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Finishing tunes....
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Ascension
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
170
Posts :
3642
Posted : Feb 6, 2009 02:51
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I'd say when you're starting out it's a better idea to just finish a track, rather than going back and reworking it. It's important to see the process all the way through a few times, besides, it's not like any of your initial work is going to be good anyway...
It's a learning process and it's better to go through all the steps. When you actually start "producing", then you can juggle working on many tracks at once. This doesn't mean you can't juggle a few when you start out, but make sure you finish them.
  http://soundcloud.com/ascensionsound
www.chilluminati.org - Midwest based psytrance group |
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TimeTraveller
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
80
Posts :
3207
Posted : Feb 6, 2009 20:36
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dija
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
48
Posts :
483
Posted : Feb 8, 2009 21:02
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I struggle with this as well. However, consider yourself lucky if you get a winner 1/10 tries. 9 of them might be scrap but maybe you'll be able to save a few presets and some samples you made from them for later use. I tend to build all the fundamental instruments and write the midi for, percussions, bass, leads, pads etc and get all the way to the first drop (halfway through the song or so) at this point i consider a track about 3/4 the way done as you said. all thats left is doing some tricky fx some percussion fills and tweaking and more tweaking. it seems that i am running from the tedious parts, perhaps you are doing the same? so i find that in order to finish a song i have to finish it before i've outlistened it. after i have listened to one of my songs on loop so long i can't come to like it no matter what i do to it. so my best advice is to work swiftly yet efficiently and try to not even close your daw until its done (if you think its worthy of being done) another thing though is even tracks that I consider done, they aren't done. I think it's nearly impossible to have a track that's done, I don't know if this is just a me thing or if most musicians feel this way.
also if you are writing a song trying to think of music theory it can become really difficult as much trance doesnt change key or change chords often if at all. so sometimes it's best to remember simple is better. I think of psy as more sound design than composition. Many psy trancers dont care about your melody, harmony, progression as long as you got "twisted sounds m8ey". That's not the case for me. I have to have engaging sound effects and engaging melody and all of the above. So I'm not sure what your writing style is but if its all sound fx just save yourself a bunch of presets. Use a kick and a bass and some hats and screech some high resonance lfo effects off constantly. And wallah, you have created dark psy my friend.
http://www.youtube.com/user/trawhi (tutorials)
http://www.myspace.com/eusidmusic |
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Djones
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
267
Posts :
1766
Posted : Feb 9, 2009 10:27
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Quote:
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On 2009-02-08 21:02, dija wrote:
So I'm not sure what your writing style is but if its all sound fx just save yourself a bunch of presets. Use a kick and a bass and some hats and screech some high resonance lfo effects off constantly. And wallah, you have created dark psy my friend.
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Even that I tried, no luck so far!
Everytime I sit down in my studio, I somehow get trapped inside my brain where I don't know what to do anymore and don't feel free.
Even on days where I have been thinking about music thruout that day had some inspiring ideas, I just totally lose it, the minute I take place behind my computer.
On few occasions, I do get creative, but this is never long enough to finish a track.
And the more I work towards completing a track, the more the track narrows my ideas for elemens to add into it.
It's like, when I start from scratch, the options are so enormous that I prefer to just keep it simple and start working on a bassline and kick and stuff.
And from there on, finding my way into building tha track.
But the further I progress into that track, the less options I seem to have which fit the track.
And then mostly I get into this same ol same ol same old boring drag, where I just fiddle around and do't do anything creative at all.
By this time, I have already totally forgotton about my ideas which I had during they day, and what I've promised myself to do.
Mostly it ends after a few hours and I just give up, hoping tomorrow will bring me more luck:-)
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TimeTraveller
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
80
Posts :
3207
Posted : Feb 9, 2009 11:09
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Nectarios
Martian Arts
Started Topics :
187
Posts :
5292
Posted : Feb 9, 2009 11:22
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One really important thing that helps me finish tunes and not to get into a dead end when writting/programming parts, is going to parties.
You remember what inspired you to write music in the first place? For me it was religious experiences on the dancefloor where the DJ had me dancing like there's no tomorrow.
By going to more parties I can also see what works the floor. Sometimes when I think I need to put more and more stuff in, I just have to stip sections down to a few elements that drive the dancefloor along. You can't really think like that if all you do is sit at home and listen to music in your living room, thinking what "would" work the floor. You just have to experience it, even if you've been going to parties for a decade in the past, you lose touch and feel if you stop going.
So all in all, what helps me finish tunes is going to parties and getting smashed. Its against forum rules to talk about it, some people don't even like getting smashed (and that is fair enough), but its helped me finish tunes and just move on with writting new ones that sound better than the ones I've done.
