how do you write tunes?

youthful_implants · Post by **youthful_implants** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:35 pm

do you have a method? is it just a random throwing down of ideas, or is there a workflow?

do you work solely in midi on instruments, or solely in audio with samples - or a bit of both?

youthful_implants · Post by **youthful_implants** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 5:45 pm

Good response, I would add that silence is a powerful tool in music and should be used to create dramatic effect.

Spherix · Post by **Spherix** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:15 am

nt a bad thread
i often find i have one open vsti after ive built a groove loop or hook, where i play things in over a 16-32 bar loop, stabs, melodies etc, once i find something i like, i immediately bounce that line to a sample and import to a new track, then fiddle with synthesis and make a new sound and do the same, til ive made enough samples to use in various ways
after which i may go and fuck with said samples, processing, stretching, reversing etc to make diff textures
i find this way im not always trying to get random samples to fit the key of my tune, 'coz i can play in key and all.

Smile on Impact · Post by **Smile on Impact** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:53 pm

this is how it works for me (or at least the good songs anyway)

* Wake up in the morning with a song in my head (generally when i have a hangover)
* Mull it over for a few days / Weeks
* Sit down at piano / computer and work the fucka out.

a1studmuffin · Post by **a1studmuffin** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:50 am

I usually start out by building up a few 1/2/4/8 bar loops, beginning with the percussion and bass, since that's the main groove I tend to focus on in my tracks. I'll try and come up with a "hook" early on and then when I'm happy with a section, I'll try making a few other sections that complement it. Once I reckon I've got enough ideas together I'll have a quick go at tweaking the mix, then start fleshing it out into an arrangement. This involves turning various sounds on/off and seeing what works together, finding the best way to build up a section etc. A lot of sounds get dropped at this point or moved around into something completely different. I usually start with the busiest part of the track (in "full chorus" if you will) and work my way back through the various other sections. Then it's a matter of finding a way to stitch all the sections together into a coherent song structure. (Being a DJ and understanding how dance tracks build/tear down comes in handy for that.) The DJ intros/outros come last. Once all that's done, I'll scrub every track in the project with any necessary EQ/stereo/dynamics attention to get it all nice and tight, then bounce it out as an unmastered WAV and as a limited WAV (a very rough master) for testing it out in the clubs.

Post by **JAMESSSS** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:01 pm

In the club, bottle full of bud, Mama I got that X, if you into takin' drugs.

tbh

Post by **fooishbar** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 1:55 pm

i don't

tbh

Post by **JAMESSSS** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:26 pm

Don't you think you should try though? For the thread's sake.

Your input is most valued.

Blaxter · Post by **Blaxter** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:33 pm

I use to get smashed and hope for the best.
Trying a new approach to songwriting, will let you know how it goes.

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:48 pm

Blaxter wrote:get smashed and hope for the best.

best answer... this is my approach to life in general

youthful_implants · Post by **youthful_implants** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:08 pm

Nice to read how different people do things.

I have fairly recently given up on starting with the bassline or a loop and started writing the tune from the intro and improvising as I go - its heaps quicker and I dont get so bored of listening to the same thing over and over again.

I mix as I go as well, so I'll mix the drums down in various permutations to audio, same with the bass and then manipulate them from there, I just used to keep fucking around with the mix too much and these days its easier to get the spectral balance right from the beginning.

unsoundbwoy · Post by **unsoundbwoy** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:38 pm

make some synth patches
cut a few samples
write some bits around a guide break or a hiphop/dancehall phrase
alter the synths
create submixes, build up proper reverbs, delays, some parallel limiting etc
write longer bass and synth lines
create a song structure
work in a vocal or not
chop the breaks
do some basic filtering
chop the breaks some more
write some more parts to fill up the spectrum a bit
chop some more
work on the mix some more
fuck with the melody
play with filters some more
work on the mix, check it elsewhere
bounce stems for live, a pre-master and do up my own master to hand out

OR i find a sound/vocal that i want to write a track around and then it just kinda happens for me

Amick · Post by **Amick** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:09 pm

write hook, program drums over and over.

save, then move onto next idea.

completed tunes = 2

ideas for tunes = 1,766,876 and counting...

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 10:14 am

Amick wrote:write hook, program drums over and over.

save, then move onto next idea.

completed tunes = 2

ideas for tunes = 1,766,876 and counting...

Gold.

Seconded.

youthful_implants · Post by **youthful_implants** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 12:33 am

unsoundbwoy wrote:make some synth patches
cut a few samples
write some bits around a guide break or a hiphop/dancehall phrase
alter the synths
create submixes, build up proper reverbs, delays, some parallel limiting etc
write longer bass and synth lines
create a song structure
work in a vocal or not
chop the breaks
do some basic filtering
chop the breaks some more
write some more parts to fill up the spectrum a bit
chop some more
work on the mix some more
fuck with the melody
play with filters some more
work on the mix, check it elsewhere
bounce stems for live, a pre-master and do up my own master to hand out

OR i find a sound/vocal that i want to write a track around and then it just kinda happens for me

^^ I like this

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:00 am

youthful_implants · Post by **youthful_implants** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:12 pm

deviant wrote:

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:18 pm

I have no idea what that image actually is... It's blocked from my work lol

youthful_implants · Post by **youthful_implants** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:19 pm

What image? The one I posted? Tis a sad face.

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:26 pm

nah, the one I posted... huhu, I thought (wrongly, obviously) that it was nic's boucing thumbsup.

Blaxter · Post by **Blaxter** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:53 pm

You're doing it wrong Dan.

unsoundbwoy · Post by **unsoundbwoy** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 3:48 pm

lucky, i was gonna get offended at the thumbs down

youthful_implants · Post by **youthful_implants** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 4:10 pm

Blaxter wrote:You're doing it wrong Dan.

