I’m not so sure if I do manage it
long winded ramblings
You get 128 sequences so no reason to have it all in one long seq. Most everything was a 2 to 8 bar seq. Sometimes I will start small and then double the seq legnth once or twice and it copys everything over just like you would on elektrons. Most pgms are set to mono so sometimes just changing up the end or a small variation along the way in overdub mode because it will choke out the other pads even if they are still recorded the highest note gets priority
You can work in a very long seq and move between bars but separate is easier for me. then everything gets chained together and arranged/ rearranged
It started off just trying out different ideas in different seqs and then after chaining keep what works (or sometimes what dosent I just wanted to use it anyway) and see what flows together and then add things like build ups and fills and things dropping out etc changing what’s there to connect better. After this a couple new parts were made if needed to bridge anything out
No visual overview or even hearing the full flow just one small section at a time. When making the changes to a part to go into the next I can’t hear the part it connects to so I will just go back to the song mode to see if it worked or not listening to them back to back
I’ll just listen through and feel it out by ear like if a part feels too short I will set it to play multiple times and then sometimes double it and then go back to the original sq and make a little change so it’s not too repetitive
This one was a bit chaotic and not the smoothest connections between parts but I was kind of going for that anyway and just tried make it work together ok, even with some of the more extreme change ups. ended up with kind of a mixed bag. Kind of disconnected and connected at the same time for the good and bad of it.
Many fresh from scratch sequences, some copied to another and altered and only a couple were reused. Some parts had to be extended to tell the vocal story i wanted to use from all the samples i collected but it was crazy long so I thought it best to shorten some parts and had to leave some good stuff out too, keeping weaker parts instead because they worked with the flow better. Also some seqs were bounced down rechopped and used in different parts later.
After having some kind of a lose structure with more than i needed i planned to work subtractive style cutting it down to the best parts taking out some of the fluff and soothing things out and refining a little more, got part way through this process and ran out of time.
So in summary for this one I was writing different mini tracks most not intended to go together, kept some of what I liked, tested an arrangement and adjusted where needed, then went back into the individual sequences making changes to make them work together better. Coming up with ideas was lightning fast, making sense of it took a little longer
. Not sure what applies or if these are good methods to use, just finding my way of what works for me. it feels messy but also finding some side benefits along the way. I know almost nothing about dnb but have been trying to learn sampling more and like manipulating and layering things and making it all work or getting a little unconventional way more than just cutting a loop and calling it a day. Even if that can sound great I find it a little boring to make music that way, so it’s kind of a cross between experimenting and learning, and making something that has at least some value to listen to. It might be strange but my end goal right now is not to make the best sounding track I can make. Picking things up along the way might be very nice to have in my pocket if I wanted to go that direction someday because somethings stick with you and become more of an automatic process. All in all just having a lot of fun and trying to push myself a little along the way.
Hope this helps, happy to talk deep dive on process and techniques
