I'm gonna start writing an album

[Heigen5]

I'm gonna concentrate and prepare to write an album. It helps that I already have an idea, that how it's gonna sound and in what style it's gonna be. The sound is gonna be warm, brown and sophisticated, yet fresh and the style is gonna be close to something like Crystal Merhod. I've been planning to write something like this for years.

The main focus are not being the lyrics, even though I might do few expection tracks too. But I just want to make some nifty electronic music that remind some of the bestest music from the golden era.

I must say I'm very excited. I'm trying my best. Thank God I have the dream-tools for doing this. Reason is a power-horse and I've been using it since 2002.

So yeah, let the fun begin!

[Lasagna Pirate]

Here’s an idea to song writing I’d like to explore.
Start with an album.
-Create a folder right now and give it the album name .
-In that folder create 8-10 folders and give them names... these are your tracks.
-Now create a session in your daw for each of the track folders. Give each track a theme.
In the session start with a marker track and a tempo track (I’m using Cubase but I assume other daws have similar)
-choose a tempo.

-In the Marker Track , mark zones for intro, Verse, chorus etc,. .... but label them with a word, any word. It could be something that relates to the theme of the track or random.
-I. The track lane create a few folder tracks .... bass leads, vocals .... etc.,
-start drawing in ‘parts’ in the intro verse chorus etc sections and label the drum bass leads whatever. In their respective folder tracks.( keep in mind you haven’t even touched instruments yet!)
-
- Before warming up any instruments do these set up steps in each of the song folders.
- once you have a general structure set up ... then you start with some chords or drums .

Build a container then fill it.

And so on.... basically work from the top down. Instead of from the bottom up....
instead of starting with a loop , building on a loop,... adding to it ....
make sense?
(I’ll flesh this out later!)

yes ... I should back up my ideas and write some proper tunes, with my own advice

[Lasagna Pirate]

.... wait what....?

warm brown and sophisticated

[Heigen5]

Yeah, well, giving all the tracks a dedicated folder sounds like a plan. And using .txt files to make notes too.

I think I'm gonna start with an intro track to get me in the mood.

Warm and brown like an arsehole?

:headupass:

[Lasagna Pirate]

That looks sophisticated!

[Heigen5]

That looks sophisticated!

It does. That's the bestest attitude one can have.

[Ifunkus]

Go for it buddy, only good things

[Heigen5]

Go for it buddy, only good things

Danke... I try to make it a bit dry, yet giving.
No goofy elements, more of ace attitude maybe.

[Ifunkus]

Go for it buddy, only good things

Danke... I try to make it a bit dry, yet giving.
No goofy elements, more of ace attitude maybe.

I like the sound of that my friend..bang it!!!

[Lasagna Pirate]

I’ve been watching this series on YouTube called ‘Against the clock’. It’s a timed challenge where the artist has 10 minutes to build a track.
Some are really great.
Some are .... holy shit.... just how are ‘famous’ producers so bad?

Could I finish a track in 10? Maybe... probably not. But fuck ... this one guy barely edited a single looping sample.
I could get more than that done!
Comment section was closed on that one!

Another guy had a nice thick head of long hair... except he’s shaved the top off. Couldn’t even get passed that. He had a bunch of looper pedals and a rubber chicken. For real.

[Heigen5]

When I make music, than sometimes I do some really quick moves, because I'm in a hurry to accomplish certain tasks, before I forget them. But otherwise 10 minutes ain't enough to build a decent track. I understand though, that if you bake something for too long, it might to lead you to over-produce stuff.

[Mr. Marty]

I'll wait till the mixing and mastering to start the loudness level discussion.

[Citizen Dolly]

Here’s an idea to song writing I’d like to explore.
Start with an album.
-Create a folder right now and give it the album name .
-In that folder create 8-10 folders and give them names... these are your tracks.
-Now create a session in your daw for each of the track folders. Give each track a theme.
In the session start with a marker track and a tempo track (I’m using Cubase but I assume other daws have similar)
-choose a tempo.

-In the Marker Track , mark zones for intro, Verse, chorus etc,. .... but label them with a word, any word. It could be something that relates to the theme of the track or random.
-I. The track lane create a few folder tracks .... bass leads, vocals .... etc.,
-start drawing in ‘parts’ in the intro verse chorus etc sections and label the drum bass leads whatever. In their respective folder tracks.( keep in mind you haven’t even touched instruments yet!)
-
- Before warming up any instruments do these set up steps in each of the song folders.
- once you have a general structure set up ... then you start with some chords or drums .

Build a container then fill it.

And so on.... basically work from the top down. Instead of from the bottom up....
instead of starting with a loop , building on a loop,... adding to it ....
make sense?
(I’ll flesh this out later!)

yes ... I should back up my ideas and write some proper tunes, with my own advice

Sounds like a potentially interesting approach. It's a long time since I wrote a full album, but the couple of "proper" EPs I've done (ie, those with actual themes and concepts behind them) in recent years worked on a loosely similar basis, in that I started by coming up with a tracklist and worked out very rough descriptions of what each track should sound like based on what it was about, and only then started composing.

[Ashley]

All the best with the Album Heikki.
Well done!!