Anyone want to make a track in 35 days?

Hi all

I'm going to run a little experiment for myself and thought there might be some other Producertech members who would like to join in.

The idea is pretty simple; to create a track from scratch and finish it within 35 days.

I'm one of those people that have collected tons of unfinished tracks on my hard drive, that for several different reasons never get finished. This year my resolution was to change all that and start finishing tracks and finally releasing them.

One of the things I love about the Producertech remix comps is that the deadline forces me to finish a track, say it's 'done' and submit it. This is a discipline that I really struggle to force on myself when I'm working on my own stuff, usually through a mix of perfectionism, boredom and doubt on what sort of tracks/sound I want to make - projects will get left half-finished and I'll move onto something new or different.

I've come up with a framework and timeframe to work with, there's nothing really original in it and it's all ideas I've picked up from a variety of sources and just tailored it into something that's both challenging and achievable with the limited studio time I tend to have. Funnily enough, if you read Future Music you'll see they've also put something very similar in their latest issue, but they're going for 3 tracks in 30 days so my idea is a bit more modest.

The key objective of the framework is to take the focus away from the quality of the finished track and focus on the full start to finish process instead. There's also an element to help with the idea generation around the content of the track as well - the most important part is to get practiced at finishing.

So if there's any other members who would like to give this a try, I thought it would be great to work through the process on this forum and also generate some shared accountability to hit the deadlines and make it happen!

So who's up for the challenge?!?!?

Great idea!

Sounds like fun....let's do it!

Okay, I'm in! I have an Arab Trap track I just started that I'd like to finish in the next month, so I'll go with that one.

Hi Rob - that's great! I have to admit I've never heard of Arab Trap until today Can't wait to hear it

So here's the plan - the 35 days are split into 5 chunks each a week long, all with a main focus and clear goal to have completed by the end of that week.

There is one golden rule; there are no rules, only guidelines. Here's week 1...

Week 1 - planning:
Part 1 (Days 1 to 3): Focus on what you want the track to be, e.g.:
- Do you have a specific genre (or blend of 2 or more different genres) that you want to create?
- What’s purpose of the track; e.g. something to dance to, singalong to or exercise to?
- What sort of mood do you want the track to create or have?
- Who is the target audience?
- Where do you see people listening to the track?
- Think of 3 words you’d like someone to use to describe it

Use the above points as idea starters and make as many notes/thoughts as you can about what you would like your track to be.

Find at least 3, but preferably 5 or 6, reference tracks that are similar to the type of track you want to make.

Pick one of your reference tracks to use as an arrangement template – you don’t have to create an exact match if don’t want to and you can use sections from the other reference tracks if you want. The idea is that you have a structure to start working with.

Part 2 (Days 4 to 7): Layout your parts
Ideally, you should import your arrangement reference track into your DAW and breakdown the track there. If you don’t want to make a straight copy of the arrangement, then create something from scratch based on different elements from your reference tracks.

Lay it out into the different sections e.g. intro/build up/first drop/4 bar break/main drop/breakdown/etc.

Describe each section with a label that makes sense for you.

Analyse the track(s) and create a list of each track element – do this on paper or create dummy tracks in your DAW. E.g. Kick drum/snare/clap (or just drums/percussion) / bassline / pluck arp / piano / pad / strings / etc.

Look up the deconstructed section of the Attack Magazine website for examples where they have done this.

Also list out elements such as fills and transitions – take as much or as little detail from the reference track that suits you.

For each track element write down ideas for what you might want to use in your track: this can be new ideas, elements from other tracks you’ve made, Loopcloud samples or straight copies of elements from one or more of your reference tracks.

At the end of week 1, you should have;
1. A clear idea of what kind of track you’re going to make
2. An arrangement map to work with
3. A list of all the track elements that you’re going to create

It might seem like a long time, taking a whole week before you actually make any music, but that’s the whole point – do as much thinking and planning for your track as you can before you get started – it will make the next stages so much easier and quicker.

