D&B song structure.

C

chromey

a.k.a Impact
VIP Junglist
Joined
May 4, 2009
Location
Nottingham
I'm extremely new to this producing lark (try a week!)
Is there an ideal template structure for arranging a D&B choon?

I'm aware of the basic 8, 16, 32 phrasing from mixing, but can't seem to resolve how to actually go about creating a barebones 'plan' for four minutes or so of music. I seem to run out of steam around 48 bars and I lose my way.

Any advice from you seasoned producers?
It's a serious question, not a wind up.. everyone's gotta start somewhere.
:withstupi
 
Last edited:
try listening to a song you like and writing down the form (structure) in bars. you can use that as a template, adjusting it a bit here and there.

good luck
 
heres an example:

intro - 48 bars
1st drop - 64 bars
breakdown - 16 bars
2nd drop - 64 bars
outro - 32 bars
 
ahhhh good old D&B structure.
This is a very lame way of putting it, but if you really want it to just be another D&B song, this is the structure your looking at, but im not saying all songs stick to this structure as such
From when your song begins, until your intro, its going to be;
0.43/44 [32bars, usually Jump up]
1.08/09 [48bars, one of the most common]
1.27/29 [64bars, also pretty common]
1.49/51 [80bars, usually darker techy stuff]
Then your break down comes a about 2/3 minutes later, e.g. Logistics usually 160bars or 3.50
Breakdown can last anything you want froim like 16 bars to 64, usually about 32 though.
Do what you want for the end, usually about another 2/3mins again
This is all going off a 174bpm track [also one of the most used bpms very generally] however, alot of jungle is alot slower, or jump can be quite fast, e.g. DJ Pleasure sometimes uses 180, but this is quite extreme.
 
Dafo: Gotcha.

H*Product: not a bad idea.

nuTek: Do you mean:

intro - 48 bars (that it lasts 48 bars?)
1st drop - 64 bars (doesnt happen til the 64bar, or is 64 bars long?)
breakdown - 16 bars (that it lasts 16? or happens at 16bars?)
2nd drop - 64 bars (64 bars long or at 128 bars into the song?)

A little unsure of what you mean exactly.



Edit*
Ali- you posted while I was replying the first time..
That makes a bit more sense.. I only want a starting point so I can explore from there.
 
Last edited:
nuTEK said:
heres an example:

intro - 48 bars
1st drop - 64 bars
breakdown - 16 bars
2nd drop - 64 bars
outro - 32 bars
Click to expand...

yea,i used to write on the piece of the papers so it looks like this:
Spor+phace-dying of the light
intro- 16.16.16
1st drop-16.16.16.16
breakdown-16.16
2nd drop- 16.16.16.16.16
outro-16

phace-zeitgeist
intro-16.16
1st drop-16.16.16.16
breakdown-16
2nd drop-16.16.16.16.16.16
2nd break-16
3rd drop-16.16
outro-8

n.phect-cascade
intro-16.16.16
1st drop-16.16.16.16.16.8
breakdown-16
2nd drop-16.16.16.16.16.8
outro-16

prolix-choke hold
intro-16.16.16.16
1st drop-16.16.16.16.16.16
breakdown-16.16
2nd drop-16.16.16.16.16.16
outro-16

desimal-the guardian
intro-16.16.16.16.16.16.16.16.16.8
1st drop-16.16.16.16.16.16
breakdown-16.16.16.16.8
2nd drop-16.16.16.16.16
outro-16.16

as you can see, everything varies...
 
chromey said:
Dafo: Gotcha.

H*Product: not a bad idea.

nuTek: Do you mean:

intro - 48 bars (that it lasts 48 bars?)
1st drop - 64 bars (doesnt happen til the 64bar, or is 64 bars long?)
breakdown - 16 bars (that it lasts 16? or happens at 16bars?)
2nd drop - 64 bars (64 bars long or at 128 bars into the song?)

A little unsure of what you mean exactly.


Edit*
Ali- you posted while I was replying the first time..
That makes a bit more sense.. I only want a starting point so I can explore from there.
Click to expand...
I was typing while nuTEK was replying too, didnt see he'd already posted
 
All good advice stated above.

Try to measure you track against one of your favorite tracks. Mix your project track into something you like and see how it measures up.
 
dafo93 said:
It's good to be different, all DnB doesn't have to follow the pattern of "BOOM CHIKA BOOM CHIKA WUB WUB" lol :)
Click to expand...

100% agreed. I just need a starting point so I can find my feet.
You don't put a new driver in an F1 car ;)

Said I was new didn't I. ;)
 
nuTEK said:
heres an example:

intro - 48 bars
1st drop - 64 bars
breakdown - 16 bars
2nd drop - 64 bars
outro - 32 bars
Click to expand...

Dont get me wrong, im new to the game so im not questioning everyones advise. Its all really helpfull.

What i dont understand is how can u have a 48 bar intro ??

I mean a 32 bar intro (what i use) is 8x4's or 2x16's if you understand me.

But a 48 bar is 12x4's. You think it would be 16x4's to make a 64. (Rounded off).

I thought that with producing aswell as mixing everything works in equal sets of 4', 8's, 16's, 32's etc, so how can a 48 work ???

I hope you understand what i mean.

So a 48 bar intro is 4x4's short of an equal amount.


All reply's welcome.

This subject has been doing my head in for a while now. :confused:
 
AnthonyDNB said:
Great advice this helps but I make DNB at 170 bpm is that to slow?
Click to expand...

Not at all! I'd say anything between 170 through 176 is safe...but honestly, there are no "rules" in terms of what is the "best" tempo to use. The Kill the Noise remix of "Spitfire" is actually composed at 172, though through the magic of drum programming an lovely arpeggios it can be perceived as being much faster.

Cheers.
 
the-rippa said:
Dont get me wrong, im new to the game so im not questioning everyones advise. Its all really helpfull.

What i dont understand is how can u have a 48 bar intro ??

I mean a 32 bar intro (what i use) is 8x4's or 2x16's if you understand me.

But a 48 bar is 12x4's. You think it would be 16x4's to make a 64. (Rounded off).

I thought that with producing aswell as mixing everything works in equal sets of 4', 8's, 16's, 32's etc, so how can a 48 work ???

I hope you understand what i mean.

So a 48 bar intro is 4x4's short of an equal amount.


All reply's welcome.

This subject has been doing my head in for a while now. :confused:
Click to expand...

a 48 bar intro is 3x16.
usualy its 32 bars of drums for mixing in then into a breakdown where a vocal might might come in or the lead or a melody before it drops...
 
Back
Top Bottom