What bar do you start on? And why?

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Chi-Individual
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16 Jul 2021

I’ve been using Reason as my sole DAW since V2 and I’ve always started my songs in bar 1. I’ve recently noticed on the YouTube vids I watch that a lot of people start on bar 2.

Which do you start on? And is there a method to the madness that I’m missing?

PhillipOrdonez
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16 Jul 2021

Bar 1 forever. I think those that start on bar 2 either: don't know how to set up a precount roll, or have a sort of special intro like a pickup line that starts before the bar. In which case I would make the entire song from the one and work on the intro at the end and shift everything forward 😂

WarStar
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16 Jul 2021

I use the sequencer kinda like a scratch pad more or less.. I usually start on bar 24.. I can still use groove mixer because the anchor point is still on the one essentially.. I could be wrong but that's what I've been doing.. I do it this way so I can work out some intro ideas in the front if necessary.. ill do the same on the back end to for chorus or bridge or just switching up the main verse parts.. so more or less I start with a verse part and work on 8bars then I'll copy that and paste in 8bars after that to work out some ideas for chorus or bridge or switch up the verse part I've already written.. and usually I'll start to figure out some kind of intro and then paste that in the empty bars on the front end.. it's just something I've gotten used to doing .. works ok for me lol

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joeyluck
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16 Jul 2021

Streaming players like souncloud tend to chop off the beginning, so while I write begining at the top of bar 1, I shift everything over before I export. Would be handy if Reason had an option on export to add x amount of silence at the top...

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Emian
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16 Jul 2021

i usually start at the closest bar to my house for a quick warm-up drink to get me started for the rest of the day.


"i might be established, but i'll never be establishement "
- Dave Clarke -www.soundcloud.com/emian

Chi-Individual
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17 Jul 2021

joeyluck wrote:
16 Jul 2021
Streaming players like souncloud tend to chop off the beginning, so while I write begining at the top of bar 1, I shift everything over before I export. Would be handy if Reason had an option on export to add x amount of silence at the top...
That I did not know. Makes sense now since you do it to preserve the beginning.

rorystorm
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17 Jul 2021

I always start on bar 2 as sometimes if you start at bar one the final exported file starts with a click. Plus I like the little moment of silence. Plus its what I'm used to

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MrFigg
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17 Jul 2021

I start invariably at the start but I’m thinking of moving to bar one so I can get in a Ramones “one chew free foah!!!” or a ba ba bub a dum drum intro.
🗲 2ॐ ᛉ

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gullum
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17 Jul 2021

Emian wrote:
16 Jul 2021
i usually start at the closest bar to my house for a quick warm-up drink to get me started for the rest of the day.
yes it 1. or 2. for me too but we only have 2 bars in my town sometimes at the end of the night I'm confused to if I'M in bar 1 or 2

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MrFigg
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17 Jul 2021

gullum wrote:
17 Jul 2021
Emian wrote:
16 Jul 2021
i usually start at the closest bar to my house for a quick warm-up drink to get me started for the rest of the day.
yes it 1. or 2. for me too but we only have 2 bars in my town sometimes at the end of the night I'm confused to if I'M in bar 1 or 2
If you’re that wasted then you deserve to get barred.
🗲 2ॐ ᛉ

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DaveyG
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17 Jul 2021

Measure 5 for me, in any DAW. I often edit or extend the intro later in the process so it's nice having a bit of room to do it. It's easy to shove stuff around but I've usually got markers and an arranger track so it's easier to have a long intro section that include with 4 silent measures from the beginning.

