Reference Artists For Arranging

[SunkLo]

Post who you reference when you're working on arrangements and transitions. Or just whoever you think has really well arranged tracks. Obviously can be any genre.

Today I've been working on a tune that's been progressing nicely but is getting a bit on the long side. I've been referencing Four Tet and Bonobo. They both manage to get these long journeys crammed into a 4 minute song. Great flow that doesn't lag or jump around too much.

So yeah who are your go-to artists?

(can I get a) Chea!!

[upstateface]

Skream

chea!!

[Basic A]

Legend4ry


....

GANJA WHITE NIGHT.

....


Ganja White night...

Oh...

And leg.'s shits pretty well arranged too.

[lowpass]

I reference 16bit, kryptic minds, Doctor P,

depends what I'm going for though,

obviously don't wanna be referencing funtcase or flux if I'm goin on a deeper tip do I?

[Basic A]

I reference 16bit, kryptic minds, Doctor P,

depends what I'm going for though,

obviously don't wanna be referencing funtcase or flux if I'm goin on a deeper tip do I?

This is why I said GWN...

they have such immense arrangements, and a sound that makes referencing them relevant regardless of deep/wobble/aggro prefernce.

Oh...

And legend4ry's tracks got serious evolution...

And Deadly can crank some out too f I do say so...

[DZA]

Doctor P

Sweet shop

Intro-1st drop- intro-first drop-intro

Yeah well good arrangement

[lowpass]

ohhhh my bad I misread I thought you were on about referencing mixdowns.

I picked apart "R u ready" once helped me learn a lot. like where every part came in how it changed throughout the track.

[SunkLo]

Lol yeah we're on about arrangement not mixing. The art of moving from one part into another, seamlessly joining together contrasting elements into a stream of perfect ebb and flow of energy

Shit's hard sometimes

[joemakin]

nero lol

[nowaysj]

Lol yeah we're on about arrangement not mixing. The art of moving from one part into another, seamlessly joining together contrasting elements into a stream of perfect ebb and flow of energy

Shit's hard sometimes

Straight up, the hardest.

[ketamine]

16 bit.

Rusko. (Hate him or not, he can move a tune along like nobody's business).

And, I'm sick of mentioning him, I really am, but I just can't NOT say it: Burial.

Mr Oizo too. His sequencing makes no sense, but is somehow beautiful in its insanity.

[ketamine]

Lol yeah we're on about arrangement not mixing. The art of moving from one part into another, seamlessly joining together contrasting elements into a stream of perfect ebb and flow of energy

Shit's hard sometimes

Straight up, the hardest.

So SO agreed!

[SunkLo]

Something I've never really thought of before but am starting to appreciate is the artists who are able to have this crazy flow with very minimal instrumentation. It's easy to pull things in and out when you have a 20 piece band to change the energy levels but the guys who do it with a kick, rimshot, sub and a rain sample have definitely earned my respect (read: Burial)

Now I kind of feel like a twat for having a 16 piece for this track
Oh well I guess I'll just fancy myself as a big band composer or something... Plus Mozart wasn't fucking around with no rain samples Arranging a shit load of instruments and making them fit together is hella hard too, not to mention mixing. Hopefully the arrangement will help the mixing go smoothly.

[Basic A]

nero lol

16bit, Rusko

No.... I dont regard typical, 32/64 or 16/32 or in the case of 16 bit straight 32's, I dont see that as pushing any envelopes or anything... listen to a few of these, and youll see what I mean... I respect these guys for writing really nice grooves... for makin shit the dj can drop without fail with nice 32 structures that mash perfect with whatevers on the incoming deck... bass groove kinda guys...

but for progression...

http://label.idmforums.com/idmf005-syna ... ifica.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpzzGXBW4GA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJf59JJnHnQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDmhP6n_uC8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Hf3OdU ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6UOraLK1KE

[legend4ry]

And leg.'s shits pretty well arranged too.

Lol, you mad? My arrangements are simple! I just believe that each 16 bars of a tune should have something new, if thats something added or stripped back its still something new.


Some of my favourite type of arrangements are..

Cyrus tends to go really subby 16 bars before the breakdown and slowly brings sounds out. I really like the way it sounds as it brings the "journey" aspect into a tune.

Quest gets really pad/floating sound-heavy when leading up to the breakdown, which I am quite a fan of too.

Ramadanmans "less is more" approach to his progression and how he switches up very subtley but it works SO well!

I also like when wobble tunes don't use 2308290482 different bassline sounds and just slightly alter the main bassline and play different variations of the notation.

[Depone]

Lol yeah we're on about arrangement not mixing. The art of moving from one part into another, seamlessly joining together contrasting elements into a stream of perfect ebb and flow of energy

Shit's hard sometimes

Straight up, the hardest.

Absolutely. Thankfully for me because i produce a 'harder edge' of the dubstep spectrum, i can fill out changes with effects and hits. I do however keep the musicality in tact by making subtle key changes and what not in preparation before the changes of energy/flow. This is vital for a smooth crossover and energy shift.

Drink red bull

[ketamine]

James Blake

[deadly_habit]

myself the majority of the time

[abZ]

Something I've never really thought of before but am starting to appreciate is the artists who are able to have this crazy flow with very minimal instrumentation. It's easy to pull things in and out when you have a 20 piece band to change the energy levels but the guys who do it with a kick, rimshot, sub and a rain sample have definitely earned my respect (read: Burial)

Now I kind of feel like a twat for having a 16 piece for this track
Oh well I guess I'll just fancy myself as a big band composer or something... Plus Mozart wasn't fucking around with no rain samples Arranging a shit load of instruments and making them fit together is hella hard too, not to mention mixing. Hopefully the arrangement will help the mixing go smoothly.

Yeah man I have always wanted to make those tunes where shit never seems to change yet it does constantly, it's so easy to make a tune with the paint by numbers system but at the same time it's the cliche's in dance music that people can relate too. You can make a tune thats totally original like nothing no one has heard before EASY. I hear them all the time but people go MEHH because you just can't wrap your head around it. Listen to some Kryptic Minds, their arrangements are so elementary and that's why people love them so much.

Anyway to answer the question, C4C kinda killed me back in the day so I broke down their tunes and that has kinda stuck with me even through genre change but of course I have made it my own over the years.

[grooki]

Forensics has very interesting arrangements. His tracks often don't have breaks, they just build up very subtley to the end of a section, and sort of "sigh" into the next bit. No build up sounds or signalling sounds, it's just as if "the time has come to remove those strings".