Turnarounds and transitions are what separate amateur and pro-sounding tracks. And when done correctly, they can move your track forward seamlessly.
At its core, a turnaround is simply a passage that leads from one section of your track to another.
From subtle FXs to huge clap build-ups, effective turnarounds will keep your track flowing. You surely know of a few already. But today, weāll cover some unique techniques to make those transitions shine!
In this guide, weāll look at:
- What a turnaround is
- What separates it from a ātransitionā
- When should you use turnarounds
- 9 unique ways to create better transitions (including my favorite render+process technique š)
So without further ado, letās dive in! š
What is a Turnaround?
The term āturnaroundā comes from the world of jazz.
In jazz music, a turnaround describes āa passage at the end of a section which leads to the next section. This next section is most often the repetition of the previous section or the entire piece or song.ā
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 1 jazz players playing trumpet and saxophone](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-69.png)
Pretty straightforward no?
Originally, turnarounds referred to specific chord progressions. One such example would be the IāviāiiāV chord progression.
In C Major, this gives us āC ā Am ā Dm ā Gā:
In this example, I am playing the chords C ā Em ā C, then into the turnaround consisting of C ā Am ā Dm ā G. You can hear how the turnaround acts as the āend of a sectionā.
Essentially, a turnaround helps to āwrap things upā. It brings us back to our āhomeā, in this case, C Major.
Although some chord progressions are more popular than others, any chord progression can work as a turnaround.
If you want to learn more about how to build chords, check out our extensive guide here.
What About Turnarounds in EDM?
With time, turnarounds have evolved in their meaning.
In electronic music, turnarounds refer to anything that helps transition from one section to another.
This is why the terms āturnaroundā, ātransitionā or even āfillsā are used interchangeably.
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 2 a jazz drummer](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-70.png)
In effect, this could include any of the following:
- arrangement changes (adding/removing elements)
- mixing choices (changes in volume, filtering, etc.)
- effects processing such as reverb, delay, etc.
- changes in groove, tempo, pitch, etc.
Hereās one example of a turnaround in an electronic music context:
And of course, turnarounds can (and should!) combine any number of these techniques!
When Should You Transitionā¦?
Producers often use the term āturnaroundā to describe the end of a 16-bar loop.
Practically, every end-of-phrase should have some sort of transition.
A phrase is defined as a āunit of musical meter that has a complete musical sense of its ownā. This is what we usually refer to as our 8-bar or 16-bar loop.
By the way, turning a loop into a full track is one of the hardest things for beginners. Aden tackles this in our latest video:
Now, this doesnāt mean that each transition should be a huge snare roll. It can be as subtle as removing a few hi-hats.
But effectively, each phrase should end with some type of turnaround that leads into the next.
Additionally, mid-phrase transitions are a great way to keep the listener engaged. However, because you are still in the same phrase, try to keep them minimal.
Check out this example:
The obvious turnaround comes after 8 bars. But youāll also notice a subtle transition after 4 bars (around 8 seconds), composed of 2 claps and a reversed hi-hat:
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 3 showing a turnaround in the FL Studio playlist](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-71.png)
As a rule of thumb, the big transitions are between the major sections of your track.
Typically, this will be:
- From the intro to the verse
- Leading into the drop (or from the build-up into the drop)
- From the drop into the breakdown
- From the last section of the last drop into the outro
Letās look at an example from one of my favorite current artists: Fred Again..
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 4 showing a turnaround in the FL Studio playlist](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-72.png)
Leading into the drop, each 8-bar loop ends with a turnaround. And if you listen to the track, you will hear some kind of transition after every 8 bar.
By the way, ācopyingā a songās structure is one of the best ways to beat writerās block. I explore the concept more in detail in this blog post.
9 Types of Turnarounds
Now that we know what turnarounds are and when to use them, letās look at the āhowā.
By the way, this is by no means an exhaustive list. There are quite literally thousands of ways to transition between sections. But hopefully, these will give you some inspiration š
1. The Silence š¤«
Mozart himself said that āmusic is not in the notes, but in the silence betweenā.
Silence is one of the most underrated tools at your disposal. Think of it this way: if everything is blasting at full volume all the time, nothing has an impact.
The impact of a drop or a new melody often comes from the silence that precedes it.
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 5 showing a turnaround in the FL Studio playlist](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-73.png)
So the first trick for effective turnaround is to simply remove a few elements. Good candidates for this are the kick, the snare, and the bass.
This trick works great when you also introduce a new element.
This technique is called an āanacrusisā, also known as a āpickupā or āupbeatā.
An anacrusis is a note or sequence of notes which precedes the first downbeat in a bar in a musical phrase.
One classic example is the āHappy Birthdayā theme:
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 6 image 75](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-75.png)
Here, two notes are sung before the actual first beat.
Coming back to EDM, this could be for example the lead melody that you tease. Letās listen to an example:
Here, I am removing everything except the hi-hats from the beat. I am also removing the bass and teasing the melody with some volume automation.
You can also opt to remove everything all at once.
In that case, simply inserting a little vocal sample or a melodic hit works great:
If youāre looking for some new free vocal sample packs, check out our list here!
2. The Drum Fill š„
Drum fills are a cornerstone of electronic music. You can hear them everywhere, from London Grammar to The Weeknd and Daft Punk.
