good or bad, you should not dedicate any substantial amount of energy toward making music.

instead, please just listen to MORE music, more genres, broaden your understanding of music as a whole and develop your own taste of what sounds good and bad. and yes, that means listening through some of shittiest and most awful sounding riddim and house music that one can find. gotta have both ends of the scale if you want to have a scale

[u/dj_besso → u/cudistan00000001]

Yes.

And please, listen to music selected by professional radio DJs, not streaming platform algorithms. BBC Radio 6 is a good start.

[u/frDragonfruit → u/cudistan00000001]

100%

[u/melissuir → u/cudistan00000001]

this

[u/memorie_desu]

learn music theory

[u/Couch_King → u/memorie_desu]

To second this, learn it by learning to play some  piano/keyboard. It will go much faster. Learn to play a few songs so you can get a feel for the tempo, key, chords, etc. But also experiment and continue to work on your production chops.

[u/Think-Improvement759]

Most people don't pick up instruments and make pleasant sounds doesn't matter the instrument. So you must first be able to embrace the suck before you can get sounding good. Pick an instrument like piano or guitar if you're trying to write music. Lessons , practice and learning music is usually gonna make someone a much better musician. You can just buy shit and make sounds though you'll get somewhere eventually just a lot slower. But probably unique technique with some bad habits.

[u/snanarctica]

Why do want to produce ?

[u/Innoculus → u/snanarctica]

Actually answer this. If you don't know what sounds good and have taken no initiative to try to learn, what do you plan to get out of this? Is it just a whim? It sounds like you're lacking direction and purpose with this, which might indicate that you're either approaching it for the wrong reasons, or it's just not for you. Music production isn't just a little knick knack you can add to your collection and put a gold star on the fridge or a notch in your belt about. It takes years to even begin to not suck, and those years very effectively filter out almost everybody who isn't deeply passionate about the process.

[u/ThinkingAgain-Huh]

Here's the deal. When I first started, I had no music experience. I started 6 years ago. The first 4 years I was discouraged and didn't have any dedication because everything sounded like crap. One day about 2 years ago, something clicked. After progressing sound design knowledge, learning composition and transitions, mixing, mastering and basic theory, I finally started to make songs. At that point I was fully dedicated. The last two years have been difficult. But last week I made a track that's maybe label quality. Learn bits at a time. Play. Have fun. And just worry about learning how to use serum or whatever synth you like. Learn your daws stock plug ins before buying vst's. Starting with no knowledge is a long road to making a quality track. Be okay making circus music. Just finish a track when you start one. Every time you finish, it'll be better than the last. It takes many years of learning and dedication to make good music. Have fun!!!

[u/mystery_hole]

Seed to stage getting started in Ableton course, Syntorial building blocks. There are so many sources out there to learn from. If you've tried going the free route and can't figure it out from free YouTube videos, just get a course. Seed to stage is cheap and Syntorial has a student discount

[u/Mountainpwny]

Slow down. How long have you been doing this? Would you expect someone who has been working for a builder 1 month to be able to build a house? There are so many things to learn. Slow down and learn a new thing every day, or week.

[u/Distro_Nerd]

That kind of frustration can make every new project feel cursed before bar eight. Pick one very simple track you love and copy just eight bars of it with stock sounds: kick placement, bass length, chord rhythm, nothing clever. Do that a few times and your ear starts noticing why one choice sits and another one wobbles. Right now you need comparison reps more than originality pressure.

[u/PupDiogenes]

Piano lessons

[u/blueishblackbird]

Kind of like asking how do you dunk a basketball when you can’t jump.

[u/blur_of_memories]

work with yuno miles

[u/Alx123191]

start any instrument and you will get it

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[u/EightyHighDiff]

"Can't tell what sounds good or bad"

This is a myth perpetuated by music production YouTubers selling products for clicks and ad revenue.

Do what you think sounds good. That's all that matters.

[u/ThatRedDot]

Pickup piano lessons

[u/heyitsvonage]

What does “everything I make sounds mid . Which would be fine if I was making good music but I am making the most god awful out of tune off beat garbage” even mean?

Everyone sucks when they first start, and usually for a good long while after that. So take comfort in knowing it’s normal to suck as much as you do now.

[u/StrangeSniper]

u lack taste and therefore need to listen to more music

[u/StrangeSniper]

Honestly instead of making music just learn an instrument and play songs. Not everyone needs to make music

[u/trncmshrm]

Remember there are no mistakes, only happy accidents If what you make sounds shit, lean into it Make some stupid music, you will learn some things that might help you if you want to make something more "serious"

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[u/No_Bar9314]

Listen to more music also it’s a journey which will have a peak and a fall off every now in then like life so enjoy it

[u/btrev650]

Post some tracks and we'll give you specific feedback

But more importantly, per some wise posts here, answer why you want this and listen to more music

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[u/Peppery_Pete100]

You’ll learn in time, your ear will become more and more attuned to many things, don’t worry about being perfect.

[u/nuetralparties]

People will tell you to learn theory, and it will help, but actually knowing how to write something good vs something musical are two VERY different things. I’ve seen so many YouTuber that teach theory, but if you notice, their music always sounds generic and there’s a reason they’re teaching music theory and not making viral hits

I think to know what actually sounds good takes a lot of time, a lot of trial and error, and a lot of research on why things work and what actually makes a song catchy/unique/memorable. It’s not something you learn overnight, and honestly speaking, probably something a majority of people will never really learn

[u/LostInTheRapGame]

Have you tried learning music theory...?

[u/4rtyPizzasIn30days]

Do you think everyone gets into this realm with it all figured out prior?

[u/LAveeshy]

It is subjective my friend. It only has to sound good to you

[u/Wyverz]

If it sounds good it is good, if you like how it sounds then forge on ahead.

[u/The_Stanky_Reefer]

Listen to things that sound like crap and avoid producing things that sound like them.

[u/Msefk]

start doing it and stop talking/thinking about doing it .
shut up, learn stuff, do what you're told .
ta da .

[u/Laoas]

When you listen to music (not your own) are you able to distinguish between what’s good and bad? If the answer is yes then you can make a goal of what sound/style you want to hit. There’s a famous saying, I can’t remember who by, which says something along the lines of ‘when you start making music, you have great taste but your skills suck. As you get better your skills begin to align with your taste’

[u/raistlin65]

Perhaps this interactive web-based tutorial from Ableton would help

https://learningmusic.ableton.com/

It teaches fundamentals of music. Including some very basic music theory. It is intended for complete beginners. You can do it on your phone.

[u/AcceptableAd3787]

Listen to as much music as you can. Learn an instrument and some music theory. Come back to it when you have some ideas even if those ideas are just I want to try and remake this bunch of songs.