Music Production Tips: Creating Strong Transitions In Your Music

Summary

In this Velveteen audio tutorial, Brad demonstrates techniques for enhancing transitions in music production. He starts with a basic beat and then layers instruments, filters, and effects to create a dynamic shift between the verse and chorus. The video covers muting drum elements, adding groove elements, adjusting bass sounds, using filters for dramatic effect, and incorporating swells, impacts, and fills to emphasize the transition. The result is a more impactful and engaging musical piece.

Takeaways

• 🎶 Brad from Velveteen audio shares techniques for building impactful transitions in music production.
• 🔊 He starts with a basic beat using samples, a chord loop, and a root note synth bass to demonstrate transition improvements.
• 👂 The transition is initially simple, just getting 'a little bigger', which Brad aims to enhance for more impact.
• 🎵 One method is layering instruments, adding or removing them at transition points for emphasis.
• 🥁 Brad suggests muting certain kick and snare drums in the verse to make the chorus feel more impactful.
• 🌀 He introduces groove-based elements like shakers and tambourines to bring bigger sections 'further up'.
• 🎹 Brad explains how to use bass lines to create transitions, thinning them out in the verse and adding sub bass in the chorus.
• 🔍 Filtering is used to create transitions, with the example of a filtered chord loop opening up in the chorus.
• 📉 He demonstrates automating a filter to create a 'drop' section, where the music rests before hitting hard for the chorus.
• 🎉 Swells and impacts are used to emphasize the downbeat and add drama to the transition.
• 🔧 Fills, such as vocal swells, noise tracks, and glitchy sounds, are added to enhance the transition and create a story within the music.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video presented by Brad from Velveteen Audio?

The main topic of the video is about the different techniques and methods to build impactful transitions in music production.

What does Brad consider as the smaller and bigger sections of the music track he is working on?

Brad considers the smaller section as the 'verse' and the bigger section as the 'chorus' for the purpose of the video.

How does Brad suggest improving the transition between the verse and chorus in the beginning of the video?

Brad suggests improving the transition by adding or removing layers of instruments at transition points for impact.

What is one basic way Brad demonstrates to create a transition in the drum production?

One basic way Brad demonstrates is by pulling out one of the kick drums and one of the snare drums in the verse to make the chorus feel like it has a jump forward.

What role do groove-based elements like shakers, tambourines, and hi-hats play in transitions according to Brad?

Groove-based elements are used to bring bigger parts further up and add movement to the transitions, making them more impactful.

How does Brad approach the bass in the transition between sections?

Brad suggests duplicating the existing bass and adjusting its thickness, possibly adding a sub bass in the chorus for a fuller sound.

What is the purpose of using a filter in the transition of a music track as shown by Brad?

The purpose of using a filter is to create a sense of change or development in the music, making the transition more noticeable and dynamic.

How does Brad utilize the concept of a 'drop' in the context of transitions?

Brad uses the concept of a 'drop' to refer to a part of the track where elements like the kick and snare are removed right before the chorus to emphasize the transition.

What are some examples of fills that Brad mentions to enhance transitions?

Examples of fills Brad mentions include vocal swells, noise tracks, and glitchy or rhythmic elements that can be time-aligned to fit the track.

How does Brad deal with the issue of pitch when using a vocal fill from a different key?

Brad uses a pitch-shifting tool like Altiverb to adjust the vocal fill to match the key of the track, ensuring it fits harmoniously.

What is the final outcome Brad aims to achieve with the various techniques discussed in the video?

The final outcome Brad aims for is a more powerful and impactful transition between sections of the track, making the music more engaging and dynamic.

Outlines

00:00

🎶 Building Impactful Transitions in Music Production

In this paragraph, Brad from Velveteen Audio introduces the topic of creating impactful transitions in music production. He demonstrates a basic beat and identifies the need to enhance the transition between the verse and chorus sections. Brad outlines the importance of using additional instruments or layers during transition points to create a sense of progression and impact in electronic music production.

05:04

🥁 Enhancing Drum Production for Transitions

Brad discusses techniques to improve drum transitions by selectively muting or adding kick and snare drums at key points. He illustrates how removing certain drum elements from the verse can make the chorus feel more powerful and impactful. The concept of adding groove-based elements like shakers and tambourines is also introduced to further enhance the transition and create a sense of movement in the music.

