idm must-haves

mainly just out of curiosity, i was wondering if writing a list of different elements will help out in the process of making an "idm" track. don't take it too seriously, "be original" answers will not be accepted.

alright, just by listening early 90's idm

hip-hop beats

d'n'b/jungle beats

pretty, naive synth melodies

atmospheric pads

...

talent

inspiration

drive

ambition

commitment

creativity

ideas

  qnio said:

mainly just out of curiosity, i was wondering if writing a list of different elements will help out in the process of making an "idm" track. don't take it too seriously, "be original" answers will not be accepted.

 

alright, just by listening early 90's idm

 

hip-hop beats

d'n'b/jungle beats

pretty, naive synth melodies

atmospheric pads

 

...

I'm currently getting a lot of music done with these elements.

  autopilot said:

talent

inspiration

drive

ambition

commitment

creativity

ideas

I'm currently getting very little music done with these elements.

  qnio said:

hip-hop beats

d'n'b/jungle beats

pretty, naive synth melodies

atmospheric pads

...

I dont know if this means the music uve just been listening to or the elements that you think make up an idm track.

I have always thought of it as the use intense production techniques. Techniques that strain your brain, patients and skill.

Some so called idm doesnt involve any of this so thats where my idea of idm and the actual meaning of idm have become blurred.

Idm makes me think of sounds that move between each over in a way that u can only observe and cant vathum how it was done.

'farst bits'

  autopilot said:

talent

inspiration

drive

ambition

commitment

creativity

ideas

wat? no! you missed the point.

see it the other way around, analyze an old idm track exactly as, i.e, a generic punk track with few chords, 2 parts, etc.

and about technique... be more specific. for example, several sped up amen break patterns, each one different from the previous; difference being made by small cuts, timestretching the hits, snare rushes, pitch downs, etc, etc. something like that lol

So I was thinking, I wanna make a David Lynch film.

If we could isolate the elements that make one up, I think we could make a brand new one that's just as good as the originals.

For example, our David Lynch film should contain:

creepy midgets

hot lesbians

a flashback

a soundtrack

Right now I'm writing a screenplay that utilizes those four things. If anybody wants to meet up at Cannes for drinks, PM me.

nardoz

  autopilot said:

So I was thinking, I wanna make a David Lynch film.

 

If we could isolate the elements that make one up, I think we could make a brand new one that's just as good as the originals.

 

For example, our David Lynch film should contain:

creepy midgets

hot lesbians

a flashback

a soundtrack

 

Right now I'm writing a screenplay that utilizes those four things. If anybody wants to meet up at Cannes for drinks, PM me.

cheers to lynch emulation 

skitter

lack of bass

fm percussion

long release reverb on some drum hits across the sequence

reverse/heavily processed vocal samples

roland drum machines

flanger-chorus on percussion

distorted percussion

voice saying orange

voice counting numbers out of sequence

post autechre hip hop beats

wobbly synths

tape

I never thought of BOC as idm, or is that the point :embrassed:

  David R James said:

I never thought of BOC as idm, or is that the point :embrassed:

im not sure... i didnt think IDM existed in the early 90s as stated in the first post

  LUDD said:

  David R James said:

I never thought of BOC as idm, or is that the point :embrassed:

 

im not sure... i didnt think IDM existed in the early 90s as stated in the first post

Early 90's = a better time for less catogorisation

idm has become such a broad term like electronica that incorporates many forms of electronic music which is why i think it is such a shit term now.this is probably caused by so many people refering to tracks as idm which never were and now it has mixed meanings, and cant be defined as such.

Idm is such a bad topic to talk about :getlost:

an amen break or other dirty electronic percussion put though a busy monophonic sequence with the occasional glitch, reverse or retrig FX splashed over to mash it up a bit with an analogue synth bass (or 303 acid) and some simple floaty polyphonic synth pad melodies over the top all over 155bpm

:stuart:

I'm a huge noob but I'll give my input anyways

Try to deconstruct some of your favourite tracks, and then make something that is nearly identical in structure.

Analyze how the track flows, when the percussion comes in and when it fades out, analyze the types of filters and effects that are being used. Analyze the track, make a list that describes the basic structure in a way that does not specifically explain any of the melody or beat, but just the structure.

Then build a track that conforms exactly to that. Switch it around a bit if you want but I would imagine if you do this a good number of times you will have a much better idea how to go about actually constructing a track.

I wouldn't sell/release anything that was built so strictly to another track's structure, but like I said its a good way of getting the technique nailed. Plus you will be using your favourite music as a reference so their influence will come through more

1) Shit on the keyboard.

2) Sample it.

...but only if your favorite musician has already done it.

“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.”

-Salvador Dali

*draws a watch covered in ants*

  Deepex said:

“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.”

-Salvador Dali

Completely true. A lot of people don't understand that their favorite artists are just imitating their favorite artists. The part that makes it innovative is when they spin it in a new way, or by putting more of their own personality into it.

i have trouble trying to do anything in particular when it comes to music. i'll say, hey, let's try to do a DNB track... six hours later i've gotten mired down in some massive 12-part string shit and deleted the DNB drums. however, it should be noted that saying "let's try and do a DNB track" is a good way to get started.

if you want some inspiration, go read interviews with clark. he's said a lot of things that changed the way i think about this or that.....

lots and lots of drugs

  Braintree said:

  Deepex said:

“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.”

-Salvador Dali

 

Completely true. A lot of people don't understand that their favorite artists are just imitating their favorite artists. The part that makes it innovative is when they spin it in a new way, or by putting more of their own personality into it.

yeah, as boc said, music has the right to children.

edit: lol