jordanrooben Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I'm hoping to get some tips, and discussion rather than an answer to a particular question. I don't really know what to ask, but I know what I want to learn. What I mean is that I think my songs can use some embellishment and work on transitions, and I was hoping I could get some general advice on that. The mixes are okay, but they feel dry and unprofessional. I imagine that you would work out a rough structure and go from there, and that's the part I want advice on. If you read all that and understood it, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannthr Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Are you talking about composition/arrangement or mixing/engineering? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Are you talking about composition/arrangement or mixing/engineering? I'm quite certain he's talking about composition...I think. We need more info! Transitions between what exactly? What do you mean by "embellishments?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dissidia Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I think he means like a string of notes to embelish like a harp or piano sweep. Ways you can transition one part to another. Correct me if I'm wronk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ectogemia Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 That's a very broad question, but I tend to do sort of "one-shot" and extreme instances of processing on the master track or the bulk of the sound in a transition. Often, I'll build a complex transition one part at a time. For instance, I'll start with a rezzy low pass filter on all the current voices closing over, say, 2 measures. Next, I'll add a deep flanger that goes from 0% mix level to 100% mix level across those 2 measures. Why? Sounds cool. Then, maybe I think there should be a noise wave sweeping from fully LP filtered to unfiltered across those 2 measures -- a voice unaffected by that first envelope. Maybe it would sound cool if I gated that noise wave more and more as it built. What if the gated noise wave were cross-panned to add space? That tends to be an effective, simple method that can build up a very cool, very complex transition. Just take it a step at a time. Otherwise, you can try a more harmonic/arpeggiated approach, such as already having written Part A and Part B, but now you're writing the transition between the two. Try writing an arpeggio that starts on some relevant note of Part A and ends on the first note of the melody or some note of the first chord of Part B. It'll always sound right if you do this, and you can add in the step-by-step method above as well to make the transition more than just musically interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Well, I thought about it, but since there hasn't been more elaboration from the OP... Anyway, a common question is making smooth transitions between two phrases or sections in a different key. If this is the case, just use a chord or harmony found in both keys as the transition point. You can also use half-steps. what I mean is, if you're in E minor and want to go to D minor smoothly. One way you could do that with chords is C Major - A Major(no5)- D minor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordanrooben Posted November 25, 2011 Author Share Posted November 25, 2011 Sorry for not getting back right away. I'll try to clear up the confusion. I'm still new to all the terms so, sorry about that. Ways to transition from a chorus or verse to a bridge is a big one. Tips on how to have more in the song than just intro --> verse --> chorus --> coda type of structure would be nice. What I mean by embellishment is adding a sweeping pad or a bell before certain sections. Does that help at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Jobson Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 It might help if you post an original song of yours as an example (a link to soundcloud, youtube, tindeck, etc.) and identify parts of the song you think need spicing up, and people here may offer you suggestions. It is rather difficult with such an open ended question really, as there are literally endless ways to add flavour, movement, excitement etc. to ones song. If you want something absurdly general and basic, try adding just a filtered noise sweep leading to or from particular changes or parts of your song and see how that sounds. One thing I experimented with in the past is layering something over top of this sweep as well. For example, I bounced (created an audio file) a short section of my song that came after the leading sweep part, and then I reversed that section, and stretched the audio out increasingly more as it played, and then layered it over top of the sweep and had them both fade in gradually. You could even then have the sounds fade out in a big reverb or something when the next section comes. If you can make sense of this description, then props to you. The key really is experimentation and just have fun trying new things. You never know what you'll discover. I guess I'll toss a link to my old song and show you what part I'm talking about (made it last year). The sweep and reversed fade in part is exactly from 6:06 - 6:09. Edit: Also 3:17 - 3:22 I did the same thing. http://soundcloud.com/syllix/ryan-jobson-into-the-starry-night Hope that helps. ~Syllix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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