Song Intros
If you think of a song as an arrangement of layers of audio, then it makes most sense to begin a track with one or two layers. Instead of jumping right into a beat, it helps to ease the listener into the song. The intro gives the listener an idea of what the rest of the song will be like. It sets the mood, and at raves or other dance parties, it gives dancers a chance to catch their breath and rest for a bit.
If you are writing a downtempo or ambient song, it’s good to start the track out with sound effects with lots of delay on them. Try finding some sounds from the special effect presets on your synth. You want to ‘hook’ the listener from the first few seconds of your track. I can’t tell you how many producers start their tracks with a basic drum loop that stretches on way too long before anything interesting happens. In my opinion, that’s a very boring way to start a track (ok, it can be helpful for DJ’s, but still…)
August 13th, 2007 at 11:00 am
Or perhaps some people just need to generate a couple different mixes: one for DJs and one for listening?
Now if I could just get someone to add a few more hours to my day…
August 21st, 2008 at 10:18 am
Usually “Loopy” intros are made for dj’s, the track should really “start” at the beginning of the first breakdown, or when the vocal or the main sound of the track kicks in.
its not “helpful” for dj’s, its how you can beat-mix, I personally often use the loopy part of the track im mixing in DURING the other track, more energy by layering different drums, and people who knows the track can start screaming before it really kicked in! =)