John Dory Music Intro

Production tips for electronic pop

 

The problem that many producers of electronic music encounter is that their musical creations are too electronic. It is so far away from the core of music that it has become a computerised programming experience rather than a good song.

 

Don’t get me wrong, this is great if this is your intention. Like with dubstep, techno, drum ‘n bass and hardstyle. But the main difference between a mainstream electronic pop song and a dedicated dance track is the human factor.

1. Write a stunning melody first

1. Write a stunning melody first

 

 

That is easily set but many mainstream producers work with a piano or a guitar at the core of song writing. A traditional musical instrument is there with a creative solution to capture feelings and emotions that connect with the large audience.

 

If you did not master the skill of playing an instrument, try to work with a plugin that is closely connected with these kind of instrument. Try to create a basic melody first with powerful chords that form the core of your track. Also note that a traditional instrument can either be recorded or converted to MIDI and a connected synth plugin.

2. Make it personal with vocals

2. Make it personal with vocals

 

 

Vocals are the bridge between the feeling that a melody or a song triggers within the audience. With vocals we translate these feelings and emotions into a more easily digestible and understandable form of communication that we call words and talking.

 

If we talk in melody it is singing. As every listener is a human as well, everybody has a close connection to specific words and story telling. That is why we suggest to make it personal with vocals.

3. Write a song first then produce a track

3. Write a song first and then produce a track

 

 

We consider writing songs as a different process than producing tracks. From our perspective songwriting is part of the early stages of creating a song and producer a track is at the ending stages of creating a song. We recommend to write a song first.

 

Think of a melody and lyrics first. Convert that to a composition and then start to work on the arrangement of the song. This will keep you focused and not lose your mind in the massive offer of technical opportunities in today’s DAWs.

4. Make it groove. Keep it simple.

4. Make a groove. Keep it Simple

 

 

Another difference between a mainstream success and electronic music is that most of the times producers have the intention to overload the listener with complexity and endless layers of sound. This might be interesting looking at the creative goal, but in general a proper pop song is simple and effective.

 

Consider a basic groove with your rhythm parts and not an overload of effects on bass drums. When listening to music we think many times that people mask their musical limitations by overloading us with techniques. Try to keep it simple and only add if it contributes to the song.

5. Find Balance with the right sound

5.Find balance with the right sound

 

 

When you work from a basic musical composition with traditional music instruments you do not have to use this. We for instance work with Audient Sono as it delivers stunning recordings of both guitar and vocals. We can simply convert a guitar amp sound into a DAW track. Even when we are in large studio’s it seems to be hard to get that exact sound that you hear into your DAW

 

This is done amazingly by Audient. As a producer you can compare yourself with a chef. A chef can make a brilliant dinner with the same ingredients we can not even please our spouse with. Make sure you got the right ingredients and find the balance in how to let every part speaks for itself.

 

Like peppers have an important role in spicing up the food. The use of it is delicate. Think about that. How can you cook the best dinner with the available ingredients. In the end a good song is simple and it is not really about technique. It is about experience and knowing how to create a balanced diet.