Filling out a break

See I've been able to make decent chopped up glitched out breaks in renoise, the only problem is I can't find good sounds to fill out the song and turn it from a mish-mash of fast drums and empty space into a fully-realized song, or even just a rough-draft with breaks and a bass synth. Attached is a sample of the "song" I'm working on.

newbreak217.wav 2.23 MB · 17 downloads

I've thought about that, but I think the root of the problem is it's too busy a break to start with. I think because the drums are too close it doesn't have the space in my head for anything else. I expanded the patterns out to be a bar of 5/4 and 6/4 and I'm working on spacing the break out so you really get to hear the snare rolls without immediately being hit with more drums.

  On 3/16/2017 at 7:35 PM, hoggy said:

Slow distant reverby hipassed chords?

That's a good idea, unfortunately I forgot I had to go do something, so I'm leaving it to stew for the next 3 and a half hours. I'll try it when I get back.

Yeah, spacing the drums out a bit a better has already made space for other stuff in my head. Those 3 extra bars of open space eliminated clutter. Now to stew over a movie to sample to get an idea for the mood.

Edited March 16, 2017 by Burlesquebass

Do a track first. As in, the bass, melody, whatever etc with just a kick for an anchor point. Then once you have this basic structure you can build the breaks in the parts that need them.

I think building a track from a fast drumbeat startpoint usually steers people in quite typical and narrow ways whereas if you work out your track and add beats you are more likely to get something more individual.

 

OR just write at a much slower tempo and speed up later in whatever way you feel.

Thanks actually. That's how I used to work, but as soon as I started speeding up I lost track of the other stuff

it's always so tempting to start a track by doing the drums...especially if you have drum machines...they're just so immediate and fun to play with. i fucking love drum machines. but i usually get better results if i start with the pads, then do the bassline, then a sprinkling of drums to build structure and then back to the synths...do the main drum parts as the final elements and fit them round the synths.

Edited March 16, 2017 by BCM

I start tracks with drums all the time I think its a fine way to do things. Its important that the harmonic structure of the song be accenting and accentuating the back beat. Its important to tune your drums together and base the key around that.