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Thinking about genres before you make a track

When you start up a new track, do you find yourself thinking something like, "Okay, now I am going to produce a trance track (or house track, or techno track)," or do you simply come up with some sounds, rhythms, or melodies and see where they lead you rather than planning out the genre and style conventions before you start?

Actualy lately I do have a rough genre and concept in mind usually.
I started something I've saved as 'poprascal' last night! Mmm - it'sd going to be very cheesey indeed.

Nope

I always just noodle away on the keyboard 'till something I like the sound of comes out.

Then it turns into a tarnce track, almost always!

usually yes, i produce for a label now.

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Originally posted by MSZ usually yes, i produce for a label now.

Why would that affect your outcome?

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Originally posted by MSZ usually yes, i produce for a label now.

I find that comment quite depressing

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Originally posted by Mr.Mystery Why would that affect your outcome?

because the label has a certain vibe/sound to it? although i do stray sometimes. you know this stuff.

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Originally posted by tehlord I find that comment quite depressing

why's that? are you saying that towards me or towards you? im very much in love with the label's sound, so im good.

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Originally posted by MSZ why's that? are you saying that towards me or towards you? im very much in love with the label's sound, so im good.

If you like the labels sound then I suppose it's all good, but the idea that you'd have to write stuff to order would put me off immediately.

Probably why i've never sent anything off to a label

'like' is too small of a word.

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Originally posted by MSZ because the label has a certain vibe/sound to it? although i do stray sometimes. you know this stuff. why's that? are you saying that towards me or towards you? im very much in love with the label's sound, so im good.

This is exactly what's wrong with electronic music today.

sounds like you need a tissue, try not to goo too offtopic here, im sure thats not the problem.

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Originally posted by MSZ 'like' is too small of a word.

Good for you then!

Now, if I found a label that only wanted 140bpm, 5000 note per minute wall of noise Trance i'd be signed as well

Don't think of genres but I do think of BPM quite a bit. Only produce in the 128 to 133 range though. The lower the BPM for me, the more "housier" it becomes with more progression. Higher BPMs have more Trance and Electro elements with bigger breaks and less progressive elements.

I do need to get outside of my BPM box and make some ambient though. Not only do I think it will help me overall as a producer, but I like ambient and have always wanted to produce it.

i think mostly about the vibe i want to create.

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Originally posted by Stephen Wiley I do need to get outside of my BPM box and make some ambient though.

Cool! Ambient is my thing, most days. Feel free to contact me for tips or feedback.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Cool! Ambient is my thing, most days. Feel free to contact me for tips or feedback.

For sure. But you're never on AIM !

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Originally posted by tehlord Nope I always just noodle away on the keyboard 'till something I like the sound of comes out.

Same for me.

When i come to the bassline i decide which direction im going to take the track, and thats like the second thing i put down after the kick.
BPM is the same for every track basically.

Re: Thinking about genres before you make a track

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles ...do you simply come up with some sounds, rhythms, or melodies and see where they lead you rather than planning out the genre and style conventions before you start?

Yes, more or less - every song starts from a melody and chord progression. I'm pretty genre-stupid, so I rarely set out to produce anything in a specific style. Also, I find that the tempo and key of our tracks may range all over the place before they're done, depending on the vibe that the vocals lend to the track.

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Originally posted by Stephen Wiley For sure. But you're never on AIM !

Neither were you, when I just logged on.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Neither were you, when I just logged on.

oh the irony. i'm just laying in bed right now on the laptop while the gf sleeps so no need to have aim open at the time :]

I always have themes and visions before I touch my DAW, so normally I just need to work out what genre(s) would be most appropriate for them. In the end it varies how many genres I implement during different sections of the tune, but lately my tunes have been rather constant visually, so I only need to apply one genre in these cases.

yeah i like to decide before writing the track i may pick on a format i want to work with also then make things as one big lump and map shit out

I don't think about genre for a long time in the production process. I find that if I try to aim for "progressive" or "electro" or whatever, it'll stifle my creativity. I prefer to just develop some kind of progression, see what "vibe" comes out of it, and maybe after sound design somewhere in the midst of composing/arranging I'll attribute a "genre" to it.

I've run into too many situations where I start a project with the intentions of calling it trance, only to quit it because after many hours of sitting in a loop i realize that i couldn't take what ideas I had and mold them into "trance." And, well, we all know how projects like that end up...

I also want to add that whenever I think too much about shaping something to be a specific genre, the more I tend to adopt cliches and tried-and-tested production methods and techniques - the very ones that many people on this forum frown upon. It ends up happening because I think so much about the genre and the "standards" associated with that genre that it makes me forget that good production takes trying new things all the time

I wish I could write in more than one genre. In FL, that is, I have plenty of live music that's different from my electronic stuff but my FL workflow is only helpful for uplifting trance.

Maybe if I got a MIDI keyboard.. I really should get around to buying one of those some day.

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