Equaliser (EQ) – An equaliser is a device which boosts or cuts frequencies to improve sound. Any producer should own at least one!
Preset: A collection of settings saved on a synth that can be loaded to reproduce specific sounds; DJs often rely on presets to recreate “live” sounds.
Gabber – Gabber music lies somewhere between trance and hardstyle with 140bpm+ tempos and distorted kick drums, making it an essential genre at raves!
1. Electronic
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface and is used to control any hardware or software instruments capable of producing sounds. Also referred to as a protocol, MIDI describes how messages are exchanged between different devices – this protocol can be used for everything from controlling a synthesizer to triggering samples in drum machines. Another popular DAW used by producers today is Apple’s Digital Audio Workstation called Logic; popular among its many producers for its intuitive workflow and professional-grade sound quality.
AIFF stands for Audio Interchange File Format and is a lossless audio file format with higher-than-WAV quality and support for tags. Often used by music producers for saving project files.
BPM (Beats Per Minute) measures the tempo of music tracks consistently. A typical BPM range for electronic music typically falls around 120bpm; however there are subgenres with faster tempos.
Drums – Drums are a key percussive element that determines the rhythm and beat of songs, typically driving their rhythm and beat. There are various variations and techniques employed when using drums; EDM artists typically employ four-on-the-floor patterns featuring claps on beats 2 and 4, with hats coming on each offbeat beat.
Equalisation (EQ) – Equalisation is a type of audio effect which adjusts the gain on each frequency band across the spectrum in order to give tracks greater balance and fullness; often used to boost lows, mids or highs.
FX (pronounced F-Ess-) stands for effects and refers to any audio processing that adds creative elements such as distortion, reverb, compression or any combination thereof. There are various types of FX available today with some being more useful than others.
Sine – Sine waves are used in synthesis to create pure and melodic sounds that often create deep bass tones for tracks.
Jitter is a modulation effect which adds randomness to parameters being controlled, typically found on LFO’s. This technique can add subtle vibrato and tremolo effects to sounds.
Sampler – A device used to record audio directly onto a computer; they may be hardware or software plugins. Samplers are commonly used to capture melodies and chord progressions for use as the basis of tracks.
2. Music
Musically speaking, “electronic music” refers to a broad array of genres from minimalist techno beats and house rhythms to experimental ambient sounds. Electronic music typically relies heavily on drum machines and synthesizers that allow musicians to create complex melodies and rhythms previously impossible with traditional instruments; from vocal samples produced using digital synthesizers to computer-driven trumpet sounds playing at any one time – modern electronic music offers unprecedented creative opportunities for producers and composers alike.
Structure, tempo, and beat pattern all play an integral part in determining a song’s overall energy and flow. Many electronic genres developed from nightclub and dance culture rely heavily on strong beats that set the pace for their compositions; such as those created using basic beat machines, bass guitars or an 808 drum kit.
At the turn of the 20th Century, electronic music first saw its birth. Thaddeus Cahill used a combination of rotary generator and telephone receiver to convert electrical signals to sound using his telharmonium device, while Italian futurist painter Luigi Russolo experimented with mechanically activated noise instruments. By early 1920s, basic circuits for sine, sawtooth, square-wave generators as well as amplifiers and filter circuits had been established; mechanical sound recording technology also began being phased out by electrical sound recording technology during this time.
Following World War II, pioneering artists like Pierre Schaeffer and Karlheinz Stockhausen began experimenting with electronic sounds and equipment to produce avant-garde pieces of music known as musique concrete. Their method involved gathering samples from electronic and non-electronic equipment then altering them with various effects to produce unique compositions. Later on this approach was replaced by using synthesizers and samplers enabling producers and composers to quickly compose entire tracks using individual sounds.
A song’s rhythmic component is its beat – or “bass”. This foundational piece can be produced using any number of techniques from simple repeat to looping and beat matching; good beats should always be loud, standing out among other components in a track.
3. Musician
Musicians are instrumentalists and singers who compose, perform, interpret and compose musical works. With an appreciation of various styles, forms and instruments they employ their creativity and expression to produce works which elicit emotions within audiences and express artistic visions.
Bands, orchestras and other musical ensembles often consist of several musicians who work collaboratively and seamlessly to synchronize their performance. This requires great teamwork as well as the ability to read musical scores. Furthermore, musicians frequently compose new melodies, harmonies, lyrics or arrangements in order to produce original works of music.
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), is an abbreviation for Musical Instrument Digital Interface and standard used to connect music hardware and software instruments. Physical MIDI keyboards plug directly into computers for playing/typing; virtual MIDI Keyboards used in DAWs provide real time playing/typing of instruments/synthesisers in real time.
Drums – Drums are an essential component of any song, providing rhythm and beat as well as adding punch. Drums can often be found in electronic dance music genres such as dubstep, trap and bass house while rock and pop artists also frequently incorporate them.
Distortion – Distortion is an audio effect which alters the tone and shape of an instrument or vocal, typically producing gritty, fuller or more aggressive sounds. Common distortion types include overdrive, fuzz and tube. Equalizer (EQ) – An audio processing device used for equalizing frequency ranges to find their most pleasing sounds; with many knobs to control both high and low frequencies for precise tuning of any frequency range in an instrument or vocal.
Preset – A preset is a set of settings on a synth that can be loaded and saved to recall a specific sound, often for use in production. Presets save time when programming sounds by eliminating the need to manually select every parameter individually.
4. Artist
With the Internet comes much easer access to electronic music promotion than ever before. Thanks to services like Spotify and YouTube, new artists are quickly able to gain exposure for their songs quickly. Furthermore, more artists have taken up production work, leading to an explosion of different genres such as techno, house and trance music genres.
Electronic music is a style of musical expression which utilizes electronic sound generators and production equipment such as synthesizers, sequencers, drum machines and effects units in its creation of tracks. Digital audio signals manipulated with computer software produce diverse and experimental soundscapes allowing artists to create unique sounds which would otherwise be unattainable using traditional instruments alone.
Genre characteristics include beats and rhythm, created using electronic drum kits or synthesizers, enhanced with effects such as reverb, distortion or delay to add depth and punch to tracks. Different styles of EQ may also be utilized to control these effects and their characteristics.
EDM music incorporates vocals as one element, often manipulating them to add emotion and depth. This may involve sampling vocals from other tracks into your mix or creating an entire song using only acoustic guitar and synths – and has given rise to subgenres such as Moderat, Apparat and Flume who combine EDM with different genres.
Additional terms associated with electronic music production are: