Holy crap, there's a lot of good advice here, kc. I appreciate it.
dude the bass should be the anchor thats you build the whole track on...its the first part of the recipe.....i wish it was the bass bits I had trouble with
Yeah, I always avoid the bass because I suck ass at programming bass parts. I also suck ass at getting a good bass sound. But avoiding bass in dance music is like avoiding offense in a duel. Perhaps if I start with just the bass and kick when crafting my tune, things will turn out better. Trying to slip the bass into the mix after all is said and done is near-impossible!
saying that you have the basis of a track here....my only worry is that your using generic presets??
You caught me with the presets.
I thought I'd try using an additive synthesizer (Morphine) for the first time, and the whole thing was too goddamn complex for me to figure out my own sounds. You're right, though. presets = lame.
you need to filter some of those synth sounds just to give them some movement....at the moment its lying flat...and your drop is way too loud, im on phones and I nearly shat myself
Yeah, I need movement. I s'pose I'll start by playing around with some automation filters on the equalization? This is something that tends to trip me up as well.... And I was wondering about that drop....
try using two kick samples...one to cover the sub and one that has a click...give the sub a bit more reverb and it should whoomph..
Actually, right now I'm using 3 layered kick samples, and 4 for the last 16 bars. Maybe I need to think simpler.... and the reverb is a good tip....I'll try it out.
but without the bass its hard to comment as its relationship with the kick will ultimately determine whether this track works or not
most electronic musicians work from a few bars that make the busiest part of the track..then work their way out...make a plan...you know, 8 to 16 bars intro and build into 32 bars before the first mini break, another 32 before the big drop..then build it up again..its all about having a plan (a good tip is to dissect your favourite track to see how it was built)
This is all great advice. I understand the grave importance of the kick-bass relationship but don't appreciate it. I must learn.
I've never thought about working my way from dense to light. I've always started with the sparse sections and added from there. But your way makes more sense, because if I can get the dense areas to sound good, odds are the sparse sections will as well.
keep at it cc, good work
Psh, good work, yeah right. But thanks. I'll keep at it. I've never been very serious about making electronic music, but I love it to death. And now that I've switched my college major to electronic music, I best get crackin'!
