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If you struggle to write anything more than a four-bar loop,
help is here at last. We'll have you cruising over the finishing
line in no time! > So, you've got yourself that klller hook
or
four-bar loop that you just know 15 golng to Ignlte the
dancefloor. There's only one problem: that fragment is the only
thing you've got. You need to turn a promising idea into a
well-rounded whole, but it feels like it would be easier to abandon
the whole thing and just start on a new idea altogether ..
And so the cyele goes, the end result being a mass of ideas but
no finished tracks. It's a rut that many musicians have wallowed in
-particularly those of us using computers, where software makes it
a doddle to create effective loops and snippets of music but
doesn't offer nearly as much assistance when it comes to fleshing
them out into a full track.
You might have perfected a few loops but not yet got them to
play nicely together. You may be dealing with a melodic riff, but
you don't know how to turn it into anything more than a repetitive
figure. Or perhaps you can't figure out what chords would
complement your tune. No problem! It may reassure you to know that
most producers will find themselves at this point on a regular
basis.
It can be hard to break through songwriter's block, but don't
get discouraged - if you have a loop where one or more of the key
elements Cdrums, synths, bass, lead, etc) are working nicely
together then what you are doing likely has what it takes to work
so me magic. It also means that you 've already made at least
some
of the fundamental decisions about your track w ithout even
knowing it, from tempo to key signature, sound palette to chord
structures.
Equally, if it doesn't sound right at this early stage, go back
to the drawing board. There's no point in trying to turn a mediocre
idea into a great track - it just won't work!
With the right mind-set and knowledge, you can break out of the
'four-bar loop rut' and actually complete your tracks. Once you
have a clear grasp of the parts needed to get a track moving, it
will be a lot easier to tackle it bit by bit. Now it's time to
expand upon your ideas, stitching them together into a whole that's
more than merely the sum of its parts. With no more ado, then,let's
start to finish those tracks!
March 2012 / COMPUTER MUSIC / SS
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> make music now start to finisr
The anatomy of a track
The first step to transmuting your few bars of gold into a fully
realised gem of a track is to understand how songs are constructed.
lt's easier to get started when you can see what you need to make
next! That way, you're not heading off into the mysterious unknown,
but travelling along a road to a defined destination.
The construction of a song is genre-dependent to some degree,
but there are some broad general rules that can be applied to all
kinds of tracks, be they rock, dance, pop, jazz or classical.
We can broadly categorise the elements of an arrangement as
either a songwriting or production/performance construct.
50ngwriting arrangement concerns things like the verse and chorus,
with the latter intended to be the more memorable, catchy part.
There may also be a shorter bridge section that joins the verse and
chorus, and perhaps a middle-eight after the second chorus, for
variety. The diagram above-right shows a typical song structure for
a song, complete with intro and outro sections.
Production/performance techniques are devices that present the
songwriting ideas in different ways in order to hold the listener's
attention and excite them further. Without this extra layer of
arrangement dynamics, your song may sound like nothing more than a
bunch of sections pasted in order.
What are we talking about? The stalwarts of dance production, of
course: breakdowns, build-ups, drops, and fills. AII of these occur
in many forms of music, but dance genres often take them to the
extreme, sometimes relying more on them than traditional
verse/chorus-style songwriting. Think about the energy explosion
that goes off on the dancefloor after a particularly filthy
bassline slams back into a tune, and you get the idea.
These devices do not replace the songwriting parts we explained
earlier, but rather augment them. So, your middle-eight might work
as the
"Make life easy by kicking off with a few stripped-down
repetitions of the loop" 56 / COMPUTER MUSIC / March 2012
breakdown of your song, followed by a build-up based on the
bridge, and on into a final bombastic chorus that functions as the
drop. You can see this in the song structure above.
But what use is a knowledge of song arrangement if you're still
stuck with just a four-bar loop? That's where the following pages
come in. We're overflowing with ways to coa x inspiration into
striking, and our first is to use the goods that you've already
got! You might have only come up with one idea for your current
project, but we'll bet you've got loads of halHinished tunes Iying
around. Load those old projects up and render each idea out as a
WAV, then throw themall into your current project on an audio track
and see if any of them go nicely with what you already came up
with. If you find a winner, try incorporating the idea into your
current project - the chorus to your verse might already be lurking
on your hard drive!
