Notes on Transitions

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Alphagem-O
Thu Nov 25, 2021 9:54 am

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Notes on Transitions

Thank you for all your comments contributing to this thread! Here is the compiled catalog of tension/transition effects and ear candy to be used in track arrangements, leading from one segment into the next. The list is by no means complete, but should provide a basis for further inspiration. Feel free to add further tips.

There are 5 major categories of basic transition parameters. Examples for each are included. Some examples could have been assigned to more than one category. Transitions often consist of either tonal sounds, drum/percussion hits or sustained noise. Various combinations are possible.

  1. Volume
    1. successively mute drum or percussion elements; when muting the kick: can maintain sidechain trigger to create 'ghost pumping' effect
    2. slowly reduce volume to partial quiescence or complete silence
    3. volume swell of pad, drone, strings, vocal, choir etc.
    4. increasing volume of a repeating snare or hihat sequence [Audiobusters]
    5. ostentatious single splash/stab/bram/fanfare (e.g. organ, synth) on the first beat of the new segment; create energy splash by choosing a source sound in the high-mid frequency range (e.g. clap, crash, vocal slice), add huge reverb, stabilize volume over time (e.g. limiter, compressor, OTT) and add pumping (e.g. sidechaining, volume LFO); can also bounce the splash to audio, then reverse it; EQ as needed
  2. Pitch
    1. tonal pitch riser/downer; can create manually or use 'The Riser' VST; e.g. a riser by automating loop length and pitch in DirectWave; e.g. automating Time knob on the Grain tab in FL Studio's Effector
    2. pitch bend/slide audio (incl. noise); e.g. using slide notes or pitch automation; e.g. with Gross Beat time envelope, automate mix level [thehideki], automate GB Time preset slot parameter to span the effect across two or more bars
    3. gradually raise or lower pitch of a drum or percussion sound, e.g. hat, ride, clap; can use post-FX, e.g. pitch riser of washed-out fast hihat
    4. skillful harmonic changes, e.g. relating to outgoing or incoming chords, or both [N_K, clint]
  3. Timbre/frequency balance
    1. noise riser/downer, e.g. via LP or BP filter sweep; enhance by intensifying distortion; with or without LFO; can progressively increase LFO amplitude and/or speed; can create manually or use 'The Riser' VST; add effects, e.g. chorus, reverb, pan LFO; optionally consolidate the riser to audio, then reverse and tag on to the original back to back with shortened volume envelope
    2. morphing drum gestalt/timbre
    3. timbre tweaks by progressive dial-in of granular FX over drum/percussion
    4. HP or LP filter sweep over repeating drum hit sequence (e.g. kick)
    5. progressively swelling distortion, e.g. bitcrush on snare roll
    6. increasingly more squeaky acid lead by prolonging attack of LP filter envelope and augmenting filter frequency
    7. reversed cymbal followed by crash or noise splash; can create manually or use 'Rise & Hit' VST
    8. reversed sampled reverb tail of a percussion hit (e.g. clap), back to back followed by the original (forward) sound
    9. reversed sampled reverb tail of stab or lead note/chord [BinaryBorn]
    10. BP-filtered vocal + echo + reverb; can also use reversed decay tail as swell [clint]
    11. (slow) blurring with long reverb + HP sweep [Audiobusters]
    12. flanger, phaser or comb filter sweep effect [Audiobusters]
    13. consolidate multiple synchronous Playlist tracks into one audio sample, then manipulate this sample by applying reversal, pitch changes, Gross Beat time envelope, chop, playback speed, HP/LP filter, pan etc. [clint]
  4. Timing/rhythm
    1. increasing or decreasing LFO rates [Audiobusters]; can use standard LFO shapes or more complex, customized ones, e.g. generated with Fruity Envelope Controller or Fruity X-Y-Z Controller or a stack of 2-3 Fruity Formula Controllers; needs to be compatible with the groove
    2. infuse energy by slowly morphing drum pattern
    3. gradually raise decay of open hihat
    4. stutters, glitches, scratching, tape start/stop [Audiobusters], e.g. stutter a riser using a volume or time envelope in Gross Beat; e.g. can use a Trance gate on a noise riser
    5. syncopated drum or percussion fill
    6. accelerating or decelerating snare, clap or percussion roll/buildup [Audiobusters], with soft progressive pitch-up, ringing out in reverb tail
    7. apply delay to drum or percussion, increase wet/dry ratio and feedback amount, increase or decrease timing; add dub delay: send sparse, short pieces of audio (e.g. snare) into a long-lasting delay unit, place delay plugin (e.g. Fruity Delay 3) on a Send track, set 'Level' to 100% or above (can automate), set wet output to maximum (can automate), then automate send volume to only have short pieces of audio feed into the delay; can also use Gross Beat and derivatives (e.g. Gross Beat^16) for interesting pre-delay audio gating patterns; can run sound through various different effects before the gating
    8. bounce short segment (e.g. 1, 2 or 4 beats) of drum and/or percussion to audio, then reverse; chop and syncopate as desired; automate pitch
  5. Pan/stereo spread
    1. creative panning (e.g. sweep, LFO, accelerate or decelerate)
    2. increasing/decreasing stereo width [Audiobusters]

