Transition tricks - what would you recommend?

M

marcinsen

New member
Hello guys
I'm new here and I'm very new to recording and mixing. I'm writing songs and I want to make them into album. I've managed to do one song already. It's not perfect, but I'm happy, it's mostly for my friends, not for radio (you can find it here - just copy and paste it into youtube search window: "Apokaliptyczny dowcip", the first song is mine. It's in Polish, and the genre is kind of gypsy-punk stuff, if you know Gogol Bordello, you will get it).
I have a question about a new song I'm making. It is very slow, rythmic (just etnic drums - bodhran, tablas, shakers, castanedas), the dynamic of the song is supposed to be built by transitions - let's say at first there is just the vocal and ukulele and without changing tempo they come other instruments: drums, shakers, accordion, bass etc. like an explosion of sound. It goes for a while, and then there is another transition - everything vanishes, and only vocal and ukulele stays. Then again sound explosion. There is maybe 3-4 transitions like this in the song. So I don't have any idea, how to make those transitions to make them interesting. If I just add or cut instruments, it sounds kind of fragmentated and not very interesting. I don't know if I explained it properly? Have u got it?:)
What effects or tricks would you recommend to make those transitions interesting? Thanks a lot!
Martin
 
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Careful composition and arranging should be able to get you there without effects. Maybe have an instrument or two sort of announce themselves with a pick up on the last couple beats going into the transition. Like the drum fill going from verse to chorus in a power ballad. Or that "twitchy" guitar thing in Radiohead's Creep. Then have one or more instrument kind of hang on and fade out on the transition back. Shaker or tambourine could be good there.

OTOH - You could try a reversed Reverb or delay trail, or something like a filter sweep or the upswing of a flanger going into the louder part, and then verb or delay again to fade back into the quiet.
 
Thanks guys, very good tips here, I'll try them today, and let you know how it went. Actually yesterday I used some gentle white noise sweep from the quiet part to the loud one, and I think it sound good. Since all the music is accoustic, I was afraid of using electronic effect here, but adjusting the volume and applying a high cut the to sweep I managed to blend it in nicely (i believe).
 
Ok, so I sticked to the gentle white noise sweep from the quiet part to the loud one, as for the other way around (from loud to the quiet), I suddenly cut the music for a second and then I went with power hand clapping (ten tracks hand clapping), shaker and strong vocal, and to it I added one by other instruments. I think it came out nicely. I would post a link, but I can't yet do it on the forum. Thanks for advice!
 
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