element

Kick

Melody
Extra melody lines

Clap or snare

hi-hats
percussion
rides

the rhythm lead

bass

more elements

breakdown
transitions
build up

uplifters
more layers
intro effects
extra information
main part of the song. Should sound heavy.
In EDM it is 4/4 beat.
use the music theory to produce the melody.
Key, scale and chords
Create some extra melody variations, to be used throughout the song
on the second and forth beat
use more layers of claps and snares to give some extra effect
on 16th notes, between the kick
build extra layer of hi-hats to give more effect
you can use each instrument for this, and put it on end of each bar
used to build up the tension. Place them on each beat
can be the same as the melody with another instrument, or an extra
element to supplement the melody
use the chords of the track to build the bass line (on 0, 1 or 2 octave)
use some fx and put this on every second bar for example to give some
extra impulse to the song
create some breakdown elements (chords, bass line, arpegiator,
variation of the melody, etc) this will be used during the break of the
song, and some places in the drop and other areas
use sweepers, risers or down sweepers to form the transitions
extra drums, noise, uplifters, etc used to go to climaxes in the song
use uplifters between the sections of the song
rising up the pitch, snare rolls, etc.
use extra lead layers to give the sound more room
use some extra effects to start the song
Arrangement

Intro1 (1 to 32)
Intro2 (33 to 64)
Breakdown (65 to 96)
Drop (97 to 128)
Outro (129 to 160)

work flow steps

copy/past the 8 bar loop 20 times along the whole
track
empty elements
breakdown
transitions
build up
uplifters
more layers
intro effects
elements used in this part
kick, intro lead, lead layer, uplifter at the end, clap, hi-hat, pecussion, snare and
transition effects.
kick, melody, lead, clap, hihat, snare, percussion, transition effects
breakdown elements, lead, uplifter, transition effects
all elements accept for the breakdown elements
fading out and taking elements out systematically

extra information

take out the elements that are not required in each part
create the breakdown part
make a transition of 8 bars and use througout the song
create this part of the song and use between intros, before drop and before outro
place the uplifters before intro2, breakdown and drop
add more layers to the lead and other elements that require more layers
put the intro effects in place with the introl lead and melody
work flow step

pre mixing

zero phase
leveling

panning

eq + compression

grouping
break and review
reverb

sidechaining

automation

verification
mastering
extra information
remove the non-required low end of some channels, remove any microphone
pops or clicks and add compression if needed
setting all channels' volume to zero. Leave the busses (grouped instruments)
open, as otherwise there is no sound when a channel will be opened
use the faders, eq and compression when opening each instrument track
first: kick drum and sub-bass
mix kick to -12 db and then the sub-bass
use sidechain, so kick and sub-bass do not collide
two: snare, clap (layerd - a bus compressor glues them together)
three: hi-hats
four: percussion, rides and shakers
group them (including the hi-hats) add channel eq and compressor
sidechain to have a pumping effect
five: melody
boost around 4khz
eq and compression if required
six: bass
eq (middle, high bass) to make the lead stand out (frequency sweeping)
seven: effects and remaining channels
make sure that these do not mask other elements in the song
use a bus compressor and eq if you need to
you can choose the position of your instuments in the stereo field. This helps to
make more space in the stereo field, thus preventing frequency clashing.

EQ is a volume fader but for the frequency. It is the best tool to solve frequency
masking between instruments. On the other hand, the compressor is a very fast
(in milliseconds) automatic volume fader. We used eq and compression in the
previous steps, but here we are going to refine the settings and make sure that
audio clarity is maximized, and every instrument heard correctly.
Don't EQ "just"to EQ
It is used to carve out space for instruments to fit in the mix and giving each
channel its place in the mix.
use the sweeping technique to find the frequency you need to cut/boost
using a compressor in the track:
Maintaining an even and onsistent volume
mostly used on vocal where the timbre moves in frequency
changing the waveform of an element.
To make elements sounds longer
for creative purpose: sidechain, to create pumping effect
By grouping, you put similar tracks together to have more control over them when
you add compression or eq. Moreover, as a bonus they'll have a better visual
structure so you will really see what goes where.
take a break after some time of mixing, to avoid your ears get tired.
Refers to the way sound waves reflect off various surfaces before reaching the
listner's ear. It is used to create space for instruments. Use it on tracks for
creativity and on busses to glue sounds together.
When you remove the reverb from the track, you must feel that there is
something missing.
mostly effective with a compressor that is sidechaned to another channel (kick
drum for example).
The listener should be entertained, by adding regular changes to the track. Use
automation on different paramters, to change the track.
Used to increase energy of the track and build ups.
Listen to your track again using alternative monitoring systems and make notes
and finalize track.
Use a mastering suite before sending it to the listener.