Sophisticated Synth-pop techniques

[Teknite]

Ok so I was wondering what the secret is to making something to the likes of something like this:



There is a lot going on but its happening in such a slick way that it sounds smooth.
Listen to how there will only be a few stabs of a certain instrument and then another instrument will come in.
Also it seems that certain sounds compliment other sounds.
I just have no idea how this music is written. What is the secret to knowing what note a certain sound will have at what time?
It sounds way to sophisticated but its what I want to start making.
Also I'm Aware that talent plays a role in this as well.

How would I be able to make something like this?

[ThoughtExperiment]

Well for a start I'd post this in 'Production Techniques', since your example is all about production and arrangement and nothing to do with what notes/scales etc were used in the song.

Instrument (or sound) choice, knowing which sound will complement another sound...this kind of thing really does only come with practice. There are even different ways in which a sound can be complementary: sound B might be very similar to sound A so it reinforces it; sound B might be totally different to sound A and therefore provides contrast, etc.

But all this artistry can be learned, and the best way to start is to analyse a track like this and try to copy it in your DAW. Good luck

[MrMagneto]

Take your standard instrument (guitar or some piano sound) and record a main chord progression and maybe 2 sub-progressions that go together well. So you have 3 parts ready to go.

Now set the tempo and go through some drum machine sounds from that time. Mini-DrumZ is a nice plugin for that. Whenever you find a nice sound, record a small loop to audio and continue with another sound or another preset.

You do the same with the bass and synth sounds. I guess you know what synthies are best to re-create that sound.
Find a nice sound, play a nice melody that fits the chords, record a short audio loop, continue with next sound.

Hope that helped.

[Sendy]

Take a riff and have render out multiple synths playing it. Have them all in a big strip playing in unison and then mute such that only one or two are playing for each phrase. A subtle delay will help blend it all together.

[bstageboss]

I've always enjoyed the Scritti Politti production style because of the complexity and layering that goes on. "Perfect Way" is another example of the style.

If I had to come up with a method to replicate this sort of thing, I'd try playing multiple parts over the basic progression. Play one or two that work, then mute the tracks and play some more. Try to have some variety in the parts (some straight pads or chords, some vamping, some arpeggios).
After you feel you have enough raw material, chop the MIDI tracks or Audio parts so they play only a short section (half a measure or so maybe; use your ears) and pick what gives you the best results. If you want, you can even render the bits as samples and play them back via an MPC-style interface for additionbal live fun.

Enjoy the experimentation.

STV