FAO Producers

[Phil B]

with now looking at starting to make a tune i was wondering what you start with...

 

do you map out a rough tune then fill in the finer details, start with the riff and build your tune around that, build up drum loops etc

 

i know its going to take alot of effort and time but any advice would be appreciated

 

cheers

 

 

 

[LiamStyles]

Personally I always start with a drum loop and just build and build from there really. But sometimes something will just click and you will get sidetracked. I mean i could be trying to do one thing, but find a sound or sample etc and end up making the riff instead of what i was originally doing.

 

I just find it a good building block to start with the drum loop

[Guest]

i guess it depends on what i listen out for most in tunes.

 

i try and fine tune the bassline and percussion 1st as thats what i listen out for in other tunes.

 

but as most hard trance is less drum/percussion orientated, you may want to start with the breakdown and riffs and then work your way backwards.

[Bushy]

I always start off with the drum loop, then build it from there, like liam said, you can get sidetracked, and end up messing about with something that you didnt really plan.

 

I never sit down and think 'right i want to do this' i sort of let it go with the flow!

 

 

[Ian Cashman]

write a one bar basic drum loop with a basic bassnote)

 

ie (note..these dont quite visullally line up as the should, but you can count the dots)

kick clap hat bass

 

K---K---K---K---

----C-------C---

--H---H---H---H-

--B---B---B---B-

 

choose some good sounds and get the levels right so it thumps along pretty kool.

then copy it into an 8-bar loop and add a lil variation to it

 

ie in the last of the eight bars b4 it loops again try

 

K---K---K---K-K-

----C-------C---

--H---H--HH---H-

--B---B---B---B-

 

i personally write every drum part seperately in its own arrange window box cos it makes things easier visulally when you arrange a tune.

 

Always stick to arranging a tune in blocks of 8 or 16 bars of it wont loop correctly if you lay it against another record

 

1 bar basic loop (no bass note)

Edited April 24, 2004 by Ian Cashman

[Ian Cashman]

eight bar loop (with no bass note and variation)

 

[Ian Cashman]

then once you got a nice 8 bar loop you can get a mina arrangement going and start to drop bits in and out.

 

ive drawn it as simplistically as i can but i think its a pretty good way of showing how to start arranging a tune in an easy way

[Ian Cashman]

once you got a basic arangement going it makes it a lot easier to decide what you want to add to it and where you want your choon to go....

 

hope this helps m8

[Bushy]

top pointers there ian!

 

 

[Phil B]

cheers guys. its mad coz ive spent hours messing around with lots of things but getting nowhere although its been a good way to start to learn my way around the package.

 

thanks for taking the time to do some visuals ian

[Ian Cashman]

no worries m8

[Claire DC]

Hun, speak to me on msn.. have some things to send you for this.

[Jimmy]

im gettin there slowly

[LTM]

There is absolutly no set way to start a tune of anyway. But starting of with a bassline and kick and minimal percussian sequence looped helps. So you can build the strings and synths around that so you can get the levels, eqs, volume etc just right so it sits how you want it to sit over the bass and kick.

[LTM]

And a few percussion hints from me. Obvious ones like closed hats on beat open hats off beat. Then try making some bongo, tabla, wooden percussion to give more life to you percussion. Also, to give your percussion more life and energy use shakers, cabasas or tamberines in this kind of sequence.

 

H = Note with high volume

M = Note with medium volume

 

hmhm hmhh hmhm hmhh