If you are producing music on a digital audio workstation for long periods
of time, it’s easy to feel stagnated and loose creativity. Changing your
working method is one way to approach music from a slightly different angle.
This break from monotony usually results in flashes of inspiration and a new
lease of life for the producer.
Here are various methods of approaching computer-based production; you
may find it useful to try a different method to the one you are currently
using.
Loop Method (Melody First)
Loop 8-16 bars in your sequencer, write a melody, add other instruments
based upon your melody and build the loop.
Once you have enough elements added to your loop so it sounds like a
viable chorus, begin copying and pasting sections of the loop over the length
of a song to create the arrangement.
It is good practice to mute/solo various sounds to see which sounds work
well together within the loop.
Same as above but program your main drums first and then build the loop
on top of them.
Sample Method
Spend about a month creating many different samples. Organize them into
categories in folders on your hard drive, like for example; all drum loops
together and all basslines together. If you find it
useful, organize them into different keys too.
Once you have a good stock of samples, open your audio sequencer and set
to work building a track using only the samples you created.
You will find that nine times out of ten, if you have great samples, a
great track will write itself.
Piano Method
Load up your sequencer and write your entire track using a GM MIDI
piano, make sure it is a bog standard GM piano (G/S Wavetable or something
similar), no effects and no VST instruments. You may use as many instances of
the piano as you wish but you must use piano only.
Create a track with the piano that excites the listener; try to create
something so good that it is enjoyable to listen to on piano alone. Pay
particular attention to note pitch, length and velocity, use these basic
Once you have the track sounding as good as it possibly can be, then and
only then can you begin to change the
piano channels for synths, drums and other
instruments.
It can be tempting to write sub-par programming and beef it up with
today’s modern synths, this method makes sure the
MIDI foundations are the best they can
be, forcing you to concentrate on the musical qualities of a piece and not the
mix, so that when you finally do add synths and
effects, it should sound amazing.
Live Method
Start by programming the basic drums and bass for a track (make sure
these are mixed well). Copy these elements over the length of a song.
Find a synth or other instrument you like and
simply play along with the song until you create a melody you like. When you
have a piece you like record it in. You can rerecord the section if it is all
over the place, but small discrepancies are to be left alone for now, as are
adding things like effects etc.
Now find another instrument that fits the track, play along again and
record the pieces you like and so on until you build the entire track.
Once you have built the track to an acceptable degree then you can begin
fine-tuning everything.
The general idea is to force yourself to only concentrate on playing and
improvisation, rather than mixing or programming, this keeps kinetic energy in
the music and in your attitude because you are letting the music come from the
heart rather than the brain.
Some very exciting music can come from this method but it can present
problems for those who are not proficient keyboardists.
Freeform Method
Employ a combination of any or all of the above.
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