Create Beats Using IDM (similar to Four Tet, Bicep) - A Comprehensive Guide for Producers

Crafting Your Own Intelligent Dance Music (IDM): A Step-by-Step Guide

So, you want to get started in making IDM beats? But where do you even begin? This genre can be tricky to master, but fear not, we've got you covered! Let's dive in and explore the fascinating world of IDM together.

IDM, Explained

First things first, let's discuss what IDM actually is (and what it isn't 👀). IDM stands for "Intelligent Dance Music." This genre originated in the early 90s and is an umbrella term for music that's broadly based on experimentation. Unlike popular genres such as Synthwave or Techno, IDM has no fixed BPM. It lacks many of the codes that other music genres might have. There are no strict rules about how your bass or drums should sound, or which types of sound you should use. This means that tracks labeled as "IDM" can sound incredibly diverse. However, there are some common themes to IDM music that we will explore in this guide!

Our IDM Journey

Together, we'll cover:

What IDM is (and isn't)
Types of sounds to use in an IDM beat
Mixing all your sounds together to create a cohesive track
And much more!

Are you ready to explore and be inspired? Let's go 👇

Table of Contents

Purpose and Characteristics of IDM 🧠
Step 1: Setting the Foundation 🏗️
Step 2: Crafting Your Rhythm Section 🥁
Step 3: Layering in a Smooth Bassline 🎸
Step 4: Adding Harmony with a Lead 🎵
Step 5: Creating Dynamic Arrangement Changes 🎼
Exploring Common IDM Techniques 🔧
Conclusion: Your IDM Journey Awaits ✨

Purpose and Characteristics of IDM 🧠

Before we start creating our IDM track, let's take a closer look at what IDM is. IDM is an umbrella term for music that's primarily focused on experimentation, with no strict BPM and few rules about which types of sound you should use. Some common characteristics of IDM include:

Tracks are better suited for home listening rather than dancing
Drums often consist of breakbeats rather than a classic 4-to-the-floor beat
IDM beats generally lack vocals
The music feels very "organic" thanks to its use of real drum samples, instruments, and analog synths
Tracks often lack a main hook, instead focusing on the creation of textures and atmospheres

Genres associated with IDM include trip-hop, electronica, and ambient. Modern artists that might fall under the IDM genre include Four Tet, Bicep, and Aphex Twin.

Finding Inspiration

To help guide your IDM experiments, it can be helpful to select a reference track. This will help narrow down your choices and give you a clearer direction for your track. For example, if you're new to IDM, try choosing the Aphex Twin track "Windowlicker."

Step 1: Setting the Foundation 🏗️

When experimenting with a new genre, I find it helpful to immediately lay down a structure. To do this, I'm going to take inspiration directly from the reference track we chose earlier.

Setting the Project BPM

First, set your project BPM to the same tempo as the reference track. You can do this by ear or use tools like Tunebat.

Identifying Sections

Next, lay down some dummy clips. These are empty, color-coded MIDI clips that mark each section of a track. Now, open up a notepad. For each section you've identified, write down the elements that are present. Don't get too detailed; just describe the main sounds you hear. This approach is a great method for starting a track that works well with any genre, not just IDM!

Step 2: Crafting Your Rhythm Section 🥁

Setting Up Our Drum Loop

Let's begin by creating an organic, noisy, and dusty-sounding drum loop. Our drum loop will feature a mix of real drum samples, understated percussion, and organic hi-hats for a unique IDM touch.

Inspiration and Samples

Start by exploring sample packs you have on hand. Select a range of one-shots and loops that you think might fit. Don't worry about finding the ideal sounds for each element; you can always tweak them later.

Creating Our Kick and Snare Pattern

First, create your kick and snare pattern. experiment with positioning the elements in the background, as opposed to upfront, to achieve the "organic" IDM feel.

Adding Percussion Elements

Next, add some foley percussions on some of the snare hits to give your drums more depth and character.

Hi-hats

Use a combination of several different hi-hat sounds. Here's an example arrangement:

A warm, closed hi-hat for the primary groove
A more open, brighter hi-hat for the off-beats
Ambient, high-frequency hit hi-hats scattered throughout for a sense of spontaneity

Processing Our Drum Loop

Please note that the next steps involve processing our drum loop using various effects. If you're not familiar with these techniques, I highly recommend checking out our complete guide on parallel processing [here].

Routing Our Drum Elements

First, route every single drum element to the same bus channel. In FL Studio, you can do this by right-clicking on the arrow underneath the bus channel and selecting "Route to this track only." In Ableton Live, use the "Audio To" menu to create a new bus track and route the appropriate track.