Some additional notes taken from an article at EDMProd (https://www.edmprod.com/tension/, cited by @xbitz):
  • tension, energy and release all go together and should be viewed as such
  • distinction between macro- and micro-tension, i.e. high-level and low-level observation
  • macro-tension: 3 layers: 1.) Layer 1: base, subtle, e.g. adding additional drum sounds. 2.) Layer 2: shorter than Layer 1 and more obvious, e.g. a 16-bar riser. 3.) Layer 3: most obvious or dramatic; adds most tension and energy, e.g. snare roll
  • micro-tension: the small differences: short fills, small glitches, a one-bar break, removal of a kick drum at the end of an 8-bar phrase, crash cymbal at the start of a new phrase, funky vocal stab; purpose is to maintain constant tension, keep the track moving forward, and force the listener to stay interested and engaged; also includes tension in chord progressions and melodies
  • pulling and pushing, also called tension/release, call/response, question/answer; they work in tandem; keeps the energy up and the listener interested; applies to macro- and micro-tension; in macro-tension: build-up = pull, drop = push; need to pay close attention to balancing pull and push well (they by no means have to be even though); in smaller pulls, the pull can be stronger than the subsequent push, but need to make sure that the *main* build-up does never overpower the main chorus
  • causes of tension: 1.) pitch change (including melody). 2.) change in overall frequency balance (e.g. progressive removal of low frequencies to raise attention for the arrival of a new part with higher energy; removal of high frequencies to transition into a section of lower energy, e.g. breakdown); NB: loudness contributes less to tension and more to energy. 3.) harmony (e.g. in a I – IV – V – I chord progression, the V chord builds anticipation for the I chord that’s coming next; dissonant chords or intervals; deceptive cadences; pedal tones; dominant seventh chord; suspension; harmony and melody can be structured in a certain way to build more tension. 4.) change rhythm of a particular instrument or the whole track (e.g. add a half-bar of triplets to a synth sound; change snare roll pattern to a polyrhythm halfway through); overall intention is to briefly break up the rhythmic flow
  • build into the build-up, e.g. with small noise riser, fading in instruments, reverse effect, pre-build snare roll, impact effect
  • snare roll: work out place in the mix (e.g. foreground or background); decide on length (e.g. 4 or 8 bars); can leave one free bar (silence) at the end; polyrhythmic patterns; pitch automation; layering with subtle snare drum playing 16th notes
  • risers/sweeps: work out place in the mix; decide on pitch range (e.g. 1, 5, 12 or 24 semitones); layer sustained riser with rhythmic riser; drench in reverb if harsh/abrasive sounds are undesired
  • filtering: to add extra tension and for smoothing transitions; HP on master channel possible, starting at 30 Hz and moving up to 175 Hz; important: start off subtle
  • reverb: for washout, e.g. long decay with automated dry/wet during the last 2 bars of snare roll; reverb on master channel possible when automating dry/wet and size parameters as progresses build; pitch-rise effect by pulling size of reverb down
  • energy: draw an energy map of the track; avoid energy drop-off; hold back certain elements until later in the track
  • balance contrast and consistency

Tips for macro structure (https://youtu.be/4BbO_BmyBG4):
  • escalation: in the arrangement, start slowly; as the track progresses, changes (including transitional elements) become faster and more frequent; accelerating the changes yields progressively more movement, will boost the energy and thereby keep the listener intrigued as time goes on
  • timing: place the transition earlier than the listener expects, as an element of surprise, e.g. end a segment after 6 instead of 8 bars
  • purpose of transitions: make the listener feel good, comfortable; enhance fluidity; bridge; smooth rough edges; polish the surface


EDITS: List updated and reorganized. Additional notes added. Additional edits by Saif.
Last edited by Alphagem-O on Sat Jun 25, 2022 3:29 pm, edited 12 times in total.

saif.sameer
Thu Nov 25, 2021 10:31 am

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

I always wanted to see creative smart transitio...

Alphagem-O
Sun Nov 28, 2021 1:20 pm

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX?

saif.sameer wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 10:31 am I...

clint
Sun Nov 28, 2021 2:42 pm

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

I like to highlight a bar or whatever & con...
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Alphagem-O
Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:58 am

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

Thank you, clint, this is great, especially tha...

N_K
Wed Dec 01, 2021 1:42 pm

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

Alphagem-O wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:58 am An...

Audiobusters
Wed Dec 01, 2021 4:50 pm

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

Alphagem-O wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:58 am An...

clint
Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:04 pm

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

N_K wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 1:42 pm Alphagem-O...

N_K
Fri Dec 03, 2021 10:52 am

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

clint wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:04 pm Disclaim...