I dont have an ultimate goal to make the perfect tune, I know that as I go on I progress (hopefuly) both in writting and engineering terms and I just want to finish something, even if its not THE tune (I dont think there is such thing) so I can start on the next thing that is going to be better.
http://soundcloud.com/martianarts |
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x-rayz
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
11
Posts :
576
Posted : Feb 9, 2009 11:29
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Djones, if u cant focus and remember your ideas u can try saving them in external memory like paper and pencil, cell phone with notes or even sound recorder so u can record your voice singing melody, even further u can buy roll-up piano or stuff like that and get it out of the pocket, play the lead and save it and then u just copy it to your DAW, theres also some sequencers for cell phones.. All in all, lots of way to transcribe your music portable.. I just focus, its easy for me since its one of meditation after effects..
http://www.facebook.com/xrayzproductions
http://www.myspace.com/xrayzproductions |
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Medea
Aedem/Medea
Started Topics :
127
Posts :
1132
Posted : Feb 9, 2009 11:40
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Something that helps me to finish a difficult-to-finish track:
You have to fill the space with something. I meen, if your track is going to be, e.g., 7 minutes long, loop and strech your kickdrum and bassline for the whole lenght of the track. Then, start to make gaps in certain places, arrange samples, leads, fades, brakes, etc.
The overall idea of this approach is to build the track not in horizontal dimension, from start to end, but in vertical, when you start from 8 minutes completely filled with some basic sounds, and then start to remove what you don't need, and add new stuff.
Sorry for rough explaination, but i think you got the idea 
http://soundcloud.com/aedem |
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~d2~
Inactive User
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
751
Posted : Feb 9, 2009 11:54
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I understand you Medea
One way to look at it is as a block of ice. So by filling your vertical plain (some DAWs work opposite way) you create your block which you then slowly chip away at. |
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Djones
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
267
Posts :
1766
Posted : Feb 9, 2009 16:02
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Quote:
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On 2009-02-09 11:29, x-rayz wrote:
Djones, if u cant focus and remember your ideas u can try saving them in external memory like paper and pencil, cell phone with notes or even sound recorder so u can record your voice singing melody, even further u can buy roll-up piano or stuff like that and get it out of the pocket, play the lead and save it and then u just copy it to your DAW, theres also some sequencers for cell phones.. All in all, lots of way to transcribe your music portable.. I just focus, its easy for me since its one of meditation after effects..
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The thing is, the minute I take place behind my computer it feels as if I went thru a small brainwash.
As now the feeling of wanting to do something nice kicks in, and it totally overshadows the ideas which I formed thruout that day, which were supposed to lead me into finishing a track.
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x-rayz
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
11
Posts :
576
Posted : Feb 9, 2009 18:23
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U said already that ur blocked by computer, is it cause you just twiddle around and dont try to get that ideas u had into actual sound/melody.. Too much ideas also isnt good, since they could clash each other.. So try like I recommended, capture your ideas through the day and than when u came to studio u will just have to realize them into actual sound.. If computer inteface is blocking you, try to use some other instrument to test out the melodies and grooves, acoustic guitar example, than just transcribe notes into your sequencer and shape the sound u previously recorded through the day.. If its hard to describe sounds u imagine try to use tags..
Also try approach Medea suggested, build main part of the track, put it in centre and let it melt to the beginning and the end..
http://www.facebook.com/xrayzproductions
http://www.myspace.com/xrayzproductions |
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ThiagoNAKA
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
104
Posts :
1047
Posted : Feb 9, 2009 20:24
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It´s hard to point you a solution, as this blocked brain can have several causes.
Like, sometimes you have a nice idea, and u think it´s not so hard to do. Try some midi notes, some presets, tweak little bit and u are not happy. This causes a high deception, that leads to a boring session most of the times.
Here´s an important point. Try to free your mind. Try not to mimic sounds, or structure... Just make some noises!
I´ve said this before on other thread, but here´s my tip:
Fix the key note of the track(if not already fixed). Open a new track and just start to make noises! One thing that can help you, is to pre-determine the sound types u want, for example: Riffs, Melodies, Pads, Impacts&Reverses, Drums, Mod Loops, Voice, etc.
And then start tweaking some synths without any expectation!! Try to make as much sound/loops as u can. Spend a full day only for creating sounds. Ppl tend to like to work in a way they can change everything after(like working with midi), but this endless programing can block your ideas also!
An important tip is not to try to match the sounds at this point! Just be sure everything is at same key note! Also do as many automation u can here for the sounds(again, it will limit later programing, wich is good if u want to finish the track asap). Export different automation for same sound, for ex: Sweep LP Lead, Lfo HP Lead.
After this work, and assuming you´ve already have the kick/bass/some drums; it´s much more like a puzzle! Even if all sounds are "fixed"(as audio), u can easily place/chop/fx them! Also u can get inspiration from all these sounds!
Maybe the end product can be kind of non sense, or even worse, a sh*t piece of music! But at least its finished!
LOADING... |
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shellbound
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
14
Posts :
601
Posted : Feb 9, 2009 21:20
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^^^
that's a good advice because it a) forces you to make decisions early on and b) allows you to separate the sessions based on the level of inspiration and stay productive regardless. it's great to have a lot of self-made lego pieces to play around with. |
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dija
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
48
Posts :
483
Posted : Feb 10, 2009 10:45
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gutter
Inactive User
Started Topics :
54
Posts :
3018
Posted : Feb 10, 2009 11:01
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  hehe , i wouldnt do that cause i love my equipment
better take it at the best possible smashing party you can have with some really great artists that know how to rock the dancefloor who will stick in your head the meaning of psychedelia and dancing to it.. |
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so far.