Influence/Copying?

[Free2Play]

So I've always wanted to be able to branch out and do far more electronic and not electronic genres than what I already do. But where do you guys draw the line between taking inspiration and going outside your comfort zone, to simply copying what a genre does just to sound like them?

Me personally I always love hearing upbeat summer electronic songs with heavy kicks and good synth programming, or trance songs with ambience and such. But when I try to imitate them usually they only come across halfway like them.

I'm not a huge fan of those youtube tutorials that are like "HOW TO MAKE THE DUBSTEP". It lacks personality and creativity to just attempt to sound like those things. Although I would love to do different styles and draw from different inspirations.

So where does the line lie? Is it okay to adjust your composing and sound to try and imitate a sound you like, or should you just let yourself do whatever and hope to find something you like?

Sorry if this post was real imprecise, but it's a big issue for me wanting to expand my horizons but not lose my own personal sound.

[Free2Play]

At 6/15/15 11:58 AM, dem0lecule wrote: There is nothing wrong with Youtube tutorial. Those videos are for you to learn how to create your own sounds, so that you can learn your own way and explore other possibility, not copying exactly the same thing. People get the wrong idea all the time.

Imitation is part of our learning ability. It is part of human's instinct. There is also nothing wrong with it. 99.9% of all music created today are based on imitation.

Well I guess I should clarify a little with the "HOW TO MAKE DUBSTEP".

There are specific videos that I'm not a fan of that just attempt to make it sound like something, rather than teaching a technique as what it is: a technique.

It can just be a little confusing for me when I'm wondering whether me trying to be like a genre is only constraining what could be a unique sound. Like how a lot of house sticks with one chord for a long time, then change it to great affect later. I would love to utilize that but I almost always gravitate towards a different style of writing.

Is it bad to force yourself to adhere to a slightly different style, or is that really part of expanding your own horizons?

EDIT: Also when I mention techniques I'm referring to how people just show themselves moving knobs randomly but not knowing what they do. Real knowledge is understanding what it does so you can apply new theories to make something new.

[Bartholdi]

You can't copy well unless you have skill to begin with.