The intr%utro While it can be cool to come up with a specially
written intro or outro for your song, you can make life easy by
kicking off with a few stripped-down repetitions of the main loop
of your song, (or indeed, any part of the song).
For non-dance styles, anything goes, really -so for rock, you
could begin without a bassline and have the drums keeping time
mainly on cymbals. Or do the opposite: bass and drums without
cymbals. Experiment by muting tracks till you find something that
works, then once you've got it, tweak the parts to make it sound
like you wrote it that way to begin with. Another technique is to
play the song's main riffs on
"A period of restraint-the breakdown - really makes the more
full-on sections seem wild!"
different instruments/processing. Beginning with a 'boxy' guitar
sound will make the main guitar sound huge when it bursts in, for
example.
If you 're making dance music, you need to keep the DJ on your
side. It's rare to hear a track played from the very start in a
club, and that's beca use this segment is typically used for
mixing. Most tracks feature alead-in (and -out) of either 16 or 32
bars. These should be stripped down to the strongest rhythmic
elements such as the kick, hats and snare befo re bringing in a few
more subtle percussive elements halfway through. An intro should
definitely maintain a sense of forward movement. too, so you'lI
usually hear more than just raw percussion - try snatches of the
riffs to come or recognisable FX used in the track. 510w sweep
sounds are good for keeping the introductory bars pushing
forth.
Breakdown Whilst it can be tempting to throw everything you ha
ve at your audience in the hope of pummelling them into delirious
submission, a period of restraint often makes your track seem more
complete and song-like - plus it really makes the
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more full-on sections seem wild! The breakdown is a section in
the song where you strip away some of the power and weight of the
track, removing layers of sound as you see fit to bring the track
back to its core elements.
The breakdown could be based on an existing part, or it can have
an entirely new melody-think of the famous 'middle eight' used in
so many pop compositions. One thing many dance music breakdowns
have in common is the removal of that central, driving kick
drum.
A breakdown provides many functions: as a space for the track
(and your audienceD to breathe; to emphasise the harmonic and
melodic elements of your track; and to give your audience something
to look forward to (je, the inevitable reintroduction of that
killer groove).
The build-up The ultimate aim of the breakdown, of course, is to
build it all back up again. Dance music tracks in particular string
the process out as long as they can get away with. The 'verses'
will often develop in such a way as to lead up to the drop, with
swells of sound, filter sweeps and repeated sounds that become ever
more frequent. all to bring the audience to fever pitch. This is
the build-up. From the minimal breakdown, we have to bring the main
groove back in a way that makes it totally irresistible.
How you go about achieving the build-up depends greatly on the
genre. Rock willlikely favour increasing dynamics and complexity
(of playing or the sound in generaD. Modern pop may borrow heavily
from the lexicon of dance, where build-ups rule. Progressive or
minimal
"We have to bring the main groove back in a way that ma kes it
totally irresistible" house tracks might favour a slow burning lead
up with a lot of gradual filtering. With deep Richie Hawtin-style
techno, you'lI want to introduce elements by fading them in or
beginning them smoothly with little fanfare.
The elements often stack together until the finallooping section
(which may resemble the initial idea you came up with) is revealed
in full. If you're writing an electro house or DnB trae k,
build-ups often progress over the entire verse befo re hitting hard
into the next part.
Another trie k is to use high-pass filtering to roll off the
lowest bass frequencies, so that the build-up never quite hits with
the track's fu 11 weight. Reversed crashes or filters opening on
certain elements builds it towards its logical conclusion, which is
the explosive force oL
The drop This is the ultimate payoff. functioning as the
centrepiece of the entire track in many high-energy genres. As the
moment when everything comes to a head, there is an inevitability
to the drop that gets the listeners excited - but that doesn't mean
you can't surprise them! Perhaps
this is where the initialloop that you created really kicks in
with full force - up till this point. you may have held some
elements of it back. It's essentially the launch of your
no-holds-barred chorus in which you 're pushing as many sounds and
frequencies as you reasonably can. When a drop hits, it can be
handy to mirror the reversed crash of the preceding build-up with a
high-pitched, ringing crash that will give the start of your drop
an explosive feeling of release.
