6 Simple Techniques Producers Use To Create Song Ideas

Do you wonder how producers come up with song ideas? Maybe you are a singer, songwriter, or lyricist, and you've worked with a producer before, and now you want to know how to create the magic yourself?

If you are a beginner in the world of production, or looking for inspiration to up your level, this article covers simple production techniques to help spark creativity and create song ideas, including using reverb creatively, tools in your DAW that can give rapid results, and more.

Using Delay and Reverb Creatively

Reverb and delay aren't just tools to add atmosphere to elements in your song. They can be used to create foundational building blocks of your song, and be the anchor you weave your whole idea around.

Repeating Vocal Layer

To create a background vocal wash, or a rhythmic effect. Add your delay of choice to a channel with a vocal on, and dial up the feedback pretty high, you want the delay to carry on for a long time. Use an EQ, or EQ features within the delay to reduce your desired amount of the low and top end, to reduce muddiness, and so it sits back in the mix. Add some reverb to add extra shimmer and reflections. You could then bounce this out to audio, and have a complimentary, cohesive element to add to your track, and get an idea moving.

Reverb Wash

Add a reverb of choice to a snippet of a sample—single words from vocals, or short phrases, can work well, as well as synth stabs, or snippets of chords. Make the reverb realllllllllllly long, think what you would do for a normal vocal and multiply it a lot. Reduce some of the high and low frequencies so that this sits nicely in the back of your mix. This will give you a longgggg reverb wash that can sit in the background of your track, and give you some creative juice when songwriting.

Put It in a Sampler

Samplers are a staple in electronic music production, whether they are hardware or VSTs. Putting in a sample and jamming can produce some great results. Plus, most samplers have a lot of functions designed specifically to help the song creation process, such as randomisation features, or customizable sample slicing, and more. You can pitch samples up and down keys, create new rhythms with vocals, there's heaps of options. You can also edit the MIDI if you aren't a jammer.

Slice, Edit, and Chop Audio

Many producers prefer working in audio over MIDI. When it comes to creating song ideas—chopping up, and moving around audio samples can be a simple, quick, and effective way to create new ideas, keeping creative flow going. Edit bass hits, vocals, chord progressions, and more with this method.

Bonus Tip: Learn the shortcuts for your DAW that you will use regularly, this can take your audio editing speed through the roof, helping your hands to keep up when ideas are flowing.

Arpeggiators

Arpeggiators are tools that you can use to play arpeggios in your DAW, these are the notes of a chord played in rapid succession. And they can be a gamechanger when creating song ideas, as they switch things up instantly. This has worked so many times for me when I've liked the vibe of a chord progression, but it needed something more. It changes the energy, and can be the one change needed to spark creativity that dominoes into a full song. Most DAWs have flexible arps with different features to change up the direction the notes are being played, the timing, staccato or legato, etc.

Reverse It

As simple as it gets. Most DAWs have this function, and a shortcut (to make it even simpler). Quickly build out song ideas by reversing vocal snippets, chord stabs and more, and add them to the end of bars or phrases for flowing transitions that could be the final bit of magic needed to spark a creative masterpiece. Add some reverb and delay to smooth and elongate the transition.

Use an LFO

An LFO or Low Frequency Oscillator, in simple terms, is an effect that ducks volume with rhythmic timing. An eighth note LFO on a vocal, chord progression or held note can instantly switch up a sound and either give you the inspiration that leads you to an incredible idea, or be the missing piece to turn an average idea that you can't get to work into an epic one. Most LFOs will have built-in presets of popular waveshapes, and more random, interesting patterns as well.

Jam and Record

It can be easy to get lost in the digital realm when making electronic music, and just work purely 'in the box'. Connecting hardware to your DAW gives you a hands-on creative option. Plus, and here's the incredible part, you can record! Improvisations can all be recorded, edited, and used to generate more ideas. A luxury you don't have when writing songs the analog way.

Collaborate

If you are reading these techniques and thinking, these are great, but it would be much simpler for me to work with an actual producer, and you are wondering where to find a good collaboration match, Verse-Chorus is a collaboration platform brimming with musical talent. With songwriters, lyricists, singers, producers, and more. Connect and create with thousands of musicians in one place.

Written by Nick Stephens, a music production tutor, music marketing writer, and down to his DNA—music obsessive. When he isn't making music you can find him at live music events, DJing up and down the UK, including Glastonbury, and the gym—sometimes.