The Process

Here is a breakdown of how I create my "art"

Fl Studio 7, Reason 4, and Ableton Live 6 are my sequencers(In order of use). In the past, FL studio has been my main sequencer; Today, Reason and Ableton have taken to my attention. Whatever the sequencer, the process is usually the same.

I always start off with a loop, 4 or 8 bars in length(depending on the longest melody). I'll loop it for hours until I have the perfect number of instruments. This will take up to 3 days, but has been done in at least 2 hours. It should be noted that any instrument used at the phase will most likely be a crappy pre-set; this is because I like to focus on the melody and move to the next instrument as fast as possible. This is not to rush the song, but to not miss out on opportunity to ride a temporary high for as much as it's worth.

When I have all the melodies down and I'm happy with the drums; I'll begin to customize my sounds and do some minor mixing. This is about 2 hours of work

Now for the easy part - arranging; laying out the patterns or clips to individual sections(Intro, middle, end) to actually make it a song and no longer a loop. This is done in 30-45 minutes.

This is where I mix my songs, my speakers are crap so I don't trust my ears on this one. What I do is mix according to the peaks on the mixer, then export as .wav check for any clipping in my wave editor then mix again in my sequencer if necessary to iron out the details. This takes me about 1 hour or less.

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sysrq868 2007-12-03 16:38:56

It's awesome to finally get an insight to how you actually do your magic.

And your music doesn't suck, how can you say such a thing?

TimeBender 2007-12-03 16:38:56

Oh that's just me being silly lol. Thanks for the comments, I really appreciate you.

DrSevenSeizeMD 2007-12-09 00:08:45

I assumed it was a lot of work, but that proves it.

Wow. Kudos to you man. :-)

TimeBender 2007-12-09 00:08:45

It's fun though, If it isn't fun to make it wont be fun to hear lol

Suspended-3rd-Chord 2007-12-09 00:46:37

So you start a basic loop, and then add a bunch of instruments and riffs until it sounds good? And then you use that riff as kinda the focal point of the track?

Thats what I do as well, but i always suck at trying to break it down and appending intros and ends...well i'm horrible at making transitions.

TimeBender 2007-12-09 00:46:37

I know man, sometimes the loop is just perfect. I almost feel guilty that I have to break it down lol.

I'm not great at breaking down the song, what I do with transitions is introduce a new section and have the pattern start a few steps before the full transition I try to keep it simple.

InGenius 2007-12-11 19:45:46

That's almost exactly what I do. I'll create my "focal point", a mix of the main instrumentations for the entire track, starting with either melody, harmony or bass and moving on until I track drums, pads and "glistens" last (ie., the small sounds that create motion from one 2 or 4 bar set to the next). Then, once this basic framework is laid out on channel 1, I move down to channels 3 through 10, or so, to track out each of those kernels of ideas and make the fills, leads and mainlines from the instruments.

I'll track out my patterns in 16 or 20 bar patterns, then begin to tweak the instruments once I've got the general gist of the track down. And once it is all tracked, I'll adjust levels, add any compression and panning, then run it through a VST based analyzer for peak control, limits, etc. and readjust everything until it jives. Then I load the mixdown into an editor and match it versus a couple of template tracks from mainstream music to test my levels and figure out where I want it in the scheme of things, ie. bass/bounce track w/ heavy bass, treble heavy or mid heavy music, etc.

After all of that, I'll save the mixdown twice, using one for vocal tracking later and chopping the other one up to add more motion in places, or even screwing it and chopping it for remixes.

Or I'll do none of the above and just throw something together and rough cut it a million times until I get the right sound. Which only works about 10% of the time.

Regardless, it's nice to see someone else who uses that "kernel" of ideas system to base the whole thing off of.

And your music is experimental, which I like. I don't confine myself to the norms from my home state either (as I am also from TX and though I love TX and southern hip-hop, I am not that kind of producer by any means). Keep it up, your style will evolve with time.

TimeBender 2007-12-11 19:45:46

I've always been true to what I want to do, I don't understand those who create solely based on a stereotypical sound.

I used to be curious to see how other musicians created music, and now I'm learning that great minds really do think alike.

FatKidWitAJetPak 2007-12-24 17:23:49

Hey sweet! Thanks for adding me to your favorite music artists list! Which song made you do so?

TimeBender 2007-12-24 17:23:49

It was definatly driving, but i liked to fly and through the ocean too! :)

MrWAD2 2007-12-24 21:00:14

... WOW ...
I Could Only Wish Sometimes For That Simplicity.
I Already Considered You An Inspiration,
Based Upon Your Works That I've Listened To.
Now I Realize
That You Are At A " MASTER " Level,
In The Respect Of The Science Of The Process,
And Not Just The Art Of The Process .
YOU Have Knowledgeably Documented & Willingly Shared
The Steps You Put To Use
In Your Creative Process.
You Have Focus On Details That Are About Creating Purposeful Composition,
& Not Just The Sound-Making Process In Itself ...

~ KUDOS & MUCH RESPECT, Mr. SWIRLY ! ~

Mr W. A. D2

TimeBender 2007-12-24 21:00:14

That's the type of recognition most artist won't see in a life time, thank you very much.

-Ameer

Rig 2008-01-13 15:06:50

Yo! Nice blog post - I put it in your entry! <a href="http://rig.newgrounds.com/news/post/40661">http://rig.newgrounds.com/news/post/4 0661</a>

I think I'll make one too.

TimeBender 2008-01-13 15:06:50

You should make one rig, I feel more connected then ever now.

Thanks

monssiourDEVINE 2008-07-20 01:32:43

i'm Mute House(s), and let me tell you, this is a process i understand, and i don't understand mine. i will write it down for you, but i need to do a lot of thinking first.

TimeBender 2008-07-20 01:32:43

MUTE HOUSE(s) I've been doing this for over two years so though lots and lots of experimentation and determination i've come to completly understand everything

EVVVVVVVVVVERYYTHINNG

The Process

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