10:05

🎛 Utilizing Bass and Filtering for Dynamic Transitions

This section delves into the use of bass and filtering to create dynamic transitions. Brad explains how adjusting the bass sound by thinning it out in the verse and introducing a sub bass in the chorus can add depth and contrast. He also demonstrates the use of filters on a chord loop, showing how automation can be used to create a more dramatic transition into the chorus, effectively telling a story through the arrangement.

15:07

🌀 Incorporating Fills, Swells, and Impacts for Transition Emphasis

Brad explores the use of fills, swells, and impacts to emphasize transitions. He introduces the concept of using vocal swells and noise tracks to create a sense of climax leading into the chorus. The paragraph also covers the use of impacts to accentuate the downbeat and the creative use of a glitchy fill to add character to the transition. Brad discusses the process of finding and aligning samples to fit the tempo of the track.

20:11

🎤 Creative Vocal Fills and Final Transition Touches

In the final paragraph, Brad focuses on the integration of vocal fills and the importance of time alignment when using rhythmic fills. He demonstrates how to pitch-shift a sample to match the key of the track and discusses the use of reverb to ensure the sample sits well in the mix. The paragraph concludes with a recap of the techniques used to enhance transitions, emphasizing the improvements made to the overall feel of the track.

Keywords

💡Transitions

Transitions refer to the shifts or changes in music production that occur between different sections of a song, such as moving from a verse to a chorus. In the video, Brad discusses various techniques to enhance these transitions, making them more impactful and engaging for the listener. For example, he talks about adding or removing instruments, filtering, and using swells to create a sense of progression and dynamics within the music.

💡Electronic Production

Electronic production is a genre of music-making that primarily utilizes digital technology and electronic instruments. The video focuses on this style, as Brad demonstrates methods to build transitions that are common in electronic music. He mentions adding layers of instruments or additional instruments at transition points to create impact, which is a technique often used in electronic music to add depth and variation.

💡Kick Drums

Kick drums are a fundamental component of rhythm in many music genres, especially in electronic and dance music. In the script, Brad suggests removing certain kick drums during the verse to create a sense of anticipation and then reintroducing them in the chorus for a more powerful impact. This technique is used to make the drum production tell a story and to build tension and release within the track.

💡Snare Drums

Snare drums provide a crisp, sharp sound that cuts through a mix and is often used in conjunction with kick drums to establish the beat. Brad talks about muting specific snare sounds during the verse to make the chorus feel more impactful when they are reintroduced. This is a common practice in music production to create contrast between different sections of a song.

💡High Hats

High hats are cymbals that produce a bright, ringing sound and are used to keep time and add texture to music. In the video, Brad mentions bringing in high hats to add groove and movement, especially during transitions into bigger sections of the song. This helps to create a sense of progression and momentum, making the music more dynamic and engaging.

💡Bass

Bass in music refers to the low-frequency sounds that provide the foundation for the harmony and rhythm. Brad discusses techniques for using bass in transitions, such as thinning out the bass during the verse and then adding a sub bass in the chorus. This approach creates a fuller sound in the chorus, enhancing the impact of the transition.

💡Filtering

Filtering in music production is the process of removing or emphasizing certain frequency components of a sound. Brad uses filtering to create transitions by applying a filter to a chord loop and then further filtering it in the drop section. This technique helps to build tension and create a more dramatic shift between different parts of the song.

💡Swell

A swell in music is a gradual increase in volume, often used to create a sense of climax or emphasis. Brad introduces a vocal swell to the chorus to enhance the transition and then reverses it to create a crash-like effect. This use of swells adds emotional depth and dynamic variation to the music.

💡Impacts

Impacts are short, loud sounds used to punctuate and emphasize certain moments in a piece of music. Brad discusses adding impacts to the downbeat of the chorus to make it hit harder. This technique is used to create a strong, memorable transition that captures the listener's attention.

💡Fill

A fill in music is a short musical phrase that fills in the gaps between the main elements of a song, often used to add interest and variety. Brad talks about using fills, such as a glitchy sound or a vocal fill, to add rhythmic interest and to create a more engaging transition. This helps to maintain the listener's interest and to build momentum leading up to the chorus.

