Where Do People Start?

[Creativemind]

Hi All!

I'm interested in how people here start an electronic music track.

Would you think about the structure first?
Would you have a melody in your head and that sparks your inspiration?
Do any of you have templates already made?
How important is sound selection in your dance tracks?
Do any of you copy the structure of one of your favourite dance tracks?

Thanks!

[normen]

From inspiration

I don't create much music but I experienced a lot of people creating music. Usually they have something - a lick or melody, a chord or chord progression, an instrument with a distinct sound. Then they analyze it (most recognize quickly "what it is musically") and extend it to a song or piece.

For when theres absolutely no inspiration for ITB projects I myself and many others I saw start with the hi-hat. Once that has something to it the rest of the song just comes (or not )

[aeox]

There are no rules

Could start with melody/chord progression, rhythmic idea, particular synth sound I've been sculpting, drum pattern, etc, etc.
I've copied structures from tracks plenty of times. Sound selection is incredibly important as well. Yes, I personally do use a universal template that contains a basic setup for me to get started quickly.


FWIW, I've never had a melody in my head. For me, melody/chord progression is developed I think it's a misconception that you need to know theory to write music. All you need is a pair of ears and go with what sounds good to you.

[normen]

FWIW, I've never had a melody in my head. For me, melody/chord progression is developed I think it's a misconception that you need to know theory to write music. All you need is a pair of ears and go with what sounds good to you.

Definitely agree on the general notion but if we transfer that to writing then there is a difference between a non-fiction book, a novel, a poem and a comic and all of those require specific skills - not just the ability to read them, right?

[Zac]

It varies a lot for me too. Sometimes i start with a chord progression that sounds good,i.e. with an inspiring sounding instrument. Other times a bass riff or a sound designed drum pattern.

But for me the songs of mine i like best started with a melodic phrase. Quite often a question and answer style melody.

[EnochLight]

Sometimes I'll start out with the tried-and-true "4 chords" approach and put down a melody (YouTube "Axis of Awesome - 4 Four Chord Song (with song titles)" using a simple piano or synth pad to get started. Sometimes I'll start with a bass; sometimes with drums. It just depends on where the muse is coming from for a session.

[strangers]

Most of the time I have a melody or rhythm in my head that I'll build upon. Other times it's a specific sound or beat that gets things moving. I always have a large arsenal of melodies recorded for the days I'm not thrilled with what I started working on.

[aeox]

FWIW, I've never had a melody in my head. For me, melody/chord progression is developed I think it's a misconception that you need to know theory to write music. All you need is a pair of ears and go with what sounds good to you.

Definitely agree on the general notion but if we transfer that to writing then there is a difference between a non-fiction book, a novel, a poem and a comic and all of those require specific skills - not just the ability to read them, right?

I'm not sure that I understand what you mean.

[NekujaK]

I hardly ever create electronic/dance music these days, but back in the day when I did, I usually relied on two methods of starting a track:

- Build the track from the ground up, beginning with a basic beat, next adding bass, and so on...

- Start with a chord progression, then build the rest of the track around it

Of course, there were occasional exceptions, but I used the above about 90% of the time.

For a while, I collaborated with a singer who had a handful of dance hits in the early 1990s. She handled the melodies and lyrics which was very liberating for me because then my primary job was simply to come up with grooves and chord progressions. So I would crank out a bunch of quick demo tracks ahead of time, then she would pick the ones she liked and write to those, and I would develop and finish the tracks.

This process taught me value of compartmentalization (for lack of a better word). What I mean is that it's okay to focus on just one thing at a time and not worry about everything all at once. My usual approach was to maintain a grand vision of the finished track in my head right from the very start, and while this is necessary in certain situations, it also can be overwhelming and creatively paralyzing.. Working with the singer, I discovered it was much more enjoyable, and productive, to just build a track piece by piece, devoting my energy to one part at a time, and not worrying about the rest until later. This lifted a lot of self-imposed pressure, and consequently enabled me to produce more tracks, more enjoyably.

Your mileage may vary...

[normen]

I'm not sure that I understand what you mean.

You can't do every type of music just by ear. Even if you teach yourself to write film music if it's any good you then automatically have an idea of the underlying music theory as well.

[aeox]

You can't do every type of music just by ear.

Any examples?

Even if you teach yourself to write film music if it's any good you then automatically have an idea of the underlying music theory as well.

True! So now that I think about it that way... I do know some music theory! Only, self-taught by observing how the different frequencies interact with each other.

[Runner2x]

It could be a box of chocolates, bouquet of roses, a nice dinner or a movie. Just don't stand there in front of the mirror talking to yourself for too long.

[Zac]

It could be a box of chocolates, bouquet of roses, a nice dinner or a movie. Just don't stand there in front of the mirror talking to yourself for too long.

... whilst listening to your own music and masturbating furiously...

(I do apologise for any offence caused)

[Runner2x]

You can't do every type of music just by ear.

Any examples?

