BTS.music: New drum n bass test

PODcast:

New drum n bass test

Basically just an experiment to see if I could actually compose some drum n bass. The tones are a bit soft and reserved rather than hard hitting, but still some fast-changing beats. It might get a bit boring if you're not really into this stuff lol but as I say, it was just a test and it's my first DnB piece so

Oh yeah, listen to it through some stereo speakers for full effect. And I guess the forefront is meant to be the drums, they're what's trying to get the point across. (Not that there is really a point... but they would be if there was one!)






length: 02:11
file: btsmpod_2366.mp3
size: 2066k
feed: btsm
status: live (at time of posting)

[edit on 28/6/2007 by malganis]

Sounds pretty cool.

What software are you using?

It's got a cool late 80s NES feel too it.

[edit on 28-6-2007 by The Big O]

The tunes and beats were originally composed in Guitar Pro 4 (it's just a MIDI transcribing program) then exported as MIDI. Then I imported them as tracks into Logic 5 and set them all virtual instruments and settings till they sounded how I wanted them to. Then I bounced them from Logic as wavs and imported them into Acid Pro for looping and stuff.

lol I never really thought of it in a NES way. NES does rule though. So does Game Boy.

Thought you might be using Logic Pro at some point in there. I haven't messed with Acid much, you like it?

I've been thinking of getting a copy of Fruity Loops to play with. I've been using Garage Band to do most of my composing but it's limitations are really starting to bother me.

tbh this is the first time i've used Sony Acid, this piece was just a test to get to know my way around the program. It seems ok though, if you can get the hang of it and i'm sure you could do a lot with it.

I've never used Fruity Loops or GarageBand, what are they like?

I usually just stick to Logic, even for electronic stuff.

Logic Pro and Garage Band are related.

Garage Band is an offshoot of Logic, that Apple includes with each computer they sell. I don't know about version 5, but newer versions can use the same loops and stuff between the software.

Actually, Trent Reznor uses logic and released three of the tracks from the new NIN album on his site with all of the tracks. Fans could download the song file, open it in Garage Band or Logic Pro, and remix to their hearts content.

Fruity Loops is a great bit of software and is pretty easy to pick up on.

Alot of Drum n Bass producers use this program to make thier tunes

Reason is also widely used but I found this quite difficult to learn

cool stuff malganis, You could use Guitar Pro and import the midi into Fruity Loops. Guitar Pro 5 is much better than the previous versions, but if your just using it for midi, then no need for 5. Then you could export the wavs you make from Fruity Loops into Acid if you wanted, that is if you only have the demo version of Fruity Loops. You should try Fruity Loops, very cool program to write full productions on.





[edit on 29-6-2007 by XPhiles]

Yeah i've never tried Guitar Pro 5 actually, my mate has it so I might uhh borrow it

And Fruity Loops and Garage Band sound pretty cool, i'll probably give them a go some time in the future if I get the chance.

With my drums, I basically wrote them strike by strike on guitar pro as MIDI then put them through a virtual drum kit on Logic. How does everyone else make their drums? This is the only real way I could think of making original beats at the time, i'm sure there must be some other ways. Like how do people such as Squarepusher do it?

Cheers

the way I make drum beats is from actual drum loops. Like different snare or bass drum wav hits and such and put them into Fruity Loops or Acid. But Fruity Loops is much easier as it comes with drum kit wavs and almost everything else.

I might add I use both programs when I use my guitar. Both work good together depending what you do.

[edit on 29-6-2007 by XPhiles]

What so you sample hits from recorded beats? Then what does it have like a beat-maker or organiser or something??

lol i've never really dived into this kind of thing, i'm not even usually into DnB stuff, I thought i'd just experiment and get to know the ropes a bit.

yes, it has an area you put in the sample beats, you can use midi as well or use midi to control the wav samples and there are lots of other sound formats.... pretty easy to use, user friendly.

I use FL Studio 5

[edit on 29-6-2007 by XPhiles]

But do you still have to compose a beat in MIDI first?

lol not that it's a bad thing, I do like having control over every beat. It just takes a long time, I was just wondering if there was any other ways of doing it, like some kind of auto-randomiser or something?

Thats pretty cool, almost into IDM.

I use the latest FL Studio, (owned it since 3.45). It is very easy to drop ideas into, but I don't like working major specifics through it, I use Cubase for more advanced stuff, it is a lot easier than trying to do the same thing in FL. I write mainly progressive house/trance stuff. FL is horrible with MIDI, I have a couple synths and FL's clock sucks right now.

Just my 2 cents! Maybe when I am happy with something I'll post it up on here, but right now, I am still my own worse critic!

Personally I think Cubase is the bees knees and I have tried every virtual studio under the sun, but it has a step learning curve if you haven't ever used it. If you want to make good drum n bass use a sampler like battery for the drums and find yourself a nice drum loop and compress them together with additional percussion. You can pretty much make an interesting bass sound with any synth, something with a pitch envelope is usually good for DnB. Check out atmosphere to add ambience to your mix, its awesome. And if you want to get it sounding modern, try sidechaining everything to the kick.

You don't have to compose a beat in midi, FL has these little step bars like 16 bpm or whatever you prefer, you could single select them or automatically add 2, 4, or 8 steps into a measure. 2 would be eight notes, 4 would be quarter notes. 8 would be half notes.....

I'm really lazy when it comes to making drum loops lol... It's best for me to use drum samples that have a basic beat and edit those to my liking. The reason I use FL is because all I need is bass and drums for guitar recording into Acid. I'm sure there are better ways and better programs, but that is my method with both those programs.


Quasar
I never used Cubase, though I never had any probs with midi in FL. How is it easier in Cubase, just curious. I may have to try it... though I don't like programs that have a 2 week learning curve lol...


[edit on 29-6-2007 by XPhiles]

2 weeks? I've been playing with Cubase for a couple years and still head for the 670 page manual constantly. Once you get the concept down, through a LOT of frustration, it's really fun to work with.

With FL, it seems that to get things done, like sidechaining compressors, for instance, is just using workarounds. In FL its easy to use the peak controller as the compressor threshold adjuster, but to me it still doesn't have the right compressor sound.

Plus, if your not keeping good notes with FL, its so easy to throw the automation off. And linking midi dials to the dials in FL are easy, but accidentally assign a knob that already has that knob assigned elsewhere is hell to try to figure out what happened when the sound gets out of whack.

FL has taken some notes from Cubase and Pro Tools by implementing the visual graphlike automation lines. I am not badmouthing FL in any way, I use it extensively, I just have found certain limitations to it once you get fairly advanced with it.

hey there, this is my first post. never thought id actuly meet another drum and bass fan on here! your turn sounds good, more of a dub step feel to it. have a listen to some of artificial intelligence's tunes, i think you might like sound of them. peace

det

cubase actually has the best mixer summing out of all the virtual studios which makes a big difference in quality in your final mixes.

Check this out, I had an accapella of Will Smith MIB so I recreated my own version of the original backing track using just pure VSTI and cubase. I side chained the kick to everything else except the vocal, took just a couple of hours. Quality.

YouTube Link

I love cubase


[edit on 29-6-2007 by VicRH]