Bad Take - Creating a Track from Scratch with No Devices

Tutorial | Jan 26, 2023

In this video, I'm showing viewers how to create music from scratch using tools such as the polygrid, kick drum synthesis, noise module, filter, distortion, chorus, mod delay, step mode, auto level, ducking, wave folder, reverb, dice, clap, white noise, envelope follower and diva. I'm also demonstrating how to sprinkle samples on top for an organic sound. At the end, I offer viewers the chance to download the track on my Patreon page.

You can watch the Video on Youtube

What can you learn in this video? #

In this video, you can learn how to create music from scratch using the polygrid, kick drum, filter, modulation, noise, envelope, ADRM, step mode, auto level, voice decking, distortion, reverb, wave folder, sidechain, dice, clap, blur, samples, chords, transient control, and diva. You also learn how to use different effects such as high pass, delay, chorus, and quantizer. Additionally, you can learn how to use the level, ducking, and stereo spread to mix the track.

Can I download the track? #

Yes, you can download the track from my Patreon page.

Transcription #

If you don't want to watch the Video, or search for a specific topic, here is the transcription of the video with links to video markers:

[00:00.000] So the idea for this video is that I just make music and you watch me do music and then
[00:22.480] you comment below the video that it's actually not good what I'm doing.
[00:28.440] And so I would say I just start with the polygrid and maybe I do a kick drum and there's a pulse
[00:42.680] for that and the envelope of course and this should give me at least some kind of kick
[00:55.720] drum.
[00:56.720] And I don't want to use here the kick synthesizer by Bittrick Studio because I always use this
[01:05.080] and I want to change things up.
[01:09.080] So I'm using just the filter here and I also use a second envelope for the pitch modulation.
[01:19.120] Okay let's go here to this filter instead and pitch input here G0 that's okay.
[01:33.360] So I basically don't change the pitch here of the oscillator itself and I change the
[01:37.680] pitch on the keyboard.
[01:55.720] I think this sounds okay.
[01:58.240] I can use a bit of distortion on that just to get some harmonics because it's pretty
[02:10.760] with less resonance here.
[02:15.720] And we probably want to have some noise on top that I get here the noise module maybe
[02:24.760] stereo noise we probably want to high pass that stuff at the end here and maybe blend
[02:32.920] it together with the kick signal and maybe get the super low.
[02:43.600] Blend it together and we also need here an AD of course and envelope.
[03:01.000] So instead of a blend we can also use an AMRM.
[03:16.920] So for now maybe the distortion at the end here of course together with the noise.
[03:44.880] I think this is okay for now it's a kick drum so maybe we go here to 120 again make the
[03:59.120] loop a bit longer something like this and then we loop here this kick drum.
[04:13.520] And to use my auto level preset here.
[04:26.760] So if an okayish kick drum maybe I should use here the modulation or the envelope after
[04:38.160] the filter I can cut basically the resonance here short.
[04:57.960] Oh yeah we can also use this here to maybe the pitch envelope use the modulator use the
[05:22.280] pitch envelope here to change the sync.
[05:41.480] Just try out if I get some different overtones out of this.
[05:50.680] I think this should be okay here.
[05:58.840] Again modulate two times basically here with this and here with this.
[06:13.720] Maybe a different model.
[06:25.240] Okay so this is the kick drum.
[06:30.560] So now that we have this we probably want to lay down the foundation for the melodies.
[06:38.640] So I use here for the backdrop maybe a drone or a pedal tone D sharp 3 let's go for noise
[06:57.200] again and the filter SVF let's go this sleep filter AD use a clock actually yeah let's
[07:24.320] use this and we clear an output.
[07:41.760] There's a clock quantizer so we can quantize here let's do the other way around use the
[08:05.520] clock here as an input and this is a clock source.
[08:25.440] So let's use this basically as a pedal tone in the background we probably also want to
[08:31.680] use the outer level here so you can hear it better what's happening.
[08:46.320] So let's use step mode and maybe transpose attenuator and we get the modulator out.
[09:14.720] The modulator to transpose and quantizer after that and the transpose oh that's okay
