Computer Music Magazine: Guide to Making Dubstep

[rogue star]

I read the magasine, found it useful for samples and stuff, aome of the tutorials give you a roundabout idea on how to go about eq'ing and so on. Have seen this issue, surprised that the sounds are more on the darker slightly breakier edge of the dubstep spectrum (hazzah sumone did their homework!). As for the bait wobble business, who needs to be shown when there are 3 million wobblers in todays scene, i think pretty much everyone has a handle on how to use an LFO.

I think its cool it has been featured in a magasine, finally maybe it could be taken somewhat seriously considering that part of dubsteps culture survives on self made sound engineers doin there best to find the elusive perfect mixdown. All genre's have been featured so far, so why not dubstep?

Have we all been workin to build a scene from scratch, from a fusion of every dance genre known to man, been through the biggest dry patch in 2004 when there were 20 people comin to dances, broke through and now keep it shackeled below the surface?

[your mum]

And re: your point about using tutorials, the "established producers" defending Computer Music in this thread are responsible for making and releasing exactly the kind of derivative rubbish that tutorial articles often lead to.

hahaha


tutorial articles are killing dubstep

[rogue star]

And re: your point about using tutorials, the "established producers" defending Computer Music in this thread are responsible for making and releasing exactly the kind of derivative rubbish that tutorial articles often lead to.

hahaha


tutorial articles are killing dubstep

are you for real?

[dubstee]

You've misunderstood. I was using Seckle's quote as an example of someone who perhaps doesn't like this kind of coverage, after you said no-one was saying it's a bad thing.

Don't know about you but I can't recall too many occasions where a dubstep article has been the main feature of a music magazine and has dominated the front cover - A handful of times at most.

Clearly you have some kind of affiliation to sound on sound. It's coverage in these channels which is going to attract more people into the scene and articles/features like tutorials will obviously encourage people starting out to experiment with something new - if you can't see that as a positive thing then quite frankly, you are a donut.

When did I say the coverage was a bad thing? I only said it wasn't a bad thing that Computer Music is more aimed at beginners than SOS.

HOWEVER - If you think that any coverage in the press is automatically good for dubstep then you're quite mistaken I'm afraid. The main result of the increase in popularity of the music over the last couple of years has been a lot more average music. People who make good music don't need a genre-based tutorial to tell them what to do, they experiment and develop their own sound, rather than copying other things. Of course, most people making dubstep now just copy what other people do and all an article like this is going to achieve is attract more of that kind of person to dubstep.

Bruv, can you read properly?

I didn't say you said it was a bad thing. escscramble said he couldn't see how this was on the bad side of the spectrum to which you said "no-one is saying that" - but they were. hence why I quoted seckle's comment.

I'm not saying that any media/press coverage is a good thing. I'm saying that it may as well be in these channels, i.e, music related. Understand?

People who make good music don't need tutorials - on the whole yes this is true and is why an article like this is great for beginners or people thinking about making tunes but don't know how to go about it. However as already proved in this thread, there are established producers from this genre and I'm sure from others, that read mags/articles like these too.

I've not read this article, and probably won't, so I can't say how it's gonna influence someone's production, but yeah, if it specifically shows people how to "MAKE THE FATTEST, DIRTIEST, BAITEST WOBBLE EVER IN THE WORLD!!!", the yeah there'll be a few more heads jumping on the wagon.

escscramble said he couldn't see how this was on the bad side of the spectrum - REFERRING TO THE QUALITY OF COMPUTER MUSIC MAGAZINE.

I said "no-one is saying that" - REFERRING TO THE FACT THAT ALTHOUGH IT HAD BEEN NOTED (AND DENIED) THAT COMPUTER MUSIC IS AIMED MORE AT BEGINNERS, THIS ISN'T A COMMENT ON IT'S QUALITY, JUST WHO IT IS AIMED AT.

You then quoted Seckle's comment, entirely missing the point of the two previous comments. And then you ask me if I can read. Well done.

And re: your point about using tutorials, the "established producers" defending Computer Music in this thread are responsible for making and releasing exactly the kind of derivative rubbish that tutorial articles often lead to.

