B RECORDS

8. Make a short arrangement

Make a simple arrangement by creating a sixteen-bar loop of the elements in your track. The first section will be the intro. For the first eight bars, mute the snare, clap, closed hi-hat and the main hook. Only the kick, top loop, and bass should play.

For bars 9 – 17, try adding the snare, clap, and closed hi-hat. Let’s refer to the next eight bars (17–25) as the construction section. During this section, bring in all the parts. Bars 25–33 will be the breakdown, so cut this part down to the kick, top loop, and the main hook. Bars 33–49 will be the drop, and you’ll want to have all of your tracks playing in this section.

Label the sections of your track by creating a new MIDI track with blank MIDI files that are eight or sixteen bars in length and name each section accordingly.

13. Add synths, include FX, and arrange your track

Continue developing the track by adding other synths and FX. You may want to layer some of the sounds to thicken their sound. Arrange your track using some of the ideas in this guide. If your vocal follows a typical pop structure, you’ll want to create your song structure around the verses, choruses, and breaks.

You will also need additional percussion, like snare rolls, and effects, like risers, to create effective transitions. If you’d like to learn more about producing electronic music, check out our guide. To learn more about arranging music, check this guide.

Get Choir: Omnia Essentials

How to program evocative MIDI choir using Omnia Essentials

Omnia Essentials gives you everything you need to program a MIDI choir that sounds authentic and lifelike. Over a dozen different syllables can be sung in four different articulations. A streamlined interface and hundreds of evocative presets help you get inspired fast, while the powerful Syllabuilder engine lets you craft unique phrases and chants.

Offering a simpler interface than the original Choir: Omnia, Essentials balances rich sound with ease of use. This makes it versatile and fun to work within a range of contexts. Maybe you need to spin up a film cue on a tight deadline or sprinkle some impactful choir effects into your electronic track without losing momentum. Omnia Essentials excels when the ideas are flowing – without compromising on quality.

Below, we’ll show you how we used this powerful instrument to create an atmospheric, tension-building choir track. We’ll spotlight the instrument’s key features and throw in some general pointers on how to program MIDI choir effectively. When we’re done, you’ll be fully equipped to create your own MIDI choir magic.

1. Create a bass chant

We started our choir track with a strong foundation. By creating a steady, rhythmic chant using the bass section, we set the pace and tone for the whole composition. We used the Omnia Basses Essentials instrument for this.

What is dark techno music?

Dark techno is a subgenre of electronic dance music, typically involving heavy four-to-the-floor kick drums, highly rhythmic percussion, and chugging one-note bass lines.

What do people mean when they say dark techno?

Moody, sinister vibes have been an important part of techno since its inception, so there are many techno tracks that are dark. However, when people use the term “dark techno” it’s likely they are talking about the contemporary subgenre that includes such artists as Adam Beyer, Charlotte de Witte, and Amelie Lens.

Get Komplete Start

What are chord inversions?

If you want to understand chord inversions, you—of course—need to know what a chord is. If you’re not quite there yet don’t worry, just check out this guide on music theory.

Even if you know about chord construction, it makes sense to refresh your knowledge.

Chords are made up of alternating notes in scales—like a major or minor scale. Let’s take a look at how the notes of a scale help in creating chords.

The C major scale consists of these notes:

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, (C).

To form chords, we take certain notes from this scale and play them at the same time. The simplest kinds of chords (called “triads”) are made up of three notes. To create a C major triad, start with the first note of the scale (C), skip the next (D), include the following note (E), skip the next, and include the final one (G). That leaves us with C-E-G which is a C major triad.

But what happens if we play those notes (C-E-G) in a different order? Is it still a C major triad?

Chord inversions are variations of chords where we rearrange the order of the notes played within the chord, resulting in a different note other than the root in the bass position.

Here is a C major triad in root position (not inverted):

2. Ducked reverb

A reverb throw is a mixing technique where reverb is applied to specific words, phrases, or sounds in a vocal or instrumental track. Usually, this is used to create a dramatic effect or emphasize certain parts of the recording. Instead of applying reverb to the entire track, you “throw” it selectively to an aux track. Reverb throws often sound tight and controlled, but getting the effect right can be time-consuming. Additionally, a throw may sound too perfect or precise in certain situations.

Consider ducking your reverb if you’re looking for a quick and natural-sounding solution. You can set this up by inserting a plugin like the Bettermaker BM60 onto an aux track, followed by a compressor.

If you’re processing vocals, you’ll send the signal from the vocal track to your reverb aux. Then, route the vocal track into the compressor’s sidechain input to duck the reverb whenever the dry vocals are playing. This technique helps fill space between phrases without sounding as cookie-cutter as a throw.

