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Production Arrangement
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TranceAphobic
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
29
Posted : Feb 17, 2014 13:57:04
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I would like to share some of my arrangement methods, note that all genres have its own way of doing this – so keep an open mind.
The arrangement of a track is an important factor in the overall sound of the music. If your arrangement is screwed, it will result in you sitting for hours on end with EQ’s – scratching your head, trying to figure out what is wrong with the track.
They say that music is organized sound, so ask yourself – How organized is your music?
I usually split my sounds into designated groups, Low range (20hz-250hz), Mid range (250hz-3khz) and High range (3Khz- 20Khz). I use analyzers to check where the fundamentals resides for each sound, then maybe crop it a bit with EQ so it does not interfere with its rival groups, a short example, where the sounds fit.
(LOW)
Kick drum, Bassline
(MID)
Leads, Delay synths, percussion, stabs, hits, reverse samples (depends), arps, Snares (Mid&High)
(HIGH)
Hihats, Loops, Snares (Mid&High), white noise samples
IMO- If a sound plays at the same time as another, within the same range, one of them should move or be removed. Well not always – sometimes I do bend this rule, but only if the results sounds great. I use WAV samples imported directly into the DAW, so I can cut every sample perfectly. Every sample has to have some repetitive pattern which loops within a 16 beat loop. 16 is just your best choice, depending on the genre, compared to 4 & 8 beat loops it just keeps everything interesting and sounding professional.
The snare drum breaks the boundaries of the mid & high ranges, especially when you’re layering snares. This means that the percussion and hihat’s should move when the snare hits.
Against the kick-drum, the snare can be moved a bit out of sync – so they stay out of each other’s way.
While building the main track, I specify the groups clearly (blue-low, green-mid, yellow,high) - with spaces between each group. This helps me to see where the gaps are in each range. Note that many gaps need to stay open, to make the track breath. Silent gaps makes the loop ,,, well – sound like a loop.
At the production phase I keep EQ out. Too many times it messed up my creation flow when I mix while I compose, blink your eyes and the overall sound is messed up and the track becomes such a drag that you throw it over your shoulder.
This arrangement method insures that every sound you add has its own space- see it as a door opening and closing when each sound plays. Two doors in the same range should not be open at the same time, but like I said, bending it now and then for a special effect is fine.
I follow the progressive style where after every 32 beats the next sound enters- before it fades in it looks for a gap where it can sit, take up a space – and makes itself at home. Every 32 beats for me is a cycle which I indicate with time markers (C1, C2, C3 and C4). After the intro which can have a random length – the first cycle begins, where the beats start pumping. Usually I do 8 cycles before going into the breakdown- with each 4 cycles being the same yet distinct from the other. Every new cycle represents the birth of a new sound. When reaching the 8th cycle it can become a bit crowded so the arrangement may shift to create some space for other sounds. Not too much though, otherwise you will mess up the flow of the track. Better example would be – starting with the 1st cycle, the sounds may be longer, filling more space, when reaching the 8th cycle- everything becomes shorter and shorter towards the build-up before the breakdown.
This is where the WAV samples come in handy, so it can be cut shorter when reaching the end point and give you much more control and variety. I do use 3rd party VST’s also, for leads and bass-lines. After fitting them and laying down a pattern I also export these as 16 beat WAV loops (help if you have key changes-other than using one hit bass-line samples). Then import it back into the DAW and cut each note perfectly into its space. I found that the whole track sounds much more detailed and professional. This helps you to move on and continue onwards to the next piece of the track. When it comes to the control, its easy to shift a clap, kick or percussion sample at the end of each bar, etc.
Rather than pilling up samples and samples (where frequencies overlap), because the track sounds boring- you can see how many space you actually have to fill in each range. Sound can only harmonize together when each sound has a place. (less fighting the better)
In the breakdowns I do tend to make build up leads which needs to maintain the flow. So it fills every space, with an upwards arpreggiator, in the mid range- but now I also want a Pad running in the background. This is where you pull out the EQ for some carving on each sound, say PAD takes 60hz-1khz and lead takes 1Khz-16Khz. Remember gentle carving, or even a high/low shelf.
That is about it on this subject. Hope this gave some insight. Sorry about the grammer..
