Hey everybody,
I need your help! I’m a 36 year old music lover from Frankfurt a.M./Germany and my first contact with making music was in the age of 6 when I got piano lessons.
Over the years I’ve taught myself a few more instruments (guitar, bass,…) and got in touch with Ableton in 2010.
Since a while I am interested in subtractive synthesis, tried out a lot with Ableton Live’s “Analog” Synthesizer and finally bought my first hardware synth ever, the Elektron A4.
I am really happy with this synth, haven’t regreted buying it for a second.
Even overbridge beta makes me so happy since I am understanding programing the A4 a lot quicker due to the great control display.
As I go deeper and deeper into subtractive synthesis I know want to start recording my first tracks.
Problem is, I have never done electronic music so far - only have listened to it a lot. Now I want to start to create my own and to start from the very beginning.
Means: I want it to be kept simple, limit myself to 8 Tracks only. No Send-Effect overload, just the basics, that I get a feeling for how to use them efficently.
I will use Ableton Live 9 Suite and before I will implent the A4, I want to practice with Ableton Live only.
So what do you suggest/recommend? What is a basic 8TRK setup? Should I use a Drum Rack for the beat and use 2 tracks out ot the 8 as a submix? Glue Compression+Auto Filter within that submix channel?
Is one delay used for all the tracks (by an aux sned) or is it common to use for example another delay for the snare drum and implenent it within the signalchain of the snare?
Which basic send-effects should always be in the setup (Reverb, Delay,…)
I really appreciate ANY help since I am standing at the very beginning and I am so excitied of diving into the world of electronic sounds. Tell me your basic setups or how electronic music was made years ago. It will surely help me alot.
Thanks!
Hi Ranzenberger!
I have to say, I really admire the methodical approach – I think you’re going to learn a lot in a short time 
As for your question – I’ve never been too methodical when it comes to starting from scratch. I have no real templates to speak of. This is just me, but I’m not sure I’d want to limit myself to one, and just one template and way of doing things.
Don’t get me wrong, limitations can be great, and I’m all for them – that’s one of the reasons I like hardware so much.
When thinking of “limiting” exercises that could be beneficial, a couple of ideas come to mind:
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The A4. Just use that for the entire track. When Amiga was a thing, 4 tracks was all you had, and people used that to great effect with tracker programs and .MOD tracks. As a matter of fact, composing with Elektrons resembles composing with trackers quite a bit. You also get great send effects with the A4.
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Think of a traditional band structure: 1-2 guitars, bass, drums, vocals. Try to write as if you were a band. So you would have drums, bass, “rhythm” synth, “lead” synth, and vocals, or if that seems difficult, maybe different non-tonal soundscapes or even a second melody line in addition to the lead synth?
But, the reason I was doubtful of the template approach – it can be really refreshing to think of different constraints each time! For example, you could try writing a track with just a single melody line - see how you can utilize that to achieve rhytmic, melodic and compositional completeness. Or limit yourself to using no effects at all… These are easy to come up with! Oh, and don’t underestimate the power of YouTube tutorials. Just make sure you try them yourself as you go!
I can also recommend this book: https://www.ableton.com/en/blog/making-music-book-of-creative-strategies/ It may be that it doesn’t answer the need you have right now, but it was worth mentioning. There’s a comprehensive preview, so you can see if you like it.
When I make music, I usually end up with something very similar to the band setup. In ableton terms:
One drum rack.
One chord synth
One lead synth
Bass track
Maybe a non-tonal/sound effect track.
Effects: You can go far with the Reverb/Delay send tracks the Ableton default template has. But i’ve never been picky when it comes to utilizing VST effects – If you feel like making it crunchy, slap a distortion on it!
Okay… A bit of an unorganized approach, but maybe you can draw something from this rant? 
Keep us posted!
Keep us posted!