The easiest way to create this effect is to use the Duck feature built into bx_aura, which acts like a reverse gate. It lets you completely cut audio levels (unlike a compressor) and control how audio is attenuated using Attack, Hold, and Release parameters. These features help sculpt the onset of reverb and avoid stuttering effects.

2. Ducked reverb

A reverb throw is a mixing technique where reverb is applied to specific words, phrases, or sounds in a vocal or instrumental track. Usually, this is used to create a dramatic effect or emphasize certain parts of the recording. Instead of applying reverb to the entire track, you “throw” it selectively to an aux track. Reverb throws often sound tight and controlled, but getting the effect right can be time-consuming. Additionally, a throw may sound too perfect or precise in certain situations.

Consider ducking your reverb if you’re looking for a quick and natural-sounding solution. You can set this up by inserting a plugin like the Bettermaker BM60 onto an aux track, followed by a compressor.

If you’re processing vocals, you’ll send the signal from the vocal track to your reverb aux. Then, route the vocal track into the compressor’s sidechain input to duck the reverb whenever the dry vocals are playing. This technique helps fill space between phrases without sounding as cookie-cutter as a throw.

The easiest way to create this effect is to use the Duck feature built into bx_aura, which acts like a reverse gate. It lets you completely cut audio levels (unlike a compressor) and control how audio is attenuated using Attack, Hold, and Release parameters. These features help sculpt the onset of reverb and avoid stuttering effects.

What is the best use of the 808?

The 808 has been used in inspiring ways by many of the greatest producers of the last 40 years. But when this unusual drum machine was first released, it wasn’t obvious how to get the best out of it. Roland thought the 808 would be used for making demo tracks – to be replaced later by a real drummer. The idea didn’t catch on, and the highly synthetic-sounding 808 sold poorly compared to other drum machines – like the LinnDrum – that offered samples of acoustic drums.

But this weakness became a strength as adventurous producers began to use the 808’s electronic sound to unlock new creative pathways, from hip-hop to house. Rap producers value the 808 for its booming kickdrums (these kicks are often what’s meant when people refer to “808s”). Electro producers, meanwhile, use the 808 to create snappy, syncopated beats, and pop artists have relied on 808 beats to give heartfelt songs an electronic edge. Each use shows a different side of this versatile, iconic instrument.

What songs use the Roland 808?

Some of the best-loved songs of the past 40 years feature the TR-808, from rap classics like Africa Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock” to pop ballads like Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing,” taking in house and techno, speaker-busting trap, and more. The 808 is so widely used that we often don’t even notice it. This 808 Day, we’ll explore ten must-know songs that use the Roland 808, explaining how the drum machine is used, and shedding light on some production tricks to help you get the best 808s.

What song has the best 808?

There are many “best” 808 beats, depending on the kinds of music you’re into. If you’re looking for the heaviest trap 808s, you might find them in a Future track like “I Serve The Base.” For classic hip-hop, it could be T-La Rock’s “It’s Yours.” The best club track featuring 808 beats might be A Guy Called Gerald’s “Voodoo Ray,” or maybe Plastikman’s “Spastik.” We’ll look at all of these tracks (and more) in detail below, dissecting their use of the 808 and trying to explain the key to their success.

10 must-know beats featuring huge 808s

1. T-La Rock and DJ Jazzy Jay – It’s Yours

As the industry’s leading instrument-building tool, Kontakt is your gateway to the widest collection of sampled instruments available anywhere.

But more than a sampler, this shapeshifting platform has powered two decades of blockbuster film scores and chart-topping hits, plus thousands of incredible instruments. And with hundreds of officially licensed instruments available from NI and other leading manufacturers – alongside thousands more from boutique developers, sound designers, and composers – you’ll never run short of inspiration.

Whether you’re just starting out with Kontakt, or looking to add some additional flavor to a well-seasoned library of your own, here are 100 free must-have instruments for your sound sculpting collection.

Download Free Kontakt 7 Player

Jump to these sections:

World-class industrial design with premium materials

All three models are built from the same premium materials with a large glass screen, touch-sensitive anodised aluminum encoders and modwheels, and redesigned tactile buttons.

Powerful synths, studio-grade effects, and more at your fingertips

Kontrol comes with Komplete 14 Select and Komplete Kontrol software, including powerful synths, drums, percussion, studio-grade effects, and a load of customizable sounds. Komplete Kontrol unites and organizes all your instruments, effects, loops, and samples, mapping everything to the keyboard controller.

Utilize the new polyphonic aftertouch presets in Hypha, a Kontakt instrument with an array of sounds inspired by nature.

Plus, get iZotope Elements Suite, Ableton Live Lite, Guitar Rig 7 LE, and more.