Brisbot Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Workflow is something I've been wondering about lately. I'm fairly new to music production in general, so I'm in an experimental stage where I don't quite know where my comfort level on everything is. This is just a general question, but what does your workflow look like when you're working on a track? I use a digital sequencer, so I'll end up creating 15 minutes of music, with bits and pieces everywhere, and then whittle it down and pick out what I like the most and try to frame a track that way.Friends think this is odd. Though they're the type who're into guitar music and stuff, so they see things as intro, chorus, blah blah.I imagine though that not everyone works this way. People who use analog stuff... I have no clue how music is put together with those things. I also understand, from my very rudimentary understanding of analog stuff, that you can't save settings on quite a lot of stuff, so that limits your in a way.Digital or analog, how does your workflow go? It would also be good to mention what kind of music you like to make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logakght Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I mostly create sounds. Whatever sound I find cool, I save it. When I'm inspired or high in caffeine, I look through my sample library (or sounds I created) and try to mix them with more sounds and create a cohesive track with those. Though most of the time the tracks I make that way end up being 2 minutes loops. Only when I'm really, really motherfucked inspired (or really, really motherfucked high in caffeine), I create decent tracks. I usually do ambientish stuff. Because I like atmospheres; I like to create and feel like if I'm inside a dark, creepy forest, or space, or a magic castle, or whatever. But, mostly, trying to decipher how her mind sounds ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest deferlow Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Digital. Typically, I do a lot of work with field recordings (never leave home without my trust zoom h4n), cut / process bits into samples. I use a step sequencer to get my percussive elements going (I do the same thing wherein I get a solid 10 minutes of rough material and then start to trim and eventually end up sculpting both form and content simultaneously. it's fulfilling, but takes a lot of time. i see no reason to change). Then I'll add in either some stuff on my bass or play around on a few sampler instruments i've cropped from the field recorings... But all that shit aside. I can't stress this next point enough: BE ORGANIZED AND BACK UP EVERYTHING!!! So super-ultra-wicked serious about the 'backing shit up' thing. Seriously, don't be like me. As for being organized: be intuitive and concise in both your file naming protocals and file storage structures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RadarJammer Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 iv'e got a folder in the middle of my desktop labeled "wasteland" 3 years of patching needs to get organized somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LimpyLoo Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 play play edit edit edit play play edit edit edit edit degrade degrade degrade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peace 7 Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I just *feeel*, and then it comes out, mang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brisbot Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 I didn't mean how to make music. I was just wondering what it looks like for you. Do you end up with 15-30 minutes of music for a single track and whittle it down to a the best few, or do you have a shorter length and will immediately discard an idea because it wasn't good right away. It doesn't seem to be a matter of right or wrong so much as just preference.It's cool to see that styles are so markedly different though. There's a style in workflow, I like that. But all that shit aside. I can't stress this next point enough: BE ORGANIZED AND BACK UP EVERYTHING!!! So super-ultra-wicked serious about the 'backing shit up' thing. Seriously, don't be like me. As for being organized: be intuitive and concise in both your file naming protocals and file storage structures. I hear you. I've actually just recently been thinking about that... like yesterday. I started making stuff like 2-3 months ago, and my sample library is starting to become pretty sizable. I just *feeel*, and then it comes out, mang. And I use algorithms. We all have different methods. I usually do ambientish stuff. Because I like atmospheres; I like to create and feel like if I'm inside a dark, creepy forest, or space, or a magic castle, or whatever. But, mostly, trying to decipher how her mind sounds ;) You should do a spaceship based ambient song. Those are always the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audioblysk Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Usually goes something like--- Make drum track to track ideas to Start making melodies/chord structures Working/eqing/compressing/micing guitars Programming synths/effects Build recorded melodies into intro/buildups/main drag/outro style pieces or just jam them in a random fashion Spend 2 weeks tinkering with things nobody will hear or care about Finish out of frustration or lack of ideas with production Wait way too long to make a new song. Some days it's a fast process, others it just doesn't fuckin' work out. Also, I complain about lack of processing gear/nice computer a lot, so that helps things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friendly Foil Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Come up with a nice melody, tweak the sounds a bit, maybe add a beat of some kind, add lots of reverb, save track. Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnar Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chartnok Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 lots of reverb, save track. Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest deferlow Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 _ once you go modular... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Member Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Bang out a mediocre loop. Spend three hours trying to make it awesome. Shut down whatever DAW I was making it in without saving. Never look back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peace 7 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 I generally don't discard tracks, because 1) every track starts with some beatz/melodic inspiration, that I like. 2) if an idea or theme or sound seems to be going wrong, it's just a matter of refinement before it gets good. I don't believe in having bad tracks. I only believe bad tracks are possible when one quits on refining an idea. Most of my tracks follow pop or classical music type cyclical pattern song structures, so I rarely ever have 50 minutes for one track then whittle it down-- cuz I'm not doing 5 hour long ae/boc emotional yet obscure music. I start with a theme that I feeeeel, and then I re-listen to my music-- any and all transitions and transformations in tracks are based on my own reactions to what I've already put down. So-- create, listen, react- repeat. I do like to experiment with melodies and do unpredictable shit, but in general, I put down specific sounds that I feel in reaction to whatevz. Like in this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b2Ex6Y8sgU) vid of mine which I filmed ages ago but just finished recently, at around 1:13 the end part loops, and that was the starting inspiration point for the ending of that vid. Then when looping the voice, I felt strings, so I added strings. I hear more and could make a whole track from that, but basically that's my workflow. Start with a concept, and such concepts generally grow themselves. I rarely ever sit at a daw anymore and be like "soooo what should I do...?"-- it's more like rushing to get an idea down on voice recorder or input midi so I don't lose something I like. --That being said, there are times in tracks where I write some cool shit early on that I totally want to put-in somewhere, but then the track changes so much that I eventually- unfortunately- have to leave a whole section out. I sometimes use those unused bitz in other tracks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logakght Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 _ once you go modular... yo where can i download this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logakght Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 _ once you go modular... yo where can i download this? is it like Audiomulch but in VST? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RadarJammer Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Bang out a mediocre loop. Spend three hours trying to make it awesome. Shut down whatever DAW I was making it in without saving. Never look back. its good practice. there is more value to production than a rendered file. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nil Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 I find inspiring sounds patching my synths > start jamming > find an inspiring melody > MIDI record/sequence it in Numerology, have Numerology play it on repeat. Then I start building upon it, jamming/recording/refining any new melody/beat I might find the same way I just described. Drums usually comes after I have my lead and bass hooks. Sometimes once I have all my arrangement done. Once I have a bunch of melodies, I start jamming with the different sequences, finding out how I can combine those elements together in a way that inspire me and make me want to finish the tune. I compose pretty quickly but produce/mix slowly : I can rework sound-design and mix a 1000 times but will almost never change a single note. Then it's all in fine-tuning/recording/editing/mixing etc... until the track is done. It can take weeks or months, it depends. Et voilà. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnar Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 _ once you go modular... yo where can i download this? is it like Audiomulch but in VST? there is a vst version but I have the buzz version (instrument and effect). the BLOK website itself is down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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