7 ms·

Someone should make an online "real book" for electronic music production, with a bunch of popular beats and instructions for how to reproduce them in a DAW. Do

Someone should make an online "real book" for electronic music production, with a bunch of popular beats and instructions for how to reproduce them in a DAW. Does such a thing exist?

hrnnnnnn 6y ago
Not quite what you're asking for, but it's really good. https://makingmusic.ableton.com/ https://makingmusic.ableton.com/
JoeyJoJoJr 6y ago
Yes! I am surprised there isn’t a definitive source for common sequencer beats and grooves.
- matthewh806 6y ago
  There are some older books like: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Machine-Patterns-Leonard-Publishing-Corporation/dp/0881888877/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Machine-Patterns-Leonard-Publishing... which is just tabulating lots of common rhythm patterns from a wide number of genres. and some more modern ones like: https://op-forums.com/t/pocket-operations-a-portable-book-of-drum-machine-patterns/14650 https://op-forums.com/t/pocket-operations-a-portable-book-of... Neither of these are online though and would be well suited to it I agree. A quick search also came up with: http://808.pixll.de/ http://808.pixll.de/ which has drum patterns uploaded by users for popular songs
  - JoeyJoJoJr 6y ago
    I already have the Pocket Operations book - it’s great. Thanks for those other links.
- emmanueloga_ 6y ago
  not a definitive resource but recently learn about the pretty cool https://hiphoptranscriptions.com/ https://hiphoptranscriptions.com/
flycaliguy 6y ago
Attack Magazine has a section called Beat Dissected which teaches sub-genre beat making. https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/beat-dissected/ https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/beat-dissected/
- Slow_Hand 6y ago
  Will second. This is about as granular and well put-together as I’ve seen for teaching electronic beat-making. It’s sometimes hard to do this because oftentimes in electronic music the sound or technique can rely on a quirk of the specific synth or sample. Attack do a great job considering.
matthewh806 6y ago
There is a book called "The Theory and Technique of Electronic Music" written by Miller Puckette (creator of Max / Pure Data visual programming languages). That is quite heavy on the mathematical side though - really is more like the title suggests the theory underlying the DSP. Ableton have some online content like https://learningmusic.ableton.com/ https://learningmusic.ableton.com/ which is laid out in chapter form and uses https://tonejs.github.io/ https://tonejs.github.io/ for browser synthesis / sequencing etc
- cousin_it 6y ago
  That's more like textbooks though. I was talking more about a tune by tune cheatsheet. That would probably involve some shorthand notation (does that exist?)
  - matthewh806 6y ago
    yeah, fair point about the Miller Puckette book - that is indeed a full on textbook. Check some of the Ableton chapters a bit more closely though - https://learningmusic.ableton.com/make-basslines/good-life.html https://learningmusic.ableton.com/make-basslines/good-life.h... is this not something like you're referring to? Has a grid with the midi notes in place arranged just like you'd see in a DAW. I think they have an exporter for the MIDI into ableton as well
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
jontutcher 6y ago
Not what you asked, but a digital version of the current Real Book does exist and makes common appearances on band stands! https://www.irealpro.com/ https://www.irealpro.com/
indigochill 6y ago
Syntorial is a comprehensive hands-on introduction to subtractive (IIRC?) synth programming (not DSP programming, but fiddling knobs like you would in a typical commercial soft synth), including add-ons specifically for popular commercial soft synths like Massive. Their forum also encourages people to share synths they hear in popular music and help each other recreate the sound. They also produce Building Blocks, which is all about music theory and composition and teaches some basic beats (and, more importantly, I think, how to think about beats so that it becomes easier to recreate ones you hear from scratch).
- uxcolumbo 6y ago
  Both are by the same creator - great resource: Building Blocks - https://www.audiblegenius.com/ https://www.audiblegenius.com/ Syntorial - https://www.syntorial.com/ https://www.syntorial.com/
borepop 6y ago
Attack Magazine put out a book called The Secrets of Dance Music Production, which has some fairly good "beat starter" breakdowns of how a 16-step beat would be sequenced different styles of electronic music, such as deep house, tech-house, trance, etc. https://store.attackmagazine.com/products/the-secrets-of-dance-music-production https://store.attackmagazine.com/products/the-secrets-of-dan...
squeaky-clean 6y ago
Other commenters have mentioned books with beats and patterns in them. While we're at it, here is a great one for classic (and not-so-classic) synthesizer sounds. "Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook" https://www.synthesizer-cookbook.com/ https://www.synthesizer-cookbook.com/
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
biggieshellz 6y ago
They had them for Minimoogs, where you could buy a book of patches with the control settings to get different sounds, including those from some popular songs: http://www.synthzone.com/midi/moog/minimoog/MINIMOOG%20PATCH%20BOOK.pdf http://www.synthzone.com/midi/moog/minimoog/MINIMOOG%20PATCH... But that doesn't convey the melody/harmony/rhythm, only the sound design.
scarecrowbob 6y ago
An issue I have with this is that most of the electronic music I produce isn't really so much trying to follow a melody or harmony, but is mostly "new stuff". However, I have been playing keys in a Pink Floyd cover band for the last two months, and that process of both learning the parts and, more interestingly, programming patches in my synths to mimic the stuff has been fun. I just programmed the patch for "Brain Damage" this afternoon, and I've been finding various walkthroughs and tutorials very helpful, even if the basic tones (mostly saws and squares with a ladder filter) are pretty easy. I really like fakebooks, but Youtube has kind of obviated the need for the various textbooks that were popular in the 80s, at least for me.

