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The Creative Process?
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 3:50 am
by Audeka
Just curious as to how you guys go about starting your tracks. What's your train of thought?
Our thought is that we are story tellers. With every EP that we prepare (many unreleased in teh hard drive
), we try and establish a theme that chronologically tells a sequence of events. So our first track might paint a picture of an ancient city, the second might describe a battle or shady circumstance in that city, the third might describe the desolation of the city after the fact, and so on. It seems to make sound design and the process of making a complete track and EP flow smoother; because it allows us to design sounds and undertones that represent the different emotions in the story line. So we tend to gravitate towards a more cinematic and dark sound. What do you guys do?
Eager to hear the different processes!
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 4:08 am
by Ficticious
WEll when dealing with orchestra painting pictures are really important...
For me though I don't really think about telling a story unless it's themed towards one. I just go from emotion of within and make whatever I feel deep inside of myself.
If I'm sad, something sad will emerge
Angry, hardcore
Happy, Chillaxed'
Depressed, deep
Etc. It really just depends, if I'm not feeling anything and try to make a track it doesn't come out right sometimes so I end up trashing it or going back and just taking the sounds I used.
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 4:57 am
by Audeka
Good stuff man. Taking sounds or ideas from old tracks is fun. While you can gain technological knowledge of operating the DAW over time, the creativity was always there. Remaking projects is a perfect example of this me thinks. Pictures is also an idea I haven't thought of, unless you are referring to mental pictures. But looking at pictures in general sounds like a good idea.
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 7:32 am
by wub
Every production session starts off as a jam session. I throw sounds around for a bit, I'll hit upon an 8 bar loop that sounds cool, at which point that'll be developed into a track.
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 12:07 pm
by DubMikey
wub wrote:Every production session starts off as a jam session. I throw sounds around for a bit, I'll hit upon an 8 bar loop that sounds cool, at which point that'll be developed into a track.
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 12:28 pm
by daeMTHAFKNkim
DubMikey wrote:wub wrote:Every production session starts off as a jam session. I throw sounds around for a bit, I'll hit upon an 8 bar loop that sounds cool, at which point that'll be developed into a track.
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 12:47 pm
by legskeattch
Nothing to add to the conversation, but I want to say that Audeka, the track in your signature is beasty!
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 1:53 pm
by Audeka
wub wrote:Every production session starts off as a jam session. I throw sounds around for a bit, I'll hit upon an 8 bar loop that sounds cool, at which point that'll be developed into a track.
100% here. It's always cool to look back upon the creation of a track and realize that most of the time, it's all built off of an intricate loop of audio.
legskeattch wrote:Nothing to add to the conversation, but I want to say that Audeka, the track in your signature is beasty!
Thanks for checking it out man!
I guess the reason I am asking this question is because of how I view certain types of music. For instance, 128bpm music, for the most part is meant to make people dance. With that in mind, it almost seems like something that would limit somebody's expression of thought. How much generic brostep do you hear now? Or complextro? where it seems as if sounds are thrown together without consideration of carrying out a rhythm or progression. Making music almost becomes more of a technical process at this point; as if the structure and mood is already predetermined. This music is necessary for people who want to dance, rage, whatever.
However, I value music that creates powerful imagery in my mind, and I respect artists who can take an emotion, word, or idea and recreate it with music. Guys like Teknian, Koven, Asa, Anders Trentemoller, Boards of Canada, and Murocf. Not only do these guys have distinct sounds, but they also possess the ability to create powerful vibes, whether it be deep/emotional, pensive, suspensful, etc... Their expressions can be seen very clearly, and its just awesome to listen to
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 8:59 pm
by 3za
1. Take drugs
2. Make tunes
3. Release tunes
4. Make moneys
5. Take drugs
6. Bang hooker
7. Take drugs
8. Bang hookers
9. Take drugs
10. Bang hookers
11. Run low on moneys
12. Do it all agains
So a third of the time i'm taking drugs.
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 4:37 am
by Egan
For me, simply listening to artists who I would like to sound similar to and consciously searching for inspiration has become such a large part of my creative process.
