About Track-Labs
Track-Labs is a music game for those who like to play with melodies and rhythms. Instead of playing back a pre-recorded track, you create your own music by dragging individual notes onto a timeline. Pick instruments. Change the speed. Listen back. Edit. And edit again. Until you have a song you really love.
Discover the mini studio
The entire composition process is performed on an intuitive control panel. You put down notes at specific points on the timeline to make melodies or drum beats exactly how you want.
You can start with a couple of piano notes and then lay down the bass and drums to create a foundation. Once the basic structure is in place, other instruments can be used to add variety to the arrangement.
Another big plus is you can hear your track immediately after you make edits. If a section doesn't quite sound right you can move or delete a note and try again – you don't have to start over from scratch.
Nine instruments to experiment with
- Piano: Ideal for creating lead melodies or starting a track.
- Electric Piano: Offers a modern, softer tone.
- Guitar: Suitable for melodies or rhythmic passages.
- Saxophone: Adds expressive highlights to the music.
- Bass: Provides low-end depth and a solid foundation.
- Trombone: Adds bold, distinctive brass tones.
- Drums: Maintains the main rhythm for the entire track.
- Hi-hat: Adds quick, subtle beats to liven up the rhythm.
- Cymbals: Perfect for accents and transitions.
Playing Track-Labs
Build a track from scratch
If you don’t know where to start, piano and bass are good starting points. Once you have a simple melody, try adding drums to find the right beat. Then you can add in instruments like guitar, electric piano or saxophone to add color where needed.
Change BPM to find the right groove
Tempo is a huge factor in the feel of the music. Occasionally a beat sounds good when played slow, but it won’t work when you speed up the BPM, and vice versa. If it feels sluggish, try increasing the tempo and listen again. If it starts to sound rushed or cluttered, you can make it more listenable by dropping the BPM a bit. It’s also a great way to find the style that best fits the track you’re working on by experimenting with different speeds.
Stacking sounds
Once you’ve got a base, you can begin to add layers of sound. Drums set the beat, bass sets the foundation, and instruments like guitar, saxophone or trombone give character to the mix. Too many notes at the same time can result in a cluttered track. Keep listening back and try to remove what you don’t need. Sometimes a bare-bones arrangement sounds better than a cluttered mix.
Refine until you are happy
You are able to edit your creation. A misplaced note can throw off the rhythm, but it’s easily corrected.
You can:
- Move notes to different positions.
- Delete unnecessary sounds.
- Add new instruments to fill empty spaces.
- Adjust the BPM to test the track's feel.
- Listen to sections repeatedly to identify anything that doesn't work.
- Try a completely different arrangement if the current one isn't quite right.
Track-Labs Usage Tips
- Start with fewer instruments: Don’t add every sound immediately.
- Create the beat first: Drums help you visualize the rhythm of the entire track.
- Get The Bass Down: First A simple bassline can add a feeling of solidity to the mix.
- Try transposing notes: It takes only a few notes to change a melody quite a bit.
- Listen frequently: Don't just look at the timeline and guess how the music will sound.
- Experiment with the BPM: Try out different speeds then settle on the final one.
- Don't be afraid to delete: If a sound clutters the arrangement, try removing it.
- Save your best versions: You can revisit and develop them into a complete track.
Conclusion
Track-Labs turns note arrangement into a relaxed and accessible creative experience. Choose an instrument, place your first notes, and start experimenting; an improvised melody might just become the most exciting piece of music you’ve ever created.