Pick out a sound or write the melody?

[conorvincent]

which would be best to do first pick out the sound you want to use for the track or write a melody on the piano etc? i would love to hear what you have to say so any response will be great.

 

[bschaefer]

There is no rules, do what you prefer to do. There is no 'best' way to compose.
Some might say that it will depend on what kind of music you'll do, and I disagree. It's very relative.
The fact is: If you dont want to lose an idea, one momentary sight of a melody, write the melody first, then you have all the time of the world to find the sound that fit.
If you are making a random track, leaving your creativity flow, then there's no problem to find the sounds first.


sry for my english

 

[bandcoach]

both because it depends on whether I am at my daw/scoring sw or on the train or bus

i.e. the priority is to get the melody down somehow and worry about context later when I am on the road and when at home I will probably still get the idea down first before assigning a sound unless it is obvious to me wha tthe sound should be

however, and this is a big however, if I am auditioning new vsts, plugins, instruments I may write a melody that is inspired by the sound I am hearing: I did this with particle fountain, ameoba, andromeda and barking wombat for example - each inspired different ideas that were worked into full pieces

 

[TagYourBeats]

There is no rules, do what you prefer to do. There is no 'best' way to compose.
Some might say that it will depend on what kind of music you'll do, and I disagree. It's very relative.
The fact is: If you dont want to lose an idea, one momentary sight of a melody, write the melody first, then you have all the time of the world to find the sound that fit.
If you are making a random track, leaving your creativity flow, then there's no problem to find the sounds first.


sry for my english

This is my train of thought, too.

Sometimes when I have no inspiration I just scroll through sounds and hit keys until I find something that works for me.

Other times I have the inspiration and know that I was the violins to sound like this, so I can quickly click on a random violin sound and get the music down as I hear it. I can mess with trying to find the perfect style of violin for hours later, when the initial version is down.

 

[Drtro]

You should never make a song the way every time. You should always start differently each time, so you don't get stuck in a box.

 

[Bradleyboy]

You could go either way it is all a matter of preference or accessibility. Sometimes you think of the melody first, sometimes you already have an idea for what instrument you want to use before you even think of a melody.

Bandcoach pretty much sums it up here "the priority is to get the melody down somehow and worry about context later."

Both the singers in my band hum melodies into their iPhones when they are out on the go. It doesn't matter if the quality is garbage, as long as you can hear the notes.

 

[TrapMotivation]

sometimes I come up with a melody or whatever that I just want to get in the DAW before I forget exactly how I'm playing it or forget it altogether. Then I browse through sounds that fit it perfectly and give the feel I was looking for.

Then other times it starts as a sound being able to be manipulated in a certain way that brings out a pattern you wouldn't have thought of before.


So like everyone said it really doesn't matter how you start, its just about expanding your creative mindset and trying to get out of your box. It's good to mix it up and take different approaches from time to time.

 

[EeZ-]

Your question is equivalent to: Black or White? The answer is the same: it depends.