Tips on intros?

[Aleksandr]

I can make a FILTHYY bassline, no problem.

What I always have trouble with is the intro, I can't seem to find something that sounds fitting.

I've searched forums high and low, and I've found no advice, so contribute to my knowledge great masters of Dubstep.

[Dreadfunk]

Usually you take bits of melody from your main bit, modify, add some light percussion, and make it into an intro.

[Aleksandr]

I really don't have a melody in this song, it's basically a hard-hitting filthy as used toilet water song.

But in other songs, I've tried that too, but it never ends up working well.

[makemerich]

just imagine pulling a single turd out and throwing it on the floor.

[Dreadfunk]

I really don't have a melody in this song, it's basically a hard-hitting filthy as used toilet water song.

But in other songs, I've tried that too, but it never ends up working well.

Sounds to me like you need to work on your musicality. The intros will be easier after that.

[Aleksandr]

I really don't have a melody in this song, it's basically a hard-hitting filthy as used toilet water song.

But in other songs, I've tried that too, but it never ends up working well.

Sounds to me like you need to work on your musicality. The intros will be easier after that.

My musicality is fine, I can go any other genre with relative ease, but most of my music I usually do is like, jam-packed with emotion, as I try to make the listeners feel the emotions...

With Dubstep however, it's pretty hard because if you go too emotionally deep, it ends up sounding horrible.

[filthy_]

lots of synths and pads playing a beautiful array of minor chords with an arpeggiator thrown on top. record a sample of your drums, chop it up and throw some bits in there.... pause, riser, quote from snatch than the drop for the next 8 minutes.

[bigfootspartan]

I really don't have a melody in this song, it's basically a hard-hitting filthy as used toilet water song.

But in other songs, I've tried that too, but it never ends up working well.

Sounds to me like you need to work on your musicality. The intros will be easier after that.

My musicality is fine, I can go any other genre with relative ease, but most of my music I usually do is like, jam-packed with emotion, as I try to make the listeners feel the emotions...

With Dubstep however, it's pretty hard because if you go too emotionally deep, it ends up sounding horrible.

Kinda OT but:

... I think I understand where you're coming from, but I have to disagree. Yeah there's a lot of brostep with no emotion, then theres some with emotion. I would say I always prefer (and remember) the stuff that has emotion. Sure you can make a banger with no emotion, but once it's played it's played, its just another one of those bangers that gets pulled out as a filler. If it's something that sits with someone emotionally then it'll be something that gets played more often. For example, I find Flux Pavillion's "Haunt You" or "Cracks" to be much more lasting in my memory than something like Borgore. (although to be honest niether of them stick with me as closely as Koan Sound's "Hesitation" or Joker's "Stuck In the System" or Atki2's "Dragonfly", but maybe that's just me).

/end opinion

I also find intros hard. Listen to stuff you like and then try to take elements out of that. Sometimes I'll do the classic "taking bits and pieces from the rest of the track" intro. Other times you can do something completely new. I know quite a bit of brostep now uses the intro/outro as essentially the obvious hook to differentiate the songs (ie. The "flute" song by Datsik and Excision is actually Boom, I don't think theres any flutes in anything other than the intro, but it works).

[Aleksandr]

I really don't have a melody in this song, it's basically a hard-hitting filthy as used toilet water song.

But in other songs, I've tried that too, but it never ends up working well.

Sounds to me like you need to work on your musicality. The intros will be easier after that.

My musicality is fine, I can go any other genre with relative ease, but most of my music I usually do is like, jam-packed with emotion, as I try to make the listeners feel the emotions...

With Dubstep however, it's pretty hard because if you go too emotionally deep, it ends up sounding horrible.

Kinda OT but:

... I think I understand where you're coming from, but I have to disagree. Yeah there's a lot of brostep with no emotion, then theres some with emotion. I would say I always prefer (and remember) the stuff that has emotion. Sure you can make a banger with no emotion, but once it's played it's played, its just another one of those bangers that gets pulled out as a filler. If it's something that sits with someone emotionally then it'll be something that gets played more often. For example, I find Flux Pavillion's "Haunt You" or "Cracks" to be much more lasting in my memory than something like Borgore. (although to be honest niether of them stick with me as closely as Koan Sound's "Hesitation" or Joker's "Stuck In the System" or Atki2's "Dragonfly", but maybe that's just me).

