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How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 6:54 am
by Mike145
Hey, i just have this song im working on up to just before the drop and im having some trouble on it. I was just wondering what your guys method for writing your drops are? Do you write them in midi or audio... a combination of both? I keep going back and forth between the 2, writing out some midi notes, or resampling some audio, but its not really coming so far. So ya any tips would be appreciated
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:28 am
by lowpass
I'd imagine it varies between a lot of people here,
I use a combination of both myself, so using midi instruments so that I can change melodies and audio choppage for when I really wanna fuck things up
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:35 am
by jrisreal
bring the volume levels down and cut out some instruments before the drop and then blast it back up when it hits, it makes it more intense.... i dont know if this answers your question though
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:26 am
by staticcast
i answered this question a while back on another forum
http://www.mnml.nl/phpBB2/viewtopic.php ... 48񔼬
It's all about the break. You want it to be an even multiple of 16 bars long, ideally 32, or even better, 64. Obviously you don't want the kick running through it, but you do want some kind of gnarly synth. Put a LPF on said gnarly synth with a low cutoff. With these basic ingredients, here's the recipe for tension:
- After 8 bars bring in some percussion and start raising the filter cutoff
- After another 8 bars bring in some hihats
- After another 8 bars put some delay on the gnarly synth
- keep bringing up the filter
- After another 8 bars start playing 16th notes on a snare
- make those louder and louder
- keep bringing up the filter
- keep bringing up the filter
- make the snare roll louder
- keep bringing up the filter
- put some more delay on the GNARLY SYNTH
- bring in some spaceman noises
- bring in the handclaps on 2 and 4
- (your audience should have their hands in the air by now)
- bring up the filter EVEN MORE (it should be at about 30kHz by now)
- make everything louder
- put MAXIMUM DELAY ON THE GNARLY SYNTH
- put MAXIMUM FILTER ON THE GNARLY SYNTH
- put MAXIMUM EVERYTHING ON THE GNARLY SYNTH
- PUT MAXIMUM EVERYTHING ON EVERYTHING
- MAKE THE SNARE PLAY 32ND NOTES INSTEAD OF 16TH NOTES
- NOW 64TH NOTES
- NOW 128TH NOTES!
- MAXIMUM EVERYTHING!
- ARGAGRGHGRHRGHRGHRGHGG
By this point your audience should have worked themselves into such an orgy of tension that all you need to do is just bring the kick drum in and play some white noise, and they'll practically explode in a mess of aural pleasure. Job done. Trust me, this is how all the pros do it.
ps. basically, the higher you raise the filter, the more tense it will be
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 12:20 pm
by Debaser1
Rusko says he always increased the level by 2db or so when it drops.
There's another thread on this anyway, just search it. 3 or 4 pages of stuff about the drop.
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:57 am
by Okota
- bring up the filter EVEN MORE (it should be at about 30kHz by now)
50k for maximum tension... the dogs inside the place will be going nuts
Rusko says he always increased the level by 2dB or so
Rusko has spoken. problem solved.
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 2:17 am
by kaiori breathe
Write your drop before you write your intro = never have progression problems again.
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 6:03 pm
by Debaser1
kaiori breathe wrote:Write your drop before you write your intro = never have progression problems again.
Top tip!
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 10:28 pm
by hifi
I usually start with the drop of a tune then move into the intro. just makes things quicker for me
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 11:07 pm
by B-Frank
The only thing that needs to be said about drops is that the key to it is what I'd call "controlled contrast". The power of a drop is contrast... But if you don't control it and keep both sides of the tune familiar the chances are, your drop will be as useful as a cock flavoured lollypop.
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 4:03 am
by elendarsilvermoon
Depends on what I'm doing with the song, laziness, etc...If I'm not feeling the whole writing the drop thing, I'll slap stutter edit or some other glitch plugin on the master track and just play around with that on my midi keyboard. Destroying everything and then coming back and hitting the listener in the face is quick and simple. If I'm feeling less compositionally lazy, I'll throw together something orchestral or melodic to bring the listener in then hit with whatever ammo I've got waiting for the rest of the track.
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 4:09 am
by deadly_habit
mainly i write my drumsfirst
then bassline
then comeup with an intro that makes it seemepic or coherent
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 4:35 am
by thefrim
deadly habit wrote:mainly i write my drumsfirst
then bassline
then comeup with an intro that makes it seemepic or coherent
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 12:20 pm
by Cubicle
I tend to not write drops that seem logical.
Meaning I won't write drops that people will go like "OH OH HERE IT COMES".
I try make it blend making people go like "Oh, amazing, the drop is there I didn't expect that, this guy must be a genious, this is extraordinary, out of this world and yet so appealingly good, he's my new hero."
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:03 am
by Filthzilla
kaiori breathe wrote:Write your drop before you write your intro = never have progression problems again.
YES.
This is it, I always struggle with that... but now I do all my drops first.
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:53 pm
by KrucialDubstep_
kaiori breathe wrote:Write your drop before you write your intro = never have progression problems again.
Haha yes! that's what i do.. having a drop already there really helps you think of what to put behind it. mind you sometimes i do like to do an intro first, depending on how im feeling lol!
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 7:41 am
by 5qu1dfacekilla
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 7:45 am
by legend4ry
I write my intros first so the progression is more natural and keeps the flow of the track more..
It usually starts as an complete instrumentation for the complete track (pads, melodies, atmosphere, bass) then I put in drums once I am happy with the musical things.
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 12:16 pm
by RandoRando
I always find myself making intros first than having trouble writing the drop, or at least adding the wobbles for the drop
Re: How do you guys write your drops?
Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 12:18 pm
by jaimelee
My method is usually, making all the main sounds for each section first.
Creating a structure, then add in effects and fillers/risers etc.