Hey
Just wondering what everyones approach is when starting a new tune, I tend to start writing a drum track first as it’s what I’m used to but the more I think about it, I should probably spend more time on sound design of my basslines and leads first as this is usually what carries most of my tracks!!
Also do you guys get all the beats, loops, fx, basslines etc you are looking for in place before you start arranging?! Another thing I tend to do is arrange as I’m going.
Dave
It all depends.
Sometimes I hear a tune on the radio, and I’m inspired by what I hear. Want to use a sample of the tune.
That’s what got me started here:
Daniel du Noy - Candy by Daniel D
Other times I start with the drums first, but lately it’s not common practice.
I’ve got an impulse with a kick (that I often change before going to arrangement), and impulse with a few different hats (short & long tailed hats), and either a melody track for the bassline or for the lead.
Then I start adding stuff. Like snares, claps, crashes & rides, percussion loops, stabs, vocals, etc.
But it’s all about how I get inspired in the first place.
For me I tend to start with a synth. I just keep fiddling until I find a sound I like. After that I have a few MIDI files and I test the synth out on them (Obviously depends on what I made).
From there I’ll start thinking about the melody, I dont use the MIDI’s I preview on but it gives me an idea of how the synth sounds on certain octaves, is it good for Chords or Intervals or just single notes.
So at this point I think about the Key and Scale and then write something up for it.
After that its just adding to it. Could be opening up another synth and make another sound that goes with it. If the original sound was a bassline it could be a mid bass to go on top or a lead. If I feel like I need to know the rhythm first I’ll make a kick with KickLab and open up a bunch of drum racks for the rest of the drums.
After I have a few sounds I’ll switch over to Arrangement View and start laying things out, think about the FX, breakdowns, build ups, etc. etc.
Thats how I do it, you are going to have to find your own track writing technique though, it will eventually come to you.
I would do it Daniaan’s way but I cant replicate things, not at that level yet!
Good luck!
Hey
I find i need inspiration through sounds or samples first. So generally I start with some drums and percussion and then hit some weird effects and synth presets to get the juices flowing and perhaps get a melody or bassline down. no hard and fast rule though. Whatever moves me in that moment, which often leads me down not just a interesting sonic space but also into a different genre most times.
I also made a little app that generates at random the following:
-num of tracks needed (5/10/15/20/25)
-For each track, the creation method (sampling, synthesis, recording)
-For each track, the type of instrument (bass, lead, snare, perc)
-length of song (1/3/5/7 minutes)
This has given me such interesting creative options to play with for eg:
"Make a 7 minute song comprising 5 tracks - 3 percussive instruments (2 sampled, 1 synthesised), 1 stab sound (Recorded) and a a pad (synthesised). Forces you to be creative and use your tools well. From that i end up making a full song
OR
I usually get around 5-6 instruments going and then start to arrange and build the arrangement and other instrumentation as i go. I used to do the whole 8 bar loop thing but it just didnt work for me. Music is sort of an organic flowing thing and i found it was only by working through an arrangement and feeling what the song needed next, that i was able to achieve what i wanted.
And where do we get this app from! (If your giving it out that is!)
Sounds like an awesome idea dude! Nice app.
i’ll gladly send to you 
will drop you a mail with a link. Its really just a console app (think MS-DOS) that outputs to a text file. Each time i run it, it dumps another randomised “set” into the file
Really there are no strict formulas or rules for this!
Some people fire up some drums first and then add melodies around the beat.
Then again other people start with some chords on the piano first and then add the drums to it.
Other feel more like writing the song text or just a catchy melody first and then create some chords/riffs, that fits well to hook.
its all not wrong or right. Its best to find a way that you feel is right for you and became familiar with your type of workflow.
it also depends on your style i think
as we are producing big room house we need a great hook and a memorable melody so that we have to work on the breakdown first before we add drums
normally i start with the break layering different synths on my main lead and adding a few effects until the drop kicks in. afterwards i add a simple kick and play around with the bassline; if i’m happy with it i tune my kick and make the drum pattern depending on the rhythm
As for me, I start by drinking half a bottle of whiskey, then proceed to smash my face against my midi keyboard until something half decent comes about or until my face goes numb. Then I finish the rest of the bottle and by the time I start regaining consciousness I usually have a solid, creative and organized idea in which to work on. That is just me though.