starting..

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kos
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starting..

Post by kos »

i tried to find a post about how to start making a track, how to build it (step by step) but i cant. the most o you maybe have a few released tracks. it would be nice to write here how to start to work on a track. it would be very helpful :)
mehta
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Re: starting..

Post by mehta »

If you can make a few sounds and arrange them, that is probably enough for now. If you don't have any sound source or arrangement tool, maybe just tap your feet and clap your hands a bit. I'm not kidding.

You will create your own process.
MagpieIndustries
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Re: starting..

Post by MagpieIndustries »

get a modular synth and a lot of patch cables. randomly move them around. post on forums trying to sound clever.
lem
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Re: starting..

Post by lem »

Kos, unfortunately there is no quick way to learning this stuff. I have been making music for 10 years and I am only just happy with myself and my music. I am still learning new things every day.. and i still have a long way to go.

That said, the best thing is to get to know your DAW and dont get too bogged down with the wealth of plugins available. Read the manual and look for tutorials on youtube to learn specific elements of a track. Searching for "how to make a tune" are probably not going to get you very far. Try things like, "making beats in (insert daw name here)"
You will at least get a starting point. Then you can play around with things outside of the tutorials. After a while you should know enough to write a basic tune.

I cant stress enough, dont get sidetracked with 3rd party plugins and sample packs. I wish someone said that to me from the start!
AK
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Re: starting..

Post by AK »

You need to do a lot of listening to music but with a 'different ear' than you've used previously. That is, you are listening to music with the interest of how the track was put together. A good example is to take a simple live band. Somebody is the drummer, somebody is the bass player, and say someone is on keyboard. All those parts come together to form the whole. The difference here though, is that YOU are the player/programmer of all of those parts.

It might be worth your while getting a sample cd full of loops. From that, you should have individual loops of various baselines, chords, percussion, beats etc and using your daw app, throw a few together and see how things work and what makes them work. Make sure you try to make/recreate some of them yourself though but as an insight into composition, it should prove really valuble.
oblioblioblio
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Re: starting..

Post by oblioblioblio »

I think AK captured the single most important thing, much more so than what gear to use or how to use it. Is to use all the knowledge that you already have of music i.e. what combinations of rhythms and melodies and sounds that you like... that is a library inside yourself of information. All the music that you know has all the building blocks on show... you just need to learn how to deconstruct it.

It can be really useful at the start to do the 'cheating' stuff that everyone tells you not to do, rip off other peoples ideas either by sampling it, or by directly copying it and trying to recreate it. And then taking this and expanding on it. Maybe you didn't get what you wanted but you found out some new stuff anyway.

Be technical and committed, but make sure you have fun. Don't let anyone put you off. There are no mistakes.
oblioblioblio
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Re: starting..

Post by oblioblioblio »

Lem hit the nail on the head as well.
steevio
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Re: starting..

Post by steevio »

take your time, relax and enjoy yourself, and keep things simple and spacious to start with.
you dont need many elements to create an interesting groove, we all work differently here, so advice will vary, but a good starting point is to work with the rhythmic (bass and percussion) elements so you have a solid grounding for your track.
the more experience you gain, the more you will be able to visualise the track as a whole rather than building it bit by bit, but to get a start you dont want to overload yourself, so try to get each stage sounding right to your ears before moving on and adding further layers. sometimes you might decide not to add anymore layers, because it sounds just right as it is.
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