Hey guys. Check this out. So over the last few weeks I've been trying to create some new tracks. What I've been doing is creating a basic chord progression and then filling up around it. However, instead of constructing the song out. I've been bulding w/ individual samples that I've created. Kinda like this:



and it sounds like this:

Dubstep by DJRYAN™


So my question is this. All the pieces sound (to my liking) and I want to go back now and build the song. However, I'm not quite sure how to do it. I know it might sound silly. But this is a new methodology for me and making music. Usually I build out. Constructing the song as I go. This time I concentrated on the overall sound and not structure. So I guess what I'm asking for is some help on "structuring" the song now. How best to begin, break it down, build-it-up and make is so the entire song flows?

Any help would be appreciated.

You should turn on blocks mode and copy that pattern to block 1. Then, copy it over to the next block and start making adjustments to one of the parts and see what fits in. Copy that, and make another adjustment. You have 32 blocks to work with.

Also, turn your monitors down and take a break for the night. That mix is ultra shrill.

EDIT: Also, it sounds like you squashed the shit out of the dynamics. Turn the mastering suite off. The ONLY thing I have on is the EQ and the 30Hz cut. Leave the rest of it off until you're finished, then use it sparingingly.

___________________

Now with extra singles!
my old stuff, not quite up to snuff - but I still dig it - UPDATED 9/23/2012

Last edited by EddieZilker on Apr-08-2011 at 01:19

block mode? Do you mean "bars" in the arrangement. Kind of like snap to grid. And then rearrange it? I think I know what your talking about. Its just a matter of organizing the song. Adding in some effects. Buildups. Etc. I think that's my problem. At this point, I normally break out my midi controller, and live mix the track. But what I've noticed, is that going back and modifying the automations I made with my controller is just as daunting as just going ahead and reorganizing the track. I'm also confronted with the beat. I went ahead and copied the pattern to the track. And now I'm task'd with having to get back in there, and delete bits and pieces of the pattern to build the song. Insead of, what I've normally done, and used my midi controller to mute and unmute different pieces of the pattern, to form the structure of the song.

So if I'm understanding you correctly. I'm gonna have to get in rearrange the song.. Got it..

I've produced several tracks in this manner. I usually would get the main part of the track created first - the chorus, if you will. Then after that I began to construct an intro that progressively brings everything in the main melody/chorus and all elements included in it, together. To start I would usually play a the beat, w/o the percussive elements and begin to play very little parts of the main melody, like one chord, then eventually begin to play two chords of the whole melody, until it sounded like it was time to either make a drop and bring everything in full force or just open up the entire melody. Its fucking tricky to get it to work to my liking, but its usually how I end up producing. As the intro progresses and I begin to play more chords of the main melody, I begin to try and subtly bring in other elements, like small portions of the bass line or any other synths that i have playing in the main part of my track. I usually automate some effects in the intro along with all this to really bring the energy of the track to light; like gradually applying more cut off until it gets to the point I Want the chorus to sound like.

This reply doesnt seem to be very clear, I'm sorry if its of no help but thats how I have found things to work, and after I build the intro, I can then more easily add and create brakedowns and bridge certain parts of the track. Blocks for me are a vital in this method; If I dont use them it becomes a HUGE mess.

quote:

Originally posted by DJRYAN™ block mode? Do you mean "bars" in the arrangement. Kind of like snap to grid. And then rearrange it? I think I know what your talking about. Its just a matter of organizing the song. Adding in some effects. Buildups. Etc. I think that's my problem. At this point, I normally break out my midi controller, and live mix the track. But what I've noticed, is that going back and modifying the automations I made with my controller is just as daunting as just going ahead and reorganizing the track. I'm also confronted with the beat. I went ahead and copied the pattern to the track. And now I'm task'd with having to get back in there, and delete bits and pieces of the pattern to build the song. Insead of, what I've normally done, and used my midi controller to mute and unmute different pieces of the pattern, to form the structure of the song. So if I'm understanding you correctly. I'm gonna have to get in rearrange the song.. Got it..