💡Pitch Shifting

Pitch shifting is the process of changing the pitch of a sound or recording without altering its speed. In the script, Brad uses pitch shifting to adjust a vocal sample to fit the key of the song. This technique allows for greater flexibility and creativity when using samples and can help to create a more cohesive sound in the final production.

Highlights

Introduction to the video by Brad from Velveteen audio on building transitions in music production.

Basic beat construction using samples, cord loops, high hats, and a root note synth bass.

Discussion on the importance of impactful transitions between sections like verse and chorus.

Technique of layering instruments for transition impact by adding or removing elements.

Example of pulling out kick and snare drums to enhance the transition to the chorus.

Use of groove-based elements like shakers and tambourines to bring bigger sections up.

Bass line manipulation for transition by thinning out the bass in the verse and adding sub bass in the chorus.

Filtering techniques to create transitions, demonstrating with a chord loop.

Automating filter levels to build up to a drop section in the music.

Emphasizing transitions with drum fills and impacts right before the chorus hits.

Adding vocal swells and noise tracks to create a sense of climax leading into the chorus.

Utilizing reverse plugins to create unique effects with vocal swells.

Incorporating fills and impacts to emphasize the downbeat and create a dynamic shift.

Aligning fills to the correct tempo and time, adjusting pitch and reverb for seamless integration.

Final demonstration of the improved transition incorporating all discussed techniques.

Summary of the video's techniques to enhance transitions in music production.

Transcripts

hey guys Brad here from Velveteen audio

and today I'm going to show you some of

the ways that I build transitions into

my productions

[Music]

okay

so let's dive in here I've whipped up

just a really basic beat consisting of

samples from splice a little cord loops

some high hats and it looks like I built

just a root note synth bass so I'll just

kind of play you over the transition

that were we're gonna work on today so

[Music]

okay so that's the gist of the part and

just for just for sake of naming sake

and just for clarity I'm just gonna call

this smaller section the verse and the

bigger section the chorus just so where

I can use those terms throughout the

video so yeah the transition is pretty

lame right now it just kind of gets a

little bigger that's it or opens up a

bit so let's let's dive into some ways

that we can make that even more

impactful so the first way that you'll

see a lot in electronic production

especially is when you have layers of

instruments or even just additional

instruments you can bring them in and

out on these transition points for

impact so let's just start with one of

the most basic ways in the smaller

section we can maybe pull out one of the

kick drums and one of the snare drums

I've brought in three of each on this

particular this particular beat so so we

can pull those out and then that way the

bigger part feels like it's got a little

bit of a jump forward in the in the drum

production so you can also also just

like add another kick and snare here

it's the same principle

so let's go in and just listen to the

kick sounds and see which one we want to

pull out so because this particular

sample is really really hard-hitting I'm

probably gonna be

oh this one and that way when the course

hits it'll get a nice attack so let's

mute that one for the verse section and

snare wise let's do the same thing that

might be cool livers and now one hits

pretty hard so maybe the same thing

we'll take that one out of the verse so

that when we get to the chorus it hits a

little harder so I just muted those two

just in those sections so I just needed

the regions directly so let's let's just

check how that feels now cool that's

already better you can just feel even if

we mute all the rest of the instruments

you can just feel it get a little bigger

so even the drum production itself has a

tells a bit of a story now I've brought

in high hats

so that's I don't have anything before

that but you know that that's another

thing you can do is like bringing in

kind of groove based elements such as

shakers tambourines hats loops whatever

sounds that have some movement to them

they're really good to bring bigger

parts even further up so I've got this

just kind of a filtered hi-hat loop and

then more of an organic hi-hat and the

end result is when we cross over cool

same thing I'm doing the same principle

here with a bass so I've got it just

comes in on the chorus

right anyway you can do the same

principle with a base what I'll often do

is I'll duplicate what I have and let's

just pretend that there was base in the

previous section oops so I'll just leave

it as this what is the same chord

progression for now so sometimes what

I'll do is I'll have the base here in

this section be something a little

thinner I'm using Deva since for for

this let's see here

and maybe I'll bring in something a

little more sub e there's a cool sub

patch in here in the chorus and then

maybe I'll just thin this one out a bit

so if I maybe just take a let's just add

itchy EQ it doesn't matter just trim off

some of the low end and maybe a little

of that top so it's not so okay so maybe

that's like a bass sound I had in the

first and then when the chorus hits

we'll get the sub bass and maybe I'll

even bypass this EQ so that it lets the

full dynamic out yes we want okay so

it's the same principle there

[Music]

