Writing Bass and Synth
Writing Bass and Synth Posted on: 12.02.2013 by Zulma Ramji Hey guys,I continue working on producing music. Out of all current things I work on the most trouble I have with Bass and Synths. I understand that they are arguably the most difficult parts, hence I want to ask questions. When I listen to music like minimal or techno - the bass is very straign forward - sometime only 1 or 4 bars long or repeat. I got into Nu Disco kind of music and it seems bass there is sooo complex. 32 bars of variation. Same with Synths. What are you tips on writing bass (and synths)? Ive been trying writing 1 bar, copying to make 2 bars, adjusting a note or two, copying into 4 bars, adjusting few notes, copying again and making some changes to have 8-16 bar bass. Is that a reasonable approach? Same with synths. I am trying to play them out on the keyboard but they sound like crap. Off time (even quantized) and just in general off. How the hell do you blend them in so they dont sound so damn on their own? thanks | |
| Zulma Ramji 13.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by Kill.I.am
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| Zulma Ramji 12.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by grazz16
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| Zulma Ramji 12.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by Kill.I.am
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| Zulma Ramji 12.02.2013 | Hey guys, I continue working on producing music. Out of all current things I work on the most trouble I have with Bass and Synths. I understand that they are arguably the most difficult parts, hence I want to ask questions. When I listen to music like minimal or techno - the bass is very straign forward - sometime only 1 or 4 bars long or repeat. I got into Nu Disco kind of music and it seems bass there is sooo complex. 32 bars of variation. Same with Synths. What are you tips on writing bass (and synths)? Ive been trying writing 1 bar, copying to make 2 bars, adjusting a note or two, copying into 4 bars, adjusting few notes, copying again and making some changes to have 8-16 bar bass. Is that a reasonable approach? Same with synths. I am trying to play them out on the keyboard but they sound like crap. Off time (even quantized) and just in general off. How the hell do you blend them in so they dont sound so damn on their own? thanks |
| Tish Shortsleeve 14.02.2013 | Learn the music basics and it will get a lot easier... u dont need to know how to write notes or memorise all the scales. Learn how to create scales in midi.... an easy way is to fill all the white notes from one c to the next... now u have a c major scale... u can transpose it up or down to get all the major scales from this. Now if u move the 3th note one semi tone down u get a relative minor scale... U know almost all by now Then learn the relations within the scale ... u will see how going from some to the other will always sound right. Now u r pretty much set to go... ofc there is a lot more, but this should get you going for now. Then when you will be hungry for more music theory you can look up some chords and the circle of fifths and u ll be like a little beethoven. good luck |
| Berta Baie 13.02.2013 | yeah thats a minimal song alright :P bass is fine in there, that's all its supposed to be doing really in minimal |
| Zulma Ramji 13.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by Kill.I.am
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| Sydney Lashway 12.02.2013 | Here are a few good Ideas., especially if you don't know much music theory or have a hard time getting what you hear in your head into your DAW... 1. Start with a chord progression. simple is best. This will act as the road map for how the notes will move along. Like Grazz said, bass lines are usually filling out the bottom end, or complimenting the music already there or giving the basis of what's to be there. 2. Map out the notes of a scale, (Maj, min whatever) in your piano roll editor. This way you're "playing" within the bounds of a particular key. move the notes around, play with rhythms, octaves, phrasing until you come up with something cool. this is also great because you can know go and add complimentary instruments within the same bounds of the key. 3. I find this the MOST useful. sit at a piano, or guitar and pluck away. usually I'll have a rhythmic pattern in my head or I'll put up a drum loop in Maschine and just pluck one note to a cool complimentary pattern. once I get the rhythm down, add a note, change a note so on. this is great for finding something nice and minimal, but has the potential to grow into some cool complex riffs. Also, if it sounds good on a piano, or acoustic guitar...chances are it'll sound good once you put a synth to it. |
| Berta Baie 12.02.2013 | alright, minimal basslines are easy cuz, well...they're minimal lol in general tho most house bass lines are fairly simple consisting of either a drone (a single note played over and over) or a simple bassline that follows the bottom notes of the melody. If you are looking for a more funky discoy vibe, you'll want the bassline to jump around a bit more to whatever rhythm you want. Listen to some of your fav songs and focus on the bass lines and see what they are doing. The more i listen to most bass lines the more i realize how little they are actually doing. They are simply filling out the bottom end of the spectrum as opposed to a funk bass line which is more like a lead in and of itself. The approach you are using now is fine. I like to lay down a few 2-4 bar variations, choose which one i like, and go from there repeating as necessary. Your synth problem is still pretty vague to me. Off in what way? Timing wise? If so often pads have a longer attack make them swell in as oppose to being right on the beat. You can shorten the attack fairly easily in most synths. As far as blending goes, a lot of that is mixing properly, if its just a background synth lower the volume so it doesnt stand out so much. You can also add some reverb with the wet settings up so it fades into the background a bit. |
| Zulma Ramji 12.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by grazz16
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| Berta Baie 12.02.2013 | it depends what kind of music u are writing to be honest, lets start there |
| Zulma Ramji 12.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by Kill.I.am
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| Starla Lansdon 12.02.2013 | Post some of your work on Soundcloud so we can get a clue what you are trying to make and where you are stuck. |
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