how do you build up tunes?

Neff · Post by **Neff** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 2:53 pm

just wondering how other people get there stuff down and in what order

like do you make sure that you have the drums down and everything sorted on them? you know EQ, compression effects whatever or do you go about just getting the general idea down and comeback to the eqing and stuff later?

or is it a case of being different with every tune, with whatever inspires you at the time

i genrally star with the drums not sure why just seems like the logical place to star for me really it being the foundation and all that

JFK · Post by **JFK** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 2:56 pm

Normally drums -> FX -> Bass -> Mixdown -> Spliff

Job done

legend4ry · Post by **legend4ry** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 2:57 pm

Pads/Atmosphere > Melody > Bass > Drums.

Mix as I go along.

Neff · Post by **Neff** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:00 pm

yeah always mix as you go it seems wierd not sorting out the gain structure as you go :S

JFK · Post by **JFK** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:03 pm

legend4ry wrote:Pads/Atmosphere > Melody > Bass > Drums.

Mix as I go along.

You do drums last bruv? Interesting....

Sometimes I start with the melody but nearly always start with the drums.

legend4ry · Post by **legend4ry** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:06 pm

Sometimes mixing at the end is nice, spesh when you're on a roll and just wanna get the tune down.. Ive had times where ive completely sequenced a tune in 20 minutes, without realizing, everything is only coming out of the master channel - nothings in a insert or whatever and its sounded fine, bar not having any reverb or w/e .. Sometimes mixing as you go along kills the vibe and makes the track to ... technical.

And yeah - I do my drums last, I am most confident at building drums - I think I get them right 95% of the time so I do them last as I know what the groove will be, its constantly circling my from the moment I lay down pads so theres no reason to rush out and wack them down...

I find it awfully uninspiring to lay down some drums - THEN try and work everything else out I just end up doing "3 note tracks" as I call them.

wub · Post by **wub** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:07 pm

Go through my sample library and play around with different sounds until I get something vaguely musical that I can listen to a 16 bar loop of for hours at a time without getting bored.
Add drums/bass to fill in the tune around the sample.
Do a rough arrangement of the tune.
Add transition elements (white noise sweeps etc).
Bounce out a rough version and go listen to it on my lounge system and have a smoke.
Make notes on what works, doesn't work, needs to be louder etc.
Return to computer and make changes.
Rinse and repeat.

JFK · Post by **JFK** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:16 pm

wub wrote:

Go through my sample library and play around with different sounds until I get something vaguely musical that I can listen to a 16 bar loop of for hours at a time without getting bored.

Add drums/bass to fill in the tune around the sample.

Do a rough arrangement of the tune.

Add transition elements (white noise sweeps etc).

Bounce out a rough version and go listen to it on my lounge system and have a smoke.

Make notes on what works, doesn't work, needs to be louder etc.

Return to computer and make changes.

Rinse and repeat.

I know this isnt the time or the place to bring this up Wub but each time I read one of your posts I feel like we are meant to be together.

Strange..................

legend4ry · Post by **legend4ry** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:17 pm

I have noticed the bromance between you two in the office thread haha

Neff · Post by **Neff** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:18 pm

Pedro Sánchez · Post by **Pedro Sánchez** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:27 pm

Bromance blossoming?

kaiori breathe · Post by **kaiori breathe** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:31 pm

chords -> bass line -> melody -> drums

wub · Post by **wub** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:41 pm

Well, shucks

With regards to my workflow, I think I picked it up after reading a BMT rant a few years back about sampling and how it's a lost art. I've got a stack of old 60s/70s funk records that I generally pillage for beats and samples; another one of the benefits of having Audacity installed on my work computer is that I can put together sample packs at work that are ready to play wih as soon as I get home.

filthy_ · Post by **filthy_** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 7:29 pm

i put down what im feeling. if im feeling drums, i start with that. but, since im a drummer and writing that type of stuff comes naturally to me, i try to put down basses, synths, etc. first. ya feel me?

th@-pu$$y · Post by **th@-pu$$y** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 12:49 am

JFK wrote:Normally drums -> FX -> Bass -> Mixdown -> Spliff

Job done

^This^

ketamine · Post by **ketamine** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 3:43 am

kaiori breathe wrote:chords -> bass line -> melody -> drums

Nothing to add to this thread: your sig had the most interesting wav form I’ve seen in a long time. LOL HAD to listen to it. Sounds beautiful.

cloak and dagger · Post by **cloak and dagger** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 4:10 am

I always start with drums, as the groove is the most important thing to me; the melody should always be based around that.

I find mixing as you go along is the only way; the more loose ends you leave, the more of a pain it becomes when you have to come back to it.

I still have the first project I started when I switched to Cubase (and VSTs)...I know when I finish it, it will be a fantastic tune, but everything needs to be re-EQed, I need to re-route a bunch of stuff, and I need to add/tweak a bunch of effects. Every time I go back to it, it's a massive pain in the ass, feels like work (instead of fun), and I get barely anything done. It's a terrible way to work, and there's a possibility that tune never gets finished for that reason alone

ninjadog · Post by **ninjadog** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 4:31 am

It really depends for me but most of the time I start with drums...something I'm trying to stop doing. I find it way easier to place the kicks when there is a melody to accentuate, otherwise I usually end up with the same old dry beat. But I find it mega hard to start with a melody or bassline that has more than 2 notes, maybe because I have no idea about scales and chords n shit. But those 2 note basslines really do get my head nodding.

As far as drums go tho I try to make each drum track sound good on it's own, like the high hats should get my head bobbin, same with the kicks + snare ect, obviously the percussion should be grooving.

What really gets my mind going to finish a tune tho is to think of a theme or a story so the song has a beginning middle and end . Sometime a simple question answer senario will do. Sometimes I find a good sample that gets a theme going and it builds around that. Sometimes randomized notes will spark something.
I always think the problems will be solved by the end of this joint/bowl, but then I play with verbs and delays till I get bored.

ogunslinger · Post by **ogunslinger** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 4:31 am

I build my tunes like my legos

1 brick at a time

ninjadog · Post by **ninjadog** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 4:48 am

ogunslinger wrote:I build my tunes like my legos

1 brick at a time

I like it

how do you build up tunes?

how do you build up tunes?

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