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Will Vance is not only premiering the final release ‘Dry Spell’ off of his new EP Days Go By, but has shared a very in-depth article to help producers improve their game. Below, Will shared 5 production elements producers should focus on to improve their renderings. You can hear Will’s latest release and his list post below. Also, check out past Will Vance posts on Tune Collective here.
Written by Will Vance
Chords
Chords are the backbone of the style of music I create. They are the first thing I do, and they need to be completely dialed in before moving on to the next part of the production. But having the standard I-V-vi-IV progression over four bars can get monotonous after two or three songs, so this is where I turn to the Greats to see how they work their magic.
Having a three chord progression, but holding the third chord out for an extra bar can really give the musical phrase room to breathe. It creates a sense of anticipation that draws the listener into the next section of the loop. At the same time, if gives the musical arrangement some extra space to fill with more a more complex motif or melodic fill!
Another way to spice up your chord progressions is by bumping the chords forward or backward by an 1/8th note. It leaves the chords to be played in the pocket between the kick drums, and can often give a rolling sense to the chords which by themselves might feel quite static. My favorite label to turn to for this is any producer releasing music off of Einmusika Recordings.
Arrangement of the Breakdown
I tend to produce driving melodic music that can often air on the side of the trance genre. That usually means that a massive breakdown will be an essential component of the track. They tend to be upwards of a minute or longer, and being able to maintain a sense of progression, energy, and interest throughout these more ephemeral sections can be quite tricky. Taking tips from the masters, how they use effects or how the bring elements back in, can be an essential part of creating a truly epic breakdown.One thing I always check for is how long they let the tails of the synths, effects, and reverbs drain out before even introducing the initial melodies of the breakdowns. If you have a massive drop with tons of effects and synths building out of the drop, you can easily have those tail out for eight bars or more (this alone is going to take up close to fifteen seconds of your drop, filling it with blissful goodness).
One thing I always check for is how long they let the tails of the synths, effects, and reverbs drain out before even introducing the initial melodies of the breakdowns. If you have a massive drop with tons of effects and synths building out of the drop, you can easily have those tail out for eight bars or more (this alone is going to take up close to fifteen seconds of your drop, filling it with blissful goodness).
Another takeaway you can get from referencing the pros’ arrangement is to have a better understanding of how to introduce some of the more percussive elements to the mix. The standard snare rolls do not always do the trick alongside my subtle melodies and atmospheres. So finding interesting ways to bring the top loops back in or maybe just the backbeats to establish a rhythmic sense again can do wonders in bringing back the energy during the back half of the breakdown section. It goes without saying that any Anjunabeats production will be as perfect starting point for these styles of breakdowns.
Basslines
Once I have done my chords, the next thing I do is bass line. Club music needs this backbone to be perfect, so it is always good to reference how the top-level DJs create theirs. The first thing to check is to see where you want the main focus of the listener’s attention to be. If it is going to be massive chords or complex melodies, the bass line will be rather minimal and act more to just keep the low end rolling along without distracting away from those epic synth lines. Listen to almost any record off of Lee Burridge’s label All Day I Dream, and you will see pristine examples of this.
But if it is a more hard hitting house record, chances are the melodies are acting more as support to the drums and bass of the track. These are the tunes where you can truly go wild with sound design and notation. Rolling bass lines that span the length of two octaves or more while playing every note in the scale are totally doable given that you don’t also have some focal top line playing over the bass. It is all a balance of power between the music and the groove, and having references on hand will save you so much time by not having to blindly shoot in the dark.
An amazing trick I have picked up by listening to Yotto’s records is how he often has two basslines going. The first is a low-lying syncopated sub-bass that rolls along to keep the groove. The second is paired with an utterly massive Moog-sounding synth that absolutely smacks you in the face. The two paired together creates a phenomenal low end that lights any dance floor on fire. I have used this trick to great effect in a couple of my tunes, and it works wonders.
Extending Simple Ideas into Drawn out Songs
If you say you never struggle getting past the loop phase, you’re a liar. We slave away getting the perfect chords together to pair with this wicked bass line, and then dazzle the high end with dancing arpeggiators and heavy pads. . . but then what? We know the common trick of stealing the structures of our favorite songs, but you can do more than just that having your drop be at the same place as Martin Garrix’s, or having a minute long intro just like your favorite song.
