How many tracks?

[The Konductor]

I would like to know how many tracks in song are too many and too less. I've noticed that in most music, popular or underground, there is usually 4-8 tracks that make up an entire song. Now what I mean is; bassline(1st track), kick, snare and hat (2nd track), I count the kick, snare, and hats as one track, lead guitar or synth (3rd track), backround ambience/sound effects (4th track), vocal (5th track), etc.... What do ya'll think? Has anyone else noticed or payed any mind to this subject. Do ya'll fellow productionists adhere to this fact when producing? Let me know yo!

 

[fame_keyz]

I feel if anybody was to give you answer you would be over doing yourself or short changing yourself. cause now your gona have some kind of set number that should be use when it comes to making your music. I just feel make the music to the point that its not too much going on the hear and when you track your music just try to put as sounds/patches on its own track so later on youll have more control over the mix

 

[Fade]

^^ Good answer. I have my set number of tracks that I usually work with but whatever I'm feeling at that moment or whatever I think the track needs, then I'll add it or not. So even though I start with my usual amount of tracks, I never end up with the same amount.

 

[inrctyhoodmusic]

it depends on the sounds you use you can make a beat using 3 tracks and the beat could sound full or you could end up using 12 tracks to finish a beat...it all depends on what you use

 

[detox_one]

Me personaly, I'll keep evry sample in the sequence on a seperate track. That way I can silence the high hat or the snare, or any sound for 2 about bars, then bringem back in at the end of the 2 bars. But my rule of thumb is, however many trax it takes to make the beat sound tight.

 

[The Konductor]

Yeah I understand that when mixing you want to have your sounds on individual tracks (hi hats, snare, kick). What I meant when I said that I count the kick, snare, and hi hats as one track was that I do that when just listening to music to figure out how many tracks make up the song. Counting the kick, snare, and hi hats as one just saves me fingers.