You make dance music, but where is your metronome?

If you want to make dance music, you want to make music that makes people move their bodies. To achieve that, you definitely don't want to confuse them too much. So how do we make sure the audience is never lost, never stops dancing? Your music's internal metronome!

But not all genres use the same type of metronome - are you aware of what the appropriate metronome is in your genre?

Contents:
0:00 Where is your metronome?
0:40 The techno metronome
1:10 The Drum n Bass metronome
2:27 What to do if your composition is messy
3:33 Adding a reese bassline
4:24 Martin Ku's example that triggered the video
5:18 Summary and next steps

[shawnmurphy]

Until this video, I didn't realize that you can create swing with a physical metronome by tilting it.

[cavedwellersound]

I learned so much in this lesson, thanks!

[patrickrowe]

You are the best musical production tutor online

[rodrigobola]

What are the top 20 techno artist that you love and why? Can you make a video? I always wonder what are those who you like and what makes them spacial for you.

[FriendofWigner]

I remember a few years back when my sibs took me to a club for my birthday. It was supposed to be Dubstep, but 4/5 artists just seemed to be doing build-ups and drops. At some point I went outside to have a smoke and complained that they spent so much time showing of their "mad skills" that they completely ignored setting down a dance-able beat.

It's kind of like the guitar virtuoso that will spend five minutes straight shredding over a backing track; it's very impressive playing, but rubbish song writing.

[JimJohnMarks]

What I learned in this video is, if you hold a metronome slightly angled, it will give you a perfectly syncopated beat.

[NNokia-jzjb]

Metronome is a button in or near your transport buttons. 😂

[ANHN_Project]

Strangely enough, for me D'n'B metronome is snare or (sometimes) clap. It hits on 2'nd and 4'th beat. Hi-end in Jungle and "Jungle-like" D'n'B can swing, kick is sincopated and "melded" with sub. But snare always give me halfstep pulse for dancing.

Happy holydays, Oscar. Thank's 4 your work!

[OmarP]

I would like to share a very basic technique that always works for this:
The basic structure of your track has to be something hummable, you don't need to know how to beat-box, but you have to be able to articulate through simple syllables the backbone rhythm of your track.... I think this is the best way not to get lost in adding layers which often don't add anything...

[philfiebz]

Great video. Could be really interesting to look at metronomes from other genres and applying them to whatever genre you like to produce. This will spark inspiration for sure. Today I feel the need for some hard-hitting techno: “Somniac One – Midnight Intruder” and “MRD – Fastlane”. Enjoy and play them loud.

[StarWarsCollective]

Such a big help mate. Inspiring me to get back into making music and having fun again.

[drottningu]

That was sick Martin!! Thanks for the awesome tips as always, and Happy New Year Oscar!

[DANItypebeat]

very good video ! im long time follower but this one was best for me because you had good passionate eneregy about what you're talking about.great way to produce content :DD

[GizzyDillespee]

Where TF were you during the first wave of IDM and glitch, when you really might've made a difference?! I'm too old to dance all night now, but I remember... I swear that was the reason festies started using 2 stages, once they got big enough. Wandering back and forth between the idm and the bad trip room, and it's like, I just want... i want to... "Do you need water?" No... i just want to.... just wanna... "Do you just want to dance?" YES! That's it! So, finally there would be a chill out room, a floor that sounded like the future, and a floor where you could dance. In hindsight, it all makes sense.

I remember it would switch, depending on the DJ - it's not like each floor had to play one type of music. Obviously it depended on how the promoter organized it... but anyway... my point was, that at one point, there actually WAS a market for dance music you couldnt really dance to!😅 I'd be a little surprised if it wasn't still a thing, just like house, dnb, trance, etc. Also, i approve when people mislabel their music's genre, whether knowingly or un, because I hope artificial intelligence keeps getting weirder, and mislabeled music will aid that effort.

[alexmarxer]

went 5, 6, 7, 8 and, when the reese baseline hit🎉🎉 4:00

[cassettedisco]

EXCELENTE APORTE AMIGO FELIZ AÑO NUEVO DESDE LA TIERRA DEL TACO MEXICO!!!!

[c.augustin]

Astonishing how a rather simple (syncopated) beat makes my feet move, even as I'm sitting at my computer … 😁 Simple demonstration, great effect! Now I actually should start to make some techno music – but I'm just watching for fun (to get a better understanding of what I'm drawn to when listening). If I would start to create at some point, I would definitely revisit all your stuff (and even consider your courses)! 👍

[reetut]

Super video! Have you got the new ableton 12 already?😮

[thoMart]

I just can and have to say cool your videos bam!

[paradigmshifter]

Ok i wasnt sure how to use it i keot it turned off all the time😊