Building a song?

[Psychocell]

When building a song, do most people start by building the basic layout they want, then once thats done, then do they start automating parameters, etc?

 

It makes sense, but is that the way it done?

[phobium]

Some people work that way, some people do not. It's a matter of taste and what works best for you. I sometimes start working on an intro, then I develope that into a track, other times I start making a beat and add layers to that, and so on and so on.

 

But in general I find it best to create the foundation of the track first, then start adding various FX/layers and sometimes automation.

[Guest The Journey Man Project]

ignore

Edited February 21, 2006 by The Journey Man

[Kalki]

better don think much about methods. i found it as a waste of time.

if u have a vocal intro in your mind. record it. just put the vocal sample in the biggining. play it. repeat until you get a good beat n bassline which will mach with the vocal intro n its expression in ur head. make it. then the next will automatically come in to your mind. just make it.

[The Magistrate]

well.. i usually start with the bassline kick and percs since i often get a melody that matches the tune better that way!

[Aeros]

It's a matter of taste and what works best for you

Indeed thats exactly what it is. The best advice for making a song is to stop trying to do it and just do it, there is no step-by-step formula and each artists comes up with their own way of doing things.

[Otto Matta]

Songwriting is basically a problem-solving process. Once you create an element, that element essentially creates a series of new problems to solve. Each new problem solved usually opens up new problems to solve, and so on. You know you're done when you've either run out of problems to solve or you figure the remaining problems are negligable. At least that's the way it's always worked for me. The key is to jump in and create that first element, the rest will, with enough fortitude, take care of itself.

[Stalker]

Songwriting is basically a problem-solving process. Once you create an element, that element essentially creates a series of new problems to solve. Each new problem solved usually opens up new problems to solve, and so on. You know you're done when you've either run out of problems to solve or you figure the remaining problems are negligable. At least that's the way it's always worked for me. The key is to jump in and create that first element, the rest will, with enough fortitude, take care of itself.

446394[/snapback]

 

Well said

 

I must add that this process goes for almost every artistic creation in some extension

 

 

The way i create a track is usually this:

 

I first get the idea, obviously.

Only them i start to work on how to get there, but before the first kick i pretty much already knows how the track will be.

 

So, i first writes all the basic percussion of a track in a 32 beat bar. I will add the kick and bass then hats, snare, toms, congos, open hat everything in terms of percussion is pretty much wroted from scrath.

Everything has to be tested together and everything should fits it place without troubling or supresing one from another.

 

That means basically that even if you are not going to put all the percussion elements together to be played on a part of the track. You know that they will work well together. In order you can safely remove/add those very same percussion layers on diferents parts.

 

For example.... the idea is to do something driven energetic, so you have allmost all the perc layers playing together and you want something out and something new to enter. You can do it without with it sound "out of its place". Because every percussion layers has its place. Its up to you (me in this case ) now the decision of wich parts shoud be filled and where

 

After setting up this, i basically go after effects and atmospheres sounds that are related to my original idea. I tweak, twist, test diferent notes,untill i find something i can work with it. I play major atention to this part, mostly i gather new samples, save new pacthes on synths. I prety much have a full day of working only to "gather" just the basic sounds and fx i wanna work with it

After solving that, i go back to the arrange window and starts to sequence the percusion with the new instruments. I try to visualize the "work area".. i create new bars and work with them in the same line i work with percussion

Only after all this i start to really make the track

 

oh...

and about the automation question...i do all the automation later when almost finishing it.... usually

[Otto Matta]

I must add that this process goes for almost every artistic creation in some extension

446415[/snapback]

Very true. That is why I think creators are creators: They love the problem-solving process.

[mind.breeder]

Songwriting is basically a problem-solving process. Once you create an element, that element essentially creates a series of new problems to solve. Each new problem solved usually opens up new problems to solve, and so on. You know you're done when you've either run out of problems to solve or you figure the remaining problems are negligable. At least that's the way it's always worked for me. The key is to jump in and create that first element, the rest will, with enough fortitude, take care of itself.

446394[/snapback]

Nicely said