Random Production Tips Thread™

[didi]

important to have good communication w/ ur M.E.

[NinjaEdit]

I was thinking that one way of looking of things is that the drums and sub are the bits you dance to and the shit over top is what you listen to. Just one perspective.

[donpablo]

One thing i love to do with fl studio,is open a slicer,load a break or whatever,copy it,then load another sample into the same slicer channel,and paste.I do it several times untill i get something nice sounding.
Especially this works well while producing techno
You can get random interesting results here.

[wub]

One thing i love to do with fl studio,is open a slicer,load a break or whatever,copy it,then load another sample into the same slicer channel,and paste.I do it several times untill i get something nice sounding.
Especially this works well while producing techno

So you're overwriting the sample each time or just having multiple breaks in a single instance of slicer?

[donpablo]

What i need from the first sample is just a sequence of these seperate chops.I copy the sequence crl+v ,then load another sample in the same channel,or in another channel (no big deal) the slicer slices it,but then i paste the sequence i copied,earlier,so i get nice random shiet there.

Edit: Depends on the workflow,and type of music youre making ofcourse,but im sure some people will find this method usefull hehe.

[wub]

What i need from the first sample is just a sequence of these seperate chops.I copy the sequence crl+v ,then load another sample in the same channel,or in another channel (no big deal) the slicer slices it,but then i paste the sequence i copied,earlier,so i get nice random shiet there.

Edit: Depends on the workflow,and type of music youre making ofcourse,but im sure some people will find this method usefull hehe.

Ok, following you now

[donpablo]

Yeah,another tip i use alot is:

I make 4 or 8 bar loop of the main theme of a tune,i make it as full as i can (bassline,synths,percussions etc etc )
Maybe add a few variations of synths etc (i mute some of the channels,so it dont soundc like chaos)
Then,i clone the pattern,and use split by channel function.(Arrow next to to pattern name)
What this does,is that i get all my sounds in the different patterns.
Basicaly i use this method for creating intros.
Trying various combinations of the sounds i have,and doing the right arrangement,
Once im done with the intro,i continue with main theme variations,and build the track forward.
Only thing is that you better name all the sounds correctly,so it will be easier to arrange )

[didi]

to become a master, u must first become a student

[societyloser1]

http://macfreedom.com/
Works like a charm. I think some people can benefit from this! (I do!)

[ehbes]

http://macfreedom.com/
Works like a charm. I think some people can benefit from this! (I do!)

theres a free version called stay focused

[Add9]

Pro tip for anyone who has Sound shifter from Waves... take a bassline and pitch shift it up a few semitones with a different plugin, then shift it back down with Sound shifter. Your bassline will contain the same notes but will suddenly have a metallic edge to it due to the pitch shifting algorithm... found this out completely by accident but it could be useful if you have the plugin!

Edit - you can probably get a similar effect with very small-window FFT processing as well, but I haven't tried that yet.

[didi]

take ur favourite tracks from your favourite producers and analyse them to death

analyse the song structure the arrangement the drum programming etc.

then compare it to ur tracks

[nameless133]

I think most of you know this one:
Use mono samples to avoid phase problems. If the sample is stereo, make it mono like leaving only one channel.

[didi]

if you want to write something minimal/raw don't simply write a basic arrangement with minimal elements

over-write. piece together a full arrangement and then strip back as much as you can while still keeping the soul

space>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[ehbes]

if you want to write something minimal/raw don't simply write a basic arrangement with minimal elements

over-write. piece together a full arrangement and then strip back as much as you can while still keeping the soul

space>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

i saw a pinch interview a while back and he said this is his method. big ups

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

^thats a good way to do stuff!

[karmacazee]

This is a great little tip I'm summarising from an amazing tutorial I just paid for. Sorry for the comparative longness of the post, but it's really worth posting this as I think it'll inspire a lot of you. I might re-write it and make it a topic itself....

Create real time sequenced beats and effects from one single musical audio sample like so:

Find or record a nice loop with an instrument that has a good attack on it, like guitar, piano, clav, plucky bassline, etc.

Set up a return track (or a bus, or a sends, whatever it's called in your DAW) and if you can, set it to pre-fade. Send the audio of your chosen loop to it.

To create some hi hats, for example, stick a decent filter on the return track and high pass it to hi hat territory. If it's a fairly low frequency sound you're using, like a bassline, use a pitch shifter or freq shifter on the return track to shift it up an octave or two.

Next insert a transient exciter, maybe even some subtle distortion/saturation in order to add even more high end frees.

Now insert a short gate to get the sound to the desired hi hat length. You may need to compress or add some gain at this point, and add more transient excitement with distortion or eq, depending on the sound you're using.

Now, to make the pattern differ from the original sample, simply stick a 100% wet delay on the return track with very short or zero feedback and adjust the delay times.

To get more complicated patterns, raise the feedback on the delay and use a fast delay time, and use a step/trance gate and draw in your pattern of choice and clean up the chaos a bit.


Then create a new pre fade return, send the original track to that, and start again. This time though, bandpass the mid range and try and make a snare-like sound. Pitch shift, distort, excite, compress and accordingly.

To make a kick, make a new return, send the original track to it again and low pass filter it, pitch shift down, gate, compress, add noise etc.

Voila! You now have a real time rhythmic accompaniment to a single musical sample that reacts to the source material and creates it's own differences in timbre and dynamics. You can play in sounds live, switch the source material and the chain will react to it in pleasing ways.

Set up some MIDI controllers for the levels of the return tracks and you can start building an arrangement by fading in the different parts. Also, because we set the returns to PRE-FADE, we can turn down the original track and the rhythmic elements will continue to play.

Add some more midi control to adjust some of the effects too. Really opens up a lot of possibilities for experimentation.

It's really important to choose a source sound that has good attacks, and isn't too 'samey'.

I also really recommend getting a good trance gate for this effect to work properly in order to create differing rhythms from the original sample.

Can be used for DJ'ing too if you have a decent fx setup.

Also, the reverse can be done. i.e. you can create melodic drones and pads using percussion, with reverbs, pitch shifters and resonators.

Have fun

[NinjaEdit]

Slow the tempo down while working, especially when programming beats.

Mix at a low volume.

[outbound]

Slow the tempo down while working, especially when programming beats.

Mix at a low volume.

I like it, also handy for reverse engineering other tracks and figuring out how they work at slower tempos