My background is being a DJ rather than a musician so I want to kind of stick with what I know, so my target audience is DJs/clubbers. But I'm now an Old Git that hasn't been clubbing for years, so my tracks tend to always end up sounding quite retro/old school.

So I want to challenge myself with making something more up-to-date and current, but not a genre that I don't really know at all - maybe a full-on Techno banger or Tech House track - I'm going to have a search around Beatport and Spotify for inspiration and reference tracks before making up my mind.

One old track that I'll maybe use as inspiration, if not a reference track is Joey Beltram - Energy Flash

Loving your workflow on this Simon. Very comprehensive!

Re: Arab Trap, yeah, it's a pretty great combo! It's actually a style I make with a DJ Producer from Dubai. I'm actually thinking about making this genre-combining a new member assignment, so you might find out more about it sooner than expected!

Love the genre-combining idea Rob, I'd be up for that!

I couldn't decide between making a Hard Techno banger or a mainstream Tech House track, so I gave my wife the deciding vote and she went for Tech House. I think I would have preferred to go Techno, but I'm using this as a good excuse to make something a bit different to my usual style. I've been told my stuff is a bit too underground/minimal and I also try to stay away from making stuff that's too 'obvious'.

So I'm embracing the opportunity to stick to a more mainstream formula and taking on the imaginary role of a ghost producer to make a Tech House track firmly aimed at the Beatport DJ market. The idea is to detach myself from the actual content that I create in the track and avoid my usual self-doubt so I can just crack on with completing a track that probably won't be the sort of music I like or usually make.

The tracks I picked as reference tracks are:

Wildcard - Be Right There (K-Mack Remix) - and I chose this for the parts/arrangement template
Giant & Vuss - I Don't Understand
K-Mack - Dancing Music
DOONS - The Change
Brodi - Up Late
SOFAT - Vibes All Night

Made a start laying out the template track in Ableton, main structure of the track is pretty straightforward and there's not a lot of different parts/elements - the main flow and dynamics within the track come from the drum layers and mix automation. I've attached a screenshot of the arrange window with work in progress

I love the reference track in there to help with forming the arrangement, with the added bonus of giving you something to reference for mixing too. This is a great idea to get your song structure in place right from the start. Excellent work!

Right, I've got to the end of 'Week 1' - to be honest I think I might have gone over a week, but I lost 2 days without power thanks to Storm Eunice, so I'm going to claim those back!

After deconstructing my arrangement reference track I'm genuinely surprised by how few parts are in there! Which has probably confirmed what I already knew, that I always try to put to many elements in my tracks. The parts from the reference that I'm going to recreate my own versions of are:

Drums:
- Kick
- Clap
- Snare
- Shaker
- Hats 1 - smooth/quiet
- Hats 2 - bold/loud
- Congas

Bassline

Vocal stab
Vocal loop

'Pluck' stabs
'Ploppy' stabs

So that's it - 12 main elements in total and the only real melodic part is the bassline. The 2 stabs are tuned and kind of melodic but more percussive in how they feature in the track

So on to Week 2 and when the fun starts (deconstructing the reference track was a bit tedious).

Again, it's broken down into 2 parts;

Part 1 (Days 1 to 2): Create your main parts

- Focus on drums, bass, chords and/or key elements and create at least half of all elements, but create as many as you have time for with a focus on the core parts.

- Create the basic rhythms or harmony/melody ideas – start with the parts that feel most obvious at this stage, where you have the most inspiration and carry on from there.

- You can either work along with your parts laid out across your arrangement map or just build everything within an 8/16/32 bar loop.

- As soon as you can, decide or work out the key of the track.

I've made a start by jamming out a rough 1 bar bassline that I like the sound of and then auditioned vocal samples from the free members pack of Future House Acapellas. There's some really great sounding and usable stuff in there that I've cut into a few pieces to fit in around my bassline - so that was good timing.

