Ableton Forum

Im looking for a guide on how to make a track, in particular what key each sound or synth should be in. Im willing to pay for this if the material is good but if there’s free stuff available that would be even better.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?


On the off chance anyone does produce Dutch Gabber this is the music style Im currently producing under.

Cheers

Generally they should be in "the same key as each other" although this isn't always strictly true.

The Ravenspiral Guide is a solid "working man's guide to music theory" that ought to be enough to get started. I'm not familiar with Dutch Gabber in particular so I don't know if there's any particular aspect of harmony that would be specifically useful there.

Warrior Bob wrote:I don't know if there's any particular aspect of harmony that would be specifically useful there.

I don't think any aspect of harmony is specifically useful in gabber:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksvvjCtJWeE

Gabber? For real? Awesome!

dump for that handy online document

lethal_pizzle wrote:I don't think any aspect of harmony is specifically useful in gabber:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksvvjCtJWeE

as for keeping things in key... do your homework! basically learn the notes in each key. as you find keys you like learn the notes for them. start with C, of course (all the white keys.) long ago I printed out a list of the notes for each key and I leave it around, very handy.

a simpler way if you're doing midi is to just use the same Scale Plug in on all your tracks then you don't even have to think about it. it's kinda cheating but it gets the job done.

not all the notes have to be in key, it's a good guide to keep things moving. don't trip if some note is out of key but sounds good.

This is a pretty useful quick reference, just select which scale you want and it shows you the notes in a piano roll-

http://www.pianoworld.com/fun/vpc/piano_chords.htm

Im not sure if I explained this right, Im wanting some kind of a guide on what key to use for each type of element within a track if there is such a thing. As an example:

Bass Notes = -C2 to A2
Kick Drum = G2 to E3
Pads = E2 to E5

Although Im into Gabber a load of the elements in there are similar to a trace track

I have a feeling I may be searching for something that doesnt exist.

I have a feeling I may be searching for something that doesnt exist.

Well sort of... the guide that Warrior Bob posted is close to what you are asking for.

Music is closely related to Mathematics so certain patterns and formulas can, and do apply. However music is also an art, especially good music. So there is no simple and quick way of making notes fit together without the trade off of sounding somewhat boring and robotic.

I would take some time and read more on Music Theory. Learn one scale (start with C Major it is all the white keys) and four chords or so that go with that scale. Try and write a song with just those things. Then learn a new scale and chords that go with that one. Rinse. Repeat.

Deland01 wrote:what key to use for each type of element
Bass Notes = -C2 to A2
Kick Drum = G2 to E3
Pads = E2 to E5

Those are not keys, those are notes!

I suggest you go and learn a little about music first - find out about notes, chords and keys.

When I learned, I had to buy books. Now you can find all that stuff online.

Deland01 wrote:Im not sure if I explained this right, Im wanting some kind of a guide on what key to use for each type of element within a track if there is such a thing. As an example:

Bass Notes = -C2 to A2
Kick Drum = G2 to E3
Pads = E2 to E5

Although Im into Gabber a load of the elements in there are similar to a trace track

I have a feeling I may be searching for something that doesnt exist.

As 102455 pointed out, these are notes. Whether or not the range of notes will work for these particular instruments all depends on the source. For example, you might choose a bass patch that works in this range, but the next patch might be tuned up an octave and not work at all. As far as searching for something that doesn't exist...that's the magic of making music! You are the creator. The number one rule is to trust your ear. If it sounds bad, it is bad. If it sounds good, well, that's all subjective

Best of luck on your journey!

Do people actually compose in key??

I cant imagine someone saying lets just compose in C major..
or do they? for example.. I am going to compose the intro of the song in C major then for the rest of the song I am going to modulate to B minor and stay there???

but after analyzing tons of song from petrucci to royksopp most are interesting to the ear because its no diatonic progression.

Anyone have heard For the love of god by steve vai? each chord change is a key change and I dont think he arrived to that progression from saying lets do this chord from this key and then modulate. Probably he just played those two chords and he liked them. Theory didnt compose for him..
Or even songs that are in a single key for that matter I doubt they came to that because they choose a scale to compose rather to just jam and find a chord progression they liked.

I can imagine people just playing a chord progression they just found in the keyboard and thought.. this sound good. Then later analyze maybe what key was that, if they modulate or anything.. Rather than lets compose in F major

Deland01 wrote:Im not sure if I explained this right, Im wanting some kind of a guide on what key to use for each type of element within a track if there is such a thing. As an example:

Bass Notes = -C2 to A2
Kick Drum = G2 to E3
Pads = E2 to E5

Although Im into Gabber a load of the elements in there are similar to a trace track

I have a feeling I may be searching for something that doesnt exist.

Oh, well why didn't you say so! What you're looking for is not a "key" (which refers to a note that the sound feels like it "returns to") but rather a range of frequencies. This is sometimes called a "register". You want to know what register your different elements generally fit into.

Here is a very nice frequency chart showing the frequencies different instruments tend to show up in. It's a general chart, but I'm sure a bit of experimenting would get you your gabber sound. You won't see things like "pads" or "synth stabs" on there but synth noises are categorically similar to the instruments that are depicted. Compare cello and violin for your pads, for example. When in doubt, try things - guides like this are only helpful as reference.

Keep in mind that that these are the range of frequencies important to the instrument - so generally you're going to want the fundamental note (this is the note you'll be feeding them in a MIDI tool like Live) closer to the bass side of that range. Sounds tend to have lots of higher overtones, but under-tones are less prominent (although they do exist).

Hope this helps!

LOL gabber...

I'm sorry, but that just made me laugh.

music theory is just a way of describing existing music.

the 'rules' in music theory come from this question:
hey, that sounds great! why is it so?

so mostly the so called 'rules' are more a knowledge about relationships between notes.

fullfilling 'rules' is often a necessary part of the learning process, like in grammar lessons:
"today we learn to build sentences with 'because' " might be the task of the day and if you make a sentence without 'because' you are wrong. but this doesn't prohibit your expression! it actually expands your possibilities. not inside the lesson but for lifetime!

a lot of people remebering some theroy lessons believe music theory is something about rules to avoid 'wrong' notes in a system of 'correct' music. this is bullshit for sure.

if you want to invest some money for lifetime get some piano- and composing lessons from a good teacher!