The fill A fill usually occurs at the tail end of a section like
the verse or bridge, and may occupy as little as a beat or two. Its
less grand than a breakdown,less structurally integral than the
intro, but invaluable in adding flavour and for letting your
audience know that something big is mere milliseconds away. A fill
can be crucial in making sections flow smoothly into another -
without them, transitions can feel awkward or unsatisfying. If you
like your riffs and arrangement, but the changes seem to come and
go without incidence, it could be down to the fills or lack
thereof.
Traditional fills consist of a short rhythmic variation or
addition, typically coming from the drums - but as ever, anything
is possible. Once you have a cool rhythmic fill, try adjusting the
timing/phrasing of melodic instruments to emphasise it. Consider an
unexpected 'twist' in the melody/chords to carry the change,
too.
If you're feeling daring, try using a beat or even a bar of
silence as your fill. These silent fills aren't all that common,
but they can be used to great effect. such as when you want your
drop to hit with maximum impact!
March 2012 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 57
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> make music now start to finisr
Maintaining flow and developing ideas
Cubase's Arranger Track In actlon! We define our baslc song
sectlons In the maln area, then try out dlfferent sequences of them
before commlttlng uslng the panel on the left
Now you're aware of the elements of a typical composition, you
need to think about arranging them with the aim of creating a
flowing and cohesive songo What works for one track doesn't
necessarily work for another, but it's something you can develop an
ear foro
One of the great advantages of composing song structures with
DAWs is that you can take the whole song in at once visually. Many
DAWs also offer
"If you listen to a song tha you know works on the
dancefloor, you will find tha it's never static for very
long"
Get fresh
ways to try out arrangement ideas without committing, such as
Cubase's Arranger Tracks feature or Ableton Live's onthe-fly
Session View.
A well -built track should look neat, logical and uncluttered,
and the progression forwards should be obvious at a glance. The
example structure on the previous page shows the historically
popular AABA structure,
and this can be a useful place to kick things off if you're not
sure.
Tried and tested In addition to the specific arrangement devices
we discussed (breakdown, build-up, drop, filD, you can control the
mood and energy within sections by adding or removing elements at
key intervals, by building tension and atmosphere (eg, through
filters and modulation via your DAW's automation) and, of course,
through the mix itself.
When listening, we quickly grow tired of static repetition, and
50 the lack of detailing can negate an otherwise high value
production. If you listen to a song that you know works on the
dancefloor, you will find that even if it seems highly repetitive,
it's never actually static for very long.
To make sure that no one gets bored, you need to bring in (or
take out!) elements on a regular basis.lt could be something
obvious like a brash lead line, or something more subtle, like a
simple percussive element. There are even clichd 'drivers' within
particular genres - for instance, DnB might usher in a snakin'
shaker pattern to keep things moving along, whereas hard dance
styles often employ a zingin' ride
Even when you have a clear grasp of how track-building works,
you still might struggle to write the necessary parts. This is a
creative problem, so formulaic solutions don't work so well, but
there are some ways to encourage fresh ideas.
Varying the melody by making a new pattern with different notes
in the same rhythm is a quick and effective way to view your idea
in a new light. Likewise, transposing some or all of the notes to
different scales might give you an ear catching twist on a familiar
riff.
If you are struggling to compose a chord sequence to back up
your melody, write a few chord sequences in the same key and see
how they sound underneath the lead. Even if you don't come up with
a complete working sequence, you may get an idea of which chords
work nicely under which bits of the melody.
58 / COMPUTER MUSIC / March 2012
Finally, if you have a melody that's starting to sound tired,
you don't have to change it to make it sound fresh! Instead, swap
the chords playing underneath to put the melody in a new
context.
cymbal placed on quarter-notes, accenting the kick.
Typically, new elements come in on 8- to 16 -bar intervals.
Occasionally it will be as many as 32, but this can be risky unless
one of your track's elements is so varied that it makes the loop
sound like it is evolving anyway.
