Dubstepforum.com

Hey all, ive been a member of this forum for a bit, but this is my first post.

I'm just wondering how people come up with ideas for their dubstep songs. I'm originally a guitarist so I play around with some riffs and notate them to midi where I'll automate the lfo from there.

Im new to the whole 'dance' production thing and im just curious as to how others do it is all

Cheers,

I start of with a chord progression then fiddle with the pattern of notes till I find something that sounds good

If you've been a guitarist for a while then you should have the basic components of composition down I wouldn't worry about that too much. The biggest thing when getting into this style of music is to start getting very good at different types of sound design and controlling the audio you work with. You're not gonna be able to get by very long just assigning the LFO if you want to keep progressing.
It's best to look around on different forums and start reading about different productions techniques. When you pick up something that you like and you want to try out maybe start by making a song around that sort of technique. If you do this a few times with different styles then you'll get better at utilizing them where you want.
I've read a few different interviews where artists and other producers have said the best thing to do is just write. Start a song finish it, start another song finish that, and keep going. The first stuff you write is not likely to be your best stuff ever so don't get caught up. Have fun in the creating and doing of the work and eventually it will as the old cliche saying goes "come naturally". I'm guessing you've practiced for hours a day before at the guitar. Now you have to start spending hours a day with your DAW.

I do pretty much the same thing as you OP, except with a piano.

i find some good sounding melodies, make myself a pretty intro, then bro it out.

mongrelbeats wrote:If you've been a guitarist for a while then you should have the basic components of composition down I wouldn't worry about that too much. The biggest thing when getting into this style of music is to start getting very good at different types of sound design and controlling the audio you work with. You're not gonna be able to get by very long just assigning the LFO if you want to keep progressing.
It's best to look around on different forums and start reading about different productions techniques. When you pick up something that you like and you want to try out maybe start by making a song around that sort of technique. If you do this a few times with different styles then you'll get better at utilizing them where you want.
I've read a few different interviews where artists and other producers have said the best thing to do is just write. Start a song finish it, start another song finish that, and keep going. The first stuff you write is not likely to be your best stuff ever so don't get caught up. Have fun in the creating and doing of the work and eventually it will as the old cliche saying goes "come naturally". I'm guessing you've practiced for hours a day before at the guitar. Now you have to start spending hours a day with your DAW.

Thanks man, that's some really good advice. Ive got loads of unfinished song so I should get in the habit of finishing them.

Thanks everyone else for the replies too, it's interesting to know how producers come up with the music

I tend to start off just making a beat then have a play with synths or flick through samples until I hit something that inspires me enough to be able to picture how I want the whole track to sound in my head. I then do my best to recreate whats in my head, it never ends up exactly how I originally imagined mind you

@mongrelbeats That was great I've been struggling so much with this lately, I almost gave up production, but there's just something in me that makes me go on..

I don't even know. I guess I just use the piano roll without jamming at all, but I used to be a guitarist too.

I make sure the next note doesn't sound too happy or I feel like I;ve failed. I wanna just get shit that fits, but not too much.

If it fits too well with the chord progression it just feels uninteresting to me.

It's all about experimentation.