Someone should make an online "real book" for electronic music production, with a bunch of popular beats and instructions for how to reproduce them in a DAW. Does such a thing exist?

hrnnnnnn 6y ago

Not quite what you're asking for, but it's really good. https://makingmusic.ableton.com/ https://makingmusic.ableton.com/

JoeyJoJoJr 6y ago

Yes! I am surprised there isn’t a definitive source for common sequencer beats and grooves.

matthewh806 6y ago
There are some older books like: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Machine-Patterns-Leonard-Publishing-Corporation/dp/0881888877/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Machine-Patterns-Leonard-Publishing... which is just tabulating lots of common rhythm patterns from a wide number of genres. and some more modern ones like: https://op-forums.com/t/pocket-operations-a-portable-book-of-drum-machine-patterns/14650 https://op-forums.com/t/pocket-operations-a-portable-book-of... Neither of these are online though and would be well suited to it I agree. A quick search also came up with: http://808.pixll.de/ http://808.pixll.de/ which has drum patterns uploaded by users for popular songs
- JoeyJoJoJr 6y ago
  I already have the Pocket Operations book - it’s great. Thanks for those other links.
emmanueloga_ 6y ago
not a definitive resource but recently learn about the pretty cool https://hiphoptranscriptions.com/ https://hiphoptranscriptions.com/

flycaliguy 6y ago

Attack Magazine has a section called Beat Dissected which teaches sub-genre beat making. https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/beat-dissected/ https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/beat-dissected/

Slow_Hand 6y ago
Will second. This is about as granular and well put-together as I’ve seen for teaching electronic beat-making. It’s sometimes hard to do this because oftentimes in electronic music the sound or technique can rely on a quirk of the specific synth or sample. Attack do a great job considering.

matthewh806 6y ago

There is a book called "The Theory and Technique of Electronic Music" written by Miller Puckette (creator of Max / Pure Data visual programming languages). That is quite heavy on the mathematical side though - really is more like the title suggests the theory underlying the DSP. Ableton have some online content like https://learningmusic.ableton.com/ https://learningmusic.ableton.com/ which is laid out in chapter form and uses https://tonejs.github.io/ https://tonejs.github.io/ for browser synthesis / sequencing etc

cousin_it 6y ago
That's more like textbooks though. I was talking more about a tune by tune cheatsheet. That would probably involve some shorthand notation (does that exist?)
- matthewh806 6y ago
  yeah, fair point about the Miller Puckette book - that is indeed a full on textbook. Check some of the Ableton chapters a bit more closely though - https://learningmusic.ableton.com/make-basslines/good-life.html https://learningmusic.ableton.com/make-basslines/good-life.h... is this not something like you're referring to? Has a grid with the midi notes in place arranged just like you'd see in a DAW. I think they have an exporter for the MIDI into ableton as well
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]

jontutcher 6y ago

Not what you asked, but a digital version of the current Real Book does exist and makes common appearances on band stands! https://www.irealpro.com/ https://www.irealpro.com/

indigochill 6y ago

Syntorial is a comprehensive hands-on introduction to subtractive (IIRC?) synth programming (not DSP programming, but fiddling knobs like you would in a typical commercial soft synth), including add-ons specifically for popular commercial soft synths like Massive. Their forum also encourages people to share synths they hear in popular music and help each other recreate the sound. They also produce Building Blocks, which is all about music theory and composition and teaches some basic beats (and, more importantly, I think, how to think about beats so that it becomes easier to recreate ones you hear from scratch).

uxcolumbo 6y ago
Both are by the same creator - great resource: Building Blocks - https://www.audiblegenius.com/ https://www.audiblegenius.com/ Syntorial - https://www.syntorial.com/ https://www.syntorial.com/

borepop 6y ago

Attack Magazine put out a book called The Secrets of Dance Music Production, which has some fairly good "beat starter" breakdowns of how a 16-step beat would be sequenced different styles of electronic music, such as deep house, tech-house, trance, etc. https://store.attackmagazine.com/products/the-secrets-of-dance-music-production https://store.attackmagazine.com/products/the-secrets-of-dan...

squeaky-clean 6y ago

Other commenters have mentioned books with beats and patterns in them. While we're at it, here is a great one for classic (and not-so-classic) synthesizer sounds. "Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook" https://www.synthesizer-cookbook.com/ https://www.synthesizer-cookbook.com/

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

biggieshellz 6y ago

They had them for Minimoogs, where you could buy a book of patches with the control settings to get different sounds, including those from some popular songs: http://www.synthzone.com/midi/moog/minimoog/MINIMOOG%20PATCH%20BOOK.pdf http://www.synthzone.com/midi/moog/minimoog/MINIMOOG%20PATCH... But that doesn't convey the melody/harmony/rhythm, only the sound design.

scarecrowbob 6y ago

An issue I have with this is that most of the electronic music I produce isn't really so much trying to follow a melody or harmony, but is mostly "new stuff". However, I have been playing keys in a Pink Floyd cover band for the last two months, and that process of both learning the parts and, more interestingly, programming patches in my synths to mimic the stuff has been fun. I just programmed the patch for "Brain Damage" this afternoon, and I've been finding various walkthroughs and tutorials very helpful, even if the basic tones (mostly saws and squares with a ladder filter) are pretty easy. I really like fakebooks, but Youtube has kind of obviated the need for the various textbooks that were popular in the 80s, at least for me.