Breakdowns

[Anth0n]

What kind of filter does one normally use for breakdowns in electronic music?

[gregaaron89]

Lowpass. Lowpass is your friend! Also, high pass for buildups.

[Quarl]

Interesting question. I've never really looked at a breakdown from a gear heads point of view. I always considered the term break down as an aesthetic more towards song structure. I'll answer your question from my point of view then just sit back and watch what other people say about the filters...

If you feel like pissing off a dj, change the tempo of the track at the break down. It's something you'll hear all the time in contemporary rock songs, and save for cutting from double time you'll never hear it in EDM. That's to make the song conform to a DJ set. If you're not worried about DJing your music, don't worry about the tempo. I actually plan on djing all my music, so to protect my tracks I've started putting minuet tempo shifts through out the entire track. Also, it's really funny in macs to hear echoz complain about the tempo shifts. Do it ^_^

Welp, changing the melody can be a good aesthetic for a break down. Make it stronger/ harder/ faster. Or make it weaker/ softer/ slower. It all depends on what kind of sound/ vibe you're going for.

Take the song in a different direction, if only for a little while. If it persists, you're working towards pissing off that DJ again.

Now, in break downs I usually use the same effects/ instruments that I would through out the entire track. Again, to me a break down is about song structure, so the theory is more important than the filters, so if it's early in the track I'll usually give a "preview" of the synth I'm about to use. Might be a snippet of the lead melody, it might just be the first note. That's just what I do, and I notice a lot of other artists follow that pattern.

What you do in a break down is as subjective of an idea as deciding what key to write your track in. If you're really lost, listen to other artists and try to figure out what they do/ use. As far as I'm concerned there's close to nothing you can do wrong but there are plenty of decisions you can make that most would consider bad. Just play around and write your music and if you hit a block, put the track on hold/ figure out a way around that block. I write about one new song everyday. Not all of them are good, but when I get really frustrated, I just put what I got on hold for another day. I'm about to finish a song today that I've been working on for about a year. I've probably only put two complete days of work into this song. The creative process takes us crazy places. Do what makes you happy.

[gregaaron89]

At 6/21/09 08:43 PM, Quarl wrote:

If you feel like pissing off a dj, change the tempo of the track at the break down. It's something you'll hear all the time in contemporary rock songs, and save for cutting from double time you'll never hear it in EDM. That's to make the song conform to a DJ set.

Actually, one of the most popular trance tracks of 2008, Fake Awake (The Blizzard Remix) has a HUGE slowdown at the break. But it speeds up again to the original tempo. All that matters to a DJ in the end is that the beginning and end are the same tempo, I think.

[Quarl]

At 6/21/09 09:43 PM, gregaaron89 wrote:

At 6/21/09 08:43 PM, Quarl wrote:

Actually, one of the most popular trance tracks of 2008, Fake Awake (The Blizzard Remix) has a HUGE slowdown at the break. But it speeds up again to the original tempo. All that matters to a DJ in the end is that the beginning and end are the same tempo, I think.

Yeah, I've actually thought that one through I just didn't mention it here. The only thing that really matters with the tempo is the intro/ middle section/ end point unless the DJ wants a sample in the song from some where else. Actually, in terms of emulating live drummers, slight tempo shifts can be a really effective technique in getting that little bit of dysfunctionality. I know a lot of producers slightly de-quantize their drum notes, but shifting the tempo during the chorus might get around the same effect because in a live band everyone follows the drummers tempo anyways so that kind of follows that logic... actually the most rhythmically disco-ordinated band members are usually the melodic instrument players so a producer would be better off de-quantizing the other instruments instead. Besides, one of the goals of a good drummer is to stay in perfect rhythm. As a drummer I find it counter productive to de-quantize the drums. Why waste time trying to produce something no one's going to notice anyways?

[Anth0n]

Sweet, thanks for all the info guys.

[Nav]

At 6/21/09 08:43 PM, Quarl wrote: If you feel like pissing off a dj, change the tempo of the track at the break down. It's something you'll hear all the time in contemporary rock songs, and save for cutting from double time you'll never hear it in EDM. That's to make the song conform to a DJ set.

Err they change tempos in breakdowns often in DJ-able tunes. They just always come back to the original tempo after it's over, so the DJ can mix out. I've heard that happen multiple times, and I could throw a few tunes out there if you want.

Anyway, from a technical standpoint, you can basically do anything you want. If you want to just break back down to the melody, that's fine. If you want to introduce some new drums, a piano part, and some strings, go ahead. It doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you remember that its purpose in dance music is to build up tension before the main part comes back in.

[Quarl]

At 6/22/09 09:04 AM, Nav wrote:

At 6/21/09 08:43 PM, Quarl wrote:

Err they change tempos in breakdowns often in DJ-able tunes. They just always come back to the original tempo after it's over, so the DJ can mix out. I've heard that happen multiple times, and I could throw a few tunes out there if you want.

Sure man. Send the tunes away. I'm actually really starting to like other genres of dance music. I used to be really biased towards the four to the floor but knowing what I know now it's real easy to look past the simplicity of the core rhythm of the beat and find other things to enjoy. Also, the way you described those kinds of beats as "danceable" made me realize just how perfect the four to the floor actually is. I said it before and I'll say it again, "eventually the things you say to me come around and make sense," regardless of how belligerently mad I initially am.

as long as you remember that its purpose in dance music is to build up tension before the main part comes back in.

Some one once told me that creating and releasing tension is all that music is.

Every melody, every rhythm, every thing we know today about contemporary music creates and releases tension. With out the second note, the first note is just a sound. Granted, if you have a really liberal view of what music is "everything is music."

Fuck those people.

[Quarl]

At 6/22/09 09:04 AM, Nav wrote:

Err they change tempos in breakdowns often in DJ-able tunes. They just always come back to the original tempo after it's over, so the DJ can mix out. I've heard that happen multiple times, and I could throw a few tunes out there if you want.

You fucking tease >:(

[architecture]

bandpass filter. 1 pole 6db bandpass filter, and introduce the sounds of alarm clocks and nails being scratched on chalk board, and a speech by ben stein when everything goes silent.

That would be the ultimate build up and break down, but more like a throw up and nervous breakdown.

damn that just gave me an idea.