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So basically, after i get my release sorted for semptember (its my first release), i'm no longer producing hard dubstep/brostep tunes.

I want to experiment with something new, and the idea that its floating around my head is building tracks using a 3/4 time signature. I have no idea if this will work, or even how to go about it really, as ive spent my entire music "career" writing in 4/4.

Does anyone out there know of any other artists who work in 3/4, or even if you've experimented yourselves? Has it worked? Do you have any tips?

In my head the concept sounds solid, but i once thought it would be a good idea to flip the voltage switch on my old PC's power supply (thus giving the pc "more power") only when the PC exploded in my face I realised I'm not one for good ideas.

Safe.

i've never tried it but i'd definitely say go for it!

Would require a lot of skill to mix it in a DJ set though, so if I were you I'd disregard the usual DJ friendly elements of a track (eg 16/32/48 bar intro, you can always tell what's coming next etc.) and use the opportunity to make a weird and unpredictable track

i didnt think about it from a DJ's perspective! i guess it would be relatively hard, unless you do an entire 3/4 set? that would be easy i guess, just need the tunes!

I also have another question if anyone knows. Is there a way to set Fruity Loops' sequencer to 3/4 instead of 4/4, and i dont mean snapping, i mean you know how the colour slightly changes after 4 bars, can i make it change after 3?

cheers

circusjam wrote:i didnt think about it from a DJ's perspective!

Fuck DJs - if they're too pussy to play a track thats a non standard time signature, that's their problem.

Just go for it. Who cares if it isn't in 4/4 like 99% of edm. I'm working on song that's in 7/4. Why? Cause I f@&%ing can and nobody can tell me not to. Experiment.

Much as I'm not a fan of their style, hair rock tossers Rush mess with time signatures massively;



Intro is 4/4 and 3/4 alternating (can be transcribed as 7/4 therefore), verse is 3/4, 3/4, 4/4, 2/4, 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 3/4, 4/4 (3 times). The chorus is 7 times 3/4, 3 times 4/4. RAWK & ROOOOOOOOOOLLLLLL!

@ OP

If You're on a PC, hit f10 and bring up those global settings...I forget exactly which tab it is (probably towards the bottom on the left hand side of said window) but there's an area where you can define the number of beats per measure, which is by default set to 4. Change it too 3.

Sorry I'm at work so I can't be much more specific than that! Good luck with the tunes

Sean Vonzie wrote:If You're on a PC, hit f10 and bring up those global settings..

Assuming you're using FL Studio, of course

dfaultuzr wrote:

First one was really cool, second one is just triplet 4/4 no?

Sean Vonzie wrote:Sorry I'm at work so I can't be much more specific than that! Good luck with the tunes

Me too haha! I normally have speakers on my machine at work but this week and next im acting boss so i have to be pro

@dfaultuzr
@wub
Nice one, ill give a listen when i get home. Cant wait to experiment. I didnt even know things like 7/4 sigs existed, i did music tech at college, and not much theory was involved, which may explain why im terrible at making melodies. I still dont even understand proper chords and stuff so brosteppy stuff suited me perfectly, but IMO its getting bland and boring, and my taste in music is changing drastically.

Sean Vonzie wrote:If You're on a PC, hit f10 and bring up those global settings...I forget exactly which tab it is (probably towards the bottom on the left hand side of said window) but there's an area where you can define the number of beats per measure, which is by default set to 4. Change it too 3.

Sweet mate thanks alot!

Also if anyone else is interested in experimenting with wonky time sigs, let me know im well up for working together on something insane.

peace.

Just came in here to say that the track "Dalek" in your sig is amazing - Extremely well produced. There's a lot of little nuances that set it apart from a large portion of the tracks in that style that I hear..

I think somebody of your talent would do very well from stepping away from that style and venturing a little more experimental

The feel of 3/4 is quite difficult to translate into a sound for harder dancefloor vibes with an urban edge (it's that whole Oom-pa-pa vibe), but making it 6/8 and putting a snare on the 4th gives some interesting results.

There's few people trying out new time signatures with the dubstep sound-pallette at the moment, I've put out some of Hurtdeer's 7/4 tunes on my label (example below) and I've got a couple of other tunes signed up for future releases that are in 6/4 and 6/8

I've not made a 4/4 tune for months, have been all about straight 3/4 skweee-ish bitcrushed hip hop weirdness

It's an acquired taste!

I've always wanted to try a tune in 5/4, but I wanna get the hang of producing regular 4/4 tunes first before i try something more ambiguous.

But I've always like the sound of 5/4 (or is it 4/5?) when I've tried jamming out with it on my guitar.

Not as keen on 3/4 though 7/8 is more my thing.

ComfiStile wrote:before i try something more ambiguous.

ambitious?

ComfiStile wrote: 5/4 (or is it 4/5?)

yeah it's 5/4. 4/5 is impossible

1point5 wrote:

ComfiStile wrote:before i try something more ambiguous.

ambitious?

ComfiStile wrote: 5/4 (or is it 4/5?)

yeah it's 5/4. 4/5 is impossible

Yes, ambitious ^^.

While you are at it, could you tell me what the numbers mean? I know roughly, but is it beats/bars?

Beats and division of bars.

So 5/4 is 5 quarter-note (1/4) beats.

Hence 4/5 being pretty awkward, not sure how to approach 5th notes myself.

ComfiStile wrote: Yes, ambitious ^^.

While you are at it, could you tell me what the numbers mean? I know roughly, but is it beats/bars?

The top number is how many beats in a bar, and can theoretically be any number. The bottom is more of a code number representing the length of each beat.

5/4 means 5 crotchets in a bar; 6/8 means 6 quavers in a bar; 3/2 means 2 minims in a bar; 61/16 means 61 semiquavers in a bar

so basically the bottom number represents how many of that length notes fits into a 4/4 bar, if that makes sense

I get ya. You sortof lost me when you got to the crochets, quavers and minims, but I reread it and understand exactly what you mean.

Cheers for the tips there lawd.