Project & Portfolio I
Portfolio Project I
How the Final Track Evolved
While only a few weeks have elapsed since the birth of this project, I can’t help but feel as if I have taken a great journey that has lasted much longer. When I initially set out to create this track, I really thought that, given the strict requirements to stick with electronic software-based instruments, it would end up with an EDM-style sound. However, once I finished my initial harmony track and began writing the melody, I realized the musical direction that I wanted to go, and, from that point moving forward, the song slowly started to take shape and morph into the Gospel/R&B sound that it has today. I really wanted to create something upbeat, despite the first half being a minor key, that employed a tight pocket-style drumming technique. Additionally, I really wanted each new section to have its own character and build in such a way that, by the end, the piece would make you feel like you were at a revival and register on an emotional level.
The Backbone - Drums and Bass
As a lifelong drummer, especially one who takes pride in playing in the pocket, this piece was right up my alley. I have always been a huge fan of how gospel, as well as R&B drummers, play with immense power while maintaining absolute precision. I felt this piece needed that same footprint. So I started by selecting an appropriate tempo (meter). For this style of music, time is everything. A tempo that is too slow will make it drag and lose energy. While on the other hand, a meter that is too quick will make the song feel rushed and out of control. My objective was to find a tempo that made your toes tap and allowed for a smooth transition to 2/4 on the snare drum to add energy. I found that 100 bpm felt very comfortable throughout the entire piece. Even though it is a small instrument, and a staple in most professional drummer’s repertoire. The tambourine that I added at bar 24, while subtle, using a 16th note pattern, made a tremendous impact by adding a big boost of energy, as the piece enters into its home stretch and continues building momentum leading up to the outro.
When I set out to write the bass line for this piece, I started with the technique of copying the kick drum part. I have always been a firm believer that the bass player and drummer should be locked in on each other. This is one of the main reasons I try to stay consistent with how I play the kick drum. Nothing frustrates a bass player more than a drummer who constantly varies his kick drum pattern. The next thing that I did was move the pattern up or down to correspond with each chord's root note. Once I had each measure broken down. I began creating rhythms that stair-stepped up and down during the verse but had a closer relationship to the melody during the chorus in my search for sounds that I liked. I happened upon the sub-bass preset. I thought this would help emphasize the root of the bass and give it a little more depth. So I created an additional track and cut out the unwanted notes.
The Harmony & Melody - Finding Its Soul
The first half of this piece was composed in the key of A minor, using an | iv | I | III | VII | chord progression, or | Dm | Am | C | G |. While the second half transitions to the relative major key of C and uses an | bVII | IV | I | V vi | chord progression, borrowing the flat VII chord from its parallel minor scale in leu of using its own diminished VII chord, or | Bb | F | C | G Am |. It is no secret that a vast majority of the songs written in a minor key tend to be slow or melancholy. So for this piece, I set out to create something upbeat and energetic. During the verse or first eight bars, I used a nice soft and airy pad for the harmony and to help fill some space in the back of the mix. I used a springy bass, backed up by a sub-bass track for beef and depth, as the focal point for this section. I also played around with different sounds and tried to create light-arpeggiated rhythms to act as ear candy. However, as the project unfolded, it turned out to be the melody, played during the chorus, that would ultimately shape the piece and provide its Gospel-type sound.
For the second half, with the electronic instrument requirement lifted. I wanted to use more traditional Gospel-style instruments to give my sound new life and take it to the next level. I thought of no better instrument for the job than the B3 organ. With its rotor turned down slow and by adding a touch of distortion for grit. This classic gospel instrument, with its deep raspy unique sound, did not leave me disappointed or make me regret my decision to make this the centerpiece for the second half. In the spirit of getting back to traditional roots. I thought it would be in good taste to include a piano track that would add a slight percussive element, as well as, color and depth to the song. Finally, I continued to utilize the soft pad but I moved it more towards the back of the mix. Using it only as a very subtle means to fill gaps and create ambiance.
The Audio Files & Making Sense of the Synths
For my required audio tracks, I wanted to implement something that would give more depth to the overall harmony and melody, create a percussive element and add a new layer of energy to the piece. I thought of no better instrument for the job than my acoustic guitar. It also turned out, because the guitar that I chose for this project uses a D-A-D-G-A-D tuning. Several of the notes within the triads get inverted. Creating beautiful harmonic chords and tones. For the recording process, I used my Aston Origin medium condenser and Starlight small condenser microphones in x/y stereo configuration. The Origin was pointed in between the soundhole and the 12th fret and used to capture the guitars warmer tones. While the Starlight was pointed just below the 12th fret to capture the brighter tones and the percussiveness of the pick moving across the strings.
The first original synth, located on track 14, is the ES2 synthesizer. It uses a subtle attack, medium decay and sustain settings, that creates a very soft, airy, and melodic ring tone. I used this sound predominantly to act as a very light ambiance and to bolster the main melody during the first eight bars of the piece. Whereas the second original synth, located on track number 15, the ESM synthesizer is configured to create a punchy bass note. I used this sound to soften the brassiness of the original bass track. This was accomplished by duplicating the midi data and reducing the volume of the original.
For my required sample, located on track 16, I felt that the orchestral portion of this piece needed its own percussive elements. So I decided to take a page from one of my all-time favorite drummers, Neil Peart, and went with a tubular bell. While they are not meant to be an instrument that stands out. Musically, due in part to their distinct and eerie sound, they tend to help elicit an emotional response from listeners. I was able to create this effect by first creating an audio track and then recording the tubular bell sound from my drum set. Once I had the audio, I dragged and dropped the audio into the Quick Sampler and, from there, trimmed the audio to the appropriate length.
The Mix
During the verse, I tried to mix everything around the bass melody. Putting it upfront and slightly left, in an attempt to balance the stereo field, with the drums not far behind. Even though the hi-hat added a lot of color and character to the song. I pushed it back in the mix because I wanted to place particular emphasis on the kick and snare. The pad stayed in the middle but was pushed back into the mix such that, unless you were specifically listening, even though it was subtle, if it were to be taken out its absence would be noticed. I did the same for the second harmony pad in the second half. I wanted the B3 to be the focal point but wanted just a tiny bit more grit and depth to be added. The chip on the right and melody on the left are there for listener interest and were both pushed back in the mix as well. While I did throw an EQ on some individual tracks, for the most part, I subscribe to a top-down approach. In that, I do most of my EQing and Compression on the respective busses. For instance, I have an EQ on the drum bus to cut out the evil bass “Hoot” which is generally found around 100 Hz. I will cut some of the cymbal and Hi-Hat harshness between 3 & 4 k and do a slight boost around 8k for air and clarity. Compressing the entire bus, more times than not, cleans and tightens everything up in one shot. Generally speaking, the main thing that I want to accomplish is to cut a little off of the top and add some punch to the drums. I have found using this “top-down approach” increases my workflow by minimizing the necessary adjustments required on the individual tracks and even smaller adjustments, if required, on the main output. In an attempt to keep this simple, I used very little automation for this project. I did an EQ bypass for the snare drum on the drum bus and a bypass for the gate on the harmony pad side-chained to the hi-hat.