So how have I missed the point?? I understood what eshscramble was referring to and haven't commented to suggest otherwise!?



I know a lot of dubstep producers (that more than likely you own some of their work) not from this thread that use/read these mags for tips & info. Rubbish is a matter of opinion, almost regardless of its popularity - by the sounds of it, I'm quite sure I'd deem a lot of what you consider great music from 100% original and uninfluenced producers fairly rubbish, but I aint gonna hold a grudge against it.

The point is this is going to be useful for new dubstep producers whilst also giving people who might not have heard dubstep or are unfamiliar with it, a bit of background about the music.

Argument done.

Goodbye.

The point was that escscramble and myself were talking about the magazines in general, while you came in and made a comment about the article. That's why you missed the point. OK?

I don't think we really disagree that much otherwise though. I agree that what is rubbish is largely a matter of opinion, and you're right that this kind of article is going to be useful for a lot of people making music - I didn't mean to sound snobbish about it. I was more making a point about the amount of generic sounding dubstep being made and released at the moment.

[overcast radio]

Everyone please stop arguing apple and oranges...CM is a great mag with great reviews and does the job of scouring the net for free plugs, collects them, puts them on discs for you, etc. Sure it's aimed at beginners--it's a fucking magazine. Surely experience can only get you to be a great producer and you should be man enough to let the shit you know filter through. I gather the people that hate on breakdowns, tutorials, standardization, etc are all making amazing music? No. I'm going to fucking explode at the next person whining about how they were into dubstep before it was dubstep or how the genre has leaked and now their secret circle is exposed...push it foward hypocrites...and get over it. Dub is before dubstep so stop making dubstep holier than thou musically.

If you are a producer of worth, you read all these mags. Tape Op is amazing and so is SOS, what the fuck is wrong with that? God forbid I want to read SOS and learn about OTHER aspects of recording music. (And tbh, I'm not sure who's better CM or FM they are close...but since I got a sub to CM for my b-day, I'm on it.)

You know what...read books about music too, they help. Scour the audio forums too...if you are just a bedroom producer with no real passion for audio and just want to play around with dubstep tunes...that's great. Have fun, take yr new CM disc, and make 3 tunes...1 good, 1 meh, and 1 shit. That's the way I bet it will go. Decide from there. Making any kind of music isn't easy for lots of people...if it's easy for you and you hate categories, codification, convention, pedagogy (sp?)...then log off this fucking forum and go make something unique

As far as complaining about the pre-fab sounds...sure I agree, I don't use pre-fab loops, bass, hooks in my productions. But I decided that long ago working in TV that I wanted to stand out and develop a style. But beginners need to make pedestrian dubs to learn. In classical music it's called etude. And honestly, it's prolly good enough bc I hear some real shit tunes out there and no one seems to notice. But who cares...I have literally a quarter MILLION drum samples on my drives...I'll take more. And I could totally make a sick track using CM samples only as source. It's what you do with them...if you use pre-fab straight off the rack, where I come from is fucking lame. That's LA shit. That's deadline work, wallpaper for reality shows that all sound the same bc they are cut from the same cloth.

How about EM?..now there is a fucking crap mag. Did anyone mention that?

Oh yeah, stop bitching please I'm begging you.

In the context of creating music, dubstep is no different than any other loop-based, non-song edm of any kind...and moreso no different in the context of producing good music. It all about creativity, developing a sound, branding, and knowing how to get good sounds. All music needs good levels, knowing the diff between good compression and bad, space, counterpoint, and a great fucking mix. That being said you better be reading everything you can get your hands on.

What's the most upsetting about the whole thread is the attitude people seem to have right off the bat. Seeing the word "dubstep" in print or in public, and people start whining and pissing their pants before even acknowledging wtf its even about. Don't you think there are so many other genres of "new" music that were once an underground circle and then blew up? I don't know, how about: rock, psychedelic, punk, hip-hop, idm, Brazilian. Stop acting like dubstep is so much more important, lives on a pedestal, and is some untouchable deity. It's just more fucking cool music. Stop living by the "push it foward" maxim, and then cry in your Red Stripe about how dubstep is getting known. Go start a new style then if you are so hipper than thou. Remedial tuts or how-to's are they way people who don't know the first thing about it, in fact, learn. I gather these haters are the same people who sit in arithmetic class, raise their hands, and ask if "they will be studying trig in this class?" The greatest painters in the history of art painted still-life...all the time...there is always something to learn, but you have to be open to it. No one knows everything.

