I think most people work the drums first but I still start with my kick/bass line 90% of the time.
Once I get that driving right, it seems everything else falls into place much easier. And if I start with other elements first, I notice if I need to solo the kick/bass line, it can often sound very weak.

And also, when I do this I know basically all my low freq headroom is used, and everything else will need to be low cut. I just prefer working that way, lower frequencies first builds the foundation for me, then leads/percussions usually tops it all off nicely.

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Sequencers: FL Studio 9XXL & Reason 3.
Main Synth Bass GTs - Pro-53, V-Station, Sytrus, Subtractor, Trilian, Blue, Sylenth & Z3ta.
Main Synth Lead/Pad GTs - Z3ta, Sytrus, Sylenth, Vangard, Albino & Nexus.
Main FXs GTs - Waves Plugins, Soundtoys, Volcano, FL Native FX.
Hardware - Truths, Echo Audiofire, Virus Snow, & Novation Xio Midi-Synth.

i do it the same! All answers are appreciated!

I always start with the chord progression I'm going to use in the breakdown/main climax of the song, then develop which chords I want to establish in the build-up. Then I decide what the bassline is going to be based off the chords I'm using and establish percussion/bass and any other background effects and go from there.

I used to write tracks starting with the percussion and bass but I find it easier to write chords and melodies without worrying about anything else in the mix beforehand.

quote:

Originally posted by TXC Hey! i wonder how u guys start up a new project with? Do you layer the drums first? Maybe you design the melody and pads first or what is it u really start upp with?

Are you talking about a session dealing with sound design/ putting sounds together, or a session where you're composing? It sounds odd to me to read "design the melody" - I assume you mean either "compose the melody" or "design the lead sound".

I do most of my composition in separate sessions to production sessions. Composition is about getting catchy progressions and melodies together. Sound design isn't the primary focus during these sessions - the sounds used may bear no relationship to the final set of sounds chosen during the production stage.

In terms of a production session, it varies - yes, many times it's good to start with a solid foundation of kick and bass and build on it. But other times I get inspired by a pad sound, or a lead sound, and build the mix around that, choosing kick and bass sounds which fit the pad/lead, rather than the other way around.

There are many methods. It can be good to try other ways, but if your method is working well for you, stick with it!

okej! There is some interestings thoughts! I personally start upp with kick/ Bass then drums! But i have a lot of projects thats unfinished so i wanted to start a new presidure!

No rules here, but the main melody/hook and chords almost always come long before the drums for me. Personally, I find starting with the drums to be counterintuitive because, for me, it's all about the melody/harmony. Once I've got that going, I can start working on the rhythm/feel/groove.

I start almost everything at the piano or on my bass and I pretty much always start with a melody (yes, I play the melody with my bass because it's my main instrument). I'll often fire up a drum loop to get a groove going, but that's only to keep time and establish a tempo/feel while I'm composing the melody - it's the first thing to get tossed and replaced after I get a melody going. Sometimes I'll have a melody in my head and I'll work out a chord progression for it at the piano. Other times I'll just start playing with different chord progressions and make up melodies as I go along until something sticks. When that's not working, sometimes I'll take a piece of an existing melody or chord progression and start playing with variations of it until I come up with something new.

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I would imagine in the end it doesn't matter as much as we would think.
For instance, the way I start compared to Kysora has its obvious advantages and disadvantages.

Starting with the kick/bassline will get me to the break of a track, but I'm left sorting how the melody is gonna progress, and often times I will give up shortly after the break due to this.

Starting how Kysora starts, you KNOW what you're going to do come break time, or will have a general idea of how the melody is gonna progress, but when I do it that way I find its harder to develop the intro as I have a mentality of "it'll sound better once the melody drops".
And because I work with limited CPU/RAM at the moment, what ever I start first is usually what I wind up overcompensating for resource wise, and it leaves less resources for what I leave for last.

This is a mix I'm working on for the TA album. You'll notice the kick/bass sounds decent, but I'm stuck shortly after the break. I have my basic melody progression, but I have no counter melodies to build up to the main, which is what I'm currently working on now.

You can listen here if you want:
TA Album Demo

___________________
Sequencers: FL Studio 9XXL & Reason 3.
Main Synth Bass GTs - Pro-53, V-Station, Sytrus, Subtractor, Trilian, Blue, Sylenth & Z3ta.
Main Synth Lead/Pad GTs - Z3ta, Sytrus, Sylenth, Vangard, Albino & Nexus.
Main FXs GTs - Waves Plugins, Soundtoys, Volcano, FL Native FX.
Hardware - Truths, Echo Audiofire, Virus Snow, & Novation Xio Midi-Synth.

i find a nice sound to use..

play some notes... try and playing what im thinking..

write it on the roll..

then work from there make the breakdown the main one..

then go back and make the drums. . .

thats how i usually do it

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okej seems that majority starts off with the mleody/ chords/ pad etc! I will try this and see how its going! I hate to have 10 unfinished tracks!

10? i think i have 10.000 unfinished tracks.

hahahaha! You better start producing:P!