Creating a Song with reason

S

Slinky3

New member
Hello everyone I am just starting up using reason. I have 3 basic questions.
I know how to play piano and create melodies and chord progressions etc.
I am trying to get like a depeche mode sound maybe a little bit more electronic.
I put down the drums, bass line they sound pretty good.
(here comes the problems)
I create a melody and some chords and they just don't sound right in the mix.

Here is my questions:

1. When using reason to get the sound I want, do I use chords or not? pads? Sometimes they sound overwhelming.

2.Do you play the melody or variations of it thru out the whole song if you are going to sing too? Or just the parts you don't sing?
b/c that kind of sounds too redundant, but if I take it out then it sounds plain and if I want to add something else it sounds like too much, I can never get the right medium :eek: so frustrating!!!! but I love it

3. I know it depends on your certain type of music but what do you need for a song? example drums, bass, etc.
That is where I have the problem drums, bass, I know there has to be like chords or rhythm what do you use for that, then the lead or main melody right?

Hey thanks to anyone who answers I appreciate it
 
Hey Slinky - Well, I hate to give such a generic answer, but it really does depend on what you want to do, what you want your music to sound like... there's no 'right' way to write a song, no magic formula that will work for every piece of music (although there are certainly structural rules/guidelines that can help).
It really is impossible to tell you how you should arrange your song without hearing it at all, but I can at least give you some friendly basic advice for you to take or leave...

1. I would say, if your chordal pads sound too overwhelming to you and you don't like it, then don't use them, simple as that - try stripping it down so that instead of a triad you're just using a 2 notre interval, or even a single note pad. Try spreading the notes in the chord over different instruments so that the song isn't too thick with a single timbre. Try thinning out the sound with EQ to help it sit better, try a different instrument altogether, try arpegiating the chord, etc... lots of ways to do it but the bottom line is if you don't like the sound of it then don't do it.

2. Generally, in most music you don't want to have instruments (or voices) competing for the listener's attention at the same time. If you're using a doubling of a melody to re-enforce it, then make sure one of them is the distinct 'lead'. Usually with vocals you want that to be the focus. A standard old trick is to have an instrument repeat the vocal melody (or a variation of it) after/before the singer sings, but not during. This is used all the time in country and pop, and many other styles. You can also use a 'call and answer' technique where the instrument 'answers' the vocal melody by doing a little counter melody or vice-versa.

3. Again, it really does depend. A standard rock/pop line-up may include drums, bass, 2 guitars, keyboards, lead vocals, backing vocals. But of course there's a million and one variations of this depending on the band/song. Essentially, for pop/rock you're going to want a rhythm section (drum/bass/percussion/sound fx/hitting as guitar/clock tick/whatever) , something to play (or at least hint at) the basic progression (guitar/piano/bass/strings/pads/horns/church organ/whatever) and something to play the melody (vocals/guitar/piano/violin/clarinet/oscilator/whatever).
A good place to start is to listen to music that sounds similar to what you're trying to do and pay close attention to how it's orchestrated/arranged.

Well, long post.... hopefully a bit of it is helpful, keep at it and good luck - remember, go with what your ears say is right :)
 
Thanks Dr. Biscuits (that name is so cool) for real though that is exactly what I was asking and you hit it on the head. Apprecaite it :)
 
two thoughts:

1 if your mixes are too dense, even though all the separate bits sound fine, you can also thin out the mixes by pushing things into the background. You may get to the 'barely audible' stage, which may seem a waste of a part that you have laboured over, but that's the way it goes.

2 listen carefully to the sort of music you are interested in. Hear how they have arranged and layered the parts, and try to emulate them.
 
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