Author Topic: Streamlining your work flow to compose songs faster and easier  (Read 17556 times)

johnnygivs

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I hope this post falls under the right section but if not someone please let me know.


A songs notes don't change unless there is input from someone actually changing them, in clearer terms c3 wil always be c3.

So with this in mind if you write a great emotional melody, that melody should always be emotional and great, disregarding changes of taste and more developed skill.

Now to get to the point of this post. Write in a piano vst; leads, plucks, even pads for future use.

Overtime you can build a collection of midis labelled for different genres or moods, eg "128HappyLead.midi.

This is important because it streamlines the workflow when making music so the process can be quicker and more a flow like state.

Once you get the song arranged and things laid out how you like then if you like you can adjust the midi to better suit the track.

This is something I find invaluable and I hope others gain from it as well.

Tiongcy

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Re: Streamlining your work flow to compose songs faster and easier
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2016, 12:11:37 pm »
Hmmm... Pretty interesting. Will be giving this a try!

MifzanHerawan

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Re: Streamlining your work flow to compose songs faster and easier
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2016, 01:01:27 pm »
i do this, but in a different way. for example, i write all chords i can think of (and found. mostly found) in the key of C.
so, when i'm out of ideas, i just pick 4+ chords and just put them in a piano roll. that's definitely fun.
oh, if i'm making a song in a different scale, i just move all chords up/down according to the scale :D

clearskys

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Re: Streamlining your work flow to compose songs faster and easier
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2016, 07:31:35 pm »
If you're an Ableton Live user, you can save your instruments and clips into 2 separate folders.

Have your instrument racks saved and ready to go to pull up full "signature" sounds that you go to.
Have your clips and musical ideas saved, labeled, and ready to go to pull up a melody or chord progression when you're noodling about in the same key.

https://soundcloud.com/clearskyss (Musical Project)
https://soundcloud.com/raresfinatan (Composition/Sound Design)

Mussar

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Re: Streamlining your work flow to compose songs faster and easier
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2016, 07:55:32 pm »
  • ]If you find yourself picking a particular sample from one of your sample packs a lot, create a new folder called "-Your Producer Name- Sample Pack" and put a copy of that sample in there. Start organizing your sample pack by the type of sample, and if you ever have a processed sample that you really like, bounce it and put it in there - now you have your own unique kick/snare/percussion that you always can go to when you need it. Eventually, you'll have an entire library of samples that you can use to really figure out what your style is, a bunch of your own sounds that you could sell or give away, and no more endless searching for that perfect snare in your massive sample library (though it's always good to go sample diving and looking for new sounds!).
  • Even if you don't have a set way of making music, save project templates that let you get into making music without having to do any prep work. Have your favorite VSTs loaded and ready to go. Have certain groups pre-arranged that you know are in a ton of your tracks (a reverb bus, a sidechain submix, etc) that you can just remove if you know you're not gonna need. If you have outboard gear this is probably already common knowledge, but I see so many people open a completely barren FL Studio project or the initial Ableton Live Default Set and spend five minutes grabbing the same plugins they always use, start working, go set up the same mixer inserts or FX racks they have on every song, and it's such a stopgap between the artist and their creative flow.