Pluck role and/or job.....???

C

Chew_Bear

New member
1. What's the role and/or job of a pluck....???

2. Do Plucks play single notes and therefore a different version of the melody...???

Or...can plucks be made up of multiple keys/notes and therefore used as a support for the chord progression...???

3. Can plucks play a lead role especially if using a instrument/sound that is 'strong/aggressive'...???

Or...are they 'traditionally' used as a backup/support for the lead instrument/sound instead....???

4. Can you use anything you want for a pluck...as long as its envelope ADSR is short enough to be a pluck....??? e.g. Even something like a FX One Shot.

Or should plucks be mainly composed/made of natural/original instruments...??? i.e. Piano, Synth, Guitar etc.

5. Where do Plucks play/sit best at in a composition/arrangement...??? Verse...??? Chorus...??? Drop...??? Bridge...??? Intro/Outro...???

Help...?!?!
 
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That's a lot of theory, and there can never be too much of course but... wow bruh lol.
If [do what you feel like] is not enough then I don't know what to tell ya.
Sounds are sounds, and placement is preference.


But delving into something like that seems more like you are reaaaally interested in music theory.
I'd think you'd be hardpressed in particular and partial to the study of composition/sheet/arrangement.
You sound less and less like edm and more like you take to composing the more you type.
 
On a side note....

How about genres and styles....??? Do certain genres require you to use plucks more than others...???

Therefore...should you try and incorporate plucks into your music more if you are trying to fall into a specific genre...??? i.e. hiphop/rap, edm etc,
 
Chew_Bear said:
1. What's the role and/or job of a pluck....???

2. Do Plucks play single notes and therefore a different version of the melody...???

Or...can plucks be made up of multiple keys/notes and therefore used as a support for the chord progression...???

3. Can plucks play a lead role especially if using a instrument/sound that is 'strong/aggressive'...???

Or...are they 'traditionally' used as a backup/support for the lead instrument/sound instead....???

4. Can you use anything you want for a pluck...as long as its envelope ADSR is short enough to be a pluck....??? e.g. Even something like a FX One Shot.

Or should plucks be mainly composed/made of natural/original instruments...??? i.e. Piano, Synth, Guitar etc.

5. Where do Plucks play/sit best at in a composition/arrangement...??? Verse...??? Chorus...??? Drop...??? Bridge...??? Intro/Outro...???

Help...?!?!
Click to expand...
A pluck isn't a job. A pluck is like the person you hire to do the job.

If you're missing bass, you can have a bass pluck. If you need something to define your harmony, then plucks could do that to.

They do some jobs better than others, and you wouldn't want them do do all the jobs, but otherwise- it's up to you.

Also, pluck is more of a descriptor than an actual type of sound. There's no dictionary which says 'this is a pluck' or 'this isn't a pluck'
2. Sometimes
3. yes they can
4.yes
5. anywhere but not everywhere, depends on the type of track
 
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i think this is a good question, first i want to say something how the envelope effects the song

if you want your song to have more energy you have to give more decay to the plucks so they will be louder and a singer can also go a little more louder, higher notes without feeling that he is overdoing it, like guitars have a long decay they don't stop too quick

a good example would be david guetta - turn me on
he first uses a pluck synth the beat is more relaxing
than on chours he adds sounds with long decay so the song becomes louder

so if i want a song to be more relaxing i would first of all check my pluck sounds try to give short decay

for example afroman - ' because i got high' its a beat with sounds that dont sustain too much , so there is less pressure of envelopes = more relaxing
[h=1][/h]so if i want more relaxing i give short decays, if i want more louder, i add more decay, more sustain

the basic role of the pluck sounds with short decay is the rhythm
drums, percusion, guitar, pluck synths,

hip hop guys like timbaland he uses those drums sounds so he dont really need to add pluck instruments because he already have drums and percusions doing that kind of rhythmic role,

something like rock n roll they have guitars, they makes a good rhythm

in electronic music we have synths we create pluck sounds with

can you use a pluck sound as a lead , bass , sure you can

in rock n roll , guitars, bass, lead guitar they all have same envelopes

however there is a good reason why they distorted lead guitars , so the lead be more powerful not have good decay and not to stop too quick, like it happens without distirtion

if something sounds good keep it that way, but these are just things to know to be aware of what happens when you do something
 
WOWOW. first of all. a lot of questions ma friend. haha hope u do ur research and save us only the sweet questions next time :)

1. What's the role and/or job of a pluck....???
A pluck is like its name and in EDM, it is supposed to simulate a pluck of a bowed instrument (violin, cello, guitar, etc). So if you've heard any orchestral music, plucks generally sit in the back and give the music a rushing / building up sort of vibe. Plucks are both harmonic / percussive. Best example of this would be plucking the bass guitar. The pluck sounds are generally made by (1) a short decay envelope and (2) a fast low pass filter acting to quickly filter out the higher harmonics. This resembles if you pluck any instrument string the string vibrates quickly at first (giving off more harmonics) and slowly after the quick initial attack (giving off less harmonics).

2. Do Plucks play single notes and therefore a different version of the melody...???
yes and no. They can play the melody and they can play the harmony (single or chords). They can be counterpoint or they can be running together. Depends on your / artist's preference.
Or...can plucks be made up of multiple keys/notes and therefore used as a support for the chord progression...???
Yes and most plucks are made this way.

