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Questions on improving workflow
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jsrobinson
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
29
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85
Posted : Mar 2, 2012 12:27:15
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I was wondering about different people's workflow methods. I'm trying a few different approaches...
-Getting a kick and bass down, and going thru percussion and then into leads, etc.
-Or alternatively sticking with percussion until it really drives, then going into a more subtle bass.
I pretty much get hung up when I try to take it further without it sounding cheesy. Whenever it gets sounding cheese, I get pretty frustrated and start deleting.
So, recently, I've heard it mentioned to really focus on every step. Get all the modulation for your sounds in place and really sounding fantastic before adding any other elements. This has helped a little in getting my underlying stuff to not sound so crap... but I still just end up with a 'rolling beat' that still doesn't sound really anything like I want it to.Thus I don't really do much with it aside from make halfassed arrangements as I don't like the underlying motif.
Hell, I can get really hung up just picking a kick drum sometimes. Synthing my own sounds even worse.
I suppose I'm wondering if anyone might have any words of wisdom on how to refine/define/focus/improve ones workflow.
I'm not really after "faster results", or some way around practicing, but I wish I were way more efficient in my practice.
Thanks for any thoughts. |
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Avilente
Started Topics :
0
Posts :
8
Posted : Mar 2, 2012 14:22
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Well Everyone develops their own workflow after a while and it constantly evolves.
This happens to be mine at the moment, though I dont necessarily follow it as a rule or anything 
By my experience so far, I find that working on a lot of different patterns centered around one essential element could be helpful in exploring all the dimensions of one particular idea. For instance if you have one gated rythmic pattern over a basic drum and bassline . . then you could experiment with all different variations of sounds/ideas that you feel/think of when you hear the same pattern in different perspectives/different times. This way you could have a "matrix" of sounds that more or less fit with each other and have good flow since they are based around the same element. This is especially easy in Ableton Live's Session View! If your working mostly in arrangement view it might be a little tedious but it could still be possible.
Once youve got these matrix of sounds you could do a basic arrangement and then start adding variations in the kick/bass , Adding interest through additional FX and cleaning up the arrangement by whatever "flow" that the arrangement presents. I suppose that this stage would also be the best time to start thinking in mix perspective as well, especially in terms of the sounds in the different frequency ranges so that you wont have to worry about having too many sounds in the same frequency range later on in the process.
Just my perspective on workflow.
And as for increased Focus, I suppose you have to be "mindful" of whatever it is that your doing |
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Avilente
Started Topics :
0
Posts :
8
Posted : Mar 2, 2012 14:54
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Though this is the workflow i have used so far . . A "bottom up" approach to songwriting/production . . I was also intrigued by the way a visionary artist friend of mine goes about his work . .
His is a "Top Down" approach as he would call it. He mentioned that when he goes about making a new work of art He more or less has the Entire picture in his mind's eye and when he starts drawing,he tells me that all he does is trace out the vision that he already has in his mind. His self "judgement" of the final work would be based on how well he was able to replicate what he saw in his mind.
Now, I don't really know how effective this approach to workflow is in music production , Though I am sure it can help a lot while doing the arrangement and layering.
I guess if the song/track can be visualised as a dynamic picture filled with constantly evolving shapes and patterns in the mind then it could ultimately translate into Sound . .
Here's a link to some of his artwork . . .
http://www.gautamnair.com/
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minddoctorsmakeacid
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
74
Posts :
577
Posted : Mar 3, 2012 01:31
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Quote:
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On 2012-03-02 14:54, Avilente wrote:
Though this is the workflow i have used so far . . A "bottom up" approach to songwriting/production . . I was also intrigued by the way a visionary artist friend of mine goes about his work . .
His is a "Top Down" approach as he would call it. He mentioned that when he goes about making a new work of art He more or less has the Entire picture in his mind's eye and when he starts drawing,he tells me that all he does is trace out the vision that he already has in his mind. His self "judgement" of the final work would be based on how well he was able to replicate what he saw in his mind.