And to say teaching people art technique (in this case making a style of electronic music) stunts its evolution is just the stupidest thing ever.

[d-code]

wow, this thread has got a bit out of hand pretty quickly. good vibes as per on dsf i see

[dubstee]

And re: your point about using tutorials, the "established producers" defending Computer Music in this thread are responsible for making and releasing exactly the kind of derivative rubbish that tutorial articles often lead to.

Thats deeeeeep bruv! Sad thing is in this day and age on this site now if you make one kind of music your an outcast in some (very ignorant) peoples minds! Age old answer, dont like it dont listen to it but to comment like that isn't cool bruv!

What exactly have you done in Dubstep to have such a high opinion?! You have 60 something comments, you clearly have no idea about the history/future of Dubstep yet you can say something like that about the producers in this thread who have worked hard for years and years! Of the producers in this thread your looking at shitlaods of releases,work - doesnt that stand for anything irrelevent to the fact you might not like their music?

Not sure why you think the number of posts I have on dubstepforum is relates in any way to my knowledge about the history/future of dubstep tbh.

Compared to Blackdown, your contribution to the scene is negliable at best and yet you feel able to let off at him in this thread. In any case, I didn't mention you - I simply mentioned "established producers", a phrase someone else had used. To my mind, you need more than one or two releases to be an established producer, but there you go. And anyway, hard work and releases does not necessarily equal good music.

[dj $hy]

And re: your point about using tutorials, the "established producers" defending Computer Music in this thread are responsible for making and releasing exactly the kind of derivative rubbish that tutorial articles often lead to.

Thats deeeeeep bruv! Sad thing is in this day and age on this site now if you make one kind of music your an outcast in some (very ignorant) peoples minds! Age old answer, dont like it dont listen to it but to comment like that isn't cool bruv!

What exactly have you done in Dubstep to have such a high opinion?! You have 60 something comments, you clearly have no idea about the history/future of Dubstep yet you can say something like that about the producers in this thread who have worked hard for years and years! Of the producers in this thread your looking at shitlaods of releases,work - doesnt that stand for anything irrelevent to the fact you might not like their music?

Not sure why you think the number of posts I have on dubstepforum is relates in any way to my knowledge about the history/future of dubstep tbh.

Compared to Blackdown, your contribution to the scene is negliable at best and yet you feel able to let off at him in this thread. In any case, I didn't mention you - I simply mentioned "established producers", a phrase someone else had used. To my mind, you need more than one or two releases to be an established producer, but there you go. And anyway, hard work and releases does not necessarily equal good music.

I dont know you, dont know your background and only have your posts to go by so thats why I said that.

Me and Blackdown have had our tiffs in the past but its not personal, we've known each other since this forum opened and I felt I could say that to him! I'm being honest about what I read. It seems a lot of people agree CM is a good mag for music.

I didnt take it as me but I didnt think what you said wasn't fine on the producers who had commented on this thread no matter what kind of music they have made! Thats what they do! Just because you dont like it doesnt mean the next man feels the same and I thought it was a harsh thing to say thats all! I think I have contributed a lot to this scene mate but you might not have seen that seeing as you clearly dont like the style of music we do, dont mean I haven't done anything and is pretty ignorent to say it! I'm signed to more than 2 labels, check my sign. We play out nearly every weekend, we have been hostinga radio show on Sub FM for over 3 years. I think thats doing something for the scene even if its not the part you like!

[clarkycatdealer]

SOS has articles relating to both "computer music" and "real instrument" centric stuff....

Cm is pretty waste, the odd cd has good drum hits,but meh..... tutorials are all pretty shit and over generalizing.

the fact that dubstep is in it merely reflects its popularity tho.... don't see what the big ruckus is over.