yeah that bottom-end

really filled out so that's the same

effect as if we just had no bass in the

verse I'd say especially with this chord

let's bring him back in okay that okay

so I'm not a huge fan of that anyway so

I'm gonna kill it but yeah that's that's

some of the principles you'll notice

that the the maybe we'll talk about

filtering next the the chords themselves

this particular sample had a filter on

it so in this I've kind of looped it to

fit this groove but it has a filter

section and a non filter section so

let's just even though it's there let's

go through that just to to show you what

that could what that could look like so

often what I'll do is I will filter kind

of a drop part and maybe we'll plan this

out a little bit and then work on the

rest of the instrument so let's just

grab a basic filter like like what the

one knob filter is fine so so that's

kind of already being done but let's

just go a little further just for the

sake of it so imagine that let's

automate this one knob okay so I'm gonna

and this line it's just literally

automating then the knob level so I'm

going to release it on the chorus fully

open and I'm gonna filter it maybe not

quite as much for most of the verse and

I can do this in a couple ways I could

build a transition we

it comes down it filters harder or if I

just cut it down at at the point I want

to kind of have everything drop out okay

so what I did there is I'm planning on

taking making a transition rate at this

is back to beats of bar twelve so I

pulled the filter down even further just

to like really pulled it the arrangement

back

[Music]

let's go even further just so you can

really feel what's happening here it

might be a bit far okay

so we're using a filter there to create

the transition too so now the the cord

loop is even telling more of a story

cool so that's some of the things you

can do with filtering if we had any

other synths or instruments you could

just hit you could take this one knob

and just copy it wherever and you get

all your instruments kind of getting a

little smaller and filtered and then

expanding into the into the chorus so

now this could just be done by just

keeping it lower in general it doesn't

have to be like a drop it could just be

something like that so it could just be

playing at that filtered level and then

just jump into the course for what I'm

planning on doing let's do it this way

so this section is like often you'll

you'll you'll hear this a lot where

instruments drop out right before the

bigger section so let's do that we're

gonna take out the kick and snare and I

think just those two so again I'm trying

to I'm trying to drop this back to beat

so that the chorus really hits

[Music]

that's getting better so again I just to

follow this filter I just took out the

kick and snare so that it emphasizes

that let's go a little further with it

so now some of the things we can add our

fills you know swells noise and whatnot

so let's grab some stuffs from splice so

I think I've got a few kind of ready to

go if we go to the top here yeah so

let's drag in that vocal swell I think

that sounds like a vocal so maybe I'll

try doing it right there

[Music]

that's pretty cool

so we're really gonna try to emphasize

that that drop there doesn't sound like

it's cut very nice no I'll just do

something like that and I'll put a face

on it maybe I'm okay so and then

balancing it in cool that sounds great

now often what you can do with this too

is if you find a swell sample or or

whatnot you can utilize the reverse plug

in for effect so you can have it as

almost like a crash with a tone kind of

thing so I'm gonna put it down as if

it's a crash to hit the core so it acts

kind of the same way a crash would

[Music]

well we could also do this like this

where maybe that swell comes in right on

on the drop let's see how that sounds to

be honest with you I think I prefer that

let's roll with that one and what I'll

often do too is if I have like a

back-to-back region like this I will

clip gain down this one's so that

there's a little bit of a story being

told here to see how it gets a little

louder when because I've clipped getting

this down again the same principle so

let's hear that again okay let's go

further with the stuff on the downbeat

so that's how one of the ways we can use

a swell let's add an impact

[Music]

yeah okay let's roll with that that's

cool okay so impacts are they come in

various shapes and forms that some of

them shapes and sizes they have usually

like a really basic kind of hit to them

with lots of reverb some of them have

like noise with them like a crash so a

lot usually they have a lot of decay

this one is kind of a little more dark

but still has that hit so let's just see

how it sounds in there to be honest we

could probably get a little more out of

it

[Music]

