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Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 4:21 pm
by MixTheVision
I'm sitting here trying to start a new song but I am completely blank on how to start or what to write! It's quite frustrating. Where should I begin? I usually start with drums but I want some sort of buildup intro then get into the actual gritty sound.....Any advice??
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 4:26 pm
by Hircine
We can't really give you tips on how to be creative. Taking from the song in your signature I'd say sit down and read about synthesis or the moneyshot thred. Maybe a masterclass? You can learn some interesting stuff and apply it in your tracks.
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 4:27 pm
by Sharmaji
don't start with the drums.
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 4:53 pm
by Towany
open massive and fuck around or any vst or synth for that matter, that always seems to spark somethin for me when i come up with a cool sound!
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 5:40 pm
by MixTheVision
....I'm very creative but I just was sitting here blank minded...Picked up a red bull , we'll see what I can come up with.. Thanks guys
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 5:52 pm
by mthrfnk
MixTheVision wrote:I'm sitting here trying to start a new song but I am completely blank on how to start or what to write! It's quite frustrating. Where should I begin? I usually start with drums but I want some sort of buildup intro then get into the actual gritty sound.....Any advice??
Personally I never start from the drums. I do however like to make the intro and build first.
Normally I either mess with a synth until I create a sound I want to make a melody around or I go through random samples of stuff like beats/speech/riffs listening for something I can extract and expand upon.
If you're really stuck, just spend like half an hour with iTunes on shuffle listening for something you might want to create.
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:05 pm
by Comfi
Watch a masterclass vid on youtube.
I can't get halfway through a masterclass vid without opening my daw and fucking around.
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 8:26 pm
by VirtualMark
Some days i can't think of a thing, other times i get loads of ideas. Its just the way it goes. On my bad days i'll start and scrap about 5 projects, on a good day i'll make a tune.
If you're not feeling inspired, then why not do something music related. Sort your sample library out, read a synth manual, set up your daw's shortcuts, practice keyboard, etc.
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 8:55 pm
by Attila
I usually start with drums, but I've found the best way to get shit going is to learn something-some new technique or sound design-and once I find a cool sound out of invariably doing something wrong, ideas just start coming to me on how to use it. If that doesn't work, I have a torrent of about 2,000,000 midi files, so I'll drag one of those into Ableton and start rearranging one of the melodies until I have something completely different, then cycle presets until something hits me.
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 8:57 pm
by mthrfnk
Attila wrote: I have a torrent of about 2,000,000 midi files
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 9:00 pm
by blinx
Stop thinking about it and just start....?
I usually start at a simple kick....snare.... because its UNBELEIVABLE!!!!!
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 9:21 pm
by ChadDub
Don't force it. Wait 3 days from now and then do it.
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 9:30 pm
by MixTheVision
Here's what I've come up with. It's a very basic structure that I'm going to follow and go with.... The drum's will come in about 3/4 of the way through the song when the melody starts/changes. I'll add some stuff here and there throughout the intro....
Soundcloud
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 8:56 pm
by kreesperez
Sharmaji wrote:don't start with the drums.
why is smart not to start with the drums? in new to this
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:42 pm
by syrup
kreesperez wrote:Sharmaji wrote:don't start with the drums.
why is smart not to start with the drums? in new to this
I find you make melodies/basslines easier without them, when you start with drums you may end up with a nice beat, but can't make a tune around it.
Or at least that's what happens to me
I still start with drums anyway
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:45 pm
by wub
Ok, I'm going to be lazy and just quote myself from a previous topic on this subject so bear with me...
wub wrote:Got my main template already set up with several different buses, routing etc etc. I'll usually start with messing around with something. Whatever that something is changes every time I start. Sometimes a vocal sample, a crazy ass effect I've been working on, some synth patterning with modulation, instrument loop from a dusty old 50s record I've sampled, whatever.
I'll play around with that for a bit, loop different bits, chop it up, add effects, bounce & reimport, create some basic patterns etc, find out what works and what doesn't. Once I've got a nice little pattern looping for about 16 bars or so that won't drive me crazy on listening to it hour after hour, I'll start to construct the tune around it. Place the drums where the sample dictates they should be placed, or apply the bassline so that it evolves organically around the sound.
Generally once I've got that done, will work on tidying up the drum programming a bit more, making a few variations of the patterns, spread them out over the course of the tune. Same with the bassline, add some variations, plenty of automation to give it some movement. The tune programming should be evolving organically at this point, as it becomes apparent when listening where the necessary elements should change or drop in/out of proceedings.
I'll usually add a few bells & whistles at this point, incidental sounds, echoey bits, heavily reverbed hi passed sirens, vocal snippets (nb; I mean spoken word samples in this case, not actual vocals), maybe some white noise sweeps etc etc, extra layer of ambience, stretched our snare sample over 64bars to give some background grit, working it into the arrangement to keep things interesting.
Once I've got a rough arrangement of how the overall tune is going to be, I'll bounce out a rough copy, burn onto CD then go whack it on the main system in my lounge. Get myself a cup of tea, sit down on the sofa with a notebook and listen to the track on repeat. I'll make notes as to what I like/don't like, what needs working on etc, then I'll go back to my studio machine and make the necessary changes.
Then it'll just be a case of doing a basic mastering job (not too fussed about mixdowns, these generally get done as I'm working through the tune), and jobs a good 'un.
Basically, starting with the drums is IMO boring as hell. If I start a tune with drums, the tune will be dictated by those drums and anything I add to it after the fact will be added to and around the drums. FUCK. THAT. I'd much rather get some fun stuff going on, samples/pads/synth loops/melodic bits etc, get them looping the way I like then construct the drums around them.
I never listen to a track for the drums. If I'm trying to tell someone what a tune is like, I won't bang my desk to give an idea of the drum programming. Course not, I'll hum the melody, sing a poor version of the vocal, whatever. The fun bits of the tune, basically. And it's for this reason that I'll start with those bits, as those are the bits I want my tunes to be identified for.
That way I'm changing the emphasis of the track from the drums to the more interesting bit. Like thinking of a tune as a sandwich. The drums are the bread and hey, you can't have a sandwich without bread (this isn't an excuse to correct me on sandwich preparation techniques nor is it an excuse to give examples of great sandwiches that don't involve bread so don't bother), but at the end of the day I'm not eating a sandwich for the bread, I'm eating it for the filling.
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 2:26 am
by MixTheVision
Yeah I find it easier to mess around with some synth layering and then add the drums to that. THEN, it all comes together from there.....
Re: Starting a new Track
Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 2:37 pm
by Killamike49
I usually stretch the fuck outta something till it sounds like cool pad. i then usually follow the tone of the pad and write a few more effects in (dissonant arps if it's a dark song, more pads if it's light) till i can think of a drum loop. i add that, and by then i should be thinking of a killer melody.