how long are your tracks?

if you think this is a stupid question and that the obvious answer is, "as long as they need to be," fair enough. i just wonder what people's experience has been in finding that out.

most of the records i used to play (nu breaks and acid techno) were 6 to 8 minutes long, so when i started writing my own stuff i aimed for that, but it seemed like the only way to stretch a track that long is to have an epic build/break in the middle and a rediculous intro and outro. but that didn't suite me. lately i've been more into banging out a single idea over 4-5 mins and leave it at that. am i lazy, or does techno just demand a different formula/style?

I go anything from 5 mins to 7:30
Anything longer than that, and you affect the vinyl cut:(

I hover around the 5 minute mark most of the time. It's a good compromise for DJs and vinyl cuts. Most DJs are pretty slow at beatmatching and can't mix a 3 or 4 minute track well, and if you have a 8min+ track it won't be as loud on vinyl. At the 5-6 minute mark you can get your message across quickly, the DJ can't complain about not having enough time, and the cut still sounds damn good.

6m30s up to 7m 30s...

Z

not sure if anyone has mentioned this:

but another thing that may affect your how long your tracks should be is how fast your BPM is. Lets face it, if your tracks are 145-150BPM, then maybe making your tracks a bit shorter will compensate for the BPM since listening to a really fast track for a long period of time will become tedious on the ear.

Most of my tracks are about 135BPM and i try to make them nothing more than 6:00 minutes long. Given that the intro and outro can range anywhere between 1 minute each, 4 minutes for the chore loop i believe is good enough..

not sure, just my opinion though.

cheers :lol:

6-7 mins, just depends on the feelin

well i just wrote two 9 minute long pieces. the loudness gets affected not until the 10 minutes.

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well i just wrote two 9 minute long pieces. the loudness gets affected not until the 10 minutes.

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the loudness and quality of cut DOES get affected.
The shorter the tune, the more spread out the grooves can be, and the deeper the grooves can be.
Simple.
Unless you don`t use any bass.
Also you get more time at 33, but 45 cuts better, because the wobbles in the groove are spaced out more, once again.
Although I have been told that certian frequencies cut better at 33 than at 45, but we don`t really need to get too deep into this.

i am doing about 5 - 6.30mins, but as mentioned above depends on BPM so watchout for that..

lots of interesting replies. thanks guys.

on the topic of tempo, i actually find that i'm more likely to put a breakdown in a faster track than a slower one, so my faster tracks end up being longer.

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Originally Posted by tekara

but another thing that may affect your how long your tracks should be is how fast your BPM is. Lets face it, if your tracks are 145-150BPM, then maybe making your tracks a bit shorter will compensate for the BPM since listening to a really fast track for a long period of time will become tedious on the ear.


not sure, just my opinion though.

cheers :lol:

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I don't quite follow
The next song you mix after your " fast track " will still be just as fast. Why would going from a fast song to another fast song be any less tedious

Just do it in bars - makes it easier to mix.

16-32 in/out
4-8 break
32-64 main body

ends up being 6-7 minutes at 150bpm

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Originally Posted by jonnyspeed

Just do it in bars - makes it easier to mix.

16-32 in/out
4-8 break
32-64 main body

ends up being 6-7 minutes at 150bpm

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brrr that's shudderingly formulaic though!!

16 cm (ca 7 inch).


Jonnyspeed you need to remember why you started making music in the first place.

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Originally Posted by Dustin Zahn

I hover around the 5 minute mark most of the time. It's a good compromise for DJs and vinyl cuts. Most DJs are pretty slow at beatmatching and can't mix a 3 or 4 minute track well,

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Then maybe they should practice!

no doubt! if a dj can't beatmatch within several seconds, then they should be at home practicing. my comment should not be applied to all forms of dance musis though. I'm just speaking about fairly straight dance music. some of the strangely broken stuff can be a little more tedious to match...and the slower the beats, the more difficult to get matched...IMHO.

whoops, a bit off topic...

about 5miles long :lol:

seriously tho, ranges from 4.30-7.00mins

i find the lengh depends more on the ideas i'm trying to portray than the BPM etc.

or example, if i want to write an energetic tune then different sequences will punch in quicker than if i was writting an epic tune.

also some ideas (like a minimal groove) leaves you with less room for variation so the tune will natrually end sooner.

Sorry but I do think there is some relationship between bpms and a songs lenths... if u have a slow song u need more time 2 develop without it sounding like everything was rushed in..

my 2 cents!

Z

i dont disagree with you there.

i was talking about my own personal apporach. the bpm has never played a factor in tune length with the productions i've made.

i will say that i'm only a novice though so things may change as i gain experence

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Originally Posted by jonnyspeed

Just do it in bars - makes it easier to mix.

16-32 in/out
4-8 break
32-64 main body

ends up being 6-7 minutes at 150bpm

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that won't end up being 6 - 7 mimutes

An 8 bar break at 150 bpm would be about 13 seconds
32 ( 2 ) + 8 + 64 would be around 4 minutes

i would say the most importent thing is what kinda track you are creating.for example if im making a mixing tool kinda track or somthing minamal then about 5-6 mins but if i was making somthing where i want the momentem to build and build or a big club monster type thing with a big build up and break down then it could be around 6.30-8 mins thats just me tho.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jonnyspeed

Just do it in bars - makes it easier to mix.

16-32 in/out
4-8 break
32-64 main body

ends up being 6-7 minutes at 150bpm

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That would kill it for me...I like grooving and just "feeling" when to drop changes and switch it up. Some songs end up being more dj friendly than others. Sometimes I like a break that is 2 beats, not 2 bars. or working a sound that takes 2-3 minutes to evolve because that sound from a synth is what inspired the track. Sometimes a sound comes in like the pesky guy selling something at your door during dinner and you've got to slam the door in his face before he finishes his sales pitch, then later you wondered what happend to him so you chase him down the street because you have to find out what they were all about.

How about a track that is a test tone going from 10k to 35hz over the span of 60minutes...with a little drum fill at the end...or some smartass dave letterman comment to paul shaffer.

we usualy start off with five and a half minutes some get longer hardly ever shorter though

i must admit i usually aim to make my tracks about 6 minutes long (give or take a minute) and then work from there.

sometimes the ideas i have keep flowing and the tune stretches over, sometimes i struggle to keep it sounding fresh so i go for a shorter track.

i find 6 mins is a good reference to work from, but not a goal post to aim for (if you get my metaphor?)

I don`t aim for any time.
Generally most of my stuff ends from 5:30 - 7:30 naturally
Although as a rule, I reckon If you can`t get it said in 6 minutes, then it`s never gonna get there.

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Originally Posted by dirty_bass

I don`t aim for any time.
Although as a rule, I reckon If you can`t get it said in 6 minutes, then it`s never gonna get there.

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not sure i follow what your saying :oops: