I posted this a few days ago, and am wondering if the list was down or something. If this is the second time you're gettin' it, don't go complaining, you little wanker- it's just one friggin' email to delete, and your mailbox is probably already full of porn spam from all those "picture post" sites you've been visiting. ;)
------------------------------------------------ DISCLAIMER: The following article tackles DnB from a dancefloor perspective. The internet has spawned a strange culture of producers who have never SEEN a dancefloor yet struggle to make their tracks sound like the latest Digital release (which is designed for a DJ to use to get people all hot and sweaty). If your making tracks only for other producers to download on MP3 or for kids to listen to in their bedrooms, you have the freedom to do whatever the hell you want. Take it already. Also, none of the following is meant to be dogmatic in any way; DnB is always evolving and nothing is set in stone. Notice I made up terms for the different parts of a track and the different sonic elements; youre not obligated to use these in your everyday speech. Take a chill pill if you need one... HOW TO MAKE A DRUM N BASS TRACK By Demon Seed This article doesnt deal with the specifics of how to make bass sounds, program breaks, or purchasing/using gear. There are already a million other sources for that stuff on the web. This is for those cats who can program a phat break, know how to work their synth, but when it comes time to lay down 6 minutes of funk, they get stuck. THE THREE FUNCTIONS OF PRODUCTION Producing a track involves three basic functions. Put your heart and soul into every part, focusing your energies on each, so that when put together, the final product is absolutely mindblowing. Well actually you don't have to work THAT hard- as long as you know the rule of Where The Work Goes.. The Rule Of Where The Work Goes In DnB production, originality and innovation is a prime concern. However, the law of "Where The Work Goes" lets you chill out a bit and enjoy using those things that we already know and love. The law is as follows: Its OK to occasionally use a "standard " element ( a sine wave for a bass, a basic two step or amen break, etc), as long as you do something really dope elsewhere to pick up the slack. For example, there are still people making smooth "intelligent" style tracks using the "think" break. They can get away with it , too. Why? Well, if you just spent 10+ hours crafting a georgeous symphony of pads and fx, you can use "funky drummer" for all I care. That said, lets check out the different functions that go into producing a track. A good way to work is to handle each task one by one, in order. This is just a guideline, of course- even then you'll still find yourself jumping back and forth a bit from job to job as your work progresses and you go back and change things. FUNCTION ONE: SOUND DESIGN/SAMPLING Here's where you make or find some kick-ass sounds. Check out other sources for how to make your soft synth go baaaarooom or how to compress your drums for punchiness. Some things to remember though: Drums: Make sure your kit "works" together, that the different sounds complement each other. Bass: Best to create a new one in your synth or softsynth than to sample one off your favorite T-bee record. DnB heads dig those oh-so-fresh-and-new bass sounds... FX: Get alot of these, you'll need them. Bleeps, noises, wierd swooshes, whatever. Don't sweat them too much- if it sounds cool, grab it. These arent meant to be the focus of your track (keep reading). Sound design is the cornerstone of great DnB. The more you can learn about how to manipulate sound- how to make interesting bass noises, how to get that kick to "punch" just right, how to create twisted sound FX, the better. The best producers (DnB or otherwise) are obsessive creators, manipulators, and collectors of sound- they spend hours twisting the shit out of their synths to create new patches, they hunt used record bins for that old Prince album just to sample the dope snare on it. Do the same. FUNCTION TWO: WRITING/PROGRAMMING Again, check out other sources (like Spinwarp) for how to do this well. Here's where you build your basic hooks and phrases, using the pieces you found or made during sound design/sampling. Some thoughts: 1. The search for new and creative programming (like new break patterns) may take you into wierd territory. Dont make that shit too tweaky unless you want your stuff to be listened to primarily in the dorms of nerdy college students (yes, Plug rocks). 2. As always, the best way to learn is to LISTEN. Jock that break pattern off your favorite track, using different drums. Copy that bassline off the anthem of the moment, using a different bass sound and moving the notes around a bit to make it new and unrecognizable. From the old comes the new. Now as you start programming, keep in mind not all the elements of your track are created equal. Each of your ideas will fall into a different category based on what role it's meant to play: HOOKS: These are your main ideas- the heart of your track. Breaks, basslines, synth lines, percussion patterns, all that dope shit. Again, originality is generally the key, but keeping in mind "Where The Work Goes", feel free to lets say, have your bassline be really simple if you found or synthesized a hot new bass sound that noones ever used before. PHRASES: These are minor hooks that "play off" of your main hooks, providing countermelody and all that other musical mumbo-jumbo. Examples would be a little 2 note-bassline that plays at the end of every 8 bars of your main bassline , a little synth or piano tinkle that appears here and there, whatever. Things like drum fills (like maybe a 1 bar amen that comes in and out) might fit the bill too. FX: These are "ambient" (meaning background) sounds- they add atmosphere, flavor, and mood, but they are not the focus of your track. They are there to break the monotony, giving the dancers some stimulation for the brain while the bassline and beat shakes their asses. You dont have to write patterns or lines for all of these. As a matter of fact, during arrangement you'll make special effort not to make their pattern too repetitious or noticable, otherwise it falls into the category of a hook. CHANGE-UPS: These are your secret weapons to keep your track rolling- these aren't sounds, just ideas for cool stuff you can do to the samples and loops you're already using. Dropping a kick drum out for a beat, drum shuffling, filtering