Minimal theory

[Robot Criminal]

Yeh make sure you FINISH tracks, even if theyre sht; youll soon realise that arrangement is probably the most important thing.,

+1000

This can't be overemphasized. I'm CONSTANTLY guilty of not finishing tracks, even when they are turning out well.

- Nick

I'm guilty as fck.

[MINIMALTECHNOHOUSE]

Im guilty of that too; although ive had allot of progress recently....

Ive set up markers like "verse 1", "drop 1" "chorus 1" etc., i then copy my idea across the whole track, and edit from there....

Just simple edits to start with like dropping the kick, filter movements etc.

Ive also noticed that allot of the time, the variations are made up of one shots, effects, vocal snippets etc; sometimes the idea rocks, but to make t interesting you have to pay a little more attention to detail.

Also mute buttons are a godsend; i NEED a controller set up to the filter cutoffs, wet/dry of effects etc to get the arrangement started.

[Dragonsand]

Are you sure it is a lack of "groove"?

You often think it's because of the lack of groove if your tracks are dead, but I think that most of the time it is because of a lack of originality.

Just some advices which make me progress:

1. Don't begin by making the kick, the drum construction. Begin by making chords, pads, then bass, and FINALLY the kick/drum construction. When I do that, I'm far more imaginative to create original rhythms, and not the typical boom clack boom clack.

2. Pass hundred hours to experiment with your synthetizers. It is the only way to get your OWN sound, your OWN univers. Record hundred of "presets" you'll have done yourself. Build your raw personal bank, and then ebgin to produce a complete track...
It's like cooking. You have to gather all kind of ingredients, sometimes you experiment, but you never cook something by choosing your ingredient by chance
It sounds like something obvious, but I think that when you are like a child behind your screen, you can forget that...

3. Never forget the ambiant background sound.

4. It depends a lot of what kind of person you are, but the fact of doing something else at the same time when I'm producing can inspire a lot. Read a book, then if you've an idea, just rush at your synth and experiment, etc!


These advices won't bring you something "concrete". It is "airy" advices. But I think that it can bring magic to your music.

[mclean1979]

Are you sure it is a lack of "groove"?

You often think it's because of the lack of groove if your tracks are dead, but I think that most of the time it is because of a lack of originality.

Just some advices which make me progress:

1. Don't begin by making the kick, the drum construction. Begin by making chords, pads, then bass, and FINALLY the kick/drum construction. When I do that, I'm far more imaginative to create original rhythms, and not the typical boom clack boom clack.

2. Pass hundred hours to experiment with your synthetizers. It is the only way to get your OWN sound, your OWN univers. Record hundred of "presets" you'll have done yourself. Build your raw personal bank, and then ebgin to produce a complete track...
It's like cooking. You have to gather all kind of ingredients, sometimes you experiment, but you never cook something by choosing your ingredient by chance
It sounds like something obvious, but I think that when you are like a child behind your screen, you can forget that...

3. Never forget the ambiant background sound.

4. It depends a lot of what kind of person you are, but the fact of doing something else at the same time when I'm producing can inspire a lot. Read a book, then if you've an idea, just rush at your synth and experiment, etc!


These advices won't bring you something "concrete". It is "airy" advices. But I think that it can bring magic to your music.

Some great advice there, cheers

[AK]

My problem is making minimal music. I have no issues making music, or any of the production as I'm experienced in that dept. My problem is actually making something interesting with just a few elements.

I come from being a keyboard player, theory/ chords/ scales are not the issue, the issue with me, is that I tend to make stuff that sounds 'song - like'.

Contrived maybe, or at least that's the way it feels to me. When i listen to stuff I like, it's like there was no direction musically and no point to anything but it's something i want to be able to do, the arrangements make the music point-worthy and logical.

Drawing board - back to.

[Dragonsand]

"My problem is actually making something interesting with just a few elements. "

So you are talking about "real" minimalism? Something like Sleeparchive?
Because in reality, most of the tracks that we call" minimal" are made of much more elements than in a lot of other music...

Making music à la Sleeparchive is very easy (no offence to this great artist I like) if you are instantaneously and intuitively able to create mental acrobaties with just a rhythm. You know, this kick/drum combination which automaticaly makes you brain jumping... With a lot of tracks, if you remove everything except kicks and drums, it will sound okay, but with Sleeparchive, this factor is absolutely essential, so, in fact, yes, it is easy and difficult at the same time. Try to make tracks like Sleeparchive, use this artists as a scheme, just to experiment, just for fun. If you still have no result after several weeks, perhaps that you're better at doing non-minimalistic music..?

In my case, I would sell my soul to the devil to be able to create "non-minimalistic" and extremely melodic music like Secede or Kettel.

"I come from being a keyboard player, theory/ chords/ scales are not the issue, the issue with me, is that I tend to make stuff that sounds 'song - like'. "

what do you mean by "song-like? Could you share something you do?

[Kozak]

Thanks for the advice guys this forum is alot more helpful than the ableton.com forum...great stuff!

[NewSc2]

Great advice all around, I'm guilty of not following them most of the time (especially the not-finishing-songs part, I feel like I only finish like 10% of my ideas)

I guess the only things I could add are to learn how to arrange and get to you know your sampler well. Learn how to get those progression sound efx down (swooshes and filter automation).

Also minimal is a genre that heavily relies on audio production, more so than most others -- you can't mask a bad mix. Learn how to EQ and compress your elements.

But don't worry, just keep trying and it'll come to you. We're all in the same boat here--

As for getting a funk/groove, start listening to more jazz and funk tracks. Not so much to emulate the notes, but to remember the feelings and groove.