[Numbskulls]

Originally Posted by EricXL

I think what I do the most is that I take about 8 bars and create the intense part of my tack. Extend that to 16 bars and add to it. I tusually ends up to be about 32 bars and then I go to the intro and sculpt that. then I do all the points in between.

I do the same thing. I find it easier to work around and adjust to the "chorus" of the track. Ive noticed if I do it opposite, my chorus/hook is never what I want it to be unless I make it first.

[TFfL]

I always begin with some melody, creating it by messing around with keyboard or by playing in something that's already in my mind. After that I create some really simple drums (usually just kick and snare) to support it in order to get some idea how the melody works on different tempos and time signatures. Then I either create another melody part for the same track (to follow the first one or to be placed in front of it) or start adding bass things or harmonies on different instruments to the melody I just created. After that the progression get rather random.

[carlgrace]

For me it completely depends. Always there is some catalyst, something that catches my attention.

Sometimes I have written entire lyrics and then wrote music to fit them.
Other times I write what I think it pretty good music but have a hard time finding the words.

I usually start with a melody line, but sometimes an interesting chord change can get me from "goof around with the keyboard" mode into "start writing a song" mode.

Once I wrote a song around what I thought was a very evocative drum loop. Ironically the drum loop didn't make it to the final mix, but it served it's inspirational purpose.

The song in my signature was a bit unusual for me in that it was the bassline I wrote first. Every song is different.

[stem collector]

start with the chords then bring in the rest

[Dan-R]

I'm usually quite boring. I start off by messing around getting a nice punchy kick for far too long and then add a couple more drums so that I have a backbone to work the melody on. As for the melody I just get a chord progression and then work melodies around that

[Harl]

I first start with a synth or whatever vst I have, looking for a sound, playing with sounds. That will give me the inspiration for a melody and then i'll make the drum part. I always finish with the FX

[sane]

i wonder if it varies with the type of music being made.. i tend to get a solid drum pattern down first cos i like techno but i guess in other genres where the primary focus is the melody then it would make more sense to start with that?

[Anepic]

I like to start with a melody. I prefer slower emotional starts that lead into uplifting climaxes.

[Djreject]

Drums then bass,


then layers the sounds and tweak them to create melody with it, i find it more inspiring to work in constraints, it saves me from deleting everything and starting from scratch.

But you know most of what's being produced is mainly monodic music, so you'd better spend more time getting the perfect sound rather than the perfect melody.

[Eurobeat]

Kick
Snare/clap
Bass

You can almost put anything over the top of a good foundation and it will sound ok!

[ErikGlez]

i always start with the drums: kick , snare , hats , ( maybe a ride or clap too ) . then i EQ and add some effects to them , from there on i do : bassline , main melody , background noise.

[BALLZ!]

Usually I have an idea for a riff or chord progression, and then build from there, but sometimes I could just be playing around with making drumloops or synth patches, and I get inspired to build something out of it.

[Slipstreamer]

Originally Posted by sane

i wonder if it varies with the type of music being made.. i tend to get a solid drum pattern down first cos i like techno but i guess in other genres where the primary focus is the melody then it would make more sense to start with that?

I've also often wondered this. I know a lot of the guys I know making dubstep will start by making basses and then build their percussion around that, but I'm also trying to make techno, so I take the opposite approach...

[subject]

I guess it's different every time, but I tend to start with a melody or chord progression, or just a sound that I really like

[Numerical]

dont have a formula because it's formulaic.

[three-knots]

I tend to go with whatever grabs me first. I've just bought a launchpad so I could be messing around on a drum rack and start with a beat I like or just have created an awesome sound and come up with a melody from it, but a lot of the time I sit at my computer blankly with very little creativity or want to do it. I tend to go with a track in massive bursts of energy and wont stop til i've finished it, then once it's done wont look at my computer for about a week or two! Wish I could be consistently productive!

[Exit_inrovert]

It depends from track to track. But in general I like to think of the vibe of the track is it going to be ambient and lush or harsh and fast. So I dwell on that for a while and then think of what it might sound like in my head and go from there.

[jimmyr1988]

I always start on the piano, try and get some sort of melody going. The thing I find when I'm writing electronic music, rather than the more classical stuff I do, is when I have one idea I put it straight into Logic and get fixated with messing around with it in there, looping, adding some drums, etc. Maybe the overall piece suffers from that sometimes and I'd be better off getting clearer, structured melodies, then add the drums and synths. I don't think there's a set way to do these things though!

[Dippshoe]

I usually start out with the kick and the snare, then the bassline (reese these days), then sidechain that mothafocka to get the track moving. Then I start filling out empty spaces with precs. synths and samples untill I got a pretty cool groove.
When i got all this sorted I go on to the leads, build ups, break downs and arragement.

[CaShank]

Making synths is the funnest part for me, so i always start there, finding a melody along the way. Then I add in samples over the melody that eventually make up a beat.
Although, I find it's easiest to start making a track once i've already got something in my head to begin with.