“The better the quality, the less you need“
Cheers
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PsyTriYe
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
126
Posted : Feb 17, 2014 18:50
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so thats your way... nice, for a moment i thought u were asking me, but it turns out your telling me.. thanks 4 that
so your kicknbass lo/lomid channel 40-250hz is that it then no high ends or i suppose u laying it? with a high end bass at 250-3k or whatever..
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Upollo
Started Topics :
1
Posts :
28
Posted : Feb 17, 2014 20:55
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Some nice tricks there. My 2 cents:
- it gets easier combining similar frequencies in the higher ranges, especially with some panning to separate them. The higher the frequency, the easier we can distinguish between these sounds.
- nice trick getting the snare & drum slighlty out of sync - adds some organic efect as well if you vary it.
- (primarily) working with multiples of 4 is the way to keep a record 'danceable', but using fixed counts/structures for every next stage in a track sounds a bit scary to me ;-) I keep the story open for every new track, and work more intuitively.
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Nomad Moon
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
134
Posts :
1516
Posted : Feb 17, 2014 21:25
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nice, thanks, u seem very organized 
Would like to see some other pro tell how they do it 
 Tudo que é melhor e mais superior em mim saúda tudo que é melhor e mais alto em si |
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vipal
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
123
Posts :
1397
Posted : Feb 17, 2014 21:46
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thanks, interesting read, could you post a link to your soundcloud or other place where we can hear your tunes
http://soundcloud.com/vipal |
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PsyTriYe
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
126
Posted : Feb 17, 2014 23:11
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me? na i end up gettin to stoned,then troll this forum.. lol
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frisbeehead
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
1352
Posted : Feb 18, 2014 01:52
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Quote:
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On 2014-02-17 23:11, PsyTriYe wrote:
me? na i end up gettin to stoned,then troll this forum.. lol
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xd
tip: just replace that with, then I make my breakdown! usually is da shit XD |
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TranceAphobic
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
29
Posted : Feb 18, 2014 10:27
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Upollo:
You are right about the multiples of 4 to keep it danceable, but know, that I don't keep it strictly on this, because iam not a robot ;-)
I do tend to have a random 1-3 bar stop now and then in between the structure, warping the sound a bit and throwing it back into the main melody. Making the listener loose track and also gives a break from the repetition.
PsyTriYe:
The kick n bass is the mother and father of the track so their frequencies can move upwards towards the highs. Kick is cut at about 6Khz, with a minor boost @ about 5Khz, and bassline usually runs up to about 2Khz. I play with the cutoff filter on the bass and use my ears to find only the necessary high frequencies the bass-line requires.
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On many of my leads I boost a bit @ 15Khz to balance out the bass frequencies (of the kick n bass) and also to get that clear sound.
Usually I make my kicks with sylenth1 – with a sine wave, pitch modulation and boost @ 60hz to give a low end. Then maybe add saw/square wave – much lower in volume to add a click, play with the phase and pitch mod amount to find that nice kick sound.
Keep in mind: That when composing music, it’s like a scale. With every sound you add the scale goes off balance. So if the scale leans towards the bass frequencies, you have to give more high frequencies to the other sounds, ensuring that the overall frequencies, has a leveled relationship.
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PsyTriYe
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
126
Posted : Feb 18, 2014 12:04
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thats not what i asked... i asked if that you must have a separate channel for the lows.. as u sed about organization and having your lows/ lomids 20-250 on a separate channel to designated groups....
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TranceAphobic
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
29
Posted : Feb 18, 2014 14:07
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Every instrument has its own channel with its own EQ's/compression etc. The groups are just a visual guide(in colors). I don't group anything to sends or anything like that @ the production phase, that happens at the mixing stage.
i.e (in the main window)
Kick:(blue) - |
Bass:(blue) - |
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Lead1:(green) - |
Lead2:(green) - |
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Hihat:(yellow)- |
Hihat2(yellow)- |
Now the 3 ranges are visually seperate and can show you where the spaces are for other instruments.
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naretir
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
29
Posts :
207
Posted : Feb 19, 2014 15:33
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well u guess its not bad to know the rules.. so u can f*** the hell out of them..! FTW
Ohh yeah. fiddle and boom. Ableton addict :)
Been here since October 14, 2008. |
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Agorit
Started Topics :
3
Posts :
114
Posted : Feb 19, 2014 19:10
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Thanks man |
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TranceAphobic
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
29
Posted : Feb 20, 2014 09:50
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Quote:
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On 2014-02-19 15:33, naretir wrote:
well u guess its not bad to know the rules.. so u can f*** the hell out of them..! FTW
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Learn it all, and forget it all. One thing with me- I will concentrate on structure but my tracks will always go into free-flow mode, every piece of advice I give is only a template. Inevitably, you should always bend the rules.
