Difficulties on progression.

AcidShroom

Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Hello fellow members of dnbforum,

I've been looking into producing for 1 month now and it seems that I can get a good drum pattern running along with an ambient pad.
But that's nearly it..... I've made like over 8 intros ( ~30 sec), but after the intro...i just cant get any new ideas flowing in my head....the progression seems hard.
The things i try to add n stuff seem to not match with the beat nor the pad or bassline.....

Anyone of you got any tips for the issue? a scheme or such?




AcidShroom

P.S here's a listen http://soundcloud.com/acidshroom/projekt1 of my introish ..
 
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there are many different approaches to writing tunes, and for me personally the way i start a track plays massively on how a track will sound finished..

At the moment i dig really deep for a nice sample/synth.. (sample mostly) and work from there out and get a nice groove going.

i have found in the past i have written >>>>beat>atmo>bass>hook/sample-<<<< but it takes ages trying to find a nice vocal or sample (thats in key) to go with

so now it's >>>>sample/hook>beat>atmo>bass<<<<

and im much happier with the sound of my tracks now! :)

hope this helps.
 
I've thought about starting from the drop rather from the intro. Oh, and to match sounds n stuff....does EQ help to fit the sound into the wholeness of the sequence? 'Cause I have trouble matching sounds....I know about scales, chords n stuff a bit..but still i have trouble matching sounds.
 
I think EQ can help in having a cohesive sounding in track, regarding spectral relationships between program material. I do not think it can help in 'matching sounds' as such, that's more the timbre & aesthetic of the sound.
 
You should definately try starting from the drop, it might help. Play around with different chords, variation in the melody. Try to bring in more elements.

Also, do one part of the track at a time-as someone stated above, start with the drums for example, vary them (try adding different percussions, hats, cymbals, and just genereally different samples). Then move on to the pads, leads/keys and so on

Hope this helps, but the biggest factor is practice, practice and more practice. Its gonna take you a long time before you are happy with what your tracks sound like. Just set yourself a goal and dont give up
 
^ Everything what is said above, starting from the drop might help a lot, since you then just have to remove the bass, add some pads or atmospherics and build your way to the intro. I find myself doing the same a lot, starting whit the intro and then the drop, but somehow recently I actually like doing it that way.. But most of my tracks started with the drop and then I made the intro.
 
I've thought about starting from the drop rather from the intro. Oh, and to match sounds n stuff....does EQ help to fit the sound into the wholeness of the sequence? 'Cause I have trouble matching sounds....I know about scales, chords n stuff a bit..but still i have trouble matching sounds.

I have not started a song with an intro in a long time. This is why my intros suck. Any way I think you start with your drum pattern. Play around with a bass pattern(notation only), until you find a chord progression or melody that suits you. Then layer every thing up until you have a fully eq song that is only 16 bars long. Break the song back down and rebuild from there. This is how I more often than not build a song. I am not saying this is the best way to make a song but it will help your situation.
 
Youve only been doing it one month!!... It takes a while before things start sounding alright, practice practice practice man, youtube and this forum, read, learn. When i started (8 months ago) i literally spent all my time learning and practicing what i learnt. Keep at it :D

You wouldnt have found your ideal 'workflow' yet either, so i recommend trying to start with an intro, then try and start from the drop, see what works best for you. I still havent found my ideal workflow yet. I pretty much just start with whatever i feel like when i come to starting a new track, and you will get frustrated with it sometimes, but take a break and come back to it later :).
 
Easiest way is to start building a good loop, then start soloing shit on the playlist and build the structure for the tune. If you start from only the intro it becomes difficult to start creating a bassline for the drums and such. Only if you have the kinda bass that fits already in your mind.
 
yeah all good answers here

i have a mate whos been producing for 6+ months, always starts with the intro and has never finished a tune. i've also never finished a track when i started with the intro
 
The way I go about is that I make a 4 bar loop of drums, bass and some melody or lead sound perhaps (This does most of the time turn out as the "drop"). Just to get the basic ideas off my head and into the project. Then I use the sounds I had in my little loop to make an intro or another part of the track. And this way you don't turn out with any drastic switch of the "sound" of the tune you are working on. I remember when I started making music and always begun with the intro, the drop always seamed so weird.

I guess the most logic thing is to start from the beginning of a tune when you are starting to learn it all. ^^
 
The way I go about is that I make a 4 bar loop of drums, bass and some melody or lead sound perhaps (This does most of the time turn out as the "drop"). Just to get the basic ideas off my head and into the project. Then I use the sounds I had in my little loop to make an intro or another part of the track. And this way you don't turn out with any drastic switch of the "sound" of the tune you are working on. I remember when I started making music and always begun with the intro, the drop always seamed so weird.

I guess the most logic thing is to start from the beginning of a tune when you are starting to learn it all. ^^

I'm definitely going to try this method out! seems legit :D but I noticed that i dont put the needed emphasis on single sections of a track, but on the wholeness...and i realized that this is the problem. I'll need to invest time on single sounds more, cause if I do it like in a bit of a rush or such or just want to reach a dnb-like sounding section, it sounds too primitive...like the PROJEKT1 track's intro.

Off too digging some sounds out of the DAW!
 
A tip, maybe. Sometimes when I run out of inspiration, ideas, or even just the energy to push on for a track. I'll just stop producing for a bit, won't open my DAW ever unless I think of cool presets I could make. Sometimes, making new presets I'll get a good idea for where it could go, but I just let it sit for a bit. And as the weeks build, you just keep thinking of heaps of ideas for all these sound. Take a step back, and make a new song even, in a different genre. Or just go sample hunting; maybe you'll find a cool snare or quotes, etc. you might like to fit into a song. Go looking for vocals, too. Sometimes remixing is a bit more easier, cause you have a general idea to go off of, etc. Or, just go outside and have a good night out, and take notice of all the things around you, try to get inspiration from things that stand out for you. Or, find a track you really like, put it in your DAW and try and remake it. Get a new flow and different sense of rhythm, or just outlook and find inspiration from your own ideas you can get off of that. Starting in the middle is sometimes easier, making the drop, etc. But just go with what you feel comfortable doing first. Don't feel like you're in a routine, just go with what makes you comfortable, something you know can inspire you more. May be adding the pads, or drums, or the drop, or whatever it is. I find mastering as I go with a track, instead of after, I get a better feeling about it. Then I'll change it, etc. Anyways, good luck.
 
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