Now, I don't really know how effective this approach to workflow is in music production , Though I am sure it can help a lot while doing the arrangement and layering.
I guess if the song/track can be visualised as a dynamic picture filled with constantly evolving shapes and patterns in the mind then it could ultimately translate into Sound . .
Here's a link to some of his artwork . . .
http://www.gautamnair.com/
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+1
In my opinion that's the most creative and more expressive way of making music, but reduces workflow, well not unless you can recriate the sounds you picture instantly.
But you should allways picture more or less of what you are about to create!!
I usually b4 even starting a song think about the song's message, what does it have to say and what mood it would be in and sometimes when I want to express a feeling of anger or happiness, I sit down and think: How would I express what I'm feeling right now?
Picturing a scenario, like a short movie created by you also helps, analyse the enviroment of what you are picturing and create the sondtrack for it!
But you asked about workflow and we are talking about inspiration, lol!
Organize your sample library and have ready (good and little in amount) premade presets so that you have everything at hand.
This really helps a lot!
It's like when you are cooking...
You can cook with a slow workflow and get things ready as you go along with the recipie(running the risk of screwing up the recipie)
or you can get everything ready at hand and do the recipe in a fast organized way, it's up to you, but honestly, I prefer the fast and organized way because it just saves so much time.
 http://www.MindDoctorsMakeAcid.com |
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aciduss
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
112
Posts :
1490
Posted : Mar 4, 2012 04:46
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What works for me:
- Go from general to specific. I explain: think in broad terms at first then get into detail.
- Someone told me about working in "levels", this means that when laying out an quick idea one is at level one, sketching, painting brad strokes, setting the boundaries. Then you begin to polish and put stuff in order that would be level 2, and level 3 is giving everything the detail that it requires.
- This way I usually start with a bassline AND, very very important: a rising noise. It can be white noise, pitching goldray, automated cutoff synth, etc... anything that rises tension with time.
- Then I play the bass, listen to this crescendo element for 8 bars then... DROP!
- What to drop? well in my case my mind (when inspired) will give me ideas or options like root ideas to begin a new soundscape with.
- Again go with the levels thing. Do some wide and long sounds first, like atmospheres or sounds with long fx tails.
- Add some sweeps, whooses and hits here so begin to feel some space in your mix, elements that will provide inspiration for more sounds to come.
- Then go level 2 with the synths, the percussion and all of the elements you want in the track... try not to obsess with one sound. Yes, make an effort and get those sounds as good as you can but if you get stuck just delete or mute and move on to another task in your project. Don't let your mind / ear play games on you.
- Then when you have a nice idea rolling go section by section and go level 3+ on everything, polish sounds, fills, breaks, etc.
I usually work in 32 or 64 bar loops depending on the track's part. Most of the time a 32 bar loop will have enough tension/resolution on its own so sometimes I like to move them, swap them and mix them with others.
If you get a couple of 64 bar sections well developed then you can easily use the elements in this parts to make another couple and get the track done.
Of course it is easier said than done. Also this is something that takes several days, I only go onto detail when I'm at the last stage of my production and I already have a well developed narrative, so I can then focus on making it shine rather than worry about filling an empty track.
Hope this helps, everybody has its own method or way of doing stuff. To this day I've seen a lot of guys at the DAW everyone using it in a different way and coming with ideas in totally different ways.
Another approach is to start with an idea. No bassline, no percussion or psyfart.
Get some synths inserted and play with them, bounce the best ideas to audio and start making something interesting, develop some tension and then drop the good old bassline.
It is hard to create new, interesting and clever sounds. The world has seen it all but innovation is still possible. Just think on what YOU WANT TO HEAR. Then do it.
Happy tweaking. |
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the five assed monkey
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
22
Posts :
145
Posted : Mar 5, 2012 16:59
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Really great tips here!
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