1. Begin with a pulse
Most producers fall into one in all two habits when beginning a monitor: drums first or melody first. A simpler technique to bridge these approaches is by beginning with a rhythmic pulse or sequence. As an alternative of going through an empty undertaking, seize a preset or patch with motion and let that regular pulse give your music route. It provides you one thing to put in writing round and units a pure groove proper from the beginning.
Patches with built-in sidechain or rhythmic modulation work nice, however textures and atmospheres can do the identical if they’ve their very own pure movement. When paired with structured rhythms like a four-on-the-floor kick or a decent R&B groove, these pulses create delicate syncopation that helps an concept evolve quicker and retains the monitor feeling alive.
In Dopamine, you possibly can immediately discover completely different pulses through the use of the color-coded decrease octaves to flip between timbres and rhythmic patterns till one thing clicks. It’s one of many quickest methods to show a clean session right into a groove-driven concept.
Let’s stroll via how to do that.
Empty undertaking syndrome
Nothing hits more durable than opening an empty undertaking and feeling that strain to begin. Even with a stable template prepared, the silence may be intimidating. Do you lay down drums first? A bassline? Possibly a vocal hook to spark one thing?
