10 More Tips To Add Passion And Pazazz Into Your Computer Music Making

Sometimes your computer music making won't have any energy or spice. Sometimes it sounds just like a computer has made it. But...thats ok. It happens. So how can we put the zing back into our computer music making?

1. A great way to reinforce a chorus is to introduce a synth part playing the same musical notes underneath it. Then to add a little bit more spice, transpose select notes of the riff up and down an octave. Some musicians replicate the chorus with the bassline and have that running through the track- so the chorus sound familiar when played.

2. The vocal is one of the best arrangement tools available to you- there is a reason they use them in Dance tunes. Listen out for sections that will sound good looped and then use them as bridging devices or background background layers under the chorus or middle eight. Some musicians have looped one part of the vocal- usually the ending, and linked that with the beat.

3. One of the best devices for smoothing out lumps and bumps in your arrangement is the reverse cymbal. You ideally want something that has lots of low-cut and lots of reverb and delay. This also can be used as a transition device to bring other instruments in or to bring in an idea.

4. A lot of musicians use low pass filter sweeps and they are very common. However, they tend to forget about the high pass filter sweeps. These are just as effective, even more so. Try to use them when you introduce or even take away a new element into the mix. You could even apply it to the whole track.

5. Do you remember the very long 90s drum rolls that were in virtually every dance tune? Josh Wink was a major culprit, however they worked. They do have a place and are a great way to build tension but they need to be a little bit different. So how do we go about doing that? Well, the drum roll is there so we lengthen or reduce the duration of the notes. Add delay, add distortion, add filter sweeps etc. The thing is drums seem to be left out of the "add an effect or change the notes" attitude and only synths get affected. Go against the grain and add effects.

Some more computer music making tips

6. Sometimes the best way to get a live feel is to change dial settings manually. Every sequencer offers some way to connect filter cutoff and resonance controls to a modulation wheel or to assign a tweak to a dial. So take advantage of this. No-one adjusts something in a perfect straight line, so if you are trying to automate this process try to do it in a build up curve or even step wise- do it humanlike. If you want more realistic drums then sample real drums and then see how they are played. Human and computer drum playing sound different.

7. How do you make arrangements more "atmospheric"? You place in some well chosen vocals. This is quite an easy task and doesn't require you to do anything at all apart from sample (watch out for copyright and consent). Dig through old records, radio broadcasts, college lectures, friends talking, these add an atmosphere that many musicians overlook.

8. How do you finish a track? Most musicians fade it out...and that is boring. How about a sudden stop, a sound effect, drum solo, a speech...anything apart from the predictable endings. DJs though need something to link into their next track so something repetitive, looped or breakbeat would do.

9. We have just covered endings, so how about the start? There are some great starts out there, some fade in with filters, some just start with a band, some even let you think the songs starts and then fades away. How about an orchestral start..piano. Dance tunes have the problem of the intro needs to be helpful to the old DJ, but hey, music needs to be original and your music needs to stick out. One of the best intros that I have heard in a while is the Bionic Commando Redone theme. The original C64 morphs into a 21st century dance track, absolutely great.

Check out the video below. It is from another group- Machinae Supremacy and their Great Gianna Sisters remake. Such a cool tune:

10. An easy way to add excitement to a track add another version of the same sound transposed up an octave or two and then layered with the original.

For more info on computer music making, check out the Jasonera blog

Check out here for the other 10 tips to computer music making

 About. Updates. Disclaimer. Privacy. Mission/ Vision. FAQ. Newsletter.

Copyright © 2024- Jasonera.com  All rights reserved