Being patient is also a huge part. Idea's just don't come in a split second, even when I'm not working on a song ideas from the songs I looked to be inspired by are brewing in my subconscious (that isn't an assumption, that's actually how ideas work lol). I also have learned when I should just take a break when ideas just aren't coming regardless of how badly I want to make music. Before long I can come back to my work and just spew ideas onto my computer, it's great haha. It might sound sort of like the product of this method of coming up with ideas might be that the stuff I make sounds ripped off, but it really ends up sounding exactly how I want it to and it sounds unique.
Learning how to become inspired has become a really interesting experience for me.
Then again, you might be more successful in using a completely different method, but I recommend that you take the things I said into consideration. I'm just more efficient in coming up with ideas when I do stuff this way.
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 7:17 am
by bkwsk
Egan wrote:¡I also have learned when I should just take a break when ideas just aren't coming regardless of how badly I want to make music.
Great piece of advice here.
edit: yay! 100th post!
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 10:40 am
by MAIKI
I usually start with the most important part, the chorus.
then I just build my track around it. I feel if I start the best part of the song first, that part is already out of the way, you know?
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 12:44 pm
by WinyatezBreakz
Drums and keys, as above and bit of jamming.
Then a spark may happen, sometimes quickly & sometimes you have to force a little.
You know when it is going good when it happens quickly and effortlessly, and it starts going off.
It helps a lot if you know in your mind what you want aswell before really starting.
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 12:58 pm
by ehbes
load a kit, bang out a drum loop, quantize a bit, volume automation, make pad to go with drums, find sample, add sub, then see what else it needs
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 1:53 pm
by MAIKI
WinyatezBreakz wrote:Drums and keys, as above and bit of jamming.
Then a spark may happen, sometimes quickly & sometimes you have to force a little.
You know when it is going good when it happens quickly and effortlessly, and it starts going off.
It helps a lot if you know in your mind what you want aswell before really starting.
exactly!
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 4:53 pm
by Audeka
MAIKI wrote:I usually start with the most important part, the chorus.
then I just build my track around it. I feel if I start the best part of the song first, that part is already out of the way, you know?
This is 100% man. It can work in different ways, but most of the time, this is a very good way to start.
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 9:24 am
by Ficticious
hmm well if we are talking about starting a tune.. I start with a kick-clap-kick-clap...and just take it from there by putting in different samples/different drum things from my thingiers;'...Eq'ing those and hmm hmm yes yes..creating those amazing loops that will mesmerize me into amazingly finishing a track from one and then become something shitty, because I still suck. But in other news at one point when I actually become good, that will most likely never change.
Also I was referring to mental imagery, but yes pictures and paintings irl are also quite inspirational as well.
And of course collaborations will help the mind grow. Or a crew you can just work with and learn together with.
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 10:11 pm
by JockMCPlop
Usually my tune will start with some sort of vocal sample.
The reason for this is that i base most of my songs off a single image that i have in my head. My latest tune was based off a single line of the song i was remixing: 'I will never forget you.'
The image this brought to me was of a woman with very sad eyes, staring at a man walking off into the distance. I then colour the image in with sounds (if that makes any sense), until i have one perfectly formed, detailed image.
All this probably sounds very pretentious to most people, but upon reflection it is always how i have made music.
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:07 am
by Audeka
JockMCPlop wrote:Usually my tune will start with some sort of vocal sample.
The reason for this is that i base most of my songs off a single image that i have in my head. My latest tune was based off a single line of the song i was remixing: 'I will never forget you.'
The image this brought to me was of a woman with very sad eyes, staring at a man walking off into the distance. I then colour the image in with sounds (if that makes any sense), until i have one perfectly formed, detailed image.
All this probably sounds very pretentious to most people, but upon reflection it is always how i have made music.
This is awesome. It sounds like a great way of capturing sounds that represent the image.
Re: The Creative Process?
Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 5:19 pm
by Egan
bkwsk wrote:Egan wrote:¡I also have learned when I should just take a break when ideas just aren't coming regardless of how badly I want to make music.
Great piece of advice here.
edit: yay! 100th post!
Haha thanks. It's good to know that I'm not the only one who thinks I sort of know what I'm doing/talking about.