[mushug]

I understand why people are bit annoyed, the magazine is making it sound like there is a formula to making Dubstep.

there's a formula actually:
http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.p ... 68&start=0

[azair]

Where can I get this magazine?

[Doctor J]

Surely an awful lot of developments in modern music came from someone trying to copy something and screwing it up? Sorry, I mean "adding their own individual sound".

BB King is a favorite example. He developed his distinctive vibrato style through listening to other blues guitarists on the radio; what he didn't know was that they were actually playing slide guitar, so he was sitting at home trying to emulate that sound by using only his fingers to shake the strings.

Although he wasn't able to copy their style the way he originally intended, in the process of trying he ended up with his own unique sound that is now instantly recognizable to blues fans around the world.

[pdomino]

I buy it from time to time, new equipment, reviews, resources, techniques.

simply CM trying to appeal to a wider audience.

[pete_bubonic]

And re: your point about using tutorials, the "established producers" defending Computer Music in this thread are responsible for making and releasing exactly the kind of derivative rubbish that tutorial articles often lead to.

You know what, I actually understood your POV, bar a few misunderstandings, but that statement... You get the big boy 'fuck you' to that. Prrrrrrrrrrrrick.

[pk-]

i thought the general consensus on this article's message a while back was "syncopate the drums, here's how you make a wobble, generally just do what you want as it's a varied genre"?

i thought everyone said it was too vague a guide and not that it was laying down a really specific template

[selrahc]

What exactly have you done in Dubstep to have such a high opinion?! You have 60 something comments, you clearly have no idea about the history/future of Dubstep yet you can say something like that about the producers in this thread who have worked hard for years and years! Of the producers in this thread your looking at shitlaods of releases,work - doesnt that stand for anything irrelevent to the fact you might not like their music?

exactly, i haven't posted that much so i have no concept of dubstep past or present. oh no wait

[viralcode]

Everyone saying this is shit, its really fucking hard to get into making electronic without any help. This magazine could help beginners into producing in general, and those beginners could go on to make some real fucking tunes. Some might make clone stuff, but people are already making boring tunes as it is. Every new producer is a opportunity and a good thing.

agreed...

2nd'd

I 3rd that....


Also i must say that within each style there is always a 'way of doing it'. Its not like you can make a dubstep track with a temp of 190+ for example! There are a number of factors which will remain the same throughout - all of the key elements which will make up a substantial track - something a real beginner may not realise. Obviously one could say for example, that if someone is trying to make dubstep they should know that the tempo will be a lot less than that of a drum & bass track, but some people are very unaware of these things, a REAL newbie and that is where this article will help.

I doubt the magazine tries to come up with a set formula for making any style of dubtep but it will give producers (new and old) an insight into where to start.

Like a large majority of the people on this forum, I am trying to get to grips with the large list of things i need to learn before i can embark on trying to make music. So peronally, i think this magazine is a brilliant way for people to learn the basics!

[bluenote]

There are clearly pros and cons to this.

Granted on the one hand you could have people cynically jumping on the bandwagon or producing shit, generic tunes which stick to a formula.

Contrastingly you could have someone who has original ideas flying about, but has no idea how to put them into practice. For someone like this, a basic formula (to use as a STARTING POINT) can clearly only be a good thing.

It's a difficult one, for every shit copycat producer that could potentially spring up as a result of this you could get a diamond in the rough.

I don't mean to have a dig at anyone, but people need to stop being elitist and look at the wider picture imo

[freqone]

There's no shortage of coverage in the press for dubstep. Not sure how tutorials on how to make dubstep pastiche tunes are going to push the scene forward though.

It's a {IMO} a very well done tutorial, which enables any curious producer to understand the basic method of putting together a dubstep tune, introduced by an equally as good write-up on said genre.that's actually accurate and unassuming.
I dont see how this is negative exposure at all...

[mechabot 01]

Anyone for a cup of tea? I've got a fresh box of PG Tips (not easy to come by round these parts) and the kettles on....