How does one go about getting a "dark sound" to their beats.

U

UpnComer

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Im just wondering, ... would i just adjust the pitch of the whole track or adjust the pitches of the individual tracks?
 
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Hmmm.. Can you explain what you mean by "dark sound"? That can mean something different to different people.

If you mean "dark" as in, moody and mean, then select moody sounds or use reverb to make it spacey.

"Dark" can also be done by keeping the key of the song minor.

Adjusting the pitch is just going to take the music up or down in.. pitch. If you want something slow and low, just record it that way, imo. The better you do at sound selection, the less tweaking you'll have to do to get what you want.

But anyway, can you explain what you're looking for a bit more?
 
Try using the minor scales in your beats, or if you want to get really dark and dissonant try playing around with the locrain scale or mode
 
Yeah just kind of depends on what you mean, you can consider tracks like The Weeknds tape kind of dark or Lex Luger beats dark which are completely different.
 
Actually most of that dark stuff in hip-hop/rap is made using progressions that move minor-diminished-minor-diminished, e.g.

Am-G[sup]#[/sup]dim-Am-Bdim-E[sup]7[/sup]-Am

[mp3]http://www.bandcoach.org/fp/audio/dark.mp3[/mp3]

dark.png
 
Try using diminished chords/scale. Using dark sounds is also important. Also figuring out exactly what you mean when you say dark is also important. Find sounds that have that feeling and observe, even post them here for other to explain.
 
I don't wanna argue, good responses, don't want to take anything from any of them...but my 2 cents...

Music captures the creators emotion and personality. Dark has never been hard for me to do because...I'm kinda dark at times, lol. Since having kids and settling down, I've learned to broaden my sound alot. But I've never made anything really "happy" that I personally liked(others have liked them, so, cool, whatever). I think if you wanna get into music with a darker tone, you're gonna wanna put some bottled up anger and emotion from your heart to get the sound.

There's no formula for it, just go back to a time in your life when you weren't in the best of moods and let it flow from your brain thru your heart to your fingers and play that shyt.

Prolly sounds like bs advice, but worth a try. Always worked for me. It's like I think of having fun at a cookout or club when I make a party joint. Think of love if I need to make a nice ballad. You gotta get into the mood like an actor before playing a part. Or a painter before hitting the canvas. Capture the emotion, man!

This is also the reason I sample. Certain songs can take me to a place and give me the right emotion, then I gotta capture it in a song. I can play everything from scratch, but if that song gives me a feel, they already got the formula. I need some of what they got! lol.

Again, I know it sounds stupid, just works for me.
 
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yeah but that is based on 17+ years of experience, is it not?? And I'm guessing based on my own experiences (35 years+) that it was not always as plain sailing as you make out - probably took several years and even then you were relying on your own formulae which if looked at closely would be no different to what has already been offered here...

again a 2c only that....
 
bandcoach said:
yeah but that is based on 17+ years of experience, is it not?? And I'm guessing based on my own experiences (35 years+) that it was not always as plain sailing as you make out - probably took several years and even then you were relying on your own formulae which if looked at closely would be no different to what has already been offered here...

again a 2c only that....
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^^^Agreed. But since basics were covered, I thought I'd offer another approach. I can't remeber when the last time I wondered how to play anything was. But when you do...I guess you do need the fundamentals.
 
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its mostly what sounds you pick. i had trouble getting a dark/hard sound when i first started and now im stuck with it i cant get away from it.

---------- Post added at 01:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:22 AM ----------
deRaNged 4 Phuk'dup said:
Music captures the creators emotion and personality.
Click to expand...

Yea this. sometimes ppl dont have it in them to make a hard beat it usually comes out corny as hell when they try to
 
deRaNged 4 Phuk'dup said:
I don't wanna argue, good responses, don't want to take anything from any of them...but my 2 cents...

Music captures the creators emotion and personality. Dark has never been hard for me to do because...I'm kinda dark at times, lol. Since having kids and settling down, I've learned to broaden my sound alot. But I've never made anything really "happy" that I personally liked(others have liked them, so, cool, whatever). I think if you wanna get into music with a darker tone, you're gonna wanna put some bottled up anger and emotion from your heart to get the sound.

There's no formula for it, just go back to a time in your life when you weren't in the best of moods and let it flow from your brain thru your heart to your fingers and play that shyt.

Prolly sounds like bs advice, but worth a try. Always worked for me. It's like I think of having fun at a cookout or club when I make a party joint. Think of love if I need to make a nice ballad. You gotta get into the mood like an actor before playing a part. Or a painter before hitting the canvas. Capture the emotion, man!

This is also the reason I sample. Certain songs can take me to a place and give me the right emotion, then I gotta capture it in a song. I can play everything from scratch, but if that song gives me a feel, they already got the formula. I need some of what they got! lol.

Again, I know it sounds stupid, just works for me.
Click to expand...
Truth ^^^

Just like a singer sitting down to write some lyrics it depends what mind state they are in or how they are feeling etc. so thats how you get artist's like Adele who's whole album makes you want to slit your wrist's lol cause it's about break up (YAWN)

At the moment i can't seem to escape dark and intense beats they just seem to happen which is good because it's not forced. My gf calls it horror music lol

As for a hint try playing around with some synths which are nice and droney and in minor cords then play around with reverb, EQ, delay's etc. and mix it with some high pitched punchy sharp strings to give it a horror movie suspense type feel.

But that also is just my 2'c.
 
Not a 100% sure I know what you mean by a dark sound but I do have a evil like effect with the piano. I start the song bellow and with a simple piano melody and I then added a really low sound. It is a key that is at a low enough octive but it is still at the same note as the melody. The sample is bellow


 
Use any of the minor modes such as Aeolian, Locrian, Dorian, or Phrygian. They each have a unique dark quality that will set the entire mood to a tune.
 
minor/minor diminished chords as another poster mentioned. Also using sounds that give a wide sort of dreamy feel helps too (i.e. pads, strings etc)
 
Sry, but i don't understand the question in fact, for me my beats are Dark when i'm sad, Funny when i'm in a good mood, or Dynamic, i think you don't have to looking for a "Color, or [COLOR=#0]an atmosphere", it come naturaly with your mood at this moment.

[/COLOR][COLOR=#0]
[/COLOR]
 
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