FINAL TRACK DESCRIPTION

 

 

     So for my final I track I decided to expand on track 2, so therefore deciding to continue down the path of the sad, and downtrodden. I’m a bluesman at heart, so naturally my proclivity is to write a song around the idea of the lack of love, or luck, or lust, and so on, and so forth. I started writing in A minor and just let the sorrow flow. I would say the styles that would describe it would be like sad house music, introspective dance music, or like synth trap maybe. This tracks use and or functions I think would work well in many of dance clubs across Europe, in the kitchen as background music, or by yourself with a pair of nice headphones. I believe it to be relatable. My goal is create a place of safety and solace amidst sorrow and strife.

         

         My final track is in rather standard 4/4, the structure I believe to be consistent yet creative. I came up playing drums and bass, so I’m a rhythm section at my core so I’m quite fond of a heavy and driving drum and bass section, I almost always like that to be the focus, with subtle yet steady delay and reverbs peppered in. As for the sounds a subtly altered sound for a song of the style, slightly synthesized, smooth and  deep bass hits.

 

     This particular song is in the key of A minor, I went with A minor I suppose just simply because I have quite an affinity for it, so smooth and sad. The chords I selected for this piece are as follows: 

1-16 (Asus4,F,Em,Asus2) 17-32 (Am,F,Dm,G)

I went with a total of five different chords, with a few sus chords in there for a nice feeling of whistful tension. I personally most enjoy simplicity mixed with ingenuity when it comes to composition. I usually opt for 3-5 chords in a song, but adding the sus chords really provides for such a subtle yet distinct change. I wanted a peacefully unsettling vibe to the harmony and melody, maybe akin to the idea of melting church bells. I have them panned equally to opposite sides, yet not too far out, as if skipping hand in hand.

         

       So for my synthesized, sampler, and audio tracks I came upon those after listening to the track a handful of times and started to get the vibe of two long time lovers leaving one another after the love is lost. That being said, for my vocals I recorded say the phrase “ you broke my heart when you broke it” with heavy delay echo and reverb, to feel as if the phrase was playing over and over in ones thoughts. The other phrase simply say “No Love”x4, for my sampler I again recorded some vocals that say”pl,pl,pl,please don’t leave” played down on the keyboard to make it real low. I also added some sound clips from the movie “Girl,interrupted”, some cars starting up and taking off, and then some people crying/laughing. For my synth tracks I hopped between ES-P and Alchemy, I really like those two. With the specific sounds I wanted like a whistful, ethereal, and slightly uncomfortable vibe goin on. I feel it all plays well off one another and I have it mixed in a way that I feel interweaves all the individual instruments, and samples, to where nothing quite takes the spot light. Everything shares and feeds.

 

         Lastly, for the processing part of the equation, I went with what I would say is a consistent and calm approach, as in I have added EQ, and compression to every track as the individually require, I stay in the  pocket of compression that we were taught, so not too much, but enough. I added gates to all tracks that needed them, in specific, my recorded vocals to remove breaths, and on sound clips to remove any unwanted background noise. As far as time based effects go, I rather consistently bus most tracks to have some amount of reverb, and delay if nothing else. Granted I have different levels and approaches depending on if they are for the drums, the bass, the vocals, etc. Not too much in my opinion, but is clearly there. I suppose I’m a sucker for a ghostly, ethereal feel. Occasionally I will add chorus, and maybe some distortion or overdrive. Not ass often though. Overall I feel it all comes together to create a almost numbing melancholy atmosphere. I like to try and to the line between cute, and creepy. Like an unsettling warmth you cannot quite walk away from. The emotion of souls.