Instrumentation/Arrangement

So I started writing songs this year, and I'm having a hard time getting a full sound. I've seen one or two professional songs in logic, and they oftentimes have 40+ tracks, whereas mine have like 7-15. The only things I really know to include in a song is a baseline, chords, arpeggiation, and a melodic line or two. I know doubling is a major trick, but what other basic things am I missing?

 

I can't figure out how to attach files...everything is greyed out except for zip files, but none of those have been able to load on here.

Are you using all midi stuff?

What things do you record? Vocals? Guitars?

I use a midi keyboard and record vocals, though I'm still getting the hang of that

If I’m recording guitars I double the main guitar track. I will also add a third guitar that is still implying the chords but with a different technique. (If the guitars are strumming I’ll play the same chords higher on the neck and picked etc)

 

I’ll have a main drum part but I’ll have a fair bit of percussion filling it out as well.

 

I’ll put organ or keyboard or string pads under parts to fill things out.

 

Those are a few ideas to start with.

A lot of those 40+ Tracks are usually incidental parts that don’t sit up front in the mix but fill all the ‘empty’ spots

What style of music? Specifically what you might add to fill it out depends on that a lot. For example, 16th note shakers are great for house music but not so much for country.

The track count isn't the critical factor. After all, early Beatles recordings consisted of 4 guys playing together. Between the instruments and the vocals they filled out the frequency spectrum quite nicely.

 

Jim

Awesome. Thanks y'all! Helps me out

One thought is this – try to "listen, critically," to the sound that you've now come up with. When you say that it "isn't a 'full' sound," try to analyze exactly what you mean by this statement.

 

Try to see if you can "put your finger on" what – according to you – would make your song better. With a copy of your project safely squirreled away, experiment to see if your guess was a good one. There really is something to be said for: "Well, what if we now tried this?" Lots of things started out as "happy accidents."

 

Grab a song that you think does have "a full sound," and listen to it carefully several times. There are many things that could be at play here: their use of the frequency spectrum, their use of relative volume ("compression"), things like "EQ" ("frequency-band slotting"), and so on and on and on.

 

I'm also sure that you could post a copy of it here for feedback.