your bassline in and out (or your break), doing a sudden flange or other effect on a sample or break, whatever. Generally it's it's a good idea to wait until after youv'e already arranged your track to worry about these (do what ya like though). These categories are FAR from rigid. For example, an FX played reguarly enough becomes a hook of sorts. If you put a droning bass note after every 16 bars of your main bassline, is that a phrase or an FX? Isnt it really just part of a long, 16-bar loop? Who knows and who cares. The point of all this isn't to obsessively label all your ideas. Its just about understanding that not every element in your track is meant to play a starring role. Try to give every element top billing and youll end up making something that sounds like a '92 rave anthem (yes, Acen rules). FUNCTION THREE: ARRANGEMENT. Now it's time to fire up your sequencer. Here's where you put everything together, giving each element in it's proper place loopwise. Your hooks are just that -HOOKS- mean to be noticed and remembered, so they are heard (looped) the most. Your phrases play off the main hooks and accentuate them, but generally take a back seat and so repeat much less. Your FX are there to add atmosphere- you don't need to make a recognizable pattern or put much logic or reasoning into their arrangement- just put-em in prime spots where they sound cool. (you dont even need to repeat all of them). A good way to work is to build a "skeleton" arrangement with your hooks and phrases, getting down the basic structure. After that you can go in and flesh out the track with your FX and add variation to your loops with some change-ups. BASIC DANCEFLOOR DNB STRUCTURE I'll start by clearing up a big misconception about producing dance music and dnb in particular. Im sure you all know about the "breakdown" (where your beat drops out and the bass kicks in)-- how it comes in the middle part of a track. WRONG. Well, kind of wrong. THE BREAKDOWN IS THE NOT THE MIDDLE OF YOUR TRACK, ITS THE BEGINNING. You see, there's a reason why dance music tracks are 5-7 minutes long while most other (less repetitous) music clocks in like 3 or 4 minutes. Dance music is meant to be played by DJs for people to DANCE to (see the connection?). The first minute or so of your track is designed for a DJ to be able to match it up with another record.- it's just mixing space. Your core audience won't really hear it except chopped up between another track or fading in under it. This doesn't mean you have permission to make it weak, especially since DJs and other producers and of course record labels WILL be giving a listen. Just know that as far as the dancefloor is concerned, it's not really the beginning- the beginning comes when the DJ slides the fader over during the breakdown. That said, here's a good "template" for your basic dancefloor DnB track. Obviously you'll find records that break this mold- as we speak people are already starting to experiment with shorter tracks and other ways to "build" DnB (trainspotters- reread the disclaimer, up top). Still, the basic structure below will probably be around for a while due to it's proven effectiveness on the dancefloor. The format is simple: INTRO, GROOVE, ROLLOUT, RELOAD, OUTRO. INTRO: Mixing space. Noone hears this stuff except for record collectors like us; most DnB heads out for a night of dancing simply wont. You can "tease" your listener with filtered or otherwise altered versions of your hooks/phrases, or wow 'em with some clever FX, but don't give away your favorite ideas in your intro, because it wont to be heard(much). A good idea is to save this part until sometime after you've built your groove(below)- you can then decide which ideas to go back and "introduce" or just go back and orchestrate some wicked FX madness. GROOVE: This usually starts with the infamous breakdown, so the crowd can get all hyped up and brock out when the beats kick back in. This is the "main part" of your track, and, as mentioned, is the TRUE BEGINNING of it. You dont have to hold back here- Give 'em a good 64 bars or so of your main hooks before you take em to the next level... ROLLOUT. Heres where your track gets amped up. This is your climax, where you essentially "raise the stakes". This often takes the form of harder or more frantic percussion, whether it be adding a hard snare or adding congas or doubling up on hihats/shakers or adding an amen. You can also add new hooks/phrases/FX or do some freaky change-ups with ones you already got. Again, great ideas are as near as your record collection. RELOAD: Now that you have your dancers screaming for more, do them a favor and give it to them. This is a kind of shorter repeat of your groove/rollout-a hybrid combination if you will- oftentimes starting with another breakdown . It needs to be slightly different this time around though . You can do this by introducing new elements, or you can use change-ups to keep it rolling. OUTRO: Here the track "deconstructs"- things dropping out and what have you. You know how it goes. This stuff aint meant to be sweated over- like with the intro, your'e just giving the DJ some beats and noises so he has time to mix the next record in. Using your intro again or a little variation of it can work. Again, a good way to work is from general to specific. Loop your hooks/phrases and get the framework done, then spread out your FX and make change-ups where your loops seem too repetitous. As you arrange you'll probably go back and forth to your other functions as producer- making/finding new sounds you might need, reprogramming breaks and lines, etc. IN A NUTSHELL (CONCLUSION) Producing is a three part job- you make and/or choose sounds, you program the different elements, then you sequence the pieces together (not neccesarily in that order). The heart of your DnB track is in the middle (which is actually the beginning!!)- the groove- full of memorable hooks and supporting phrases that climaxes to a fullon rollout assault. Then you reload- taking them for the same ride, but freaking it just a little different.. Sprinkle some FX all around and add change-ups to your loops to keep it interesting. Sandwich the whole thing between a sweet little intro/outro so the DJ can put it in his set. Shake-don't stir, look both ways before crossing the street, be nice to your mama (or mum). Peace. --- Drum&Bass Arena Producers Discussion List http://www.breakbeat.co.uk You are currently subscribed to dnb-prod as: [email protected] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
