I recently had someone comment on a post about a quick little jam on a synth (the PRO VS Mini) I’d posted as a YouTube short.
“That’s a great vibe you’ve got going. All the layers work really complementarity. Lots going on but it never feels cluttered. That’s what I aim for and why I never finish anything”
“Thanks 🙏. Yeah it’s always a fine balance how you stack your parts. I find building up the busiest section in an 8 – 16 bar loop so it all works together first and then taking that apart to build out the track really helps. That way you know when everything is going to play nice together. All the best with your tracks.”
Take It To The Limit
I have found it really helpful to limit myself to 8 tracks when I am writing this style of loop based electronic music but the principle is sound within most genres. How does it help?
Here’s some things I have found helpful in limiting the number of tracks I’m allowed to use:
- There is a limit on your choices so you keep decision fatigue low.
- You can move faster and stay excited about the song rather than getting bogged down in choices.
- Committing to parts as you add them helps steer your vision for the song rather than there being a much broader scope.
- Instead of settling for mediocre parts you become much more focussed on what is really working.
- Your song will be stronger because you’re being forced to make the arrangement work with the 8 tracks you have.
When I boil it down, this method removes choices which makes you more focussed on what actually works in the arrangement. This will in turn lead to a stronger song and a better mix.
Rules For Arrangement
Depending on the type of song you’re making generally you’re looking for:
- Rhythmic Elements: A main rhythmic idea, some 2 & 4 reinforcement for the chorus and some percussion for interest.
- Bass – To create an anchor for the harmony parts.
- Harmony – Pads, chords, chord stabs, arpeggios
- Melody – generally 2 – 3 melodic ideas
I’m also thinking in frequencies too:
- Bass: Kick drum and bass to anchor the low end of the song.
- Low Mid: Mids: generally the lower part of harmony elements and the body of the snare.
- Mid: Melody range (very important that it doesn’t get too cluttered)
- High-mids: the snap of the snare, higher aspects of harmonic and melodic elements.
- Highs: percussive elements such as high-hats, crashes etc.
I’m trying to find space for everything as well as fill up space where it’s needed.
Stack Em Up
When I stack 8 tracks on top of each other I’m expecting it to be “busy” but what I’m aiming for is everything to gel together pretty well. I’m never going to have all of these parts playing together in the mix at once but I know that if it will hang together when they’re all stacked like this I’m good to go.
Bending The Rules
To be clear, I don’t just use 8 tracks for all my songs. What I try to use the 8 tracks to do is give me the guts of the song. Once I have that I can take those parts and start to arrange them into a structure that flows.
Sometimes this might mean I need to add something new to the mix to help fill things out in a necessary way. Sometimes the sections of the song need some more variety so a new part might need to be introduced.
The key thing is, you’re making those decisions as a result of necessity because you’ve rung all of the possibilities out of what you’ve got to work with. You’re working into the choices that are already made rather than building from the ground up and making decisions as you go.
You need to keep the rules of arrangement firmly in place as you do this. What frequencies need to be added or taken away? Do I really need another harmonic, melodic or rhythmic part?
Sonic Condiments
One other aspect I haven’t touched on is the addition of sonic condiments. These are the embellishments that help to add “flavour” to your track. These can take the form of risers and downshifters, extra percussion in the chorus to lift the energy and create interest.
These get added in to enhance the song and should be done by listening to the track from the start and letting it “speak to you”. I’m listening/feeling for dead spots where there should be more energy or opportunities to enhance the energy. This usually occurs every 8 bars which is where most music hits a transition point.
This isn’t a hard and fast rule but it’s a good way to look for those areas that might need some flavour.
The Takeaway
When I mix and master a song, I know the key to a great mix is a great arrangement. This method makes arrangement the focus by limiting your options. As I mentioned earlier, this can apply to any genre and I’d encourage any songwriter to try it if you’re building a more complex arrangement for your songs.
All the best with your music making!
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