Help a beginner out

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rusednb

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Joined
Jan 18, 2012
Hey, got a MacBook for Christmas and it came bundled with Logic Pro so have been playing around in there.

I've watched a fair few youtube videos (masterclasses etc.) and I acquired Massive and have been playing around on their. Starting to get the sort of baselines I like in my liquid. Have learnt about mixing down your track, making sure the bass isn't being muddied by the kick, and snares hitting the right frequencies etc. that sort of thing.

But there is very little, anywhere, on arranging your track. Making pads, leads, and arranging it into a track.

http://soundcloud.com/dimensiondnb/dimension-crowd-reaction-clip
http://soundcloud.com/dimensiondnb/delight

I desperately want to be making this sort of music. But I really don't know how to get started on making a song. I am finding producing those sort of pad's, and I don't know whether that's a keyboard synth in there too, and building up an introduction very difficult.

I'm also finding it difficult in choosing chords and notes for pads and keyboard.

If anyone can help me out of point me in the direction it would be greatly appreciated.
 
takes time and dedication matey, years of it.

i'f it's structure your struggling with then i'd suggest getting hold of the hospital records sample pack, lots of drum, bass and keyboard loops in there. from that you can peice together a track quick and easy and will help ya get the bassic idea of how to structure a track.

study the music you love to, see what they do that makes it so great, learn how to do it then begin putting your take on it.
 
elmaruk said:
takes time and dedication matey, years of it.

i'f it's structure your struggling with then i'd suggest getting hold of the hospital records sample pack, lots of drum, bass and keyboard loops in there. from that you can peice together a track quick and easy and will help ya get the bassic idea of how to structure a track.
study the music you love to, see what they do that makes it so great, learn how to do it then begin putting your take on it.
Click to expand...
^ This. Half the battle is really listening and analyzing favorite tunes. When I started I would literally drop a track into a DAW and take notes as to what type of change occurs (drums, builds, etc) and at what bars did said changes take place. You'll find that a good number of tracks may seem to have a similar structure, but upon further investigation you'll notice lots of subtle nuances that make a world of difference.

Just have patience, practice and experiment.

Cheers.
 
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Ah thanks cool. Is there any sites that I can learn any of this from at all? Seems to be the case that if you want to make electronic music. Your just going to have to buckle down and use trial and error until you understand all your features.
 
Pretty much mate, if you really do want somthing to become of it then yeah, just keep at it. Learning some music theory is always usefull too.

mostly youtube bud.

for production its good to post tunes here, so people can see what you may or may not be doing wrong.

soundonsound, great for info on production and google is your friend.

don't always look for "drum and bass compression tecquniques" or that kinda stuff, mostly all teqniues can be translated into dnb, spesh house. so if you do that you kinda just narrow your search down really.

if your really wanting to learn then Computer Music magazines great. They have loads of tutorials, aswell and video tuts with big names and on top of that they give you a cd filled with samples, vst's and vst trials. So, subscribe!

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Also try not to single drum and bass out to much. Like, although in terms of production it varys to other forms of music, musically it's still a song. Just having a nice bassline and banging drum beat isn't gonna make a killer, it needs to actually be arranged, remember your almost telling a story when you make tunes.

I made that mistake to start with, trying to follow a set rule that i thought drum & bass needed to be. Biggg mistake and wasted alot of time, it's all about trying things new and experimenting.
 
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Yeah that's where I'm struggling, I'm finding difficult to make an introduction that I like. Not sure what synth I should be using, and not really enjoying the presets in Logic. Yeah I've been watching videos on trance production and such even though I have no plans to make any.

Where can I learn some relavent music theory?
 
I bought a music theory book.

Dude, you've just started producing :P Don't aim so high just yet. Just make a song, if your stuck for an intro make a drum beat or make the drop then go back to the intro.

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rusednb said:
Where can I learn some relavent music theory?
Click to expand...

All music theorys relevent. I wouldn't say it's overly important but it does help.
 
Get a simple track that u like
Drag it into logic and try and recreate it
While u work constantly ab with your track
Most liquid tunes don't have crazy bass modulations so you should be able to have some fun
Worry about say eq for for now,then move on to compression etc
If browse soundcloud u will realize that some people have sick ideas on but their tracks are just weak on the engineering side
Don't get carried away with music theory
These days u can get phone apps that give u chords and their progression of your chosen scale
So start there maybe

Remember drums are the foundation of your track so make sure they sound like culture shock"s :) before u move on
 
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