Be sure and check my edit.

And, Yeah. Take your time with it. There's tons of things you can modify from pitch and rhythm to velocity and other things. What I'll do is flip it back into song mode so I can hear the adjustments I've made, in the context of the song. When I was first starting out, pattern shifting and progression sucked, but, like all things, you get better at doing it and then it's one of the easy parts and you're frustrated by the next new mega-whale-turd you have to comprehend.

EDIT: - Not the first, more important edit -

You can still do automation but do that only in song mode. Basically, that will allow you to modify something that's changing on its own and that can really give a track drive.

___________________

Now with extra singles!
my old stuff, not quite up to snuff - but I still dig it - UPDATED 9/23/2012

You hit the nail right on the head when you said "whale turd". I know what I have to do now. Anyone have a blunt?

Here's what I'm talking about. You can even record instrumentation, in song mode, and that'll add a lot of depth.

___________________

Now with extra singles!
my old stuff, not quite up to snuff - but I still dig it - UPDATED 9/23/2012

track arrangement looks good. Wonder what it sounds like =)

how do you like Reason 5 compared to 4?

quote:

Originally posted by DJRYAN™ track arrangement looks good. Wonder what it sounds like =) how do you like Reason 5 compared to 4?

That's only about a third of the arrangement, I think. It sounds kind of like yours, only faster and better.


I was actually using Reason 3 before that, so, just counting Thor, ReGroove, Dr. Octorex and Kong, not to mention the afforementioned new sequencer lay-out, it fucking mega-rocks. I've also noticed that they've made some adjustments to timing accuracy, as when I've imported tracks from Reason into Sonar I used to have to line up the plosives manually. The inaccuracies kind of looked like this:



It pays to have it lined up, perfectly, because it muddles the sound, otherwise.



The last song I was working on, I didn't even notice the muddy sounding drums but I went ahead and checked, as sometimes your ears get sloppy and it didn't need any finessing, whatsoever. It was just lined up, right where it was supposed to be.

___________________

Now with extra singles!
my old stuff, not quite up to snuff - but I still dig it - UPDATED 9/23/2012

Yea, I remember using a couple of programs in the past where I was limited in how close I could get samples together. That picture describes it perfectly. It pays to be able to go in 8th, 32nd, and some cased 64th. =)

quote:

Originally posted by DJRYAN™ Yea, I remember using a couple of programs in the past where I was limited in how close I could get samples together. That picture describes it perfectly. It pays to be able to go in 8th, 32nd, and some cased 64th. =)

You should be able to turn the snap-grid feature off. At least you can in SONAR.

___________________

Now with extra singles!
my old stuff, not quite up to snuff - but I still dig it - UPDATED 9/23/2012

Yea you can turn it off. I actually use it quite frequently. Anyways, So I've been workin on this track for the past couple of hours. I really need some practice in arranging songs. And, my frequencies are probably a bit off. I tried to equalize it as much as possible to keep thinks from bleeding over. But here's what the arrangement looks like now:



and of course here's what it sounds like. ALthough I did tweak some more of the sounds to make it a little more cliean. The last third of the track still needs a little work. But I think I'm moving over to another project now. Been workin on a new dj set and I'm like 8 reocrds in or 45 minutes. But The last big of it still needs some work. So. Take a listen. Also, any advice on fx would be great on this set. Oh! and I definitely want to do more to the basses- except for the main bass. Really the "dubstep-wobble" bass needs a little work. But, I'm not getting it to do anything I want it to using the subtractors. So. I'll save that for another day.

Dubstep3 by DJRYAN?

Still needs a little bit more. But here it is.
Oh and any idea on how to get it to move.. Turn.. uh.. That would be great =)

Oh and this is my favoite tutorial on DubStep.. Uh.. Duh!! Jeez!!

Last edited by DJRYAN™ on Apr-08-2011 at 06:25