Contents -- Introduction -- Chapter 1 Getting the Best out of Your Setup -- Score-Writing Programs -- Loop-Based Computer Programs -- Propellerhead Reason -- The DAW -- ReWire Technology -- The DAW as the Heart of the Setup -- Ableton Live -- Slowly Building Up Your Studio -- Conclusion -- Chapter 2 Knowing Your Genre -- The Implications of Genre -- Genre and Compositional Technique -- A New Way of Listening to Music -- Open Your Mind to Other Genres -- Conclusion -- Chapter 3 Rhythm and Drum Programming -- Using Pre-Composed Drum Loops -- Studying a Real Drum Kit -- To Learn about Drumming, Watch a Drummer -- Drum Machines -- Hardware Drum Machines -- Software Drum Machines -- Functional Elements of Drum Programming: The Kick and the Snare -- Kick-Snare Patterns -- Two-, Four-, and Eight-Bar Extensions -- The Ride -- Quantization -- Swing -- Creating Natural Velocity Curves -- Creating a Groove -- Using Fills -- Providing Color and Atmosphere -- Features of Style: The Drum Kit -- Key Questions to Ask -- Processing the Drum Track -- Conclusion -- Chapter 4 Writing for Percussion -- Secondary Instruments and Samples -- Congas and Bongos -- Daraboukas -- Tablas -- Djembe and Udu -- Writing Percussion Parts -- Writing Functional Percussion as a Substitute -- Writing for Functional Percussion as an Addition to Conventional Drums -- Conclusion -- Chapter 5 Dance Music Drum Programming -- The Kick Element -- The Snare Element -- The Ride Element -- Speedcore -- Hardcore -- Hard Dance and Trance -- Psychedelic Trance -- Techno -- Hardcore Techno -- Minimal and Detroit Techno -- Tribal Styles -- House -- Processing Your Drum Track -- Drums for Punctuation -- Conclusion -- Chapter 6 Common Values -- Bass, Lead, and Harmony -- Conclusion -- Chapter 7 Producing Basslines -- Providing a Bassline -- Root Basses -- Octave Basslines -- Root and Fifth Basses.

Triadic Basses -- Sixth and Seventh Chord Basses -- Pentatonic Basslines -- Chromatic Basslines -- A Full Chromatic Bass Scale -- Basslines and Chord Progressions -- Synthesized Basses -- Programming and Writing Step-Bass Patterns -- Sub-Basses -- Writing Basses: A Simple Strategy -- Conclusion -- Chapter 8 Writing Melodic Leads -- Lead Instruments -- Melody -- Key -- Scale and Mode -- Tonic and Dominant -- Steps and Leaps -- Melodic Structure -- Fast Track to Melody Writing -- Conclusion -- Chapter 9 Melody, Bass, and Harmony -- The Importance of Musical Harmony -- Melody and Bass Doubling -- Heterophony -- Melodic Independence -- Homophony -- Putting a Bass to a Lead -- Modal Approaches to Harmonizing Bass and Lead -- Conclusion -- Chapter 10 The Creative Use of FX -- The Necessity for FX -- Natural or Endemic Effects on Acoustic Instruments -- Master and Insert FX -- Master FX -- Insert FX -- Creative Use of FX -- Compression -- Side-Chaining -- Reverb -- Delay -- Filtering -- Chorus -- FX Chaining -- Experimentation -- Conclusion -- Chapter 11 Writing for Strings -- Four Types of Strings -- Types of String Ensemble -- Scoring String Chords -- Styles of String Writing -- Legato Strings -- Pizzicato Strings -- Staccato Strings -- Detache Strings -- Octave Strings -- Tremelo Strings -- Conclusion -- Chapter 12 Writing for Pads -- Using Pads -- Types of Pads -- Conclusion -- Chapter 13 Writing for Acoustic Instruments -- Challenges with Acoustic Instruments -- The Importance of Research -- Conclusion -- Chapter 14 Arpeggiation -- What Is an Arpeggiator? -- Features of an Arpeggiator -- Monophonic/Polyphonic -- Pitch Control -- Number of Octaves -- Note Resolution -- Gate Control -- Velocity Control -- Tempo Control -- Swing Control -- Pattern Control -- Curve Control -- Example of an Arpeggiator -- Uses of Arpeggiators -- Writing Riffs -- Conclusion.

Chapter 15 Sampling -- The Morality of Sampling -- Ripping Samples -- Developing Your Own Sample Library -- Creating Your Own Sample Patches -- Resampling -- The Legalities of Sampling -- Conclusion -- Chapter 16 Control Data -- Changes of Control Data as Process -- Conclusion -- Chapter 17 Approaching Structure -- Musical Form -- Continuity and Contrast -- Repetition and Change -- Song Form -- Structure in Dance Music -- Study Your Favorite Tracks -- Less Is More -- Conclusion -- Chapter 18 Layering and Sequencing -- Laying Down the Drum Track -- Laying Down the Bass -- Laying Down Your Lead Material -- Leave Yourself Somewhere to Go -- Sequencing Your Music -- Final Editing -- Conclusion -- Chapter 19 Mixing and Mastering -- Mixing the Track: Levels -- Mixing the Track: Panning -- Mixing: EQ -- Mastering the Track -- Conclusion -- Conclusion -- Where to Next? -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Z.