Class 2: Transitions and Song Structure

http://russellhanson.com/web/OverthrowSoundCEMMI-Transitions-and-Song-Structure.pdf

CEMMI/Artisan’s Asylum 

“Overthrow Sound: A first course in electronic music production”

Go over last week’s homework:

1) Make a new beat of your own and have it ready to play for the class either by uploading it to 

SoundCloud, uploading it to the DropBox with your name, or having it ready on your own computer.

2) Take a beat out of a song you like and replicate it using a drum machine like the “808” or the “909” 

drum kits in Ableton.  Please have a way to play the song you are replicating so we can hear the song if 

we don’t know it already.  YouTube or Spotify links are often an easy way to do this.

3) Make a SoundCloud account, a DJ name, and get a feel for how to upload/browse/share sound files 

on SoundCloud.  We will be using SoundCloud for the class assignments.  

4) Make a melody or two you would like to use as part of a song.  Pay attention to the key and tempo 

the melody is in.  You can have it either as a midi file, or as a wave file recorded through a software 

synthesizer, or recorded from a microphone, etc.

Song Structure/Parts of Songs Analysis: 

Axwell - Heart Is King (Original Mix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1fUnss8Hdc

Rusko - Woo Boost

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtMlB-BEMso

Avicii - Street Dancer (Original Mix) – also lots of white noise “Swoosh” transitions

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaeNlTy7s4w

Swedish House Mafia - One (Original Mix) – “Gong” transition at 1:49; “Swoosh” transition from 

4:02 to 4:14 ended by double clap; multiple micro “swooshes” at 4:50 & pan left to right

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg7XO1zgJHA

Transitions:

The Reverse Cymbal/The Reverse Vocal Swell/The Machine Gun Snare Roll/The “Swoosh” 

Transition

http://abletonlife.com/how-to-create-transitions-for-your-songs-in-ableton-live

Ableton Live Tutorial – Making A White Noise Buildup

http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/15/ableton-live-tutorial-making-a-white-noise-buildup/

Step-by-step how to create the “Swoosh” white noise transition in Ableton:

1) Make a new midi track

2) Insert a midi clip of 5-8 bars and make a single “C3” note that lasts the entire clip (draw mode)

3) Add an Instruments/Analog synth; turn off “Osc1”; turn on “Noise”; change “Color” to ~4.7kHz

4) To make the note sustain: change “Amp1” move envelope line so “Sustain = 1.0, Decay = 500ms-

1000ms, Release = 0ms-250ms”

5) Add Audio Effects/Auto Filter.  On the “Fades/Device Chooser” pick “Auto Filter” and below that 

on the “Automation Control Chooser” pick “Frequency”

6) Now draw the frequency automation sweep (red line) on the midi clip from 70 Hz at the beginning 

to 5-7 kHz at the end

Vocals:

Auto-Tune VST installed to /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST/Auto-Tune_Evo_VST.vst/ (Mac)

http://www.antarestech.com/download/demo.shtml

http://www.antarestech.com/downloads/manuals/ATEvo_manual.pdf

Programming Beats using the Impulse Drum Machine:© Russell Hanson, http://russellhanson.com

Ableton: Creating Beats

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ff0AcOsH3E

Several more advanced Ableton tutorials:

Secrets to making layered beats in Ableton Sampler Pt 1 of 2

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xg635z_secrets-to-making-layered-beats-in-ableton-sampler-pt-1-

of-2_music

Secrets to making layered beats in Ableton Sampler Pt 2 of 2

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xg63hm_secrets-to-making-layered-beats-in-ableton-sampler-pt-2-

of-2_music

Sub Bass Secrets in Native Instruments Massive Pt 1 of 2 — “It’s SUPER Bassic”

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xgc77s_sub-bass-secrets-in-native-instruments-massive-pt-1-of-

2_school

Sub Bass Secrets in Ableton Sampler Pt 2 of 2

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xgc7br_sub-bass-secrets-in-ableton-sampler-pt-2-of-2_school