The very basics of Eurobeat

Argentum · Post by **Argentum** » 26 Dec 2012, 08:47

I am sure you are all quite used to this sort of thing, but we all have to start somewhere

I have always been very interested in making music, and during my music-theory work for high school (which I just recently finished,) a friend introduced me to the Eurobeat genere.

After listening to many tracks, I noticed that there were certain patterns in the speed of the song, as well as other similarities. When I went to look into this, I read on various forums that there was a, (and I use this term very loosely because I honestly have no idea myself,) "Eurobeat Bible," meaning a strict set of rules that all Eurobeat music has to follow in order to be considered Eurobeat music.

Does such a set of rules exist? And if so, what are they? I have gotten so interested in this genere I really wanted to try my own hand at it, and I want to make sure that I am doing it properly, so I appreciate any advice that people can give me on the subject.

All the best!

~Argentum

Darkholme · Post by **Darkholme** » 26 Dec 2012, 09:24

What I can think of is the song structure (taken from wikipedia):

intro → riff (musical synth) → a melo(verse) → a melo2(bridge) → a sabi (chorus) → riff (musical synth) → outro

I'd suggest just listening to a ton of eurobeat and getting immersed, and soon you'll get a good feel of what tricks producers use to make it sound like the SEB eurobeat we're all used to. Don't be discouraged from experimentation, though! Have a listen to Nightshade by Melody & Mezzo, Another Life by De Leo and Memories of You by Orlando and you might get some inspiration for new styles to try.

Good luck!

EDIT: IMO, eurobeat isn't complete without the nonsense lyrics sung with an italian accent.

eXtaticus · Post by **eXtaticus** » 26 Dec 2012, 13:29

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Argentum · Post by **Argentum** » 26 Dec 2012, 18:45

Thanks for the advice

I had a few other questions though:

1.) I am not too good at singing

Is there anything that can make my voice more appealing in a song (like autotune or something of that nature)? Or should I just have friends sing the piece for me and compose the track to go along with it?

2.) What do you mean "Italian-Accent" with singing?

3.) What key range is Eurobeat generally in? Or does it not matter so long as it fits the other requirements?

Darkholme · Post by **Darkholme** » 27 Dec 2012, 09:46

Argentum wrote:Stuff

Since you've bought the EUROKIT, you probably won't have to mess around with saw waves and all that unless you want to make some of your own. The kit has the JD800 in it as well as a bunch of different brass clips, leads and whatnot.

For an example of a genuine italian accent while singing, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhkDsTH8eLE

Notice the vowels, and especially how he pronounces 'love'. Silly as hell but eurobeat wouldn't be the same without it!

Mindsweeper · Post by **Mindsweeper** » 27 Dec 2012, 13:07

Argentum wrote:Thanks for the advice

I had a few other questions though:

1.) I am not too good at singing
Is there anything that can make my voice more appealing in a song (like autotune or something of that nature)? Or should I just have friends sing the piece for me and compose the track to go along with it?

Vocals are a big part of eurobeat, so I feel like it'd be a good idea to record the best singer you have around.

Argentum wrote: 3.) What key range is Eurobeat generally in? Or does it not matter so long as it fits the other requirements?

Key can be anything really, though it seems like most songs are in minor.

I think chord progressions are a big deal in eurobeat music.
A good chunk of dance music will use the same chord progression through the whole song, but eurobeat almost never does that.
Most eurobeat follows a pattern like so:

Synth riff ->(chords change)verse 1 ->(chords change)verse 2 ->(chords change)chorus->back to synth riff

I noticed that it's very common for the chorus and the synth riff to have the same chord progression, though there are plenty of exceptions.

Last.fm · Post by **Bore** » 28 Dec 2012, 15:59

Not a music maker myself, but just noting Argentum to please change your avatar to a smaller one so the forum doesn't break.

Argentum · Post by **Argentum** » 28 Dec 2012, 18:41

Bore wrote:Not a music maker myself, but just noting Argentum to please change your avatar to a smaller one so the forum doesn't break.

Haha, sorry about that. I didn't expect the avatar to turn out exact size

Kodakami · Post by **Kodakami** » 17 Jan 2013, 04:03

eXtaticus wrote:You'll need saw waves. Plenty of them, layered together. Detune them VERY SLIGHTLY for a thickened effect, add some short portamento to the start of the note, and make sure that the thing has some semblance of vibrato (if unsure, use the pitch LFO for this). It needs to sound stabby and has to be able to rip through the rest of the instrumentation to stand out during the riffs - and although this can be achieved through EQ or compression to a certain extent, it relies quite heavily on your skills using a synthesiser.

You know, I was searching around on the net for quite some time for the answer to this question, and you, friend, have been very instrumental in leading me to a wonderful revelation! For that, I thank you whole-heartedly.

I've been able to get a much more punchy sound out of my super-saw leads once I thought to look at the pitch shift (portamento). So simple: Just punch the first few milliseconds of every single note by dropping from two or three octaves up. Perfect!

Also worth mentioning, Eurobeat leads tend to be at least 3 or 4 stacked degrees of the chord.

eXtaticus · Post by **eXtaticus** » 17 Jan 2013, 14:35

-redacted-

Eurobeat Prime :: Forum

The very basics of Eurobeat

(This is just for curiousity's sake more than anything else,) what do you use to compose your music?

The very basics of Eurobeat

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