From Idea To Finished Composition - 5 Steps

CHRISTOPHER SIU
FROM IDEA TO
POLISHED COMPOSITION
A 5-STEP FRAMEWORK
STEP 1: COMPOSITION
As writers & composers, our main goal is to lay down our
ideas quickly and efficiently. A few things come into play
here.
If you are able to play an instrument, this step will be

infinitely easier. I always recommend learning the piano
to a proficient level, as it's the easiest instrument to play
both chords and melodic information at the same time.
Time is of the essence. With so many distractions around

us today, it is so easy to lose our focus, and therefore lose
track of our ideas. Ensure that you lay out your themes
before you forget them.
Most modern music is comprised of 3 primary elements:

melody, harmony, & rhythm. Aim to record or write with
all 3 elements in mind.
If you're looking for inspiration, listen to some music in a

similar genre. They can provide you with fresh material
to work from.
Once you've written your basic themes, progressions, and

rhythmic ideas, you're ready to move on to the sketch!
STEP 2: SKETCHING
Sketching is where you lay down the skeleton of your
song/piece. You can use a piano, guitar, or any other
instrument to lay down the foundation and necessary
information for your music. A few things to consider:
When it comes to orchestral music, there are many ways

you can do this. Many orchestral libraries come as an all-
in-one package, allowing you to quickly pull in
instruments from all sections and achieve a mockup in
less than 10 minutes.
The only thing you should be tweaking are articulations.

If you're using multi patches that contain multiple
articulations per patch, make sure your keyswitches are
set correctly so that the mockup plays back what you
hear in mind.
While you should perform with MIDI CC's, don't tweak

too much. Save this for the next step. The goal here is to
lay down the foundation of your ideas in less than an
hour.
After the sketch is complete, we now move on to the

production & arrangement. This is where the fun really
begins!
STEP 3: ARRANGEMENT
You know all those sounds and sample libraries you've
been collecting? It's time to put them to good use.
Take the time you need to ensure your core ideas are
laid out first. Are the violins 1 playing a sweeping legato
line? Make sure that's in. Are the celli and basses playing
short spiccatos? Make sure those are locked in.
Fundamentals first!
When you work in your DAW first before writing out

notation, you free yourself from traditional orchestration
rules. Have fun! Combine 5 flutes together and see what
you think! (Okay, well maybe don't do that)
This step is where you have to ensure your MIDI CC's,

expression, and articulations are 100% solid. If your
arrangement and mockup is not convincing at this
point, steps 4 & 5 cannot save it.
This is personally one of my favourite steps, because you

start piecing together what you've been imagining. There's
no feeling quite like it. Once you're done, let's move on to
the mix!
STEP 4: MIXING
At its core, mixing is taking all of your existing tracks and
balancing them so they fit together beautifully as a whole.
To provide you with a quick framework:
Make sure your tracks are organized, coloured, and

grouped. This will make the process much easier.
Achieve a static mix by pulling your faders down to the

bottom, then pulling up your lead instrument to 0dB,
and balancing everything else around the lead
instrument. This ensures the lead is not buried, and stays
upfront the whole time.
Top down mixing: Starting from the master bus, apply

subtle processing that sweetens the entire mix. Work
down to the groups, then finally the individual tracks.
EQ, compression, reverb, saturation, etc. are applied
here.
Automation: ensure any final balance issues are fixed,

and the instruments all sit nicely with each other.
Nothing should stand out as being out of place at this
point.
Mixing is so much fun, honestly. Finally, let's move on to

the master and wrap our music up!
STEP 5: MASTERING
Mastering confuses many people, but fundamentally,
mastering takes your mixed song/piece and raises it to a
commercial volume level that competes with other
commercial tracks.
The most important plugin in this step is a limiter. I

personally recommend Ozone 8 Elements. Very
affordable.
If you don't have a limiter, use a gain plugin and raise

your track anywhere between 10-20dB, as long as the
loudest part of the track doesn't hit 0dB. A limiter is
great in this scenario because you can set the absolute
maximum level that the audio can hit (usually -0.1dB).
You may also apply a touch of EQ and/or compression to

sweeten the track.
You're done! If you follow all 5 steps, and identify which

step you're currently on while you're working, you will find
yourself following a framework that keeps you motivated
and inspired. All the best!
Feeling frustrated or stuck in any of these steps? Reach out

to me via email (christopher.siu@me.com) and let's chat!

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CHRISTOPHER SIU

If you are able to play an instrument, this step will be

Time is of the essence. With so many distractions around

Most modern music is comprised of 3 primary elements:

If you're looking for inspiration, listen to some music in a

Once you've written your basic themes, progressions, and

When it comes to orchestral music, there are many ways

The only thing you should be tweaking are articulations.

While you should perform with MIDI CC's, don't tweak

After the sketch is complete, we now move on to the

When you work in your DAW first before writing out

This step is where you have to ensure your MIDI CC's,

This is personally one of my favourite steps, because you

Make sure your tracks are organized, coloured, and

Achieve a static mix by pulling your faders down to the

Top down mixing: Starting from the master bus, apply

Automation: ensure any final balance issues are fixed,

Mixing is so much fun, honestly. Finally, let's move on to

The most important plugin in this step is a limiter. I

If you don't have a limiter, use a gain plugin and raise

You may also apply a touch of EQ and/or compression to

You're done! If you follow all 5 steps, and identify which

Feeling frustrated or stuck in any of these steps? Reach out

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