[09:42.520] a sample and hold that's what we need here maybe an octaver.
[10:00.160] So now we try to use here the voice decking maybe three voices voice deck modulator and
[10:10.000] the initial voice has no modulation because we want to have a pedal tone the second voice
[10:16.160] gets 50% so we have now two voices playing the first one is playing D sharp 3 the second
[10:24.880] one is here modulated by this step mod by 50% maybe one octave lower and the third voice
[10:38.480] gets full modulation okay maybe we change also your the speed setting of the clock and the
[10:52.440] third gets also different so now we basically get some interesting rhythms with this is
[11:10.560] a mod delay and I think when we use the mod delay we basically have also three mod delays
[11:17.280] now because we have three voices let's change the mod delay settings here for
[11:33.640] each voice differently
[11:57.720] let's try out the chorus here in front of the mod delay
[12:19.600] so maybe one octave lower everything here
[12:42.360] one two to five here maybe here three and I think this better
[12:54.320] okay so here we take this approach with the transient split
[13:22.680] and we put the delay here or the reverb only on the internal part
[13:52.680] maybe you could modulate this here but with random mod
[14:16.120] we put this to hold depth and then we reset this every time we trigger so we get the random
[14:32.720] value here every time maybe delay here
[14:59.360] so let's implement your also volume slider at the end so we want to have these additional
[15:07.480] voices here a bit quieter and the pedal tone this is our root note I want to have this
[15:29.440] okay this is nice the note sidechain here I'll probably use it for that note sidechain
[15:49.320] all this down used to polycrit here I probably want to call this kick from here
[16:01.520] so maybe we create here another polycrit for some hi-hats but I want to use instead of
[16:22.680] hi-hats I want to use some clicks so use noise AD as a trigger I want to probably trigger
[16:33.320] this here 16 times each bar and the high pass here then output here then at the end and
[16:50.320] I want to use the dies every time I trigger this and change here the length of the decay
[17:06.640] and let's try an SVF here also at the end here we use this as a pitch change oh yeah
[17:25.200] maybe do this bit shorter here and then I use a step mode or actually use how can I do this
[17:44.920] I use trigger yeah and every time here every second thing
[18:13.440] and you have to reverse this so we use not so I want to basically in the offbeat I want
[18:22.720] to have a longer hi-hat something like this
[18:52.640] maybe not too long make the stereo let's try out the comfort of the mix a bit more metallic
[19:21.120] yeah and we use here this again
[19:36.640] ok this is ok
[20:05.360] do have a nice stereo click noisy track on top maybe you see also the audio auto level
[20:26.120] on that you can use this then to make it wider I pass it's not really needed but just for
[20:44.040] safety ok so let's implement some kind of baseline
[21:03.720] two voices three voices maybe a bit detuned long release time bit of distortion and we
[21:27.600] need the same mono
[21:45.720] to have here also auto level on that and we probably also need here the ducking
[22:12.280] that's a bit to stereo so we take an FX and make the sub
[22:36.280] maybe on the top here we use blur to make it stereo
[22:50.320] yeah
[23:06.060] So, bring the velocity to okay.
[23:33.060] Maybe a high pass here on top.
[24:00.060] Maybe distortion to get the dirt out.
[24:15.060] Instead of this step mode, I use a random mode.
[24:20.060] Put this to hold, use notes and then every time I trigger a note, I change the setting.
[24:49.060] Yeah, let's re-trigger and pulse.
[25:02.060] Yeah, that's better.
[25:13.060] Not much.
[25:23.060] So this is the bass for now.
[25:26.060] Other hats.
[25:40.060] Let's use a Poly-Grid to implement some lead sound here.
[25:49.060] I go also for sine and let's use feedback.
[25:59.060] Long delay, that's what I'm searching for.
[26:01.060] Long delay.
[26:04.060] ADSR.
[26:08.060] Go back in here.
[26:11.060] Use out.
[26:17.060] Okay, let's try this how it sounds.
[26:31.060] It's a wave folder and let's use some reverb.
[26:40.060] I did the reverb yesterday, I think.
[26:44.060] But I forgot the name.
[26:47.060] I wish we could sort this here by date.
