When I first grabbed a copy of Composer 669 on the day of it's release, I said to myself "I'm going to work at this, and track a tune that sounds like it came right off the radio." Heh, boy, was I stupid.

First, I grabbed samples from any Renaissance tune I had :), and started with a drum pattern... Worked in a lead..... Threw in some crummy chords.... Threw it all into a chorus, and built around that.... Voila, instant crap. Why crap? Well, other than the fact that it was my first 669 attempt after a few pitiful .MODs, it was because I wanted a "Radio" sound SOOOO badly, that I didn't take the time to really break down what a generic tune sounds like. To understand what I mean here, go turn on your radio, and flip the dial to that station we all love to hate, you know the one... It plays Alanis Morrisette about 45 times an hour, and they always announce that the new happenin' "RAVE" in town will be featuring Boyz II Men... Yeah, that one. Now listen carefully to whatever is playing.... Ok, now imagine it without vocals.... If the tune is the everyday generic stuff, you'll notice that it plays a verse, then a chorus, then maybe another verse or two, then a chorus again, etc.... If you were to listen to that tune note for note without the vocals, except tracked by someone with ST3 or something, wouldn't you find it kinda repetitive and boring? Sure you would. You know it'd only end up in the Win95 background while you browse through the Playboy web site or something....That's the mistake that many new trackers make. They always go for that "Radio" sound on the first song they track.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to say that it's impossible to track a tune with 99% realism, nor is it impossible for some "Radio" tunes to sound great and refreshing without the vocals. It's just that it takes a LOT of practice and determination in order to put realism into a tracked tune. If you haven't been trying for long, however, in order to track a tune with that kind of quality you'd have to be a prodigy.

Cover tunes are different, mind you. If you hear something you like on the radio, and feel like tracking that exact tune, do your best to make that tune sound a bit unique. It could be even the most subtle change. Reason for this would be that if people wanted to hear that exact tune, they could simply turn on the radio, or pop in a CD, and hear the real thing. That leaves a lot of room for them to dislike the tracked tune, since they can directly compare it to the original. :) Daedalus tracked the X-Files theme at one time, but he added to the tune, and basically threw in another few minutes of unique score, which made me a lot more interested in hearing it through, and I still have it in my lil' collection on my D drive.

If you like putting the most realism in your tunes, and have a good voice, another alternative would be to add lyrics. It may not be as wonderful for GUS owners with 512k, since VOC files generally take up a motherload of room when dealing with lyrics, but since the technology is available, why not take advantage of it? Mayhem and Mosaic both had tunes with full vocals which competed at Naid, and both did very well. I could never put lyrics in my tunes, though. Not because I wouldn't WANT to, or because it's a bad idea..... Simply put, I couldn't sing if my life depended on it... Kareoke just isn't an option for me. :)

When I'm tracking a tune now, I'll start in the usual fashion, with either a lead or drum pattern in my head that helps everything else to snowball, then I work in the chords, and other necessities, and THEN I'll add some background.... After a series of patterns, I'll try to shift the feel of the tune, even the slightest bit. Throw in some little additive here and there, and just try to make it sound as fluid as possible. Having many of these small changes in a tune really helps to keep the listener interested in what's coming next. That's one of the unique things about tracked music. It makes up for it's lack of vocals in the way the tune flows. You must admit, if you were reading a book that had no plot twists, or an exciting storyline, you wouldn't even get through the first few chapters before tossing it back on the bookshelf.

The best thing to keep in mind is that you're your own worst critic. Keep listening to your tune for a while... Every time you add a pattern, or change anything, try listening from a few patterns back. The more you listen, the more faults you'll find. Eventually you'll have heard your song SO much, that you almost HAVE to change something around to keep you from either going insane, or fall asleep from boredom. Slowly, ideas will start popping in your head as to how a pattern can be spruced up, whether that be a snazzier drum line, a change of lead, etc... Don't just finish a tune for the sake of just getting it over with, either. You'll find that there will be a lot of holes remaining where something can be added. Once the tune is released, people are bound to grab it, so you might as well do the best and most thorough job you can before anyone gets that chance to notice the gaps and/or flaws. I know that's easier said than done, since I've had many tunes that I just got sick to death of, and just slapped on an ending just to get it out of my way. Now that I listen to the tunes, however, I slap myself on the forehead and say "Why didn't I add ?!?"

"When I was young, whenever we heard a strange noise, and we didn't know where the hell it was coming from, we'd finally turn off the radio....." - Rick McAllister

THEORY vs. NO THEORY

Other than Major, Minor, and Diminished chords, that's pretty much the extent of my knowledge of theory. In fact, there are many trackers out there who know very little theory, but can still chuck out some wicked, well harmonized tunes. Probably the most famous example would be Skaven (one of the most overly-discussed trackers in history, I might add. :).

So the question remains: Is theory needed when tracking a tune? The answer is split. It really depends on which side of the coin you're looking at. Theory will always be NICE to know, (I doubt there's anyone in this world who wouldn't benefit from it), but it's rarely a necessity. If you're the type of person who can throw a few chords together, listen to each, and determine whether or not they work together, you have an ear for music. It's like having an inner knowledge of theory without having to take lessons. Granted it's only a small percentage of theory practice, but it's a great area to be naturally good at.

But if you really don't have the capability to determine what chords theoretically work well together in your head, it would be very wise to be taught some theory, so even though you may not have a natural ear for music, you can use the rules and guidelines for chord progression to help you through. Theory is also very useful for people who are used to tracking a tune on a heavy-duty trial and error basis. I have to constantly listen to a pattern over and over while adding anything to it. If not, I lose track quickly of what I was doing, and nothing ends up sounding right together. Theory would help to speed up the process of tracking so I could spend more time thinking up new ideas instead of correcting the ones I just put down.

When this conversation arises, there are always some people who think that the knowledge of theory does more harm than good to a person with a natural ear for music. Some feel that the person concentrates more on having the song theoretically correct, and ends up questionning every chord that comes into his/her head. I guess they feel that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."..... Well, I can't really speak from experience but if I did know theory, I doubt I'd rely on it too much. Granted it would come in handy when I'm stuck, but for the most part, the music would still come out of my head, not from the ten commandments of music composition. (Actually, it's more like 278632637863 commandments, but who's counting?)

Whichever the case, people who know and don't know theory are tracking, and in many cases, the non-theoretical people are just as talented as the rest, so if you feel that tracking isn't for you just because you never took theory, keep working at it, because chances are it won't play a big factor. Ahh, the miracles of modern technology.

Future Assassin /