Beats, melodies, layers

1.How songs consist of beats, melodies, layers

Instrument Part	What it does
Vocal or Synth Lead	A clear sound providing the main, catchy melody or tune of the song.
Pad	Sustained sound, used to create atmosphere and support chords, filling out the background of the track.
Arp (Arpeggiator)	Constant and regular notes of a played chord in a repeating, looping sequence, adding rhythmic movement.
Bassline	Low-frequency instrument that combines with the beats (drums) to give the foundational rhythm.
Beats (Drums)	The rhythmic backbone of the song.

2.Programming beats in Session View

These are the common Tempos for different genres of music (source Learning Music by Ableton)

Dub: 60-90 bpm
Hip-hop: 60-100 bpm
House: 115-130 bpm
Techno/trance: 120-140 bpm
Dubstep: 135-145 bpm
Drum and bass: 160-180 bpm

2A. Prepare a new Project

Start a new, blank Project (File - New)
Turn the Master level to -12 to avoid clipping
Increase your computer's main volume level if necessary
Make sure you are in Session View (vertical)

These are the parts of the drum kit

1. Kick drum

2. Snare

3. Low tom

4. Mid tom

5. High tom

6. High Hat

7. Crash

8. Ride

2B. Try making your own beat

1. Drag of one the Drums onto a blank MIDI Track

(Tip: use 909 Core Kit for dance music, 808 Core Kit for hip hop, LD Core Kit for pop)

2. In this MIDI Track, double click to create a blank MIDI Clip

3. In the Clip View, right click on the top right hand corner, make sure the Fixed Grid = 1/16th

4. Click on the Drawing (Pencil) Tool in top right corner so you can use your mouse to draw in notes

Draw Tool, Computer MIDI Keyboard, View Selector

5. Create a Clip using any of these patterns below, or your own pattern. Click on the image to see it full size. Set your Tempo according to the BPM recommended.

Hip Hop, 90 bpm, use 808 kit

Indie Disco, 124 bpm, use 909 kit

Major Lazer, 98 bpm, use 909 kit

Rock / Synthwave Beat , 120 bpm, use LD kit

Trap Beat, 140 bpm, use 808 kit

6. Once you have created a MIDI clips you can Duplicate copies of the clip, and create variations.

7. You can switch between MIDI clips in the same MIDI Track by clicking on them as the play

3.Programming melodies and layers in Session View

3A. Try adding a melody

1. Click on Sounds, then for Type choose Lead, and for Character choose Bright. Drag any one of the Sounds (a.k.a. Presets) onto a new MIDI Track

2. Double click to create a blank MIDI Clip

3. Increase the length of the MIDI Clip to 4 bars (measures) by changing Length to 4.0.0

4. In the Clip View, click on the top right hand corner, make sure the Fixed Grid = 1/16th (see above if you need a picture)

5. Using the mouse and Drawing (Pencil) tool, draw in your own melody, or use this melody below as an example (tap on the image to see in full size)

Melody

3B. Optional - use a MIDI controller to record your playing

1. Arm the track

2. From the Menu, choose Edit - Record Quantization, and set it to Sixteenth-Note Quantization

3. Set the Metronome to give you

Count In of 1 Bar
Enable Only While Recording

4. If you don't have a MIDI Controller, you can also use your laptop keyboard if the Laptop Keyboard button (top right) is activated. These are the keys

5. Click the Record (dark circle) to record, Stop (square) to stop recording, Play (triangle) to play back. You can also click the Session Record (empty circle) to add on notes ("overdub") in the same clip

Play - Stop - Record buttons

3C. Try adding a bassline

"Basslines are patterns of low-pitched notes. They often serve to reinforce a song's chords, while also using interesting rhythmic patterns that relate to or contrast with the drums" - Ableton, Learning Music

1. For an upbeat dance / EDM / house etc song, click on Sounds, then for Type choose Bass, and for Character choose Punchy. Drag any one of the Sounds (a.k.a. Presets) onto a new MIDI Track

2. Alternatively for a slower hip-hop / trap song, click on Sounds, then for Type choose Bass or 808 Bass, and for Character choose Basic

3. In the Clip View, right click on the top right hand corner, make sure the Fixed Grid = 1/16th (see above if you need a picture)

4. Using the mouse and Drawing (Pencil) tool, draw in your own bassline, or use the basslines below as an example (tap on the image to see in full size). Take note that the notes are in low octaves i.e. they are A0, E1, F1, C1, because that's where basslines do their work.

Sustained Bassline example 1 (A, E, F, C) - suitable for hip hop or pop at 90 BPM

Bouncy Bassline example 2 (A, E, F, C) - suitable for EDM or dance at 128 BPM

More ideas and examples for Basslines

We've collected some good articles on this topic on our blog

https://emlblog.blogspot.com/2018/06/instrumentation-how-to-make-beats-and.html

4.Basic music theory for starting electronic music: bars, beats, semiquavers, scales, transposition

1. Ableton Live 12 has a Scale Mode which helps you know which notes to use. This is explained in the Fold and Scale section in the Ableton Live 12 manual

2. This is where you activate the Scale mode