Drums-wise it's all pretty formulaic tech-house stuff and I've pulled together;

- 3 kick drum samples that I'll be layering (credit: Simon Shackleton)
- 3 claps that I'll also layer
- 3 different hat loops that I've cut and spliced into a groove
- 2 shaker loops that also edited to combine into a new groove
- Snare
- Cowbell
- 3 different Conga loops that I've edited and will audition/decide on one once I've got the drums into a solid groove

I've also got a couple of pluck stabs and a riser sound

Next steps are to;
- Work on the drums a bit more to get them to gel as a single groove/shuffle
- Find another melodic/percussive sound
- Start to lay out all the parts into the main arrangement sections to see how it starts to flow

Here's the framework for the rest of week 2:

Part 2 (Days 3 to 7): Complete and finalise all your parts and combine them into the arrangement sections.

Finish creating all the main elements that will go into your track. If you’ve only got them all running in a loop, lay them out into the different sections of your arrangement map.

Now the parts are working within the different arrangement sections, consider whether any parts aren’t working and replace them if needed. It’s best to make these decisions as early as possible and commit to your parts and arrangement before progressing further with the track.

Work on the minor elements; fills and stabs etc so you’ve got all the content laid out across the whole arrangement.

Make any sound design tweaks you think are needed and start to make some fundamental mix decisions and basic eq adjustments – the track should be starting to gel together and you should have a clear idea how it’s going to sound as a finished track.

If there are any major mix automation/transition sections e.g. filter/EQ sweeps, you should start putting the basic elements of these in now, but not aiming to have the finished result yet.

Depending on your progress, carry out the following steps either right at the end of the week or if the track is starting to take shape sooner you can do the following process multiple times between sessions:
- Export the track as an audio file
- Transfer the file onto a phone/cloud drive; somewhere you can listen to it away from your DAW and on a different set of speakers/headphones
- After a break (ideally the next day), listen to the audio file (important to do this away from your DAW) with a notebook and make a list of anything obvious you want to improve
- Ideally your notes should be specific and actionable e.g.
- Tune or replace the snare sound so it fits with the rest of the drums
- Add some shuffle to the hi hat pattern
- Layer an additional sub bass sound into the bassline
- Change the pad chords at the end of 8 bars to create more tension

At the end of week 2 you should have…
- A complete track with all your parts laid out across the arrangement timeline
- Basic mix/eq settings on some of the tracks
- An audio export of the track so far
- Written notes of areas that you need to work on

So my Week 2 didn't quite go to plan. Due to a mix of work and family commitments, I managed to get very little time working on the track, so didn't make as much progress as I would have liked. Plus, on one of my longer sessions, I ended up down a rabbit hole trying to get the hi hats working 'better' which is the type of thing I was telling myself I needed to stop doing!

So lesson learnt, I've told myself not to do it again

Now onto Week 3 to try and make up some time...

Here's the plan for this week:

Week 3 – Finish writing the track

The overall aim this week is to take the basic track you have from the end of week 2, listen to it over several sessions and decide if anything isn’t working and needs tweaking, replacing or just removing.

This is the middle week and the real filling in the sandwich! It’s now that you start committing to your ideas to make up your final track, finalising sound design, adding all the little ear candy parts and start thinking about transitions, automation and the overall mix.

Make a start by working on the items you identified in your list at the end of week 2. Then repeat the following process, as often as you can or is needed.

At the end of every day or session:
1. Export the audio, take a break then listen to it away from your studio/DAW, on a different set of speakers

2. Also listen to it alongside your reference tracks

3. Make notes on what you want to add/remove/change:
Write down how long you think you should commit to making each change in minutes
Try to estimate in 5 min chunks and no single item should take longer than 25 minutes

4. Before your next session, go through the list a pick one or more item to work on where the total time you have estimated is no longer than 25 mins.

5. If you’re planning on working on the track for more than 30 mins, then repeat the process grouping the tasks into chunks of 25 minutes

6. Start your session, set a timer for 25 minutes and start working on the first batch of items

7. When the 25 minutes is up, stop and take a 5 minute break away from your DAW and other music/sound to reset your brain and ears

8. If you didn’t finish, start your timer again and work on them for another 25 mins

9. If you’ve still not finished, try and improve your estimations

10. Take another 5 minute break and then work on the next batch of tasks

11. At the end of the session, loop back up to point 1 above by exporting the audio and repeat…

All the above steps can be tweaked to work in a way that might suit you better.

