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HI! I am actually quite new to creating Dubstep, i have been watching tutorials but I still don't know how to create the sounds i want, and some of them have plugins which i dont have nor just no money to get those plugins, i want to ask you guys, how do you guys get inspiration to create dubstep? Is intro the hardest part to create?? I just don't know how to create a good intro D:

First, don't get disheartened.

There's tonnes of free synths that are awesome:
TAL synths (there's a few)
U-he TyrellN6
Synth 1

All are excellent. Whilst they may have a different layout to some of the ones you've seen on youtube, they basically do the same things. These above are 'subtractive' synths - which is the most common type of synth.

Now go away and youtube the shit out of synthesis for hours and practice for hours, weeks and months.

I bet you'll be better at making intro;s after doing that for bit dude! Good luck

You really don't need expensive plug-in's to create something great. You just need skill/talent. Don't believe me? Check out the "Cool Stuff" folder under "Projects" in FL Studio 11, and look for the "Gimbal & Sinan - Futorial," called "RawFL." That track is insane, and the only synth used to create the bass and most of the SFX was 3xOsc, one of the MOST underrated synths in history.

Learn how to synthesise the sounds you like, then demo some programs that sound like the can give you the sounds that you like.

As for the inspiration ... Just listen to what you like, and think of ways on how you could "improve" on what you hear. From there you just keep on trying to improve ... Oh and be prepared to go for a long time until you get a full song down ... A COUPLE YEARS.

Also the intro isn't the hardest part to create -- the drop is, at least from my perspective.

To get started, just lay down some chords -- easy -- find a melody that goes with that -- semi-difficult -- and then rip out your hair with frustration, because it's not as easy as I make it sound.

It's easy to make, but difficult to make sound GOOD.

But WTF do I know? I haven't even made a dubstep track yet. ;D

Oh, and the easiest way to figure out if this is something like to keep doing, is to read the Synth Secrets articles over at Sound on Sound.

If, and that's a really big if, you can get through that, you'll understand way more about how to create any sound you desire that 97% of n00bs -- TROOF!

But really it only gets interesting from about part 24. Everything before that is extremely in-depth/dull theory, but if you stick with it, it will pay off.

Sample something, make your song a story that evolves as it progresses. Make the intro a natural part of the whole track.

Hello Donald, welcome to DSF!

A great way to learn is simply to listen to other music you like and copy what they have done.

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Common Ways To Start A Tune

You'll notice that some tunes start with a beat, others with an instrument and others still with a voice or FX sample.

You'll notice also that some tunes fade in slowly, others start with a bang.

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Generic 'Build up' Intro

Many tunes don't start with every element of the tune playing at once, each element is brought in one by one to 'build up' the sound. For example, they may start with a pad sound, then bring in the kick drum, then the snare and hi-hats, finally the bass after the drop.

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A Better (But Harder) Way to Build Tunes

Instead of using one instrument set for the whole song, use multiple sets.

So the intro uses a group of sounds which sound cinematic, then the drop uses synths and fx, then the chorus uses another set of sounds again. Through careful arrangement of all the peices, this can sound great as each section is 'full', but the song moves forward by jumping between the soundsets.

See the link to Pendulum - Slam below for an example of this.
Another example is Enter Shakari - Zzzonked - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrDse_2lEDA which switches between rock, hip hop and dubstep throughout.
(There are probably better examples of this, but off the top of my head I can't think of any right now...)

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The Cinematic Approach

Some producers make their songs like films. They have a story in mind and use the kinds of instrumentation and sound effects a person would use when scoring for a film to evoke the thoughts and emotions we might associate with the scene they are trying to create in our minds. For example, instead of using strings for a melody alone, they use strings to evoke different emotions. They use instruments that brings out the vibe or emotion sought.

An incredible use of instruments for emotion and 'painting a picture' is Pendulum - Slam - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0G8nWHXTfw (Great use of strings, choir and horns in particular).

Pendulum again exemplify masterfully demonstrate use of instruments, a voice telling a story and FX samples in 'Masochist' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7MdSlyBnG0.

