How are you orchestrating your beats?

[StanleySteamer]

Basically, I have a MAC and I go between Logic and FL Studio. I've been using FL Studio more lately because I can't afford plugins on Logic. I have been making hip hop beats for about 5 years now and I am looking to get more professional in terms of producing my beats. I would like to know how you guys as other producers are orchestrating your beats. For example, what octaves are you normally playing basses in(i.e. Sub Bass, Bass Guitar, all types of basses)? What octaves do you like your chords to be in? When you make patterns with different instruments, can you put more than one sound on the same octave while they play together? If one of your keys with one instruments hits on a certain key, does that mean when adding another instrument to a different octave do those keys have to match if they hit at the same time? Do you guys try to fill up the beat with as many instruments on different octaves as possible?

Theses are just a few of my many questions about this. I've been learning about music theory and scales and all that good stuff and I think I am getting it down pretty good. I am just finding a hard time figuring out how I want to orchestrate my beats. Any feedback would be much appreciated!

---------- Post added at 01:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:45 PM ----------

I am also looking to learn to understand the keys a little bit better. I would like to know how some people can play one key with there left hand but then there right hand doesn't exactly match the keys. If that makes sense. Thanks again!

 

[B3Bomber]

from your post it sounds like your over thinking a little bit. but i'll give you some general information that i go by. i prefer to not have two instruments playing in the same octave unless one of them is going to be in the background and it has a completely different tone. as far as bass goes i believe i usually like it in the fourth octave because anything lower than that it starts to rumble to much . I never usually try to fill a beat up with instruments just because i can. i like each instrument to play a specific role and also the less instruments you have the bigger you can make your beat sound. if you got 7 or 8 instruments going at once they will be competing for space. if two different keys are played at the same time its fine as long as it sounds good and is within the scale your using. Hope some of this helps.

 

[IPM Music]

from your post it sounds like your over thinking a little bit. but i'll give you some general information that i go by. i prefer to not have two instruments playing in the same octave unless one of them is going to be in the background and it has a completely different tone. as far as bass goes i believe i usually like it in the fourth octave because anything lower than that it starts to rumble to much . I never usually try to fill a beat up with instruments just because i can. i like each instrument to play a specific role and also the less instruments you have the bigger you can make your beat sound. if you got 7 or 8 instruments going at once they will be competing for space. if two different keys are played at the same time its fine as long as it sounds good and is within the scale your using. Hope some of this helps.

All good advice. There are so many variables, though. Do what sounds good.

For bass instruments, you should be able to hear when the octave is getting too low (rumble, inaudible stuff). Or too high, where it lacks depth all together. If you find a sound in a range you like, you can also tweak the sound within the VST or with EQ.

When melody instruments cross over in the same octave, you can sometimes lose the separation of the voices. If you have 2 instruments in the same range, try moving one up or down an octave, or make it a harmony.

The possibilities are endless.

 

[Dillywilly]

as someone who struggles with being in the same position as you, I concur; don't overthink it.

I'm absolutely not saying don't try and improve your knowledge of music theory and the like. Consume as much information as you can, and try to internalise it as much as possible.

But don't let that become paralysis when it comes to the actual doing. When it comes time to make a beat, I tend to rely on my instincts and ear, rather than trying to apply abstract theory to it, and I've definitely noticed that as I've consumed more and more information, it's slowly become intuition for this sort of thing.

What I'm saying is, instead of saying "what octave should I be playing bass in?", just experiment with different octaves on your keyboard until you find one that sounds good to you. As you make more and more music, you won't even have to ask that question, you'll just automatically zero in on where it should be without thinking.

There are helpful rules of thumb though.

The "should I try to fill up the beat with as many instruments as possible" is, to me, a definite no. The more you can do with less, the better. I try to only use 4 or 5 instruments at any given time, and most of those instruments are playing a subservient role to whatever is playing the main melody at the time. What little experience I have has definitely taught me that simplicity is key, and that overfilling an instrumental is the absolute wrong direction to go in.

Again, I'm probably about as inexperienced as you, so take this with a grain of salt, but I definitely feel like there's a lot of truth in not overthinking things. Like I say, I've been there a lot recently, and doing rather than thinking has definitely helped me get better.

EDIT: almost forgot to plug Ableton...my beloved..........never gets any damn love with you guys haha.

 

[juse]

Best piece of advice while learning about producing. You need to make sure your beat covers all highs, mids, and lows.

As for your whole thing about octaves and making all the sounds mix, I'm sure everyone here will tell you to experiment so you can develop your style and your ear for music.

All beats are different and you should adjust your method to the vibe of your track. For example, if you're going for epic sounding tracks, you'll want more instruments and layers of them to make it sound big. You'll need to mix em so it feels like you're in a stadium or concert hall. If you're going for something more laid back, maybe only a few instruments and sounds will do.

You got a link to your music?