Listen to your reference songs very very closing, and see exactly how they are using the instrumentation to create a sense of seamless progression. A trick that I like to do is after the intro is all fleshed out, bringing the full bass in with all the filters open, but only playing the first note of the entire sequence. This saves the full notation for when I want the peak section of the song to b, while still starting off the song with a bang (kind of similar to how all your favorite action movies start off with a car chase or gun fight to really lock in your attention). The song Alcine by the artist Clavis does this phenomenally and is one of the best club records I have heard in a while. A small blip-like arpeggiator beings opening up fairly early in the song, and the envelopes continue to build the sound all throughout the intro growing bigger and bigger effectively turning a simple sawtooth arp line into almost two minutes of attention for the listener before the bass line even considers being introduced.
You can see in the screenshot included how I have almost one sustained bass note playing all throughout, and then when the hook comes in the bass begins to play the entire phrase. By the time the listener even has the opportunity to hear the entire phrasing of the song, I’ve sucked them into almost two minutes of introductory ideas while I was building up that suspense.
To accompany this post, I have included a handful of some of my favorite tracks that I use as references to pick ideas from. Listen to this playlist while you’re reading this post, and refer to some of my favorite elements in each tune to see exactly how I actively listen to music to gain new ideas.
1) Just Her- Let Myself Go: Overall the drum kit in this track in beyond compare. It is punchy and cohesive, and I could listen to just the percussions forever. I could easily see myself taking elements from the shuffle hats and the chugging tom patterns to use in my own tunes.
2) Thomas Schwartz and Fausto Canizza – Rae: Two things stand out in this song. First is the tom patterns and how they pan between the speakers that crate and interesting sequence that stands out while mixing into this tune during a set. The second is the use of two bass lines. They have a more ambient sustained bass that sounds very very Anjunadeep-like, then they have a shorter midrange bass that plays a more aggressive sequence.
3) Clavis – Alcine: As discussed in the post, I love how this song takes simple ideas and develops them over a longer period of time. The art starts as a small blip and works into a full melody. Another thing to note is the contrast between sections, the arpeggiators and drums are more straight forward and easy listening, then the bass line comes in with an obscene amount of energy.
5) Yotto – Personal Space: Again as stated in the post, the use of a sub bass and mid range bass truly has a chance to shine. Also, pay attention to the pairing of the melodies against the bass line. The chords are straightforward enough to where they don’t distract at all from the two bass lines that are playing.
6) Jynx – Calm Mind: This old school vibe of the drums is my go to reference for that old school vibe and bouncing house pattern. I think they used old hip-hop samples for their drums to achieve that vinyl sampled sound. Plus the use of those vocal chops are insane, bravo guys.
7) Amtrac – Renton: I use a ton of vocal bits in my tunes, so I am always looking for good ways to use vocal hits and bits creatively. This is a perfect example of this, but done in a way I think is incredible.
8) Moby – Natural Blues (Kidnap Kid Remix): The use of the short “ooh” sample as a small hook is a great way to add a small blip that your dance floor can latch on to and draw them into the next bar of the beat. It doesn’t have to be a vocal sample, but any element that can fulfill this same purpose is a handy trick to have up your sleeve.
9) MOHN -The Night (Deep Mix) : Always an avid fan of humanized elements in songs, the fact that they used laughter samples as a melodic fill in between sections in quite clever. Try checking out FreeSounds.Org for a whole library of open-sourced sound bites to use in similar ways.
10) Eli & Fur – Hold Me Down: One of the biggest techno tunes of the year thus far, this is another good reference for drum programming. They have a midrange percussion pattern that plays a call and response throughout the entire tune. It is unique enough to stand out as it is being mixed into a DJ set, and the second you hear it coming up you know that Eli & Fur is being brought into the mix.
11) Lane 8 – Midnight: This is a perfect reference on how to get a lot out of a little. The piano chords and arpeggiator are the main components of this track, and Lane 8 gets so much mileage out of them. Also note how the bass line is very simple, just a sub bass rolling along so that no attention at all is detracted from those chords and arms.
12) Lane 8 – Diamonds: This song is a great way to see how to work small and intricate details into the song, especially in terms of melodies. Every few bars, Lane 8 wiggles in a small bubbling rift that connects different sections and washes over the transitions.
Production craft is everything when making electronic music. Shoutout to Will Vance for taking the time here. If this type of content is up your alley, check out Point Blank Music School and the professional, educational offerings they have on their website.
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