Hi so i was really inspired to make lofi music by this game you made here. Obviously you have made some lofi music yourself, so do you have any tips for me? I have taken note of the instruments that you get to use in the game and use that to help me work on music. Thanks for the fun game and i am really excited! Also is the game going to be free when it is fully out?
Hey thank you, that’s great to hear! :)
So I’m not sure at which stage you are at making lo-fi music, but first things first, I think it’s best to start with a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). I have a Mac so I use Garageband. I’ve tried a few other things over the years but that was the easiest for me to use ( it’s free and included with the computer). If you have windows I think Ableton live lite is probably the best option, you can get that for free here :)
If you decide to use Garageband, I found this tutorial video super, super helpful. I used it to help me build my first lo-fi tracks~
After you have a DAW, I would recommend getting a midi controller (basically a mini piano you can plug into your computer). I have this one. I think it's one of the cheapest options. If you want something with a bit more features, I've heard this one is good. Or if you decide to use Ableton, this one is made to work well together with that.
If you don’t have access to a computer, you can use Garageband on iOS. (I haven’t had much experience with that though). I’m not sure there’s a good option for Android yet.
In terms of learning how to make music itself. I'm not sure what the best way of doing that would be. I think probably the best way is to first make a drum beat (try to recreate a similar one to a track you like), they are usually fairly simple to figure out, just listen to where the kick drum, snares and hi-hats appear. Then adding 3 or 4 chords over that (I'd stick to just the white keys to start with) then loop melody ideas over the top with different instruments, again just using the white keys. That is kind of a simplified version of the process I go through.
I would say it helps to listen to what is happening in songs you like, like drum patterns or instrumentation and trying to add these elements to your tracks~ Or maybe even trying to rebuild tracks in order to practice.
I know a lot of people use samples to build beats, I haven't had much experience with that, but that could also be a good way to get started. Also in general there is a lot of good information on youtube, so I'd recommend looking stuff up there frequently.
Hope this is of some help to you :)