How many tracks?

[YannFer]

Ok, I have a tendency to overload my beats with (sometimes waaayyy) too many things in them...
So my question is, typically how many instruments apart from drums and bass do you have in your beats ?

I am presently cooking a 20+ tracks beats, not counting about a dozen drums and 2 basses. (8 samples from different songs amongst them)... That is too much... But I hardly ever have less than 5 instruments. Do you?

 

[Fade]

Good question. I think at first you have to ask what style one is doing. If you're doing something like Trap I can see lots of tracks, whereas Boom Bap, for example, would be a lot less. It also depends on whether it's sampling or synths and stuff like that.

For me I usually work with less than ten tracks and even that's pushing it sometimes.

 

[YannFer]

Good question. I think at first you have to ask what style one is doing. If you're doing something like Trap I can see lots of tracks, whereas Boom Bap, for example, would be a lot less. It also depends on whether it's sampling or synths and stuff like that.

For me I usually work with less than ten tracks and even that's pushing it sometimes.

It's funny, I would have said the opposite with boombap having more tracks than trap... But you're probably right, trap has lots of "ear candies"...

I'm a sucker for ear candies..

 

[Crispifier]

maybe see if you can make a track with a max of two instruments + 3 spots for drums + a max of 1 sample could turn out cool

 

[YannFer]

maybe see if you can make a track with a max of two instruments + 3 spots for drums + a max of 1 sample could turn out cool

As I was reading your answer, I was already thinking about a complex multi-layer 3 OSC +Noise arpeggiated synth for one of the 2 instruments... I'm beyond redemption...

No but seriously, I will try that.

... 3 spots for drums... Huh.

 

[Fade]

Well it's also, what are those tracks? Are they actual instruments/sounds or copies of a track but modified for a breakdown or something like that? Like copying a lead instrument onto another track but adding a filter on it for a breakdown part?

 

[Crispifier]

As I was reading your answer, I was already thinking about a complex multi-layer 3 OSC +Noise arpeggiated synth for one of the 2 instruments... I'm beyond redemption...

No but seriously, I will try that.

hahaha you can do it man! i also suggest a new rule one of the instruments has to be this: https://www.kvraudio.com/product/delay_lama_by_audionerdz

 

[YannFer]

Well it's also, what are those tracks? Are they actual instruments/sounds or copies of a track but modified for a breakdown or something like that? Like copying a lead instrument onto another track but adding a filter on it for a breakdown part?

Hmmm... I don't do this much. I would stick the filter on the main lead track and activate it with some automation... Oh yes, I looove automation. Saved me from having hundreds of tracks. It's one of my biggest breakthrough in my beatmaking learning...

But yes, most tracks are only playing for a short while or at the very end of the loop, as transitions and stuff... They're not all together full-on. But it makes things less cohesive. I just like patching many different sounds... But I think that's what make my beats overwhelming and less appealing to most people.

I want to add, my tracks are civilized people listening to each other... Except for the kick. That m*therf*cker listens to nobody. He likes to dominate even me... He side-chained my wife once. Compressed my balls and all...

 

[YannFer]

hahaha you can do it man! i also suggest a new rule one of the instruments has to be this: https://www.kvraudio.com/product/delay_lama_by_audionerdz

Hahaha. Tough one... Challenge accepted. Tomorrow, my CPU will rest and the Tibet will be free.

 

[2GooD Productions]

It can vary greatly, anything from 20 to 45+, if im sampling then I use a lot less sometimes, but when composing they can quickly add up. I do send and eq each drum sound on its own channel, then bus to a kick bus, a snare bus and a hi hat bus, then those to a drum bus, i also have a bass bus which I side chain with the kick bus. The busses really help with organising a lot of tracks and simplifying some tasks like reverb and compression so you use less plugins to achieve the same result

 

[thedreampolice]

If I’m doing orchestration I can easily get up to 200 tracks. For hip hop I have done plenty with 4 tracks. I probably average around 20-30 for a hip hop song.

 

[YannFer]

If I’m doing orchestration I can easily get up to 200 tracks. For hip hop I have done plenty with 4 tracks. I probably average around 20-30 for a hip hop song.

Well yes, I'm asking about hip-hop beats. No vocals, either. Just the beat itself...

So 20+ is ok. I did not expect that. But I'm feeling much better now.

 

[Fade]

I should do the opposite and challenge myself to do 2000 tracks for a beat.

 

[crosstevsky]

Usually around 8 to 16 tracks...

 

[crosstevsky]

I should do the opposite and challenge myself to do 2000 tracks for a beat.

every snare hit on a separate track

 

[Iron Keys]

I have hardly any tracks in my project. Compared to some i see like 50 odd.

But I remember Timbaland pointing out a fact about most of his hits are only like 3 instruments.

I probably usually have less than 10.

 

[YannFer]

It can vary greatly, anything from 20 to 45+, if im sampling then I use a lot less sometimes, but when composing they can quickly add up. I do send and eq each drum sound on its own channel, then bus to a kick bus, a snare bus and a hi hat bus, then those to a drum bus, i also have a bass bus which I side chain with the kick bus. The busses really help with organising a lot of tracks and simplifying some tasks like reverb and compression so you use less plugins to achieve the same result

Yes, busses are a must. I try to have only one reverb for my whole mix. Applying time-based fx like compression , delay and reverb on busses saves lot of cpu and makes everything sound together and tight.

 

[DJ Wax-Turtle]

I always start with 7 melodies and keep adding things.
I alway make beats with 12 melodies max.
But when included layering synths it can be around 20 tracks.

 

[thedreampolice]

Yea but I promise when Timbaland tracks out his stuff for mixing ( Timbaland doesnt mix his own stuff mind you) that he is in the 50-80 track territory.

 

[Iron Keys]

Yea but I promise when Timbaland tracks out his stuff for mixing ( Timbaland doesnt mix his own stuff mind you) that he is in the 50-80 track territory.

His engineer says he mist often don't even separate his drums when he sends them.