Hi. This is my semi-monthly blabbering session about tracking music and other
fun things like composition and technique and keeping your brain watered. For
this article, I'm going to talk about something important to writing good songs
and good trackings. Balance.
Think for a moment about the typical song. It contains many elements, some of
which may be melodic, percussive, or a mixture in between. How one arranges
those elements is of course a very subjective process. Drums, bass, synths, all
combine to produce something which tries to become something other than the sum
of its parts; it tries to create something new. It is important to look at each
of the parts of your song and try to make sure they are all occupying exactly
the place that you want them to. None should be overly important unless you
consciously decide it to be. This helps the composition maintain some sort of
unity and focus.
For simplicity's sake, I want to talk about the percussive instruments first.
Every song usually has some sort of percussion track. This may be anything from
a brush drum jazz groove to a distorted breakbeat aphex twin-sounding techno
tune. Whatever it is, though, there are a few things you can do to make sure
your percussion is rich and varied (and balanced :).
Firstly, analyze the groove you are trying to create. Is it laid-back? Is it
driving? Is it syncopatic? In a good percussion track, each instrument
contributes to, and defines the groove. Simple grooves such as rock beats may
only need a hi-hat, bass drum and snare to create an authentic groove. Other
styles such as techno may require five or six tracks of interleaved rhythms to
create that magic percussion track. In any case, though, think about your
rhythm carefully. Try to define it in an abstract sense. I have found that
thinking about complex rhythms is easier when you try to imagine them at
half-speed. See the interplay. Figure out what is required to recreate the
sound you are looking for.
Once you know what you are trying to create, you can start actually tracking
it. Since percussion is the beat behind most songs, you probably want it to be
as clear as possible. Firstly, get clean samps. I know that isn't always
possible, but usually you can at least try to get decent ones. Then make sure
you are playing them in the right octave :) I've seen people play snare samples
almost a full octave above what they were originally sampled at. This is fine
if you are INTENDING to use the sample in a different way, but sometimes it is
unintentional and ends up very odd. Use as many samples as you need, especially
if the groove requires variety.
Also, try not to fall into the trap of having every sample play constantly.
Need an offbeat? Don't make that snare hit again; instead try using a conga, or
a tom, or a hihat retrig, or something. Using too few samples and repeating
them too often in the groove leads the listener to think the beat is more
repetitive than it actually is. Try to spread out your hits. Use offsets so
that multiple hits of a sample don't sound completely alike. Try portas on drum
samples. All of this will help the balance of the track.
You must also make sure that your track occupies a full spectrum of sonic
variety. Most good tracks have a low frequency part, a middle frequency part,
and a high frequency part. Bass drums, subbass, low toms; these are low
frequency noises. Try not to overuse them if you can, a muddy lower end makes
the entire groove sound loose. Save them for the 'backbeat' of the groove. The
middle end is snares, congas, white noise hits, anything within a medium
frequency range. This is usually the offbeat portion of the groove. It is also
the instruments you use to syncopate and create subrhythms in your tracks.
Usually a lot of mid-frequency drums are required to create a textured track.
However, if you are short on sample-space, try taking hihats or other higher
noise and playing them down a few octaves for special effects or light hits.
Depending on the groove, adjust the volume of these instruments carefully; too
loud and it ends up making the groove sound off-kilter, too soft and you might
end up sounding like a 4-on-the-floor techno groove by accident. The higher
instruments like hi-hats, shakers, tambourines, etc, are the high-frequency
noises. These should be sampled at 22khz or above if you can do it. Also, make
sure they are played on a note which doesn't alias their high frequencies away.
That is, make sure that the note SOUNDS as high as it can. Sometimes playing
the sample up and down a few notes reveals that at a particular pitch, the high
frequencies seem to stand out more. This is because of the sample replay
aliasing and the samplerate of the sound (however you don't need to worry about
that). Just make sure it sounds as 'high' as it should :) High-frequency tracks
are important to give your beat a rounded sound. It also makes your output seem
to be at a higher frequency than it actually is :> I often use samples with a
lower sampling rate for basses/snares (since they are low-mid frequency
instruments), and adding a high track over top gives the illusion that the
bass/snares have more high-end than they actually do.
Percussion tracks, however, don't have to always consist solely of drum
instruments. Many times, some melodic instruments play a large part in creating
a interesting and textured groove. Most often, one will want to include
bass-style instruments in the percussive groove as well. The interplay between
drums and bass is usually the heart of any song. You must be very careful not
to make them contradict each other, or have them using conflicting rhythms.
Usually the best way to do this is to have the bass line take over some of the
syncopation present in your drum track. For example, instead of doing the
cheesy B-B-S--S-SB-S-B 'alternative rock' cliche drum track, perhaps try
substituting bass slaps or staccato rez or something for the syncopated snare
hits (the 2nd and 3rd hits). This way, it is the _interplay_ of the tracks
which creates the total groove, not just one or the other. The best way to test
this stuff out in a tracker is to use the step-time function (the 8 key in
st3/it). Step through each row slowly, and see that all your tracks line up and
complement each other.
Another point which is important in creating a unified rhythm section is the
fine art of volume control. Many people forget entirely that they have a nice
pretty volume row at their disposal. USE IT! :> A hi-hat track with every
single note at 64 volume doesn't sound very wonderful unless you are aiming for
that 80's Ministry kinda feel. The reason is because 99% of the professional
rhythm people on this earth would add some sort of flavour to the track. This
doesn't apply simply to hi-hats, it applies to any track in your mix. It is
important to create a dynamic contrast, not only within an entire song, but
within individual tracks themselves. Vary the volumes of your percussion to
make accented notes stand out, and non-accented ones a bit softer. Which notes
you accent of course depends entirely on the groove you are using. I'm sure you
will find that a bit of judicious volume changing will add that needed spice to
your mix.
Next time we'll cover the same topic, but taken from a melodic point of view;
the art of making melodies and chords which work well with the rest of your
balanced mix. Until then, happy musik making.