Vocals or instruments first?

[tturchi]

I can't decide which to begin with. I've got vocals but doesn't fit with any of my tracks(even with manipulation). Just wondering y'all's preference.

Btw it's for dubstep.

[rap masta rj]

Well theres no rules really but I personally always start with instrumentals first. Especially for electronic music the instrumentals are the real core of it, not the vocals.

[tturchi]

Thanks, now I just need to find a b*@$h that can sing ha.

[turnitto11]

With the stuff I've done, I have never started with vocals. For electronic stuff I would definitely start with instruments. Having the instruments to sing to and the mood/tone of the song already laid out helps shape the vocal line you want to add to something that fits the song.

[distaudio]

Btw it's for dubstep.

Found your problem.

Write the music around the lyrics. I believe that is what System of a down did on Toxicity.

[c33]

If I'm writing while recording, the music tends to come first and inspire the lyrics I write and the vocals that follow. If I've already written a song that I know is going to be heavily vocal-based, sometimes it makes more sense to just have something very basic in place, musically, and primarily focus on vocals. Also, as I'm sure you know, especially with technology like Live, vocals can make great instruments too. But yeah, generally speaking, before lead vocals there's usually at least some kind of beat or melodic foundation there first.

If you aren't the one singing and haven't found any singers to collaborate with yet, I'd suggest maybe writing some tracks with vocals in mind and going from there.

[sazb30]

Thanks, now I just need to find a b*@$h that can sing ha.

Nice. Sexism is alive and well on the Ableton forum

[evangelink]

Thanks, now I just need to find a b*@$h that can sing ha.

Good luck with that attitude pal.

[oddstep]

yep. attitude slackness. also - if you're needing to find a 'bitch' that can sing, then maybe you haven't got any vocals to start a dubstep track off with anyway.
In general, good performances deserve to be put into recorded arrangements that make the most of their potential. If you've got a good vocal recording - make the most of it by writing a track around it.. similarly you might have a good 16 bar loop of subs, mids and snare hits that sounds great for a while and then needs humanising with a vocal line.
start with what you've got and carry on until it feels right. no, you'll never know for sure what is right, music is bigger than all that rule based stuff.

[SpeedKing]

I think writing the instrumental part first is easier, but it's not the only way. Coming up with the musical passages to go behind the already-created lyrics is done all the time, and has been for ages. Actually, both ways have been done for ages.

Now, to try and combine a completely independently created stand-alone instrumentation with a completely independently created stand-alone vocal part....I think to match things like that, you'll have to rely purely on luck. The creation of those