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Originally posted by LoveHate ..but i dont really have the technical know how...yet..and thats probably the most important thing about making edm.

And that's probably the number one fallacy in EDM and the reason for so many worthless POS EDM tracks. Virtually every amateur producer on the planet gets caught up in this lie, so they focus most of their energy on the technical side and end up with incredibly boring and forgettable songs that go nowhere - polished turds, if you will.

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Originally posted by LoveHate in a club track ? i have alot of ideas..but i dont really have the technical know how...yet..and thats probably the most important thing about making edm. so right now im just trying to focus my attention on all the technical stuff of making edm. rather then spending most of my time making melodys and riffs. and i just wanted to know what are some of the most important technical things i should be learning? stuff like sidechaining etc..

do you have any experience with other instruments? because it does help, it also helps to know how music is composed and written, just a thought.

I would say very important, it really helps for the dynamics of the bass and its also a fairly easy technique to learn.

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i play percussion and the piano..

and do know how to write songs..but ive been told that writing and composing a edm song is the same as any other genre..unless im wrong.

and to the other poster.. i think your totally right. its just with me i have been writing what i think is pretty good songs..its just the technical side for me that im struggling with.. i guess you can say i have the opposite problem .


of course you can have a good song, but what mostly makes a club track is good is the equing, mastering, and all the effects etc.

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Originally posted by LoveHate so right now im just trying to focus my attention on all the technical stuff of making edm. rather then spending most of my time making melodys and riffs.

i think this is the best thing that beginners can realise: it's what definitely picked my game up a lot, along with getting a good soundcard and speakers

as you say, when it comes to edm especially the technical stuff is pretty much the most important i think.. not to say that melody and progression aren't important too, but so much of the stuff in edm is boring crap anyways, what makes a tune stand out is how it's made..

sad fact...

anyways, the best you can do is just keep trying, keep making full, 'finished' tracks that have every element in them, and you just slowly get better, or that's what i did... you'll find learning techniques can be useful, but when it comes to most production techniques they change a lot based on the tune. for sidechaining for example, of course you can learn the technique, but how it's utilised is going to change for every track, and every synth-patch or instrument you use... you really just have to use it and try and learn how it sounds etc..

anyway, i really recomend jumping into a lot of remix competitions. it's an amazing way to learn the technique of production, while not having to worry too much about the melody and things really helped me a lot working on a track that had the most finicky parts (melody, chord progression etc) already finalised...

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i'm sure its important to some producers.

i've yet to use sidechain in any of my productions. the sequencer I use does not pull it off as far as I know.

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commercial and underground electronic music (house/techno/trance/other) will surpass today's hip hop/pop/rock/country in worldwide interest...if it has'nt already.

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Originally posted by EgosXII as you say, when it comes to edm especially the technical stuff is pretty much the most important i think.. not to say that melody and progression aren't important too, but so much of the stuff in edm is boring crap anyways, what makes a tune stand out is how it's made..

First comes the great song. Then the production to bring that song across.

Sure, we producers pay close attention to production values. But do you really think the majority of listeners care as much? If a song has a catchy hook/ melody, which they can hum to themselves, which sticks in their head, are they going to care that the reverb has a little too much high end? Not at all.

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Originally posted by derail First comes the great song. Then the production to bring that song across. Sure, we producers pay close attention to production values. But do you really think the majority of listeners care as much? If a song has a catchy hook/ melody, which they can hum to themselves, which sticks in their head, are they going to care that the reverb has a little too much high end? Not at all.

That doesn't mean that someone can't tell that something produced is of high quality. I hear it from vinyl heads all the time that digital tracks are missing warmth...

Just because someone doesn't know what a compressor is, doesn't mean they are deaf. People can hear when volume levels fluctuate wildly. Did you have to conceptually learn what a low pass filter is before you could hear it's effect? Hopefully not...

Your ears are no different than the listeners ears. So every sonic improvement you hear they will hear whether they are conscious of it or not. Most of the time they won't know what processes have been used, but it doesn't matter because they will be able to hear its effect.

So what if you have a great song? It won't matter anyway if the production isn't of high quality. A hook is great and all, but what does it matter if you can't hear it?

A well produced track where everything is mixed well will always be better than a garbled mess.

What does it matter if you have the Mona Lisa on your living room mantel if you can't see it?

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Originally posted by dj_alfi change your avatar for fucks sake.

Where did I say that production quality isn't important?

I said it wasn't as important as having a great song to start with.

But without a great song, there's no point in having great production.

I have a sign in my studio which has been there for years. It says "First beautiful music. Then incredible production". It serves to remind me that the music always comes first.

But I didn't say the production quality isn't important.

A great song with a few production "flaws" can become a massive hit.

A fantastically produced song which doesn't have a strong new hook, or memorable melody, will not last long in the popular consciousness.

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Originally posted by derail First comes the great song. Then the production to bring that song across. Sure, we producers pay close attention to production values. But do you really think the majority of listeners care as much? If a song has a catchy hook/ melody, which they can hum to themselves, which sticks in their head, are they going to care that the reverb has a little too much high end? Not at all.

it's a chicken and egg situation, and as i said i'm not saying catchiness and melody etc isn't important, but i personally believe that production is crucial in these days in edm.

its' something that really annoys me.

look at the top 10 of any beatport section... it's always some tune that has little or no distinguishing factor in terms of lyrics or melodies, but has cool sounds or is really well made in terms of commercial accesibility (things that have been done to death etc)...

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Originally posted by EgosXII it's a chicken and egg situation, and as i said i'm not saying catchiness and melody etc isn't important, but i personally believe that production is crucial in these days in edm. its' something that really annoys me. look at the top 10 of any beatport section... it's always some tune that has little or no distinguishing factor in terms of lyrics or melodies, but has cool sounds or is really well made in terms of commercial accesibility (things that have been done to death etc)...

I totally see where you're coming from, but don't you think that we who make music should care about the music? Otherwise we become part of the problem, part of the "so much of the stuff in edm is boring crap anyways, what makes a tune stand out is how it's made.."

That sentence made it sound like you're saying to the original poster that "it doesn't matter if your song is boring crap, but make sure you make it sound really great so it stands out". I love fresh hooks and beautiful original melodies, so I don't agree with that sentiment.