PhillipOrdonez
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17 Jul 2021

Joey, that's something you do in mastering. You shift the song a bit in there and that does the trick. I like using the 17, 33, 49, 65 as guides. I know 33 bars at the tempos I work at is about a minute which is information I use during the arrangement. If I started on a different bar it would make everything more complicated and also think of groove anchors and then it will be a huge mess... No, start on the one, bounce your mix, master on a fresh project and shift it there a bit. Presto. 👍

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Billy+
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17 Jul 2021

joeyluck wrote:
16 Jul 2021
Streaming players like souncloud tend to chop off the beginning, so while I write begining at the top of bar 1, I shift everything over before I export. Would be handy if Reason had an option on export to add x amount of silence at the top...
Exactly the same with me :thumbs_up:

Once I'm ready for export I select all and move everything over 1/2 bar minimum more normally full bar and full bar past silence at the end...

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motuscott
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17 Jul 2021

Emian wrote:
16 Jul 2021
i usually start at the closest bar to my house for a quick warm-up drink to get me started for the rest of the day.
Ba doom
tish....
Who’s using the royal plural now baby? 🧂

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orthodox
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17 Jul 2021

Mostly on the first one, but sometimes I use bar 4. Because of the groove mixer, which can eat the first beat, and because I like a progression to start at a number divisible by 4.

avasopht
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17 Jul 2021

9

WarStar
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17 Jul 2021

orthodox wrote:
17 Jul 2021
Mostly on the first one, but sometimes I use bar 4. Because of the groove mixer, which can eat the first beat, and because I like a progression to start at a number divisible by 4.
Exactly... Divisions of 4 for Grove mixer for me too...

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Billy+
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17 Jul 2021

orthodox wrote:
17 Jul 2021
Mostly on the first one, but sometimes I use bar 4. Because of the groove mixer, which can eat the first beat, and because I like a progression to start at a number divisible by 4.
WarStar wrote:
17 Jul 2021
Exactly... Divisions of 4 for Grove mixer for me too...

Do you ever write the changes to midi from groove mixer?

WarStar
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17 Jul 2021

Billy+ wrote:
17 Jul 2021
orthodox wrote:
17 Jul 2021
Mostly on the first one, but sometimes I use bar 4. Because of the groove mixer, which can eat the first beat, and because I like a progression to start at a number divisible by 4.
WarStar wrote:
17 Jul 2021
Exactly... Divisions of 4 for Grove mixer for me too...

Do you ever write the changes to midi from groove mixer?
Hmmm... Not sure how I would do that lol

The only reason I do divisions of 4 is I read a write up how the MPC swing/groove works and the groove is only applied to the 2 and 4 if I recall so but I'm guessing if I remember that you can change the anchor in groove mix to bar 2 so that could be an option if you choose to start on a bar other than a 4 I guess .. the MPC groove at 51/52 % is perfect for hihats..I usually only use groove on hihats anyhow.. occasionally on snare if the snare is a little more high tempo..

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orthodox
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17 Jul 2021

Billy+ wrote:
17 Jul 2021
Do you ever write the changes to midi from groove mixer?
Never. If I want a freeze, I bounce it to audio.

PhillipOrdonez
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17 Jul 2021

1, 9, 17, 25 or 33.

4? Lol no.

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QVprod
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17 Jul 2021

1 unless the song has a pick up. Reason doesn’t have a start marker so starting anywhere else requires use of the loop markers as a replacement. Also pressing 0 twice to get back to the beginning of the song is nice.

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Billy+
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17 Jul 2021

QVprod wrote:
17 Jul 2021
1 unless the song has a pick up. Reason doesn’t have a start marker so starting anywhere else requires use of the loop markers as a replacement. Also pressing 0 twice to get back to the beginning of the song is nice.
That's why I like having a spear block so I can drag it into position and length for a loop area then press p ;)

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orthodox
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17 Jul 2021

PhillipOrdonez wrote:
17 Jul 2021
1, 9, 17, 25 or 33.
I am a C programmer and I really wish these were referred to as 0, 8, 16, 24, 32. Same goes for beat numbers 1-4, they'd better be 0-3.

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Billy+
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17 Jul 2021

WarStar wrote:
17 Jul 2021

Hmmm... Not sure how I would do that lol
From the instrument track drop down menu that you use to select the channel, once your happy with the groove you can select commit.

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