Ableton Forum

here's an idea...make some techno, remove half of the content(just keep the bare essentials to make the piece work) viola! minimal techno
i am lazy

There was an interview with the singer from REM (not minimal, I know, but bare with me here), he said making music is a circle. You start out not knowing anything and as you learn more and more your music heads downwards until you know enough techniques to do what you want to. This is your absolute lowest as an artist. From here, everything has become automatic. As you forget about the "how to" aspect, you rise back up, but now the music flows from you. And then you get back to the top.

So asking how to make this sound or that is important because it gives you skills you can build and expand on later. Although, I would rather try and figure it out myself.

For minimal, I think the focus is on the space between sounds. There is always lots of silence, it isn't crammed like a euro-trance track. Shorter sounds made from other sounds (in an audio editor or a decent sampler) are the best. Also, using synthetic percussion seems to be one of the mainstays of the genre. Tweaking a sound while its playing (like the decay on a filter for instance) is something that electro-house took from the minimal. Just keep it simple and glitchy. Oh, and have really low sub-bass that all the synthetic, glitchy sequences play over.

I prefer to make minimal-acid rather than straight minimal though. Listening to a whole set of minimal, it tends to run together, so blending minimal with acid or chiptune may be more interesting.

doc holiday wrote:get your idea, and then strip it down instead of trying to build it up.

+100

like Michelangelo's 'the angel is already in the stone I just have to free it'

This guy knocks it out pretty quickly using follow actions and clip envelopes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWkWgJktaJ8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcGB8BFrG04

misteron wrote:I'm lacking the exact name but I want to get into making this stuff.
Please give me tips on instruments, effects, techniques, and essential listening.
Or anything else you can think of.
Thanks very much.

Take any lessons, reason, thought, talent, music theory or logic in your mind and throw them out completely. Get bent on PCP, then turn your computer on. Pretend that you actually have a nack for music, hit the keyboard like an ape and make absolute nonsense on a step sequencer and then tag said nonsense with the words minimal techno on your myspace. Minimal is the techno buzz word for mindless drugged out garbage.

Essential listening? Pull all the plugs out of your TV so its nothing but snow. Have mindless 134 bpm 909 demo beats in the background. 1-2-3- Congratulations your minimal Mozart its easy.

Make a T-shirt that says I suck so bad you just don't get it. Black of course. Go to your local Starbuck's an order a 3 pump, no shot, non fat mocha and blast your mindless minimal house shit to the other customers outside with your legs crossed, Mac Power book up in arms and Horn-rimmed glasses kicking in front of your VW beetle and get a little hard on.


Thats where I'd start.



If you can master that you'll be a minimal God.

Olga wrote:Get bent on PCP, then turn your computer on. Pretend that you actually have a nack for music, hit the keyboard like an ape and make absolute nonsense on a step sequencer.

Now thats good advice!


.........now where's me beak?

Don't mind Olga. She's a jaded old cock smoking euro trash slut. You know the type. The only thing more obnoxiously foul than her opinion would be her gaping, stinking, garbage filled asshole.

I advise you to steer clear, the old bitch definitely has issues. A real prissy cunt, no doubt about that. Just check her post history, 'nuff said.

ingredients for minimal:

ping pong delay
reverb
woodblocks

Quick and easy crescendo effect= delay with a high feedback rate + compressor with a brick wall limiting setting on a send. Let it build up then mute the send when your ready to revert back to the music.

smutek wrote:Don't mind Olga. She's a jaded old cock smoking euro trash slut. You know the type. The only thing more obnoxiously foul than her opinion would be her gaping, stinking, garbage filled asshole.

I advise you to steer clear, the old bitch definitely has issues. A real prissy cunt, no doubt about that. Just check her post history, 'nuff said.

Awwwww, did I strike a nerve with you? So your asshole smells like roses yea? What's your secret? Splashing 2 iced lattes a day into you bum?

No, you didn't strike any sort of nerve with me, believe me when I tell you, or don't. Makes no difference to me really. I could give a fuck as to your opinions.

I wrote what I wrote because you're a dick, thats all.

there are other tips which are probably more usefull than knowing which synth to use etc... just drag your favorite song into ableton, warp it and create a new song as if you could mix the two... chances are it will fit into the style of the song you have chosen... use any synth you are familiar with, and use its envelopes to shape the sounds, which will have more impact in finding the right sound than picking one synth or the other... have fun doing this so people have fun listening to the song...

Olga wrote:

misteron wrote:I'm lacking the exact name but I want to get into making this stuff.
Please give me tips on instruments, effects, techniques, and essential listening.
Or anything else you can think of.
Thanks very much.

Take any lessons, reason, thought, talent, music theory or logic in your mind and throw them out completely. Get bent on PCP, then turn your computer on. Pretend that you actually have a nack for music, hit the keyboard like an ape and make absolute nonsense on a step sequencer and then tag said nonsense with the words minimal techno on your myspace. Minimal is the techno buzz word for mindless drugged out garbage.

Essential listening? Pull all the plugs out of your TV so its nothing but snow. Have mindless 134 bpm 909 demo beats in the background. 1-2-3- Congratulations your minimal Mozart its easy.

Make some minimal for us then, post it on link your music.

leisuremuffin wrote:

This looks great.
The MASTERING control is exactly what ive been looking for !!!

Is it for Mac ?

Can I download it ?


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