The strings at the start in this example are used to evoke the soppy emotions of an old love film. The Streets - Dry Your Eyes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHOf3s70w-c.

This is the most interesting approach imo.

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The Hip Hop Approach

Say 'uh' a few times and do a few shout out's before the beat drops and launching into the first verse.

Much overused and completely un-original. Don't do it!

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How To Develop A Good Intro

Listen to other people's intros and note down each individual element they use, from the instruments and sound effects they use to the voices and arrangements.

Once you've got good at deconstructing other people's work, it will be easier to select the right instruments and other elements to build up the types of intros you've got imagined.

Learning is a long process, so don't get demotivated if the first few attempts are sub-par compared to what you're listening to as inspiration.

On a practical note, it helps to have access to a sampler with loads of instrument patches + a pack of random samples + access to Youtube and Films/TV to sample from + a flexible synth for the synth work.

Hope that helps

Patrick

futures_untold wrote:--------------------------------------------
The Hip Hop Approach

Say 'uh' a few times and do a few shout out's before the beat drops and launching into the first verse.

Much overused and completely un-original. Don't do it!

What the hell kinda hip hop you been listening to, son? How the f*ck can that technique be overused, if I ain't never heard anybody start a song like that?

GenericNameHere wrote:

futures_untold wrote:--------------------------------------------
The Hip Hop Approach

Say 'uh' a few times and do a few shout out's before the beat drops and launching into the first verse.

Much overused and completely un-original. Don't do it!

What the hell kinda hip hop you been listening to, son? How the f*ck can that technique be overused, if I ain't never heard anybody start a song like that?

Really??! Just about every wannabe rapper in the UK and half of all big American rappers do it all the time...

Point in case, old song but it starts with an unnecessary 'uh' - DMX - Ruff Ryders' Anthem - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThlhSnRk21E (lol)

Exhibit B - P Diddy - Come With Me - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3-Nw3bEASY

Another example - Dead Prez - Hip Hop - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jNyr6BJZuI

I can't be arsed to track all the examples that exist, because we'd have to catalogue half of all hip hop and grime that ever existed.......



---------------------------------------

EDIT: Okay, I stand corrected, most rappers say 'yeah' more than 'uh', but the effect is the same, it's overused, generic and boring....

50 Cent - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxomGm8OXcc

Fat Joe - Lean Back - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP4j1KyKRjE (Great mix of 'uh' and 'yeah')

Etc etc.....

Uh uh uh uh uh uh check my flow uh uh uh.

Donaldbeebi wrote:HI! I am actually quite new to creating Dubstep, i have been watching tutorials but I still don't know how to create the sounds i want, and some of them have plugins which i dont have nor just no money to get those plugins, i want to ask you guys, how do you guys get inspiration to create dubstep? Is intro the hardest part to create?? I just don't know how to create a good intro D:

First, and most important, get over the fact that your not going to write a good song for a LONG time. Focus more on finishing a track then trying to make a banger.

Second, buy a fucking issue of computer music mag. They have some amazing freeware in there (although there are some duds too). That will give you all the synths and effects you need until you understand what your doing.

No as someone else around here said, gtfo and go google shit.

I find it's helpful when writing DJ/Dance music that will be somewhat formulaic in it's arrangement to build the "fullest" part of the tune first. The part that will contain the most elements playing at once (more or less). I usually make this 64 bars that progresses/changes over time. Then you can build backwards toward an intro and forward toward an outro and mostly what you'll need to do is strip elements away.

I always tell my writing students the hardest way to write an essays is to begin with the first sentence. That's too much pressure. Begin somewhere else!

fragments wrote:I find it's helpful when writing DJ/Dance music that will be somewhat formulaic in it's arrangement to build the "fullest" part of the tune first. The part that will contain the most elements playing at once (more or less). I usually make this 64 bars that progresses/changes over time. Then you can build backwards toward an intro and forward toward an outro and mostly what you'll need to do is strip elements away.