It's important to remember that while a degree of originality
and innovation is desirable, a track simply has to provide certain
cues to the listener in order to succeed. Within most mainstream
genres, being too clever just doesn't work. If you catch a so-far
appreciative audience unawares by dropping a new element in too
soon after another, then at best you're going to lose some impact;
at worst, you are going to lose the flow of your track and, by
extension, your audience. Stick to what works!
Use your ears When arranging, being able to take a step back and
listen to it as a music-lover rather than a music-maker can help
enormously. If you're making a banging club choon, ask yourself: as
a dance music fan, how would you react to each development while
getting down on the dancefloor?
Try rendering your track out and listening to it in a more
casual setting, such as in your living room or in the caro Make
note of sections that seem too long or short, or transitions that
don't flow smoothly, then try to fix them when you get back to
base. Even turning your monitor off can help - it's a very
different listening experience when you can't see the DAW's
playback cursor creeping towards the next section!
Understanding the purpose of song structure is crucial. When
you're arranging your song, you 're essentially making decisions as
to how an audience (be they listening at home or giving it six-nowt
on the dancefloor) is going to react to the development of your
track.
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1
3
1
> This is a basic technique to segue one section into the
next, plus it can also be used over the course of a breakdown.
We're going to automate a filter with some white noise to create
excitement before a drop in the form of a sweeping build up. Load
up any synthesiser with a white noise generator and configure a
single white noise oscillator only.
> Open up a low-pass filter such as Vengeance-Sound Philta
CM, which can be found in the CM Studlo folder on the cm OVO. Put
the filter on either the master channel (so that it sweeps the
whole mixl or a mixer bus that contains just the sounds you want to
fade back in during the build-up. lf you go for the lalter, you
must run the white noise synth through this bus too.
> Tonespace is a free VST plug-in (www.mucoder.netl that can
be really useful when firing out a quick chord sequence to support
your ideas. Load up Tonespace and pick a preset using the preset
field at the topo We're using ClASS-loHI2 open in C.
2
4
2
> Oraw in a single note with duration as long as you want the
build up to las!. (You pretty much always want the note to end just
befo re the drop or breakdown kicks in.)lf your white noise
generator responds to pitch, make sure it's a fairly high note -
around C6 should be fine. Make sure this note is playing alongside
the song's loops!riff during your build-up.
> Next, draw an automation curve for the filter plug-in's
Cutoff that goes
from Oto 100%, spanning the time you want the build-up to las!.
This will slowly bring in the frequencies of the loops and white
noise moving from low to high, creating a sweep effect that builds
anticipation for your drop. Boom!
> To the right 01 the plug-in, you can select Key and Scale -
so if you know your key and sea le, enter i!. If not, your OAW
might have a way 01 telling you - for instance, FL Studio has a
Detect scale option under the Helpers menu in the piano rol!. Our
riff is in A minor, so we enter this inlormation.
3
Good in theory? If you're not confident when it comes to music
theory, you may have a hard time fitting chords and melodies
together - and when you do, they may be rather obvious-sounding.
Whlle a solid knowledge of theory is the ideal tonic, you can also
use software to dig yourself out of this hole.
Many DAWs have MIDI effects that enable you to map the notes
onto a chosen scale, instantly transforming the mood and feel of
parts you've already made up. These plug-ins can also be good while
jamming on a keyboard beca use any notes outside of that scale will
be automatically transposed to fit. So, you can get as creative as
you like on the ivories and not worry about hitting abad key! Try
Ableton Live's Chord effect, followed by the Sea le one, for
example.
Vou can also call on V5T tools like Tonespace 2 Chorder (which
we use in the tutorial below), Chord5pace Playa
(www.chordspace.com)or 5ynleor Harmony Improvisator
(www.synleor.com/ improvisator.html) to help you to create chord
sequences if you don't have a deep musical knowledget to call upon.
(If you happen to be a theory nut, they can also help you to break
old compositional habits!l
> Play some chords by clicking on the squares. You should be
able to hear
that you're getting chords that sound right together! Route the
output 01 the VST to a MIOI channel atthe bottom right to record
your sequence to a channel in your OAW, then route that MIOI
through your favou rite synths. Job done! cm
March 2012 / COMPUTER MUSIC / S9
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