Alphagem-O
Sat Dec 04, 2021 12:32 pm

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

N_K wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 1:42 pm Not sure i...

thehideki
Sat Dec 04, 2021 12:47 pm

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

I have been playing around with the idea of aut...

Alphagem-O
Sat Dec 04, 2021 2:56 pm

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

thehideki wrote: ↑Sat Dec 04, 2021 12:47 pm I h...
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SuperTRev
Sat Dec 04, 2021 5:50 pm

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

I actually really like NI's 'Rise And Hit'. An...

Audiobusters
Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:18 pm

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

Alphagem-O wrote: ↑Sat Dec 04, 2021 12:32 pmMor...

xbitz
Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:23 pm

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

the def. guide >> https://www.edmprod.com...

Alphagem-O
Sun Dec 05, 2021 1:48 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

xbitz wrote: ↑Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:23 pm the def....

clint
Mon Dec 06, 2021 5:24 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Sometimes a vocal performance can help transiti...
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clint
Tue Dec 07, 2021 4:53 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

A bit more on this.. Have the melody & chor...
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N_K
Wed Dec 08, 2021 2:49 am

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Re: Your Favorite Transition FX

Alphagem-O wrote: ↑Sat Dec 04, 2021 12:32 pm I'...

Alphagem-O
Wed Dec 08, 2021 10:31 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

clint wrote: ↑Tue Dec 07, 2021 4:53 am A bit mo...

Alphagem-O
Mon Dec 13, 2021 10:27 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

progressively swelling distortion pitch rise...

BinaryBorn
Mon Dec 13, 2021 12:05 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Close to what clint said: Record one note (or ...

Alphagem-O
Tue Dec 14, 2021 2:31 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

reversed sampled reverb tail of stab or lead n...

Audiobusters
Tue Dec 14, 2021 8:43 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Might have one more. Increasing or decreasing L...

saif.sameer
Tue Dec 14, 2021 8:52 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Out of curiosity, seeing the list of features g...

Alphagem-O
Tue Dec 14, 2021 10:40 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Audiobusters wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2021 8:43 pm M...

saif.sameer
Tue Dec 14, 2021 10:56 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Awesome then, let's count the features added so...

Alphagem-O
Tue Dec 14, 2021 11:23 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Great idea for the techniques, thanks! The addi...
Last edited by Alphagem-O on Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Audiobusters
Tue Dec 14, 2021 11:35 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Alphagem-O wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2021 10:40 pm Au...

SuperTRev
Wed Dec 15, 2021 12:23 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

saif.sameer wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2021 8:52 pm Ou...

Alphagem-O
Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:15 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Another: apply delay to drum or percussion, in...
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Last edited by Alphagem-O on Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Audiobusters
Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:28 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Alphagem-O wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:15 pm Au...

Alphagem-O
Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:35 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Audiobusters wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:28 pm ...

Alphagem-O
Tue Dec 28, 2021 8:40 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Add-ons: creative panning (e.g. sweep, LFO, a...

Alphagem-O
Thu Feb 10, 2022 4:15 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Volume: successively mute drum or percussion el...

Alphagem-O
Fri Apr 01, 2022 12:02 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

ad 2.a. tonal pitch riser/downer: e.g. a riser ...

Alphagem-O
Sat Jun 25, 2022 3:29 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

ad 1.e. ostentatious single splash/stab/bram/fa...

BnyRj
Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:03 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Alphagem-O wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 9:54 am Tha...
Last edited by BnyRj on Tue Jun 28, 2022 1:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

Alphagem-O
Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:51 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

BnyRj wrote: ↑Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:03 pm Where ca...

Audiobusters
Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:57 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Alphagem-O wrote: ↑Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:51 pm So,...

Alphagem-O
Mon Jun 27, 2022 9:16 pm

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Audiobusters wrote: ↑Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:57 pm I...

BnyRj
Tue Jun 28, 2022 1:54 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

I think we can do the following. 1) Post a You...

Alphagem-O
Tue Jun 28, 2022 5:48 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Anything goes, in principle, and in the end it ...

BinaryBorn
Tue Jun 28, 2022 6:10 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

I just looked into Rux Ton's LFG Machine (viewt...

BnyRj
Tue Jun 28, 2022 6:56 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Alphagem-O wrote: ↑Tue Jun 28, 2022 5:48 am Any...

Alphagem-O
Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:03 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

BinaryBorn wrote: ↑Tue Jun 28, 2022 6:10 am I j...

Alphagem-O
Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:18 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

BnyRj wrote: ↑Tue Jun 28, 2022 6:56 am 1 I sugg...

BnyRj
Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:39 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Musically I understand. Technically I need to l...

Alphagem-O
Tue Jun 28, 2022 10:47 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

BnyRj wrote: ↑Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:39 am Musicall...

Alphagem-O
Tue Jun 28, 2022 11:53 am

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Re: Notes on Transitions

Alright, I get started with the most basic: 1...
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