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Jolly Wailer wrote:I feel like I just don't have that much time to put in on my beats - like it'll take about 6 hours plus properly to get like 8-bars up and running - some decent hitting snares and a nice sequenced pattern, a bass line I can bounce to and then sorting through pads and leads to find something that sounds nice on top - then lots and lots of fiddling with levels and eqs to get a mix centered nicely... but still this leaves me with a pretty barebones track (and still about 8 bars on loop) no arrangement and sort of at a loss on how to add more to it with it still sounding cohesive as a piece of music...

basically I can get a sketch of an idea down in one night...


but I listened to those new reso bits - and a lot of others beats on here (sorry to not name names at this point) - and there is just some boggling drum sequences and crazy bass edits that just seem like they would take for ever to get properly into a track...

how many beats do you guys put out in a week - or should I say... how long does it take you to complete a track..

my reference track for this question is "climbing the walls" by reso... this track is fucking insane it just seems like it must have taken forever!

I dont think I have enough mental stamina to concentrate on a track this long!

or is it one of those creative flourish things where the shit just bangs itself out and you're done with a beat in one evening at the PC - some spliffage and a few cold ones...

whats up?

Only just spotted this.
Right first off with drum edits, i've played drums for about 15 years so drum edits are what i find easiest to do, that why i batter the life out of em!
Half of this is down to the logic matrix edit page, it's the best for programming in my eyes. Put me on reason and i turn into a programming turd.
With synths i'll sit there fucking around for hours to get a sound i like, it is fucking long. But just tweak em and add plugins till it works for you.

It's good you can get the sketch in a night done, i'm the same, but then i just paste that loop along for about 3 minutes then go through and deconstruct the track.
Next I just work on 8 bars at a time and constantly listen back to see if it works.
Sometimes they take ages, sometimes not so long. Funnily enough i managed to knock out climbing the walls in about 3 nights. It's a bit of a no brainer for what i usually do. The joys of the wobbly banger eh!?
Recently i been manageing to get about 1 tune a week done but that's just cause i haven't had anything else to do.

Also for me i gotta be sober as a judge when making tunes, if i'm lean i can't do fuck all and if i'm pissed i don't want to. Tea n snouts are my tune making companions.

Really tunes are just long to make for me cause i'm a sad anal git.
But i know rusko can knock out a tune in a night and they sound great. He doesn't use templates for tunes either, he is just damn quick!
Some people use templates that i know but that's just bait to me, original ideas please!
Go at your own pace, everyone's different innit!

reso wrote:

Jolly Wailer wrote:I feel like I just don't have that much time to put in on my beats - like it'll take about 6 hours plus properly to get like 8-bars up and running - some decent hitting snares and a nice sequenced pattern, a bass line I can bounce to and then sorting through pads and leads to find something that sounds nice on top - then lots and lots of fiddling with levels and eqs to get a mix centered nicely... but still this leaves me with a pretty barebones track (and still about 8 bars on loop) no arrangement and sort of at a loss on how to add more to it with it still sounding cohesive as a piece of music...

basically I can get a sketch of an idea down in one night...


but I listened to those new reso bits - and a lot of others beats on here (sorry to not name names at this point) - and there is just some boggling drum sequences and crazy bass edits that just seem like they would take for ever to get properly into a track...

how many beats do you guys put out in a week - or should I say... how long does it take you to complete a track..

my reference track for this question is "climbing the walls" by reso... this track is fucking insane it just seems like it must have taken forever!

I dont think I have enough mental stamina to concentrate on a track this long!

or is it one of those creative flourish things where the shit just bangs itself out and you're done with a beat in one evening at the PC - some spliffage and a few cold ones...

whats up?

Only just spotted this.
Right first off with drum edits, i've played drums for about 15 years so drum edits are what i find easiest to do, that why i batter the life out of em!
Half of this is down to the logic matrix edit page, it's the best for programming in my eyes. Put me on reason and i turn into a programming turd.
With synths i'll sit there fucking around for hours to get a sound i like, it is fucking long. But just tweak em and add plugins till it works for you.