okay that's cool let's add something

that would emulate like a crash let's

let's do no it's like a white noise

thing now I will say I I'll be the first

to admit I'm getting a little sick of

these white noise sounds but as if

they're done tastefully they still work

it's just kind of getting old I think

but it's the principle because you can

do this with all kinds of different

instruments so I'm just looking for that

like sparkly top end that a white noise

has so let's try blending that in that's

too much for me but let's try it again

go down a little bit further

[Music]

that's better cool okay I pretty sure

how to fill queued up that we could use

so one of the last things I want to show

you is just putting in a fill there and

a fill could be anything really it could

be something that's rhythmic like a drum

it could be a little vocal fill it could

be lots of things so that was the the

glitch I guess that I had kind of

prepped ahead of time

so with fills because they especially if

they have some kind of rhythmic

component they generally are gonna need

time alignment sometimes they I don't

know what it is yet why but some some

files drop in from splice and auto

adjust themselves this one doesn't so I

can see that this tempo is 103 and ours

is 83 so one thing you can do is

typically splice sample creators will

cut them to a bar for that tempo this is

just shy of two bar a full bar you can

see that it would be this length for a

bar so I think because this is at a

faster tempo I can assume that this is a

bar and I'll just stretch it out to and

if I decrease my grid granularity it

looks it looks like that's a bar so and

then it's worth going in and just seeing

how they're sitting with the bar looks

like this is generally a little bit

behind so maybe I'm going to adjust that

and I think we're good so let's let's

just but this up to the transition see

what happens and just drop it down

[Music]

that's cool I'm gonna put a fade on it

so maybe it gets a little louder and I'm

also gonna put a bit more verb on it I

think so it's just kind of hanging in

the background it's it feels a little

forward to me right now everybody's

favorite little plate

okay so let's see what that adds to the

equation very cool let's add one more

let's do like a vocal fill vocal fill

and what did I say 83 so let's go 80 to

85 and we'll have to probably pitch

shift wow these are all drums that's

great okay not did not

let's see if we can work with that um

this is really gonna test my skills here

cuz that one is without going too far

into it oops okay so I'm fairly certain

that this chord is C sharp minor and

this is in C minor okay that's nice cuz

it's only 1 semitone away so you can

pitch in various ways actually let's use

altar boy cuz then I can mess with it a

bit so we need because it's from C to C

sharp we got to go up a semitone so

let's do that that's just one on altar

boy we'll want to keep the mix fully wet

because we're pitch shifting and not in

like an even increment like an octave or

a fifth this is this is a semitone so it

sounds terrible if you blend them okay

and let's do the usual trick where we

put some little plate after a little a

little altar boy a little plate secret

sauce maybe let's chop a little bit of

the top end off and again I'm just gonna

use a nice and simple I'll put a little

plate after so it doesn't affect the

reverb tone it just chop saw that girl

sneeze off the volkl and let's see if we

can fit this in don't need that fade

[Music]

okay it's almost there I think we got to

go a little further with the wet here

okay I think we made it work all right

let me play that whole bar leading up to

it

are two bars so just to recap some of

the things that we did on this video to

make the transition a little more

powerful

we added or took away instruments so

take away instruments or layers from the

smaller sections put them back in or add

more to the bigger sections and whatever

order you're doing that in we talked

about filtering so with for instance we

filtered this chord loop and then we

filtered it even further in the drop

section so what I'm calling the drop

anyway I know drop can be used in so

many different terms

I just dropped these last two beats at

the bar just so that everything has a

rest and then we hit hard for the course

so that's what I'm calling that what's

called the drop out so people don't

confuse it with a drop so that's another

thing so just to go over that we muted

the kick and snare there we talked about

swells so we had this one vocal swell

which we brought into the chorus and

then we also reversed it so it was more

like a crash coming down right here and

then we talked about impacts so those

are things that emphasize the downbeat

like something that has a lot of hit we

added a noise track too so that same

thing emphasizing the downbeat we

brought in a little kind of weird

glitchy fill and we did a somehow

miraculously pulled off a vocal fill

with that random sample so here's the

end result one more time

[Music]

okay given where we were I think we made

massive improvements to that transition

it feels a lot better so yeah I hope

really hope you got something out of

this and yeah appreciate you appreciate

you getting to the end it's got a little

bit long but yeah we'll see on the next

video thanks guys

[Music]