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Ponemax
tranceaddict



Registered: Feb 2010
Location: Houston, USA
How to keep the loops interesting...

We all know that much of our favorite music is very much made of repetitive loops, so my question is: how do you keep the music interesting and dynamic? When I listen to a trance track I hear the same loops, yes, but I always notice things that I have to listen hard to notice.

I always think its things like phase shifts, slightly modifying drum patterns, volumes, and filters and I toy with this too but it isn't good enough. Can anyone help give me insight into this so I can create more interesting tracks?

Thank you!
Lester

Old Post Sep-21-2011 05:08  United States
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sako487
Supreme tranceaddict



Registered: May 2009
Location:

modify it even more and add your own percs too

could also be that your other elements are repetitive which makes your percussion sound loopy


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Old Post Sep-21-2011 06:12  United States
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Ponemax
tranceaddict



Registered: Feb 2010
Location: Houston, USA

Oops, I responded to the wrong post.

Yeah, I am not good with drums. Any suggestions on how to get better?

Old Post Sep-21-2011 06:29  United States
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pointPi
Supreme tranceaddict



Registered: Apr 2010
Location: In big trouble


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Old Post Sep-21-2011 07:36  Sweden
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itsamemario
Divine Angel



Registered: Jun 2001
Location: Mushroom Kingdom

variation


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Old Post Sep-21-2011 11:33  Norway
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DJInfinity
Junior tranceaddict



Registered: Sep 2011
Location: Minneapolis, USA

Well the way I see it, a lot of trance is very formulaic. This is speaking of course, moreso of uplifting trance on the 90s, which is what I know and love.
The first minute or so should be spent on simply drums & bass. You'll notice most songs start this way. Kick+bass for 8-16 beats, then adding in the clap, snare, hi-hat, ride, or whatever you choose to put in next. That part is up to you.
Then you sort of have what I call the buildup pattern, where more sounds come in and play a short loop until the breakdown. This also typically goes for around a minute or so.
After that comes the pad...let it loop 2-4 times, and then bring in the lead over the pad. I generally do this by starting the lead at low cutoff and letting it rise. After that, you bring in the drums & bass again. Add some new sounds into the drums if you want a little more energetic feel. Let the lead play out for another minute or so, and then transition back into the "buildup pattern." Let this go for the same amount of time and then transition back into the main lead for another minute. After that, switch back to the singular bass pattern you had in the beginning and every 8-16 beats, take out 1-2 of the drum components. Your song should be around 7 minutes...the typical length of a trance song; and you *probably* don't want a loop to carry on for more than a minute or so. Sorry if I didn't make this as clear as I could have...I'm not very technical, and I've learned just about everything on my own, so I'm not quite sure how to explain these things. ;P
Cheers, - Infinity

Old Post Sep-21-2011 12:02  United States
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cl0ckw3rk
Senior tranceaddict



Registered: Dec 2006
Location: Houston, Texas

Here's a couple ideas for adding depth to a loop/sample.

First of all, start by putting a backbeat (4 on 4 kick will do) just so you have something to nod your head to.

Next, throw the loop on top. Does it sound kinda cool? Like it's almost there but needs some work? Great!

If it's a little off, or could use a little variation...try to chop it up a little and stretch pieces of it in your timeline window. Play around with different edits...beat repeating a couple chunks, maybe time-stretching, and even possibly rearranging the hits. You never know what you'll get until you start messing with it. Once you get something cool...

Now it's time to add some "depth," even though there is little concrete meaning to that word in a musical context. Duplicate that track and add your fav effects processor on the dupe. Make the craziest effect you think works with the loop. It could just be a whole crapload of reverb. Maybe it's some distortion. Maybe it's a little of everything Your choice. The point is, your duplicate should be quite heavily effected.

Now layer both the original part and the effected part until you have something you cream your pants over. Maybe have the FX part play the original loop without any cuts/edits and then your NOFX part will play the chopped up part.

This is just food for thought, and is by no means any kind of secret. Many producers might consider it rubbish advice. I don't care. It's a way to get you exploring the possibilities is all.

Cheers


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Old Post Sep-21-2011 18:31  United States
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cryophonik
Boom shanka



Registered: Jan 2008
Location: Elk Grove, CA USA

Coincidentally, LinPlug (developer of Albino 3, RMV, etc.) just released a new plugin this week called Relectro that is designed largely for processing and mangling percussion loops. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks interesting and the demos really make it sound like a good tool to have for getting more interest out of your percussion.

http://www.linplug.com/Instruments/...ro/relectro.htm


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Old Post Sep-21-2011 18:57  United States
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Ponemax
tranceaddict



Registered: Feb 2010
Location: Houston, USA

Wow, all awesome replies.

Old Post Sep-21-2011 19:42  United States
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ReclusNdangrmnt
Platipus Addict



Registered: Jan 2008
Location: SoCal

Might get a little flak but you can sidechain some loops to the kick, it can change the feel and rhythm slightly.


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Old Post Sep-21-2011 21:00  United States
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Magnus
I'm getting old



Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Seattle, WA

quote:
Originally posted by ReclusNdangrmnt
Might get a little flak but you can sidechain some loops to the kick, it can change the feel and rhythm slightly.


Why would you get flak for this? This is an excellent technique and can produce some very interesting results.


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Old Post Sep-21-2011 23:23 
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Nicolas Oliver
Supreme tranceaddict



Registered: Jul 2006
Location:

quote:
Originally posted by pointPi


Yep, this is a great feature of Live which allows for improvisation with loops.

Old Post Sep-22-2011 00:59 
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TranceAddict Forums > DJing / Production / Promotion > Production Studio > How to keep the loops interesting...
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