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UnderTow
Started Topics :
9
Posts :
1448
Posted : Feb 20, 2014 17:46
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You bring some good ideas in your post. Juts a few comments:
Quote:
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On 2014-02-17 13:57:04, TranceAphobic wrote:
IMO- If a sound plays at the same time as another, within the same range, one of them should move or be removed. Well not always – sometimes I do bend this rule, but only if the results sounds great. |
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I very often have several lead lines going on at the same time. You just have to make sure they are EQed, compressed and placed well to blend nicely to create a new sound composed of the parts.
Quote:
| I use WAV samples imported directly into the DAW, so I can cut every sample perfectly. Every sample has to have some repetitive pattern which loops within a 16 beat loop. 16 is just your best choice, depending on the genre, compared to 4 & 8 beat loops it just keeps everything interesting and sounding professional. |
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I often have sounds that repeat over 1, 2, 4 or 8 bars. It can give a sense of speed and drive.
Quote:
| Against the kick-drum, the snare can be moved a bit out of sync – so they stay out of each other’s way. |
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I do the exact opposite. I trim and place the snare (and much of my other percussion samples) so that they are sample accurate bang on the beat. This gives tightness and speed.
Quote:
| While building the main track, I specify the groups clearly (blue-low, green-mid, yellow,high) - with spaces between each group. This helps me to see where the gaps are in each range. Note that many gaps need to stay open, to make the track breath. Silent gaps makes the loop ,,, well – sound like a loop. |
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I tend to fill in every gap with something so as to get that big rolling trance machine going.
Quote:
| At the production phase I keep EQ out. Too many times it messed up my creation flow when I mix while I compose, blink your eyes and the overall sound is messed up and the track becomes such a drag that you throw it over your shoulder. |
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I always EQ, compress and tweak every sound before moving on to the next one or you end up with an unmanageable mess. So many sounds are entirely dependent on exactly how they interlock with each other. You can only get that right by tweaking the sounds immediately.
Quote:
| I follow the progressive style where after every 32 beats the next sound enters- before it fades in it looks for a gap where it can sit, take up a space – and makes itself at home. Every 32 beats for me is a cycle which I indicate with time markers (C1, C2, C3 and C4). After the intro which can have a random length – the first cycle begins, where the beats start pumping. Usually I do 8 cycles before going into the breakdown- with each 4 cycles being the same yet distinct from the other. Every new cycle represents the birth of a new sound. When reaching the 8th cycle it can become a bit crowded so the arrangement may shift to create some space for other sounds. Not too much though, otherwise you will mess up the flow of the track. Better example would be – starting with the 1st cycle, the sounds may be longer, filling more space, when reaching the 8th cycle- everything becomes shorter and shorter towards the build-up before the breakdown. |
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This is clearly genre specific. I usually make full-on. New sounds are introduced every 4 bars (max!) and overall cycle length is 8 or 16 bars. This keeps it interesting.
Quote:
| In the breakdowns I do tend to make build up leads which needs to maintain the flow. So it fills every space, with an upwards arpreggiator, in the mid range- but now I also want a Pad running in the background. This is where you pull out the EQ for some carving on each sound, say PAD takes 60hz-1khz and lead takes 1Khz-16Khz. Remember gentle carving, or even a high/low shelf. |
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Those are rather narrow ranges. My pads will more likely be something from 400 Hz to 18Khz and leads 200 Hz to also about 18 Khz. (Depends on the sounds). A lead to only starts at 1Khz will probably sound very thin.
Anyway, something else you didn't mention, besides frequency and level there is also panning and front to back depth. You can separate sounds that would otherwise overlap by placing them differently in the stereo or depth field. You can also use some stereo effects on some sounds to pull them out of the mix and put them in their own space. Or have a sound that is both left and right but not in the center and compliment it with another sound that is in the middle but not on the sides.
Quote:
| “The better the quality, the less you need“ |
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"The better quality, the more you can fit in.
UnderTow |
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Suloo
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
87
Posts :
2822
Posted : Feb 20, 2014 19:17
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oh hey, Undertow..welcome back!
hows it goin?
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