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How i do i start music composition for edm?


logicnerd

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Start watching YouTube videos where other artists are showing you how they made a representative EDM piece and are demonstrating the use of any DAW = Digital Audio Workstation program, not necessarily Logic. Notice carefully how they approach the task. Notice what musical techniques they're using. Observe, literally, what their workstation screen looks like: what "tracks" are they layering on top of one another, and how many such tracks are there? Now, loop the video and see if you can hear all those things that you see on the video author's screen. (See below.)

 

You might wish to specifically check out LMMS, which appears to be an open-source piece of software that is used a lot in specifically making "dance" music, and whose on-line forums therefore might feature this particular genre.

 

... and, let's hear it for GarageBand, especially in recent versions of the OS/X (MacOS) operating system! ("Gee, GB sure did grow up fast!") ... :shock:

 

Listen to some EDM tracks that you really like, and this time try to listen to them critically, or I might say, analytically. Try to disassemble what you hear into its component parts. Carefully observe the overall structure of the composition: how does it build excitement while maintaining the listener's interest? Many of these "little tricks" are not meant to stand-out ... until you consciously listen for them ... so, "start doing that!" When you hear a particular part of a song that catches your ear, "rewind the tape" a little bit and listen again: "what did they just do," and maybe, "how might they have done it?"

 

"Try to do something," then listen to your effort side-by-side with your "reference track," and once again "think analytically." With respect to whatever particular characteristic(s) you were now trying to imitate, "How are they different?" (And, don't let yourself get discouraged ... Rome wasn't built in a day.) Even if you don't yet know what they did, take notes of what stood out to you – go ahead and guess(!) what it might be!

 

(And do "take notes." Legal-pad and a number-two pencil for me. "What was the song I was listening to, and at what time-point did I hear this-or-that?" I actually find that writing down notes is quite different for me than "typing them into a document file." Consider keeping a diary for this purpose: capture your thoughts as you think them.)

 

Logic – like many other programs – offers you some way to "play music on your computer's typewriter keyboard," and you can actually do quite a bit with that simple tool, especially since you're working with "a musical word-processor": "you can fix it later." Therefore, I suggest that without buying any new gear at all, you can begin learning what you want to know. (Although "buying gear" is great fun, too!) ;)

 

Have fun learning. Make this a voyage of self-discovery. You've got musical tools in your hands now that generations of musicians could only dream of.

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Yes, great advice Mike:

 

You might also consider seeing if you can find any good MIDI files of an EDM tune, and buy it. Load into Logic, and see, when, where, parts come in/out..

 

You can also try modifying the midi file itself (do it more than enough to make it unrecognizable from the original..

 

There are 'sample sites' that sell 'risers' smashes, tape speed up/down, etc,

 

When I work on a style or song, that's out of my territory.. I get out graph paper, and I break the song down by tracks, and I draw in parts.. (I don't write the exact notes), just when chords come in/ bass parts/ starts stops/ I use the graph paper to represent bars.. I use colored felt tip pens with certain squiggle marks to represent different effects (creating my own shorthand)..

 

This will take a while. But it is well worth the effort..

 

Some songs will be hard to differeniant all the parts - do your best. Sometimes I use a sharp bandpass EQ so I can more carefully pick out a part.

 

Notice the relationship- of bass guitar to bass drums.. listen for snare drums, or their equivalent.. Some EDM has layers of close sounding stuff to create the effect,

 

The more analytical you get, the easier it will get as you go on. I used to work as a doorman at a nite club, when I got bored, I would analyze the music.. I only have decent relative pitch, so I would 'guesstimate' the bass part.. I would count bars, when parts came.. All while I was getting paid to do something else.

 

In your studio.. do the same.. Loop a section, of a commercial track and try to figure out as much as you can, can you get the bass part, the drum part etc. Again slow painful work.. But it will pay off handsomely as you gain more experience.

 

Then after you've spent some time doing this, just play and have fun.. record it, listen to the new day.. A lot of times now, I will record a bunch of tracks, sometimes , just recordk, mute, create new track.. I listen the next day when I'm more objective. Don't be afraid to throw out parts, (or at least mute, and not use)..

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"Angel, luv it!"

 

But, "LogicNerd, pay attention!" ... :)

 

"EDM" is by its nature an extremely "post-processed" musical genre. You can be very sure that you're never directly hearing what any musical performer directly performed. "Angel's" so-called 'bored' musical analysis is exactly what you should now do, if you want to "know how the trick was done."

 

Bear in mind also that it's quite possible that there never was any "musical performer." The composition might well have been composed, and then produced, entirely within a DAW program, start to finish. But in that case, the very-good news is: "that DAW-program most certainly might have been Logic!"

 

And, always – "there's more than one way to do it.™" Logic is a treasure-trove of endless musical possibilities. "Enjoy(!) the hunt!"

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  • 2 months later...

As a good Scandinavian, I like to play around with electronic fusion things. I would say like the others, be a little analytical. I spent hours and hours listening before something started coming together for real.

 

But - don't let planning put a damper on creativity! Sit down, play something, twirl it around. The beauty of electronica is that you can make anything out of anything. Cut stuff in half, reverse it, arp it, transpose it... just be playful. No-one needs to hear it, so don't let pride get in the way. Don't judge yourself.

 

If you know how to play a little piano, yes, get a midi-keyboard, which I am sure you already have. If you are new to composing, it will probably take a little time to find your default mode for creation. Let it, and remember that everything you make, however shitty, is one step closer to something you will like and finish. If you get sick of something or think it is not worth your time, just leave it and open a new project instead. Blank slate!

 

For me personally, it took a little getting used to not composing with written notes (painstakingly written by hand), because that is how I was taught. At one point I realised it was getting in the way for me, but maybe it works for you. My default method (which I mix up all the time) is to start with a beat, chord progression and a lead motive. I also tend to slot in a bass riff early on. Then it is just a matter of trying out different instruments, pressing keys randomly, offsetting grooves and the likes.

 

Three faves of mine are:

- Shift+R (captures recording when you have just been playing around with something)

- Arp(eggiator) to broaden a chord progression and give a nice, rich backdrop - plus it can sound oh so professional when everything else sucks and provide a boost of inspiration.

- Music Production Podcast by Brian Funk

 

Good luck and don't forget to have fun.

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