Realistic piano melodies?

[Bendelsohn]

Any advice on making melodies that don't sound like they came from a VST? I'm still pretty much in the dark about most of the intermediate-advanced aspects of this sort of thing, so any kind of help would be appreciated.
What I currently use for piano is CVpiano, since it was the best free one I could find.

[Raddons]

Velocity velocity velocity. Seriously, adjust your velocities.

Also adjust notes so they don't fall 100% on beat and so they don't take 100% of the specified note value. It gives it that "human" touch.

[Magnitude Zero]

Velocity velocity velocity. Seriously, adjust your velocities.

Also adjust notes so they don't fall 100% on beat and so they don't take 100% of the specified note value. It gives it that "human" touch.

Alternatively, play it.

[Raddons]

Velocity velocity velocity. Seriously, adjust your velocities.

Also adjust notes so they don't fall 100% on beat and so they don't take 100% of the specified note value. It gives it that "human" touch.

Alternatively, play it.

Not all of us are that gifted

[Motivfs]

[XXDarkShadow79XX]

I was gonna link to that! I hate you forever now.

But seriously, follow what this tut says. It has some neat-o stuff in there.

[Nine Volt]

I guess I'm not the only one who knows about Beats4Beets...

[Motivfs]

I was gonna link to that! I hate you forever now.

But seriously, follow what this tut says. It has some neat-o stuff in there.

<3

[Lavender_Harmony]

A tip picked up from our WoodenToaster. What he did for the beginning of Nightmare Night was subtly automate the tempo to slow down and speed up throughout, which gave the illusion of it being actually performed. I've used it for brainstorming ideas for the piano melody in this but ultimately I performed it myself.

[Magnitude Zero]

brainstorming ideas for the piano melody in this

I love that fic.

I'd like to expand on what I said earlier in the thread. There's no better way to make your piano melodies sound like they're being played than by playing them. If you don't have the skill to, then I highly recommend that you practice until you do. It really makes a difference in your music, and in the longrun it's much easier than going through and painstakingly editing each note. I'm not in any way what you would call a good pianist, but over the past few months I've been practicing a bit, and now I'm at the point where I can play some simple melodies in my songs. Nothing too fancy, but it does make a bigger impact and really helps drive home the feels that I desperately try to convey in my music.

If acquiring a keyboard/recording equipment is a problem (and trust me, I know that feel ), then listen to the other people in this thread because that's some sound advice. The tempo automation in particular is something I'd like to try.

[Stars In Autumn]

A tip picked up from our WoodenToaster. What he did for the beginning of Nightmare Night was subtly automate the tempo to slow down and speed up throughout, which gave the illusion of it being actually performed. I've used it for brainstorming ideas for the piano melody in this but ultimately I performed it myself.

Buh, I thought he performed that live. Saying that, I've done some stuff the same way, automating the tempo to be slower near the end of a section and slightly being faster at the start of a new section.