Gain Staging, EQ, and Compression

Balance the levels of each element by performing some basic gain staging, EQ, and compression adjustments to ensure that every piece of the drum loop sits in place.

Saturation, Compression, and Reverb

Add some saturation to glue the different sounds together. Next, compress and add reverb to the percussion and hat bus to create a cohesive, organic sound.

Adding a Ride Loop and Noise Layer

Lastly, add a ride loop and a noise layer to our drum loop. With that, our rhythm section is complete!

Step 3: Layering in a Smooth Bassline 🎸

Next, let's write our bassline. For this, we'll load up an analog synth emulation called Monark.

Recording Our Bassline

Record your bassline directly with your MIDI keyboard. This gives the bass a "human feel" because the notes are not perfectly on the grid.

Adding Glide

Add a bit of glide between notes to give your bass a smooth, fluid sound.

Processing Our Bass

Next, let's process our bass. Separate the sub from the mids using FL Studio's Frequency Splitter or Ableton Live's Audio Effect Rack. Mono the sub and widen the mids to create a fuller, richer sound.

Step 4: Adding Harmony with a Lead 🎵

For our lead, we can decide to either sample or design our own lead. Since we're going for a more "organic" type of IDM, let's do some sampling!

Selecting Samples

Select a couple of instrumental loops that you like and feel could fit well in the track. We'll be chopping, pitching, and reversing them to create a completely new lead melody.

Creating Our Lead

Chop up the parts you like from your chosen samples and pitch and reverse them to create a unique lead melody.

Processing Our Lead

Apply EQ, compression, delay, and reverb to our new lead melody to give it a cohesive and polished sound.

Adding Sidechain Compression

Lastly, add some sidechain compression with STFU or any other similar plugin to create a pumping effect.

Step 5: Creating Dynamic Arrangement Changes 🎼

Let's come back to the arrangement of our reference track. After 4 bars of our main motif, we enter 2 bars of variation. Here, the drums are stripped down, and there are additional percussion elements.

Creating Variation

Take inspiration from that variation! First, copy the first 2 bars of your main motif. Next, remove some elements, such as the kick and percussion, and introduce additional percussion to create a unique and interesting variation.

Creating a Second Melodic Motif

For more variation, add another layer of melody. This will act as our second melodic motif once the first motif has played twice. For example, you could use bells or any other instrument that appeals to you.

Exploring Common IDM Techniques 🔧

Use a wide range of sonic textures: IDM is all about experimentation. Don't be afraid to incorporate a variety of sounds, including unusual percussion, melodic elements, field recordings, and other unconventional sounds.
Play with time signatures: IDM often features unconventional time signatures that deviate from traditional dance music's steady 4/4 rhythm. Experiment with using different time signatures to create complex and interesting rhythmic patterns.
Emphasize dynamics: IDM tracks typically have a wide dynamic range, shifting between quiet moments and loud, climactic sections. This creates an engaging and emotionally charged atmosphere.
Layer multiple melodic and rhythmic elements: IDM music often features interwoven layers of melody, harmony, and rhythm that create intricate and mesmerizing soundscapes. Don't be afraid to experiment with combining multiple elements within your tracks.
Use reverb and delay sparingly: While these effects can be great tools for creating atmospheric sounds, they can quickly end up overwhelming your mix if used excessively. Use them sparingly and strategically to maximize their impact.

Conclusion: Your IDM Journey Awaits ✨

Congratulations! You now have an understanding of what IDM is, some common techniques for creating IDM beats, and some starting points for experimenting with this fascinating genre. Remember, IDM is all about experimentation and pushing the boundaries, so don't be afraid to try out new ideas and approaches. Keep refining your skills, and you'll find yourself crafting unique and captivating IDM tracks in no time! Future You (and your fans) will thank you for it 😉.

Want to learn more about music production? Check out our EDM Starter Kit [here] for high-quality presets, samples, and PDF guides suitable for all genres of electronic music! Let us know if you have any questions or if there's anything unclear. Happy creating! 🎼🎶

You could start crafting your IDM beat by selecting a diverse range of sounds from your sample packs, keeping in mind that IDM music often leans towards breakbeats instead of the classic 4-to-the-floor beat, and emphasizes experimentation with real drum samples, instruments, and analog synths.
As you layer in sounds to create a cohesive track, consider exploring techniques common in IDM, such as playing with time signatures, emphasizing dynamics, and using sparse reverb and delay to create atmospheric sounds without overwhelming the mix.