At the end of week 3 your track should be pretty much finished in terms of composition and also starting to sound more like a finished track. Specially you should have;

- Finished all track elements including transitions & fx

- Laid out the final arrangement

- Started to add insert and send/return effects and making some basic mix decisions/adjustments

Thought it was about time I posted an audio file of the work in progress - think I still need to take one or two elements out, but I'm (relatively) happy with the parts I've got in there. Arrangement is just in broad blocks for now and my next focus is on a rough mix and starting to finalise the arrangement sections and think about transitions.

https://community.producertech.com/simon-unsigned/uploaded_audio/222/35days-track

Nightmare week! worked on a really good session, tweaked quite a few elements and was really happy with how it was sounding then... Ableton froze and crashed! I'm not sure why but I didn't even get the option to recover my set after rebooting. Hasn't crashed in ages so I guess I was due one, but gutted the recover set didn't work.

So lesson learnt - hit CTRL+S every 15 minutes! I made a note of all the things I could remember doing and tried to re-do it in my next session, but it just didn't sound as good as I remember from the previous session (might just have been a psychologic thing?).

But anyway, still trying to make up for lost time, I think I'm about a week behind where I should be now and onto week 4...

The aim of week 4 is to just carry on with the same workflow and reach a point where the structure of the track is fully finished, so all the little fx, transitions and the automations are in place. And you should start to listen back to the reference tracks more as you start mixing the track.

The main workflow steps are:
- Work on the track
- Export the audio
- Take a break
- Listen to the audio and make a note of things to work on in your next session

If you've created a rough mix as you go, it will be just a case of moving it along.

Or you might want to take a step back and reset a few things or try a technique such as setting levels to pink noise.

By the end of week 4 you should have a finished track that is mixed so you can export it and compare to your reference tracks (ideally gain matched) on as many different systems as you can.
updated by @simon-unsigned: 03/21/22 12:57:23PM

so nothing new to report as I've not managed to get any time working on the track this week. So I've just told myself to think of it as hitting the pause button for a week.

Lesson learnt - Despite being busy with other things, I can't keep telling myself I don't have the time to work on music - I do, but need to be more self-disciplined to commit the time, even if it's just a 15 or 30 minute session.

Hi, I only just read this message stream from the top and was thinking hell yes I'm up for that. Although looks like this ship may have sailed.
How are people's tracks coming along?

I made a new years resolution to write one track a month for the year. So as of end of March I've just finished the first full track. So need to work hard to get back on schedule. Just finished watching Rob's arrangement course and am now ultramotivated to bang out the next one.
I'm 2 days in and have all my sounds roughly in place (will do some surgery -eq and chopping over the next few days and hope to be ready to start arranging properly Monday 5th April.
I'm going for DnB having previously tried this style a few times and given up in the past.
Hope to listen to you all soon..

I've had literally zero time in the last 2 months, but I'm completely up for catching up next week once the PT Intensive event is out the way. I'll update you all on the Arab Trap track next week, see if I can get it done...

@smillington glad to hear you liked the arrangement course and now feel inspired to put the techniques to use! Let us know how the DnB goes....

Also, DnB producer Creatures is doing a livestream next week and dropping a new course, so plenty more DnB inspiration to come! The techniques shown in his course (Keeping Production Simple) are applicable to all genres though too.

A little later than anticipated but I had a go....Sorry its quite long!

Wanted to learn more about Loopcloud and trying to produce tracks in different keys to learn some music theory!

Didn't quite make it in 35 days but real life gets in the way all too often! 

https://community.producertech.com/d-rat/uploaded_audio/232/something-in-d-minor-in-35-days
updated by @nigel: 04/12/22 04:35:36PM

I don't know if anyone saw but Rob's running a 7 Day Intensive Fast Track production course, where you make a track in just 7 days! bit of a challenge compared to 35 but still worth a shot i reckon 

That's more for beginners though, so is a bit too easy for the people on this thread. Watch this space for an advanced one we're putting together later in the year though...