It's good you can get the sketch in a night done, i'm the same, but then i just paste that loop along for about 3 minutes then go through and deconstruct the track.
Next I just work on 8 bars at a time and constantly listen back to see if it works.
Sometimes they take ages, sometimes not so long. Funnily enough i managed to knock out climbing the walls in about 3 nights. It's a bit of a no brainer for what i usually do. The joys of the wobbly banger eh!?
Recently i been manageing to get about 1 tune a week done but that's just cause i haven't had anything else to do.

Also for me i gotta be sober as a judge when making tunes, if i'm lean i can't do fuck all and if i'm pissed i don't want to. Tea n snouts are my tune making companions.

Really tunes are just long to make for me cause i'm a sad anal git.
But i know rusko can knock out a tune in a night and they sound great. He doesn't use templates for tunes either, he is just damn quick!
Some people use templates that i know but that's just bait to me, original ideas please!
Go at your own pace, everyone's different innit!

thanks!

metalboxproducts wrote:Don't fall into the trap of thinking more equipment/plugins are going to help.

Definitely. Also if its taking you 8 hours to get a loop going make sure you save any synths and effect settings as presets , might even be worth saving an empty song file with all your channels set up as a template on your sequencer so you can start working on something immediately next time.

Any time you make a decent sound or pattern, even if you dont use it on this tune, bounce it to audio and save it. Also every time you finish a tune go through the audio channels in a sample editor and save all the main sounds loops to a folder - once you get in the habit you will have a palette of patterns and sounds that maybe didn't work last time but might fit a different tune.

basically man its just patience, spend ages making each bar different or wateva

reso wrote:
It's good you can get the sketch in a night done, i'm the same, but then i just paste that loop along for about 3 minutes then go through and deconstruct the track.

This is key.

Also try some of these tips.

http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=26214

yip, you want to move away from spending hours tweaking an 8 bar loop as soon as possible.

i find getting into writing an intro, first drop and then a major change up at about 2.50 in, is a good way to get a track forming some kind of whole.

as peeps have mentioned about 1 track out of 10 is what producers persevere with.

A lot of tracks are built around the intro, sets the mood for what is gonna happen.

its all about training.....

you've to change your workflow. first just compose everything. sort your samples so you wont have to look for ages. try to make music with already a small idea how your music has to be. just arrange your stuff, make the breaks and other things. Force yourself to do more then you used to be or else youll stick on your own level and wont get further. you've to force yourself all the time and that's not always fun to do, cause sometimes musicians are also lazy. later on when you have your music then you've to listen different to your track. not with your composing ears but with your mixdown ears. Pick the compressors, eqs, stereodevices and limiters at the end.

i think your block is inspiration after you've done your loop. Try to think further then just your 8 bars

force yourself

Roqqert wrote: force yourself

Good advice. You really do have to force yourself. When you hear that voice saying, 'oh, don't worry about it'... stamp it out quick! Think of that voice as your enemy.

I can be a lazy person. But with music, I ask myself why I'm doing this... what I want to achieve, eg. Do I want bedroom beats that will disappear forever, or do I want to make something really worthwhile? If I'm ever feeling lazy or uninspired I just think of my 'hero' musicians, and try to absorb some of their energy.

Heres the sorts of things I keep in my head when producing..

If theres something technical I'm confused about, or don't understand... just SOLVE it! I think of it as filling holes in my musical knowledge. If I find a hole, I google it, read about the subject until it sinks in.. whatever it takes to solve that issue.

If I hear something not quite right in my production, never EVER say, 'I'll fix it later', or 'its only small, nobody will notice'. Get in there and fix it now, because lots of small things add up, bigtime.

I'm no expert, but this kind of thinking has brought me a long way.

Keep it coming, this thread is really interesting..