Groove length

Hey,

This may be a dumb question (wouldn't be a first for me...), and I realise everybody goes about stuff different ways...but

when you are in the process of initially writing your groove in loop mode, what length do you write it over?

a lot of the techno i listen to, the basic pulse is over 1-2 (ie you can count to that real easy), then you also have stuff (usually top end) that works over 1 - 4

so is it at all important to do this in any order of priority? it would seem best to me to nail the 1-2 first, then double the length - i guess my question really is how much do you keep doubling it, do you ever write more groove elements to work over 1-8?

thanks for any advice...

i write elements that go for

1/2bar
1bar
2bar
4bar
3bar if i want evolution of a sound
8bar
and 16bars

I also make sure i have stab/fx/earcandy/melodies that meet each other and create a pattern within a pattern over the 16bars.

The most important thing you can do is ensure that you velocities alter over time especially with highly repetetive stuff.

A slight flange or unsyncd chorus can help a loop retain some feeling.

spot on - thanks very much mate

NP dude, anytime.

just reading over your post, the bit about having stuff work over 16 bars "and create a pattern within a pattern"...that's really interesting and is totally lacking in my stuff at the moment

could you please xpand that out a bit, just to set me in the right direction

thank you ;)

hmm. how to do this...

So we have a 16bar percussion loop. bassline etc.

I have four sounds (for simplicity)

1. A stab
2. A rising chord
3. a stuttered sound say a guitar sound
4. an arp run

each sound is about 1/2 bar long. I have made sure they all are in the right key and sound good together.

They are also placed into a multi-zoned sampler so i can play em from a keyboard. Each of the samples is run through a delay and some other FX.

The music is playing and im playing in each sample to form a chain of sounds that meet each other.. it doesnt last over 16bars, that would sound like prog. maybe around 2-4bars.

The sounds need to be sharp, funky and well played in...

Have a look at my site and navigate at the top to a track called force vs negotiation. its not quite what im describing, but it kinda is.

www.theinspectors.co.uk


Thats the best i can do.

cool man, thanks for the advice. will check out your site for the example...

i'm doing it all on a tr909 with emu sampler, so might be a bit tricky...but where there is a will and all that

thanks again for the advice

I personaly create my main groove over a bar(four beats)but will have some elements that are 1 beat patterns for drive,two beat patterns for a techno feel but ill have stuff going on thruout a 16 or 32 bar sections.
But most of the time when im making my main groove I will have a 1 bar loop going as its what works best for me at the moment.

What ever you feel tho man.