How Do You Make A Song?
Making music is a wonderful thing, but how does one make a song? The way I do it is with a computer, but many of the concepts apply pretty generally. I have been asked before "What part of the song do you start with?", and my answer at the time was that it depends. I would start with whatever I was feeling at the moment. This method works well enough, especially if you already have a melody or specific sound in mind. Now though, I like to start with the beat. The beat is a very important part of a song because it determines the energy level and flow. Almost anything can sound pretty decent if it has a good enough beat.
There are several program options to choose from when it comes to making electronic music. The software used is called a digital audio workstation (DAW). I myself mostly use FL Studio (fruity loops), and sometimes Ableton Live, but there is also Cubase, Logic, Reaper, GarageBand, and more. Ultimately the DAW you use does not make a difference as they all mostly do the same thing. Additionally, there are individual sound generator interfaces/programs called plugins that work across DAWs. For example, I use Serum and I can use it on both FL and Live, and it behaves the same on both. It's important to have a unique sound if you want to stand out, but there are so many ways you can do that. The default plugins for a DAW can still be powerful tools if you learn and know how to use them. Experiment with what you have before spending a bunch of money on plugins.
Build your beat based on the genre you want to make. Each genre has its own defining characteristics like BPM. The beat is a big part of this. House will typically have a "four on the floor" beat where there is a kick every quarter beat. Dubstep does a halftime beat with kick and snare. High hats are good for filling the space between and controlling energy. White noise and cymbals can be used to build suspense, and claps and rides are good for percussion as well. For general percussion, this is where you can really get creative. There are so many sounds you can use, the sky really is the limit. Try to use a wide range of sounds to build a percussive environment.
You can use the drums to define the general sections of the song. Many songs will have some kind of chorus or main repeating section. A buildup will include a gradual increase in intensity and sometimes complexity of the beat. You can also add a breakdown or bridge section. If a part of the song feels too slow, you can increase the frequency of high-hat hits, maybe try sixteenth notes. If the song feels stiff or rigid, you can move the hit timing around so some or multiple elements hit slightly off-grid. The kick is a potent element for changing the rigidity. Using a rap beat as a reference can help make the beat bouncier.
When you decide on a key for the song to be in, you can make hooks, choruses, buildups, and drop melodies. Make sure the notes evoke the proper feeling. Then, you need to add support elements. You want the frequency spectrum to feel full but not cluttered. You want room in your mix and to avoid mud. If you use sounds that have distinctly different frequency band presence, they will "play nice" together because they are not competing. If you try to use too many sounds with a focus in the same frequency area, it will clutter. You also want some sort of ambient sound for all the other sounds to live inside. Chords can help make it feel full, and FX are great.
A very important aspect of song-making is to keep it fresh. Most people don't want to listen to the same loop over and over no matter how good it is. That's why it's important to change up the melodies throughout. But not just the melodies, the sounds themselves should change over time in some way to keep it interesting. Evolve sounds throughout the song by adding automation controls to effect parameters. If you have repeating sections, like buildups or choruses, they can still be similar, but you want to make them different enough that it still feels somewhat fresh each time you hear it in the song.
Flow, movement, and energy are also important considerations. You don't typically want one section of the song to immediately change to another that is completely different, it would be a jarring experience. Sure it can and has been done successfully, but generally speaking you don't want that. Ideally elements from one section will carry over into the next section in some way to provide a continuation. There should, in every section, be an element that is the main focus. The melody should resolve between sections such that each new section "makes sense" and pairs well with the previous section. There should be good energy and movement, meaning that there is enough happening to entertain the listeners' brain.
I have also been told that a good way to break out of having bland sections in your song is to build 8-bar loops instead of building a 4-bar loop and pairing it with a duplicate. If you are feeling adventurous, even a sixteen-bar loop would do. It's a way to keep from getting 'stuck' in short loops that feel too 'on-grid' and repetitive. It keeps it fresh and new for the listener. I like to use panning, delay, and other effects to create movement in the song and create a more immersive experience.
Author: Psidemica
Published: 2024-02-14
Edited: N/A
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