Ableton and Sylenth, how to?

[LabRat]

Those points above are great points. I can't stress enough about how important music theory is. There are a lot of technically brilliant artists but they go back and learn some form of musical theory.

[LabRat]

On 5/21/2017 at 3:01 PM, Doddy said:

What I would find helpful would be key things that someone producing should know. For example:

1. samples - what to look for, how to cut and load them up. I have a basic understanding and have done some before but then if I use that sample, it makes the track sound odd because the drums or bassline sounds totally different.
2. music theory and what goes with what - kinda like chord progression or even 'how to make that A note sound fuller by adding in A, C#, E'. Otherwise key words that one can google to learn about.
3. All things VST and plugins - I know I have massive and a few other plug ins but have no idea how, why or where to use them. Again not a full tutorial but enough guidance where we can google key concepts and learn more.
4. Workflow - my experience was from watching Tom Cosm build a song, and he builds the sounds and  fleshes out the middle/busiest part of the track and the works backwards to intro. Does everyone do it this way or do others start at the beginning and just make it up as they go? Plus I learned more doing this, following along and tweaking to make it different that it all started to kinda gel together.

Here's a link to a video I did a while ago about chopping vocals into samples and loading into the sampler. The principles apply to most audio so it may be helpful. 

1. When looking for samples it all comes down to what you want to use and how creative you can be with them. It's a timely process and involves a lot of research but it's best to not get bogged down in the hunt. Listen out for some interesting sections in tracks, whether they're old Motown (very common) or loops in a sample pack, something will stand out and from there you can transpose, stretch and chop away. When cutting them up, you want the start of the audio sample to be the hit of the transient so when you pay it, it's hit on time. If the samples are short it's likely there can be a click at the end of that sample which will be a slight chop from the next transient. you can resolve this by fading the end of the audio clip inside the sampler, or in the workspace. It helps to EQ your samples to avoid any clashing of frequencies, which may be what's causing the track to sound odd. It's good to transpose the samples so they're in the same key. If you don't do this, everything will sound like turd - no nice way to say it.

Here is a video on chord progression. Follow the guy's videos as they will be extremely helpful, and as his suggests in the beginning of this video, watch the video on scales first!

2. Scales are very important in music theory. They're the core to understanding the structure of chords and the progression of melodies - why you can play certain notes and why you cant. Learn your scales! Learn the difference between different types of scales and what they mean. Chords can get very complex, especially when studying jazz music but the video on above and the other links will be a great help in getting started.

3. Plugins (synths) can be used for a variety of different applications in the sound design process. You can use the basic wave shapes such as square, sine and saw for basic sounds or you can get more complex using wavetable synthesis, FM synthesis and modular synthesis to make wacky and aggressive sounds or even synthesised drum sounds. The point in time to use a VST instrument is at any time you wish to create an audio track (such as a melody) you play yourself. A virtual instrument is triggered by a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) signal. In a nutshell, a MIDI note sets an address / set of instructions which is sent from the keyboard to the software. A MIDI note / location will have information such as the key to be played, the velocity of that note and the pressure it's played at. It sends a lot more information but we'll leave it to the basics for now. With the knowledge learnt from the scales, you'll be able to play a melody into your project with the use of a virtual instrument as the host for your sounds.

4. Everyone has a different workflow. I use to start with the intro, build to the middle and then the end - just like if you were listening to a track. Now days it's a bit different for me. I start on the main elements and get the body of it the way I want, then I'll move into structuring the rest of the track with the intro and outro then colour the track in with all the extra layers and FX. Watching other workflows may help you experiment with your own. There's no right or wrong way to do it.

Hopefully this has been helpful for everyone. It's a bit basic, especially with the VST part but should be enough information to get the hang of it.         

[Doddy]

Hey Labrat, firstly thank you for taking the time to write this up.

Secondly, screw you for posting this up while im at work and can't check it out till I get home!   Nah all jokes aside thank you for the write up, really appreciate it. I think that will help me and others to at least get a grasp of what is going on and there should be enough information between your write up and the vids for us to continue on our journey and search for things relating to the topic.

Thanks heaps mate, +Rep fo sho!

 

[LabRat]

Happy to help! I did think about making videos but it's a bit hard at the moment so a quick search and some basic typing skills got me over the line