|
There's actually some good advice in this thread.
Richie's advice is spot on and one of the more fun ways to make a track.
We get too wrapped up in to looking at linear evolutions of a track on a linear sequencer - you end up making everything in blocks and before you know it, you're concentrating on filling layers, rather than workflow or better said, letting the work flow.
Tip #1
Get some 8 bar loops going, add a bunch of layers, do it quick, like you're sketching, until you have a part that drives and would be the peak of your track.
Now, route all your tracks to a sub master (even if you have them in sub groups already).
Record enable that sub master.
now play the peak time part and start breaking down the track from there by muting sections one or two or groups at a time. Fuck with their automation to wind them down.
Within a few attempts (and don't be afraid to back up if you make a mistake and continue from where you left off) you should have something that sound like a good end half of a track.
Now move all those regions, to say the 3 minute mark (or whatever makes sense in terms of bars given your BPM vs time).
Copy the "peak" region to bar 1.
Mute everything, enable record on your sub master, and start solo'ing tracks in sequence while recording it.
Built to that peak part.
Now, edit and arrange your track a little further (but be careful not to kill the spontaneity you might have captured by "over producing" it).
The beauty with doing it this may is that you're working backwards from a set point at which you've already judged happy with; There's no possibility of endlessly adding tracks during the composing part then realizing the track you built from the 4 beat bar is now 122 channels of layers all fighting for attention.
Why does this apply to wanting to make it more minimal in terms of elements? You make the "peak" part as minimal or as busy as you want, but it can't get MORE busy.
Tip #2
Listen to the masters of full, but minimal (in terms of layers) tracks.
Pryda.
I know I've mentioned this a bunch of times before but if you were to deconstruct his tracks in to individual elements, they sound like they just won't work discretely, but together it's a thing of genius. All his tracks consist of simple elements, automated incredibly well that just gel. Try focusing on simple arrangements from simple elements that don't need 1000 embellishments to work.
Dave Clark
Red 3 (1995) is literally 5 elements but that has destroyed more dancefloors than anyone cares to remember.
Rui Da Silva -
Touch Me or Fire. Simple, well layered tracks that rely on simple notes and perfect automation. See Pryda for more details.
|
