Building Tension

Audiotent Tip 339. Building Tension.

Here is a little trick to create tension in your music.
In your DAW, open a MIDI editor and draw a long sustained note. This could be extended to 2, 4, 8 bars or more, depending on how long you want to retain the tension.
Move this note to the tonic (first note) of the scale of your track. Finally, chose the right sound. It could be a sample of a high pitched string or a synth pad.
Alternatively, low bass tones can work great too, especially in the breakdown. Automate this in or out to keep the tension and build anticipation for the next part of your music.

Building Tension

Audiotent Tip 339. Building Tension.

Reading next