Copying structure is a piece of cake but blending into a given field is more complicated than listening to a few reference tracks. There are thousands of people who listen to techno and still can't figure out how to make a functional low end reverb rumble kick commonly found in techno tracks. Sounds easy right? Kick + reverb? No.

[aeox]

You can't do every type of music just by ear.

Any examples?

Copying structure is a piece of cake but blending into a given field is more complicated than listening to a few reference tracks. There are thousands of people who listen to techno and still can't figure out how to make a functional low end reverb rumble kick commonly found in techno tracks. Sounds easy right? Kick + reverb? No.

I'm not sure how this relates to what we were talking about at all.

[Runner2x]

Copying structure is a piece of cake but blending into a given field is more complicated than listening to a few reference tracks. There are thousands of people who listen to techno and still can't figure out how to make a functional low end reverb rumble kick commonly found in techno tracks. Sounds easy right? Kick + reverb? No.

I'm not sure how this relates to what we were talking about at all.

Normen explicitly says that writing different music requires different skill sets while you claim to rely on reference tracks for skeletal structure. I think you might be confused which is why I said skeletal structure is a cupcake.

[aeox]

I'm not sure how this relates to what we were talking about at all.

Normen explicitly says that writing different music requires different skill sets while you claim to rely on reference tracks for skeletal structure. I think you might be confused which is why I said skeletal structure is a cupcake.

I was referring to melody

[Lempface]

I like to start with a tonality. Recently I've been very intrigued by the sharp 4 (lydian) so trying to incorporate that into tunes in a multitude of ways.

[Runner2x]

I was referring to melody

Mmmm...no you weren't. You referenced structure, sound selection and "universal templates".

Normen said you can't do every music by ear and you blatantly asked for an example.

I decided to chime in with an example and now you're being defensive.

[aeox]

I was referring to melody

Mmmm...no you weren't. You referenced structure, sound selection and "universal templates".

Normen said you can't do every music by ear and you blatantly asked for an example.

I decided to chime in with an example and now you're being defensive.

Well, he replied only to my statement

"FWIW, I've never had a melody in my head. For me, melody/chord progression is developed I think it's a misconception that you need to know theory to write music. All you need is a pair of ears and go with what sounds good to you."

We were talking about melody

[NekujaK]

I'm not sure how this relates to what we were talking about at all.

Normen explicitly says that writing different music requires different skill sets while you claim to rely on reference tracks for skeletal structure. I think you might be confused which is why I said skeletal structure is a cupcake.

Writing and producing are two separate things. You can WRITE any piece of music with just a piano and a tin can. After it's written, PRODUCTION molds it into its final state with full instrumentation, effects, etc.

It's perfectly valid to copy structures from reference tracks to create a composition. How the final piece will sound is a different skill.

[Runner2x]

Well, he replied only to my statement

"FWIW, I've never had a melody in my head. For me, melody/chord progression is developed I think it's a misconception that you need to know theory to write music. All you need is a pair of ears and go with what sounds good to you."

We were talking about melody

Ahhh thanks for the clarification. Perhaps you can write a techno track with an atmospheric diminished fifth sustained in the background. Or will you tell me the pad is out of key.

[Runner2x]

Sorry for being a wise guy. Here are my final answers.

Would you think about the structure first?

Never.

Would you have a melody in your head and that sparks your inspiration?

No. Melody comes with unpredictable energy.

Do any of you have templates already made?

No. I tried and it defies creative freedom.

How important is sound selection in your dance tracks?

Very important. I'm not gonna start playing Rhodes in the middle of a techno track like QV or bust out some guitar progressions like the Darling Killer aka Marco.

Do any of you copy the structure of one of your favourite dance tracks?

It can start that way but not bar for bar through arrangement. As mentioned with templates - it is too restraining.

[PSoames]

FWIW, I've never had a melody in my head. For me, melody/chord progression is developed I think it's a misconception that you need to know theory to write music. All you need is a pair of ears and go with what sounds good to you.

Me neither. I haven't a clue what I'm doing. Often it shows. But the important thing for me is the route - that's the fun, the hobby.

It might start as an eightbar loop of electronic bleeps and whistles but it could end up as a 4 minute cinematic style score.

If I were doing this for a living however, I would be looking to understand a lot more about stuff. Maximising profit vs effort; and of course conforming to market force. Thankfully, I chose a different way to make a living and can explore.

[Ahornberg]

For electronic dance music I use somewhat similar to the workflow in this video by ill.Gates (also check out his amazing time-saving tip starting at 9:32 in this video):

For ambient music I usually grab a sound and smash FX on it and then I improvise while recording the audio output.
In the last 6 months I focused on the ambient genre and I developed a simple technique to change sound and FX parameters while playing. I simply twist knobs on the screen using the mouse. So the other hand can continue on the piano keys. Usually I do an overdub over an improvisation to add melodies and/or soundscapes. On ambient tracks sometimes I play to the metronome click, sometimes I use rhythmic FX for orientation and sometimes I play freely.