^^this tbh.

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:10 pm

lol

woops

spin · Post by **spin** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 5:21 pm

i cobble together a beat, find hooky samples, add synth, render synths patterns, flesh out tune, hack away excess, and hope theres somthing that resembles a song at the end.

nude.

Kaiproject · Post by **Kaiproject** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 12:07 am

youthful_implants wrote:Nice to read how different people do things.

I have fairly recently given up on starting with the bassline or a loop and started writing the tune from the intro and improvising as I go - its heaps quicker and I dont get so bored of listening to the same thing over and over again.

I mix as I go as well, so I'll mix the drums down in various permutations to audio, same with the bass and then manipulate them from there, I just used to keep fucking around with the mix too much and these days its easier to get the spectral balance right from the beginning.

havent been writing srsly for long but...
i like starting it from the start also, altho the way butter said is also good in abletron (loops with bassline/hook focus, make it busier, then start building up in session). definitely mix; eq/compression as i go to know i'm heading somewhat in the right direction

hmm, what ever happened to arlo's idea of an MBC remix collective?
would be cool to swap remix parts etc.
or even a thread to list remix comps/deadlines that are out there on the internets would be handy....im terrible at finding them, i just tend to stumble across them, usually after the submission deadline is already over

Blaxter · Post by **Blaxter** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:02 am

Remix this.

spiral · Post by **spiral** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:53 am

most of time sequence stuff on hardware - record it down - map it out as track - rerecord hardware to fit way the track has progressed - rework elements - clean up EQs and levels etc

atm working on some ableton tennis, so bounce an ableton project all midi , all using operator and ableton effects so files are tiny and bounce ideas in turns , once ideas get more solid, map out tracks structure then go from there

CoB · Post by **CoB** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:10 pm

i wish i knew

if i knew
i might be able to do it constistantly.

seriously, i have these tunes and i have no idea what happened when i was writing them.
maybe if i was writing one now i would be able to say?

drums normally come first for me.
then.. i open a vst, and play with things until i like
then. i randomly throw down some notes.. until i get some kind of ok rhythm/melody thing happening
then. i ... umm.. *shrugs*
repeat?

EDIT: oh, and all this talk of bouncing things out... you bounce the entire hook? or just one shot?
cos i really don't get that part, and i ruin my machine by running too many vst's at once... too many effects..
everything is bad..

i have thought about doing this before.. but having one 'final mix' file
one 'drums' file, one 'bass' file, etc etc.. for however many parts of the thing i have.. and bouncing them all to put in the final..
but it never happens..

flippo · Post by **flippo** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 12:58 am

good thread, interesting to hear how everyone works differently.

I nearly always start with pads, or pad like sounds. More often than not it's either wavetable or grain synthesis, or sampleing with alot of manipulation/effects.

I usually map out some parameters and effects I like to my knobs and sliders and then start playing around with pitch and texture. When I've got something I like I hit record and basically play through how I'd image the song would go, imagineing drums and progression as I go.

Next step is usually load up battery with sounds I like mapped out to the pad control (or keyboard before that), and just start playing around with rhythyms against the pad. Again, hit record once I've got an idea, although drums take a few takes and redubs. Some sections get left without quantizing or editing (or whole tune in the case of October).
Next usually bass and other synths in similar fashion.

Then I bounce all this to audio stems of each element. Then this usually gets run through rack gear. Pads and crunchy shit goees through harmonic distortion, ride filter and gain knobs to follow progressions etc. Bass through compresser, parallel. Precussion through verb.

Dump audio again, do final effects/reverbs and mixdown, sometimes run whole tune through rack again.

........................................ then crush -15db with Waves L2...........

kidding, although that used to be standard practice hehe.

youthful_implants · Post by **youthful_implants** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:56 pm

Kaiproject wrote:
youthful_implants wrote:Nice to read how different people do things.

I have fairly recently given up on starting with the bassline or a loop and started writing the tune from the intro and improvising as I go - its heaps quicker and I dont get so bored of listening to the same thing over and over again.

I mix as I go as well, so I'll mix the drums down in various permutations to audio, same with the bass and then manipulate them from there, I just used to keep fucking around with the mix too much and these days its easier to get the spectral balance right from the beginning.
havent been writing srsly for long but...
i like starting it from the start also, altho the way butter said is also good in abletron (loops with bassline/hook focus, make it busier, then start building up in session). definitely mix; eq/compression as i go to know i'm heading somewhat in the right direction

hmm, what ever happened to arlo's idea of an MBC remix collective?
would be cool to swap remix parts etc.
or even a thread to list remix comps/deadlines that are out there on the internets would be handy....im terrible at finding them, i just tend to stumble across them, usually after the submission deadline is already over

I am up for collaborating, but not remotely, in person.

konk · Post by **konk** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 5:01 pm

I usually make FX sounds and hits all over the place.. if i discover any cool sounds in a project im working on ill save the preset or export it then save for another song.. I also do make FX and sounds just in one project.

Generally I start with a beat and bass when song writing and work from the ground up slowly adding FX or anything that suits the rhythm.

For mixdowns I mix totally from the beginning. Once i have a song 4mins + I will export a mixdown then bring into a waveeditor, then moch master it to see how the mix sounds behind a limiter

I run a spectral analyzer on my master channel at all times

One thing ive found when i have no inspiration> Do the boring laborious jobs on days im not inpsired. IE cut up 20breaks or write a few bass presets..
I also find copying other artists bass sounds to be quite inspiring within itself as u can discover 20 sounsd on the way to finding theirs

I think preset writing/synth editing is imperative to making your own sound.

Melbourne Beats

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