Stuck in a 4 to 8 bar loop.

Mitso01

New member
Hey guys, i have many problems with structuring a track.

That's why i mostly get stuck in a 4 to 8 bar loop.

How do you guys solve this problem???

Im a fan of working with sample packs.

My main genre is house.

Thx in advance.

Gr. Mitchell
 
The ting you want to look at is arrangement then. look at some tutorials from youtube and get to know how a house-track is made.

how many bars is the intro? which instruments usually go where? how are the drums utilized at different points in the track? how many layers of different sounds are there in each section?

The 4 bar loop is usually the foundation you build the rest of the track from.
 
Copy/paste all your loops and extend it to 4 minutes. Then try to mute something and listen to it how it sounds. Just try to imagine this loop in the intro. If it is ok, then start your track with that loop.
But it's a simple technique. If you want something interesting then you should create patterns (loops) for each section by itself. So, for example, create some pads in the intro but only in the intro. This loop should not play anywhere in the track but only in the intro. Try to change your chord progression in the middle of the track, it will sound interesting too.

Sometimes you can hear interesting things in some tracks, for example when your track is fading out and already near the end then you can hear that something new (synths, or leads, or melody) is starting to play. And you never heard this loop (or melody) before in this track. It surprises me all the time when I hear that technique but I am too lazy for doing something like that in the outro.
 
At some point I had the habit of making the legato notes staccato or vice versa and started working from there. House and EDM in general tends to rely on drone intros (something that has very few melodic elements; ie you're just introducing the instruments to the listener)

But I guess every composer/arranger/producer has their own modus operandi.
 
Some good "writer's block" tips above. Another thing to consider-- try to keep the same basic rhythm and drum sounds, while creating multiple 4 or 8-bar loops. Also, pretty importantly, stay in the same key. That way, when you get 5-10 separate 4-8-bar loops, you can try randomly switching or tacking on various parts to hear what sounds good together ("mix and match"). It is not the ultimate in compositional technique, but it should help you see a bigger picture and break out a bit from your established patterns. You could also start the opposite way-- analyze a few house tunes that you think are the shiznit, and make a list/template for the format (intro.-->build-->verse-->chorus-->verse-->break down-->build/riser-->chorus-->modulated chorus... for example). Then just start creating loops to fill those "job descriptions."

GJ
 
Try building up to your loop rather than wanting to add things to it.

Can we hear the loop? Might give people some ideas about how to build around it
 
Just to piggy back off Ninja Beats, find a track you really like and load it in your DAW. Use markers to outline the sections (intro, build, etc.). Copy your loop all the way across the song you like. Now arrange by subtracting for your sections. This way will allow you to quickly lay out the idea for a track and after which you can dive into the sections and tweak them to better fit your overall vision. In my (limited) experience, getting an idea sketched out quickly is key as you're trying to convey and emotion that won't stick with you for long. Hope that helps
 
I try three things til one works:

1. Pick a track that has an arrangement you like. Sacrifice 1-3 hours listening carefully then inserting empty MIDI clips and empty automation into a blank project thus creating a MIDI ''skeleton.'' Go back to your loop. Try to fit in what you write in the loop into the empty clips then fill in the rest.

2. Continue adding stuff to your loop. Go crazy overboard. When things get too busy/saturated, turn off various tracks/channels and keep adding more until it's absolutely ridiculous. Then copy that loop 10-15 times and mute/unmute different parts and discover cool combinations. Hopefully you'll get enough inspiration/ideas to arrange the whole structure

3. kind of like 1. open up an older tune you wrote see what you did with arrangement. copy

Cheers mate, hope that helped
 
secret pro tip:

find some of your favorite songs, mimic their structure until you get the grove down. imitate then innovate
 
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