My music sounds unprofessional
 

I'm a 16 year old male singer and I want create an ep, or album.
I've got some problems, I only have a Samson mini mic and audacity
and I don't have money for music softwares rn so I been using free beats that people make on YouTube, the problems is Everytime I record over them is sounds super unprofessional and it doesn't mix with the music, and their good beats but their not really the sound that I want. I want to make music similar to Lana Del Rey, James Blake, Lorde, Jack Garret, Halsey, Marian Hill, Sza, Troye Sivan, FKA Twigs, and especially Sevdaliza. I want to make elegant sounding pop music that's has like a little bit of experimental indie sound in the mix. Someone please help me do this on the cheap. And I also want to add small little 3D audio sounds in my music to give it a flare when you listen to it with headphones.
Any help is appreciated honestly, it would mean the world to me

Thank You��
Last edited by vluis99; Today at 01:40 PM.

Step one will be to use a real DAW with real features.

Go download REAPER - it has a free 60 day trial, but you can keep using it after that period, you just have to deal with a nag screen.

Secondly, you'll need more VSTs than come with the DAW - there's hundreds out there for free on google, some better than others, but all of this is pointless unless you're using a better DAW than audacity.

Yeah, you need a decent DAW, which you can get for free or for cheap. You could also go the workstation route and/or get a budget outboard multitrack. The latter is going to cost you some money, and really good software is going to cost you some money, too. If it's something you really care about, get at least a part time job to earn some money for this stuff.

Aside from this, a few things are important:

(1) Don't expect your music to sound just like Lana Del Rey etc. That sort of stuff is created using top of the line gear, with extremely experienced producers, musicians, etc. If just anyone could pick up just any gear and sound more or less just like that, then why in the world would folks spend millions of dollars to build recording studios, hire the best producers and musicians, etc.?

(2) That doesn't mean you can't make worthwhile music with what you can afford and your present skill level. But shoot for sounding uniquely like you. Don't try to sound just like someone else. Be influenced by others, but do your own thing.

(3) It's important to be able to create your own music from scratch. Don't use others "beats." Learn how to create basic drum and bass and rhythm parts, learn the basics of harmony and creating melodies and how to build up parts into a song. This is much easier in the completely diy field if you can play at least some basic keyboard, which is why the workstation route isn't a bad idea (you can get workstations with line inputs for mics, guitars, etc.).

(4) Don't be impatient. You'll keep building your skills up if you keep at it. Just create what you can now, focusing on doing your own thing, and gradually your capabilities will improve and you'll acquire new gear/software to expand the possibilities of your sonic palette, too.

If it's Indie, then you're doing it right. ;)

It is really hard to say something without hearing your music. Maybe a compressor (plugin) helps, its job is to reduce the differences in loudness (say while singing softly in comparison to energetically) while preserving the sound.

Ah yes, use multiple tracks. Are your voice and the rhythm of the beat in sync? If not, you may have to reduce or correct your recording latency.

Another thought: How do the Youtube tracks enter the mix? Over your microphone?