A lil Sunday tip.

[samurai]

I'm not into melodies so I just don't bother writing them

[alpz]

It all depends on what type of track you're going for. Trance/house it makes tremendous sense to start with the drums as those are a fundamental part of the genre and don't change a whole hell of a lot. Brostep you can probably start anywhere you want to - as far as dubstep goes this style doesn't focus on percussion almost at all. Dungeon can be a mixed bag - are you going for a roller style dungeon track? Heavy percussion/tribal track? Minimal bass driven track? Burial style track?

The main goal heavily dictates where you might want to start, but really you can do any damn thing you want to. I personally always start with a percussion patter, notably the kick and snare/whatever. The tracks that most strike my fancy are the ones where the percussion pulls you along for the ride, has a rhythm that makes you want to move, and percussion has the greatest effect for that. Build a solid percussion track and adapt the sub around it, then adapt the percussion to fit with the sub, etc. It's an ever evolving process, but starting with the elements that produce the greatest effect for the rhythm of a track makes the most sense to me - especially considering how easy it is to program a drum track just to get your ideas out.

[wormcode]

Drums are the driving heartbeat.
Drums drums Drumz!
Our ancestors weren't dancing to pads and vocoded vocals.

But I agree it depends on the style of the tune. If it's something like garage, the things I remember most are the drums. Same with dnb. Starting with another element though is an interesting way to go about it. Often times if you have vocals or a good melody, it's best to start with those and build the drums around it. Starting with just drums can often limit a person when it comes to writing a melody or arranging vocals.

[mikeyp]

also, i personally think it fuels creativity to leave things like drums out til the end. same with sub bass. i think those are the two things of a track that vary the least as far as the sound goes. yeah you can have completely different sounding kicks but they're still kicks.

if you leave them out then you're focused on creating a full track without them but you can still imagine what it will sound like with drums and a sub there.
this way you will really push to make a full track and then when you've got nothing else to add, AND then you add drums and a sub it's just gonna be full of goodness

at least that's the way it is for me

[Gurnumsbug]

I usually just start with a sample that 'inspired' an idea for a track.
From there I find a proper drum sequence to carry it through.

As for those dreaded off days when i'm not inspired(aka most of the time), I will find a tune that I really really enjoy and try to recreate the drum pattern, swing, and sequence.
So if my drums sound familiar, you now know why..

[cmgoodman1226]

Drums are the driving heartbeat.
Drums drums Drumz!
Our ancestors weren't dancing to pads and vocoded vocals.

But I agree it depends on the style of the tune. If it's something like garage, the things I remember most are the drums. Same with dnb. Starting with another element though is an interesting way to go about it. Often times if you have vocals or a good melody, it's best to start with those and build the drums around it. Starting with just drums can often limit a person when it comes to writing a melody or arranging vocals.

For me it's so much easier to formulate a drum part around my bassline. I usually start with the bass, then the drums, then pads and melodies. It's just a lot easier for me to hear what I want the drums to sound like and how I want them to play AFTER I have the bassline down. Every time I've tried to make the drums first I wind up getting stuck. To each their own though obviously.

[efence]

if you write dance music(music people actually dance to and not just nod there heads too)...starting with the drums is almost esstial imo

[wwwmoo]

If i ever start a tune with the drums first, i usually end up going back into them and deleting half of the elements in the loop and readjusting everything anyway so it doesn't really matter if i started with the drums or not. I also find that if you start with drums, I tend to add too much to the loop and make it cluttered and it takes away from the rest of the tune

[outbound]

I have a feeling this post may be going in a different direction to how I imagined... It's cool though

[OfficialDAPT]

I have a feeling this post may be going in a different direction to how I imagined... It's cool though

hugs all around

[mikeyp]

I have a feeling this post may be going in a different direction to how I imagined... It's cool though

a friendly drum/how to start a track debate never hurt anyone.. actually it probably does some good

[Attila]

More in tune with the original spirit of the thread, I've been getting into the habit of writing 5 or so main melodies (in the same key of course) for my tracks before diving into the arrangement. I always end up zoning when I'm in front my piano so it's more out of obsessive necessity than anything, but it keeps things flowing when I'd otherwise get stuck on what the hell to do for a section. I find if I go back and try to rewrite a section after it's already done, that my mind's already too committed to what I originally had, so the process would turn into an agonizing struggle.