This. The intro and outro are usually the last things that I arrange. Once the rest of the song is in order, I already know what kind of chords, melody, and rhythmic ideas I might want to introduce in the beginning.

Also I think the hardest part of a track to make is the drop, specifically how to make the drop hit harder than the crazy buildup beforehand, that's something I always struggle with.

And finally people can hate on hip-hop for its canned intros, but then people could make similar claims about electronic dance music... "oh really, ur just going to accelerate the kick drum or snare with like a white noise sweep until about a measure before the drop, then insert random vocal sample? Real original huh"

My point is that you can find the cliche parts of any musical genre but they certainly don't define it.

I'd like to think the 90's never existed ... it was just a weird period in general. Looking back at the fashion, music, etc ... it's just like, "What the f*ck were they thinking?" So admittedly, I don't know very much about the hip hop scene from back then; nowadays, guys only say uhh once, if at all, in the intro. But f*ck it ... this is an argument I don't wanna have ... too high to care...

Sorry ... don't know how to dlt posts ... Double post ... phones going nuts...

You really don't need expensive plug-in's to create something great. You just need skill/talent. Don't believe me? Check out the "Cool Stuff" folder under "Projects" in FL Studio 11, and look for the "Gimbal & Sinan - Futorial," called "RawFL." That track is insane, and the only synth used to create the bass and most of the SFX was 3xOsc, one of the MOST underrated synths in history.

Learn how to synthesise the sounds you like, then demo some programs that sound like the can give you the sounds that you like.

As for the inspiration ... Just listen to what you like, and think of ways on how you could "improve" on what you hear. From there you just keep on trying to improve ... Oh and be prepared to go for a long time until you get a full song down ... A COUPLE YEARS.

Also the intro isn't the hardest part to create -- the drop is, at least from my perspective.

To get started, just lay down some chords -- easy -- find a melody that goes with that -- semi-difficult -- and then rip out your hair with frustration, because it's not as easy as I make it sound.

It's easy to make, but difficult to make sound GOOD.

But WTF do I know? I haven't even made a dubstep track yet. ;D

You really don't need expensive plug-in's to create something great. You just need skill/talent. Don't believe me? Check out the "Cool Stuff" folder under "Projects" in FL Studio 11, and look for the "Gimbal & Sinan - Futorial," called "RawFL." That track is insane, and the only synth used to create the bass and most of the SFX was 3xOsc, one of the MOST underrated synths in history.

Learn how to synthesise the sounds you like, then demo some programs that sound like the can give you the sounds that you like.

As for the inspiration ... Just listen to what you like, and think of ways on how you could "improve" on what you hear. From there you just keep on trying to improve ... Oh and be prepared to go for a long time until you get a full song down ... A COUPLE YEARS.

Also the intro isn't the hardest part to create -- the drop is, at least from my perspective.

To get started, just lay down some chords -- easy -- find a melody that goes with that -- semi-difficult -- and then rip out your hair with frustration, because it's not as easy as I make it sound.

It's easy to make, but difficult to make sound GOOD.

But WTF do I know? I haven't even made a dubstep track yet. ;D

^ more like quadruple post m9

fragments wrote:I always tell my writing students the hardest way to write an essays is to begin with the first sentence. That's too much pressure. Begin somewhere else!

I disagree. I have to write an essay start to finish. From the first sentence to the last sentence. Or else it just doesn't work. Same with music. I have all the sounds in ableton's session view that will make up the biggest part of the song before doing anything, but I always lay out the arrangement for the intro first, finish the intro in it's entirety, then move on to the next part. Or else it just doesn't work for me, and I will struggle with that song.

Pad, off beat guitar sample, drums for the 1st 16 bars, drop the drums for 8 bars then do a kick build with a horrible white noise riser, cheesy sample, generic mediocre brostep drop.

I started trying to do other sections first and now I have about 4 decent mid sections with no intros which sucks (track in my sig was one of them, the intro on that is terrible) so it's not for everyone

^ intro sounds fine IMO. If I just heard that song without you saying that, I would NOT have thought "oh he definitely didn't like the intro"