/end opinion

I also find intros hard. Listen to stuff you like and then try to take elements out of that. Sometimes I'll do the classic "taking bits and pieces from the rest of the track" intro. Other times you can do something completely new. I know quite a bit of brostep now uses the intro/outro as essentially the obvious hook to differentiate the songs (ie. The "flute" song by Datsik and Excision is actually Boom, I don't think theres any flutes in anything other than the intro, but it works).

Yeah, I didn't mean dubstep doesn't have emotion, but if you put TOO much emotion in it, it doesn't come out sounding right.

And I've been listening to dubstep pretty much 24/7 recently, and whenever I'll get a melody in my head, I can't put it on paper/notes.

[legend4ry]

It just depends on what vibe you're going for... If you want it DJ friendly or not...


When building your intros - just remember that you're INTRODUCING your track, you want to keep it interesting for the listener (to not make them click off after 30 seconds) but simple enough for DJs to easily mix it..

A lot of intros have no real relationship with the drop.. For example..



But still bare interesting and it just uses percussion from the drop , the lead in the intro doesn't get introduced again throughout the whole track..

Get creative with your intro, it isn't something you just throw together so a DJ can mix it but if you're aiming for the dancefloor don't over complicate it.

[Radiant]

I've encountered similar issues as well, maybe it'd be good practice to start thinking of the intro first as the main part of your production process, see how you can capture emotion while at the same time gradually building up hype.. Usually a drop after that comes easily to me in my mind, because the key and melody have already been established.

Other then that, the already existent music is a good source to see what works for you and what doesn't, but try to keep your own style into it.

PS: Also, if you have trouble writing down your melodies and notes, try recording them vocally on your phone or whatever recorder you have handy.

[stereotactic]

Try starting with the intro before you put any bass down.

I started doing this recently, and have found it a really great way to get the 'vibe' of a tune down. I then start building from there. May not work for everyone, but for me it has really helped 'gel' my tracks.

Have to absolutely 100% disagree with you that emotion doesn't sit well with dubstep. Hell, there are even some disgusting brostep evil bass work outs that start out with beautiful strings, melodies etc, even orchestral scores. It's all about context and working a tune.

The beauty of dubstep is that you can pretty much mould it into whatever shape you want, it is as diverse as genre as there can be.

[Kamex]

Mainily i like to low the levels right down and adding soundscapes and reverb heavy percussion gives it and evil feeling so when it puts power on the drop.... and a pause before always helps

[-[2]DAY_-]

if you put TOO much emotion in it, it doesn't come out sounding right

Sweeping generalizations and utter nonsense. Maybe you're confusing "emotions" with "notes". "Emotion" isn't one thing, or something audible, so how do you measure the amount of it put into a track and gauge how the track sounds based on that shit... good lord.

[ninjadog]

Just throw in some pads and a little percussion, and/or a sample from a movie or a famous speech or something like that.
I usually have some elements from the main part of my song and build up to the drop.

[press]

filter in you bassline slowly.

cut your bassline into little chunks filter some of the highs out and add a delay to it so you have litlle stabby versions of your bassline and throw those in the intro with a simple pad.

take out everyother kick and hat from your beat so its more sparse in the intro.

perhaps us a series of small fx with delays on them instead of a pad or melody.

take a totally cheesy saw pad and add something like camel space or a really advanced filter and add that to it to make it modulate and sound interesting.

use paul stretch to stretch something waaaaay out and find cool sections of that.

sample the pad/atmos from a movie.

shorten your intro to sixteen bars and keep the sub going from the get and program a big build up to your uber filthy bassline and practically ignore the intro all together.

take one of your intros from something youve finished or like in another project/genre bounce it out and timestretch it to fit.

[Debaser1]

Basically, you want to foreshadow what's going to happen later in the track. Hint as to what the main part of the track is like without giving too much away.

If youre making a filth-driven rodent killing mofo of a track then I always think that the more atmospheric and mysterious your intro is, the more face-fucking the drop is. Takes you by surprise then

[PERCEPT]

It just depends on what vibe you're going for... If you want it DJ friendly or not...

We both know about that. 'Percept - Rupture (Legend4ry DJ VIP)"

[Semihedonist]

Vocal / Voice addition is also intresting idea regarding to intros!

[madmeesh]

Why does a song NEED to have a 30 second intro?
If your tune is full-on and has little to no melodic content, why not just start it!?
The whole 50 seconds of ambience before the filthy formant filter explosion is getting so tired anyways..
...Just get to the point... maybe start with 8 bars of everything minus the bass.