If we’re going to be real here, it’s likely that most of us have hoards of unfinished tracks sitting on our hard drives. It’s so easy to lay down a solid 8-bar loop for a song’s foundation, thinking that it’ll unfold into an incredible song, only to realize that the day never comes.Â
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My goal is to help you arrange your loops into full-fledged songs, so you can stop getting stuck in the loop.Â
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Start Simple
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When starting a new song, we recommend keeping it simple.
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Maybe a nice drum loop will be enough to get the blood flowing.Â
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The great thing about the “starting simply” approach is that there are near-endless possibilities for expanding your track into something new and inspiring.Â
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If your loop feels congested from the moment you begin, it can put a dampen your inspiration and motivation to continue working with it. In fact, it might feel like you reach the song’s peak point a bit too soon.Â
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Allow your simple loop to build slowly into the pinnacle or your arrangement.Â
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Structure Your Loop Like a Song
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Once you have your simple loop going, you start imagining how it might look if it was structured like a song.
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Of course, every genre has a unique set of patterns and structures that integrate best with the style. While you can certainly break these boundaries and go with what your instincts tell you, we recommend using these tried and true structure to start.Â
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Embrace certain cliches before breaking the rules.
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For example, you could go with the typical pop or EDM structure:Â
- Intro
- Verse/Breakdown
- Drop/Chorus
- Verse/Breakdown 2
- Drop/Chorus 2
- Bridge/Cool Down
- Drop/Chorus 3
- Outro
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You can use the marker points in FL Studio like the ones above to easily see where each section of your song should be. Most verses and choruses are built using 8 or 16-bar loops.Â
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Once you get a good 8-bar loop going, you can simply copy and paste it across your timeline to fill the various marked sections before adding or taking things away from the loop in broad strokes, depending on the part of the song.Â
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Subtractive Arrangement
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Let’s say you start out with an eight-bar loop that’s using several musical elements. While that eight-bar loop might sound incredible, you obviously can’t just play it 20 times and get away with it.Â
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However, by duplicating that loops and using subtractive arrangement, you can easily flesh out a full track in minutes.
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Start by zooming out in your session and duplicating your loop until you have roughly 120 seconds or three minutes (average length of a pop song) full of material.Â
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Then go through and begin taking away certain elements from each individual eight bar loop until you build a narrative.Â
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Here’s an example:
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- First 8-Bar Loop – Start with only drums and bass for the first eight bars
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- Second 8-Bar Loop – Introduce chords and percussion in the next eight bars and remove the bass from the last two bars
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- Third 8-Bar Loop – Have all of your elements playing together to act as the chorus. Maybe consider making this 16 bars, adding elements slowly as it progresses.Â
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From there, you can keep going as you please. Obviously, there are an infinite number of ways to approach this, though the main point is having a dynamic song with ebbs and flows.Â
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Use Strong Transitions
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One of the ways amateur producers often fail to make their songs sound professional is forgetting to utilize transitions to help their songs flow.Â
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While there are several was to create transitions in your music, here are some that I often utilize when producing my music:
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Adding or Removing Production Elements
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This is a very handy tip for creating dynamics in your tracks.Â
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For example, if you have a sub bass and a top bass, you can take the sub bass out of your verses so that it has more impact when the chorus kicks in.Â
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You can also take your drums out of the mix before going into a chorus or drop to make the initial impact of the chorus sound bigger. Experiment with adding and removing elements as your track progresses.
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Filter for Impact
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Filtering can be very effective for keeping the story moving forward.
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For example, you might slowly filter the top end off of the verses until the chorus kicks in to make it sound more energetic. Coming out of a chorus, you might filter the bottom end on an interlude before the next verse to tell the listener they are returning to the quieter portion of the song.Â
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Insert a Swell, Sweep, or Reversed Sound
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There’s no better way to create drama and suspense during a transition than with a quality swell, sweep, or reversed sound.Â
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There are so many great FX samples online for these purposes, though you can also make your own if you’re feeling creative.Â
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For example, you might consider using your vocal track to create a reversed reverb vocal that shoots the listener into the drop of the chorus or take one of your cymbal crashes and reverse it to move the listener through various sections of the track.Â
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Learning from the Masters
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I firmly believe that one of the best ways to grow as a producer is to try and imitate your favorite producers and artists. Naturally, your musical identity will unfold out of that discovery process.Â
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One way that you can do this is by imitating the song structure of one of your favorite songs. You can then start coming up with your own parts that have a similar feel or timbre.Â
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If you’re having a hard time creating something that is completely unique, you can always alter the original parts of your favorite track.Â
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For example, you can use the same instruments but change the chord progression, use a different kick and snare pattern, or rearrange the various sections of the song.Â
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You can even set up the market points in FL Studio to emulate the structure of your reference track.
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It may take a bit of time to notice improvement here, though after a little while of trying to emulate the work of your favorite artists, you’ll have a much easier time developing your own arrangements.Â
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PRO TIP: I often find that it’s helpful to put on a pair of headphones and listen closely to the arrangement to see when elements are being added and taken away, or what the elements being used are. In doing so, you’ll be able to build a “palette,” so to speak, to give yourself boundaries to stay inside for the initial arrangement development.Â
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Utilize Music Theory
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With a basic understanding of how chords and melodies work in the context of a song, you can learn how to quickly develop parts that will make your song flow together.
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While music theory certainly isn’t essential, it can be wildly helpful.
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For example, let’s say that you’re starting your loop in a major key, and this major key loop becomes your verse and chorus. To change it up for the bridge, you might try and introduce a relative minor for a smooth but contrasting transition. The same thing applies to a loop using a minor key.Â
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It’s a nice trick to help you get ideas flowing when you’re not sure what your next move is.Â
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You may also consider using modulation to spice up your track. Understanding how to create tension and release using chords that abruptly modulate can enhance the quality of your music.Â
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In pop music, you truly only need two to three themes or sections in any given song.Â
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FAQ
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How Do You Make a Good Intro To a Song?
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If you already have the rest of your material written, then developing a good intro should not be rocket science. Of course, there are plenty of ways to go about crafting an intro, so I’ll give you some common methods to start.
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- Consider removing all of the rhythmic elements of your song so you only have background synths or a vocal melody
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- Slowly filter into your verse using a four-bar loop and some riser FX
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- Play the main melody on a different instrument
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Of course, you could also forget the intro altogether and go straight to the verse!
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Should I Use Templates When Making Music?
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Absolutely! Using a template is an excellent way to keep your productions moving forward, as you spend less time having to dwell on the millions of arrangement possibilities. Most listeners enjoy songs that are structured similarly, so sticking to a template format that works (at least to start), is one of the best things you can do.Â
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Make sure to check out our wide selection of high-quality templates over at FL Tips. You’ll find templates for future house, trap, and more!Â
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Where Can I Get The Best Loops?
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There are hundreds of great websites to find high-quality loops you can start arranging with. Some of the top places to find loops include:
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- Splice
- Loopmasters
- Cymatics
- ADSR
- Looperman
- Loopcloud
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We also have a collection of loops and samples here at FL Tips, including beats, vocals, melodies, and moreÂ
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Final Thoughts – Stepping Out of the Loop
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One of the best pieces of advice I can give any producer is to always move forward.Â
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It’s easy to get caught up on the small things and become overwhelmed by the seemingly endless possibilities.Â
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Set your market points for structure, use reference tracks for inspiration, and find unique ways to transition from section to section to maintain listener interest. You’ll be surprised how quickly your tracks start coming together this way.Â
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Make sure to keep an eye out for our upcoming arrangement course and check out all of our other production and mixing courses on the FL Tips website.Â
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