Building a tune questions ... how do you?

righty ho...

Usually when I start a tune I just get some drums I like and then begin trawling through samples and synths to get bits I like, then get bits to go with the bits I like. Trouble is it takes feckin ages to find things sometimes and my creative enthusiasm is ofter worn away before I get much done. The tune is then invariably added to the mythical pile of "decent 32 bars" bits we all have. Unfortunately nearly everything I do stays in that pile. I probably finish 3 or 4 tunes a year in a good year.

So: Any tips for speeding up my music making?

I know Naphta tends to get a load of samples he likes together before he starts writing anything. This seems like a good plan but unfortunately I am bull-headed and want to get straight into doing a tune when I'm in the mood. maybe I just need to be more patient!

what way do you work?

[Macc]

I find it best to have a specific idea and get that down as soon as possible. For me it might be a drum groove, so I'll get that prgrammed asap - even if I program it with mda piano or something, just to get the pattern down before going off on one chopping things.

It might be x sample that's the nuts but it needs to do something a bit different, so I'll get that sample doing what it needs to (often a long long job to get it doing a different thing but still sound natural) before worrying about all the other things.

Generally it's most important to me to have the core - The Fucking Idea/Point - down asap. The rest is just parsley.

interesting Macc. I recently did an unofficial remix of shadowboxing which I found great fun because I had a pretty good idea what I wanted before I began, and it turned out like I wanted too in the end.

In that case I had both the idea and samples ready before I began...oh oh I'm seeing a pattern...The most recent tune I finished I had a specific plan based around a piano sample and drums.

Macc, you're onto something.

[Macc]

Sometimes it is nice when you just browse and try things out, and it all falls together... But moer often that ends up in the 'endless sample trawling stopping you getting more than 32 bars done' thing.

Having a fucking solid idea laid down (and saved!) means that you can trawl for samples later that serve to complement that idea.

parsley

parsley

corriander is better

ah come on, you wouldn't put coriander and butter on yer spuds now would ya?

equally; thai green curry made with parsley would probably make you into a communist.

however a bit of both added to a salad is quite tasty.

:chef:

ah come on, you wouldn't put coriander and butter on yer spuds now would ya?

equally; thai green curry made with parsley would probably make you into a communist.

however a bit of both added to a salad is quite tasty.

:chef:

i grow the stuff so i use it alot theres nothing wrong with coriander on jackets

[denaris]

Coriander is a vital ingredient on spuds if you're doing a fancy dish.

spuds

[Macc]

lovespuds

make a beat, make an odd synth, combine and do a jamsession with other instruments. dont be afraid to overhaul it completely at the point you got a writer's block.

I would echo macc sentiments and say that when you compose music of any kind, the more you can crystalize the vision in your minds' ear and get the essence of the idea out, the better off you'll be.

I think the reason is that as you grow as a composer, you hear more and more detail 'internally', as it were, and if you can get the core idea up and running, it enables you to mentally recall all of the other particulars of the overall arrangement. It just seems to come flooding back to you.

Where as, if you just start noodling aimlessly with a drum loop and don't really inspire yourself towards a broader musical structure, chances are, you'll return to it and feel just as aimless and uninspired.

That's the catch though isn't it?

It requires a hell of a lot of skill to be able to get something accurately from your head into your sequnecer.

Normally I'll try to get the rough idea into Logic, be it 1 bar or 32 bars or whatever, then I'll spend however long it takes to get that one idea to sound exactly as I want it, then try to develop it into a full track.
I usually end up with an 8 or 9 minute piece, at that point I try to cut out all the dross and usually I'll end up with something pretty good (IMO ).
I really need to brush up on the final details though, that's where Iäm struggling at the moment, providing enough variation in the idea to stop boredom setting in, but without loosing the core idea while doing it.

jam

jam is like licking mother natures pussy wussy yall!!


lately im finding myself making tracks in say 4 or 5 different stages (4 or 5 different cubase files) lots of bouncing then treating the bounced audio (i dunno sends in there whatever) and then i can always go back through the projects at any stage to recap and i mighnt think 'hmm that samp i dropped at stage 3 would actually sound good now '

jam is like licking mother natures pussy

just remember to come up for air once in a while

How do you...


... make music again? I've forgotten.


My last tune just leapt out all by itself. Got nothing right now.

yes!
i want to make ambient dub, but i am no orb

i cant make anything decent at the mo.

whenever i get stuck i reach for the amens

me to i think most my track's are amen full

yes!
i want to make ambient dub, but i am no orb

i cant make anything decent at the mo.

i'm playing with a few ambient dub type ideas myself at the moment.

but i'm no orb either.

still fun all the same.

kinda, i can get the sounds i want, i just cant get any right notes or melodies.
the best thing about it though it the amount of fx i can mess about with.

yaaay (and nay), i was expecting a shag tonight, but i stayed in instead and found my sound.