Drum fills are a great way of letting the listener know something is about to happen.
Oftentimes, producers will pick classic drum breaks to transition from one section to another.
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 7 showing a drum fill in the FL Studio playlist](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-76.png)
In this example, I am using the iconic Funky Nassau drum break. I am combining it with a radio-style EQāing.
Depending on your break, you will need some processing to make it fit.
If the break clashes too much, try introducing it slowly. Here, volume automation and filtering (especially low-pass) are your friends š
Unlike other techniques on this list, this one is highly dependent on the genre you produce. Genres such as DnB, Lo-fi House and Hip Hop and Future Garage are well suited. It might not work as well for genres such as Techno and Slap House.
3. The FX Build-Up š·āāļø
One of the most common ways to introduce a new section is with dedicated FXs. Youāll find entire sample packs dedicated to these online:
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 8 example of transition effects sample packs](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-77.png)
Upsweeps and downsweeps are the most common transition FXs.
Essentially, they are white noises that are being slowly filtered. They sound something like this:
However, they can quickly sound a bit gimmicky. Also, they donāt always fit well in your track.
This is why I suggest creating your own sweeps.
For this, you can use any sampler of your choice. I like using the free synth Vital (on which weāve done an extensive guide here).
I first de-activate all oscillators, and only enable the Sampler:
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 9 the sampler section of Vital](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-78.png)
Then, I apply some post-processing in the Effects tab:
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 10 the effects section of Vital](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-79.png)
I can then automate the filter cutoff to create an upsweep. This is what it sounds like in context:
One cool reason to use a sampler is that you can easily demo different samples to see what sounds best.
If youāre using a synth such as Vital, you can also layer a white noise oscillator. This will create a denser sound.
4. The Filter Master ć½
Filtering is also one of the most common techniques used for turnarounds.
Here you can choose to filter select elements or the entire mix.
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 11 using a low-pass filter with Pro-Q3](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-80.png)
In general, use low-passing to bring the tension down, and high-passing to raise it.
For example, high-passing your mix before the drop will add impact. On the other hand, low-passing will give the impression things are coming to an end:
If you want to emphasize a specific element, filter out everything except that element. For example, you could low-pass your entire mix but leave a vocal unaffected. This will draw the listenerās attention to that vocal:
5. Render and Process š
This is one of my favorite techniques for creating amazing turnarounds.
Essentially, what you do is render out the last 2 or 4 bars of your loop.
You then process them with any plugin you want. Here are some of my favorites (and theyāre all free!):
- dBlue TapeStop (download here): this will slow down your track like a tape recording.
- Finisher Micro (download here): a fantastic plugin with tons of different effects
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 12 The Finisher-Micro free plugin](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-81.png)
- dBlue Glitch (download here): the best free plugin to create weird, glitchy transitions
This technique also works well when layering with the original mix.
You could for example low-pass the original mix, and layer in a heavily processed version.
6. The Reversal š
When in doubt, just reverse it!
Reversing a short melodic phrase or a beat is the fastest way to an effective turnaround.
You can decide to reverse the entire mix, or just selected elements of the mix.
If you only reverse certain elements, try going for those with high transients. For example, percussive elements and arps work really well:
For this turnaround, Iāve also reversed the first notes of the upcoming melody.
7. The Overlapping Delay š
One of the keys to making your turnarounds work is having overlapping elements.
What you want is to have elements of one phrase carry on to the next.
And what better way to do this than with delay! For this, you want a delay with distinctive qualities such as distortion or pitch modulation. So your stock delay might not cut it.
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 13 The Echoboy delay plugin](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-82.png)
This trick works great in combination with the drum fill trick:
8. The Pitch Bender š
Pitch shifting is a topic weāve covered before here at EDMProd.
Itās a technique that also works great for turnarounds. Pitching up or down any elements will make them out-of-tune, drawing the listenerās attention.
To pitch-shift in FL Studio, go the the āTime stretchingā section of your sample:
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 14 using the pitch knob in FL Studio](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-84.png)
Select the range (in semitones) over which you want to pitch a sample. Then, set āModeā to āStretchā. You can now automate the pitch knob!
In Ableton Live, enable the āWarp modeā in your clip. You can then automate the pitch of your sample:
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 15 Automating the pitch amount in Ableton Live](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-86.png)
One classic use of pitch-shifting for turnarounds is on the riser. This will create the classic āalarmā sound:
9. The Clap Build š
Letās close off this guide with one of the most effective turnarounds: the clap build!
Although this works also with snares, I feel it somehow works better with claps.
The most common way is to double the number of claps every few beats.
Usually, it will look a little something like this:
![9 Tricks for Better Transitions in EDM šµ 16 demonstrating a clap build in FL Studio playlist](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-87.png)
This is what it sounds like:
Without any further processing, it risks sounding a bit dry. So letās process it!
First, we are going to apply some low-pass filtering:
Next, add a reverb and automate the dry/wet knob. The goal here is to āwash outā the claps:
Nice! If you want to go even further, you can also add some autopan. PanCake is one of my favorite free plugin for that.
Thatās It, Folks!
Thatās it for this guide! Hopefully, youāre now inspired to bring your turnarounds to the next level!
Did I miss out on anything? Let me know over at [emailĀ protected]