3. Can plucks play a lead role especially if using a instrument/sound that is 'strong/aggressive'...???
Or...are they 'traditionally' used as a backup/support for the lead instrument/sound instead....???
They can definitely play a lead role but the sound itself isn't sharp / bright enough to stand out, thus 99% of the time it sits in the back of the mix. A pluck is a dull / bouncy sort of sound meant to be a cross between harmony / rhythm sort of as you would pluck a bass.

4. Can you use anything you want for a pluck...as long as its envelope ADSR is short enough to be a pluck....??? e.g. Even something like a FX One Shot.
I'm sure you can but why would you? A short FX One Shot with a fast decay would more or less be a percussive instrument not a melodic / percussive one.
Or should plucks be mainly composed/made of natural/original instruments...??? i.e. Piano, Synth, Guitar etc.
Like I said, plucks are melodic and percussive at the same time. If the initial sound is non-tonal as with drums, it would be only percussive. So yes you should stick with only tonal instruments. But many producers also layer plucks with white noise and other sounds to make the pluck sound larger and fatter. So experiment in that sense.

5. Where do Plucks play/sit best at in a composition/arrangement...??? Verse...??? Chorus...??? Drop...??? Bridge...??? Intro/Outro...???
Generally if you are talking about a pop record, it sounds best in the verse or the prechorus. And this is due to the building up / rushing quality of plucks. But rules are meant to be broken so experiment. As a tip, when u are using plucks think about how composers and producers and artists use plucks to create a regular rhythm that also sits melodically. An example would be a palm muted guitar which is done in rock to make a drive or a force of rush that is so typical in rock music.
 
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dragoninstal said:
WOWOW. first of all. a lot of questions ma friend. haha hope u do ur research and save us only the sweet questions next time :)

1. What's the role and/or job of a pluck....???
A pluck is like its name and in EDM, it is supposed to simulate a pluck of a bowed instrument (violin, cello, guitar, etc). So if you've heard any orchestral music, plucks generally sit in the back and give the music a rushing / building up sort of vibe. Plucks are both harmonic / percussive. Best example of this would be plucking the bass guitar. The pluck sounds are generally made by (1) a short decay envelope and (2) a fast low pass filter acting to quickly filter out the higher harmonics. This resembles if you pluck any instrument string the string vibrates quickly at first (giving off more harmonics) and slowly after the quick initial attack (giving off less harmonics).

2. Do Plucks play single notes and therefore a different version of the melody...???
yes and no. They can play the melody and they can play the harmony (single or chords). They can be counterpoint or they can be running together. Depends on your / artist's preference.
Or...can plucks be made up of multiple keys/notes and therefore used as a support for the chord progression...???
Yes and most plucks are made this way.

3. Can plucks play a lead role especially if using a instrument/sound that is 'strong/aggressive'...???
Or...are they 'traditionally' used as a backup/support for the lead instrument/sound instead....???
They can definitely play a lead role but the sound itself isn't sharp / bright enough to stand out, thus 99% of the time it sits in the back of the mix. A pluck is a dull / bouncy sort of sound meant to be a cross between harmony / rhythm sort of as you would pluck a bass.

4. Can you use anything you want for a pluck...as long as its envelope ADSR is short enough to be a pluck....??? e.g. Even something like a FX One Shot.
I'm sure you can but why would you? A short FX One Shot with a fast decay would more or less be a percussive instrument not a melodic / percussive one.
Or should plucks be mainly composed/made of natural/original instruments...??? i.e. Piano, Synth, Guitar etc.
Like I said, plucks are melodic and percussive at the same time. If the initial sound is non-tonal as with drums, it would be only percussive. So yes you should stick with only tonal instruments. But many producers also layer plucks with white noise and other sounds to make the pluck sound larger and fatter. So experiment in that sense.

5. Where do Plucks play/sit best at in a composition/arrangement...??? Verse...??? Chorus...??? Drop...??? Bridge...??? Intro/Outro...???
Generally if you are talking about a pop record, it sounds best in the verse or the prechorus. And this is due to the building up / rushing quality of plucks. But rules are meant to be broken so experiment. As a tip, when u are using plucks think about how composers and producers and artists use plucks to create a regular rhythm that also sits melodically. An example would be a palm muted guitar which is done in rock to make a drive or a force of rush that is so typical in rock music.
Click to expand...

Aaaahhhhh I get it now.

Never heard of the whole concept of plucks having a 'Rushing / Building Up' characteristic before...therefore...

If the lead is 'Brad Pitt'....And the Bass is 'George Clooney'....Does that make the pluck 'Morgan Freeman', 'Matt Damon', 'Julia Roberts' or 'Angelina Jolee' etc....??? LOL.

In other words...

When choosing to use a pluck...should it be helping the lead, the bass (or both)...OR...can it even sit somewhere in the middle as its own separate role/actor and not help any other role/instrument at all...???

Therefore...How do you know if you need a pluck or not...and how do you get the 'rushed / building up' feeling/vibe...?

Apologies for all the newbie-ness/questions.
 
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Mannnnnn. U went to the 5th dimension with that metaphor between actors and plucks.

I don't know what kind of music u're producing but if it is EDM then plucks are a common element. The pluck can be alone and be by itself and also help the bass or be the lead, whatever floats ur boat.

But obviously it has to be in key and harmonically aligned to the rest of the instruments.

As to knowing whether you need or don't need plucks in your song, the best advice I can give u is to just listen to more music carefully observing their song structures and instrumentation.

That means that it is a matter of your personal choice and there is no affirmative say so in that matter.

The listener won't be like "there's no pluck" or "there is!" And in the beginning u won't be able to easily decide whether or not to have that element.

but over the course of time + experience, u will know and that will become ur style. If afraid, always experiment:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
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