To understand an artist’s track, it’s necessary to analyze it. Here’s what I do to learn the structure and elements involved in tracks.
My objective is to know when each element of a track enters and exits, and what each one is. For example, maybe some synths enter at specific points and play repeating patterns. I’d like to know where the enter and exit points are and how the other elements in a track layer are arranged within them.
I used to (and sometimes still do) do this on paper (see the image below).
But I’ve recently found it easier to use a spreadsheet method.
What I do is construct a timeline of the track in an Excel sheet, where I can write each element that enters and exits, to get a graph showing clearly when each item in a track is present and what it sounds like.
I have my Excel sheet open, play the track, listen for elements to enter and exit, and record the enter and exit times in my sheet. The duration is calculated automatically and plotted on a chart.
Here are some examples (below these is the Excel sheet you can download):
After understanding the layering and sequences, I can begin taking the elements of these compositions and learning to create my own versions in my tracks. That is not to say copy, but to get a feel for the style and incorporate that in my own.
Here’s an example of additive structure that is common in electronic music:
Also, I used to do these things by hand on paper, but using Excel seems better for me, and I really wanted to share something that helps me in the hopes that it could help you, too.
One other thing this approach does is force you to listen carefully to the track and notice things that may not be obvious. For example, in analyzing one of my favorite artists, Boards of Canada, I noticed how they make use of mono, stereo, and hard panning (LCR panning) of elements in their mixes. I also noticed that elements enter and exit at nearly precise times, like at the minute or thirty-second marks. These are a few of the things that I would never have noticed if I hadn’t used this approach.
My hope is that some of this will help you in your efforts to understand artists and their track-composition strategies.
I wish you luck.