[26:50.060] I would instantly see the last reverb I did.
[26:57.060] But so I have to remember the name.
[27:09.060] Completely forgot the name what I did.
[27:12.060] Oh, it was called.
[27:19.060] What's this one now?
[27:24.060] I think it was this one.
[27:38.060] It's a pretty long delay.
[27:51.060] I put this to polyphonic, 16 voices.
[28:07.060] Let's try out the chorus here in front of the wave folder.
[28:32.060] Okay, let's try it out.
[28:48.060] Let's go to the level.
[29:17.060] Okay, let's try it out.
[29:27.060] Okay, let's try it out.
[29:47.060] Let's try out the tape again.
[30:17.060] Okay, maybe I should use a dice here and change this to get some different funalities.
[30:46.060] And maybe a high pass.
[31:15.060] Yeah, maybe try and create some kind of melody.
[31:29.060] Cheesy one.
[31:56.060] I probably have to stop here the backdrop also with the select.
[32:13.060] I don't really want to play this when transport is playing.
[32:34.060] Okay, let's try it out.
[32:54.060] Let's try it out.
[33:19.060] Let's do 24 beats.
[33:28.060] I also need to do a select here.
[33:50.060] Let's try out the filter here.
[34:19.060] That's probably not minimal techno, but I don't care.
[34:40.060] Whatever it is.
[34:56.060] Let's bring in some samples here because everything is synthesized at the moment.
[35:03.060] So I'm trying out some high hats or some percussion sounds here on top.
[35:23.060] It's this one right now.
[35:41.060] That's a pretty long sample.
[36:11.060] Let's fill up the spaces here.
[36:40.060] Okay.
[36:57.060] Okay.
[37:24.060] Maybe some writes then after a certain amount of time.
[37:41.060] Right, right, right.
[37:59.060] Something like this.
[38:28.060] Maybe faster.
[38:55.060] Let's do a clap.
[39:15.060] Let's do a clap.
[39:43.060] Maybe delay.
[40:12.060] Let's try it out.
[40:41.060] And maybe a blur.
[41:10.060] I have the feeling there needs to be a better high hat on the end there.
[41:38.060] Let's try out some white noise here.
[42:08.060] And ducking on there.
[42:20.060] Maybe I put this on to group here.
[42:27.060] Maybe I put this sidechain thing on the bus.
[42:56.060] I like it.
[43:26.060] That's better.
[43:46.060] Let's try out some chords on top.
[43:48.060] I'm not sure if it fits just as a test.
[44:02.060] Let's use a different preset here.
[44:30.060] Let's try it out.
[44:59.060] Let's start on the root here.
[45:10.060] It's a suspended chord and then we go here to the fourth.
[45:37.060] It doesn't fit really.
[45:47.060] I think it's already too much.
[46:15.060] Let's try it out.
[46:44.060] Let's try it out.
[47:03.060] Good to work.
[47:25.060] So instead of the lead sound then switching here to the chords.
[47:34.060] Maybe an envelope follower.
[48:04.060] So this could be something for a track just as a draft.
[48:25.060] But I want to show you in this video how you can create certain things here.
[48:45.060] And then sprinkle some samples on top to get some organic feeling or dirt in there.
[49:06.060] You probably also can put this here on wood ball things.
[49:17.060] It's too much noise but good idea.
[49:42.060] The lower end is mono.
[49:49.060] There's probably a lot of volume fluctuation in here.
[49:54.060] But I kind of like it.
[49:56.060] I don't want to have this straight, super static bass line.
[50:04.060] I don't know.
[50:23.060] Also the backdrop here could be nice to have a tape on there.
[50:42.060] There's a lot of glue.
[50:57.060] This should be probably at some point some compressor here on the master to get this pumping feel or maybe use a transient control.
[51:27.060] I don't really like the piano in here.
[51:39.060] This also sounds not very good.
[51:52.060] I probably want to use a diva here.
[52:05.060] It's heavily used in melodic techno so far what I've seen on YouTube.
[52:11.060] Pretty much everyone uses diva for lead sounds.
[52:27.060] Sounds almost the same like my lead here goes in the same direction.
[52:45.060] I just want to give you a rough idea how to create something from scratch with no devices at all and just starting with the grids here.
[52:54.060] It's more like an inspirational video maybe for beginners or whatever.
[53:00.060] That's it for this video.
[53:02.060] I put this track again on my Patreon so you can download it if you want to and then you can play around with that if you want.
[53:12.060] That's it for the day. Thanks for watching. Leave a like, leave a subscription and leave me some questions in the comments.
[53:19.060] Thanks for watching and bye.