LO3: Developing Track 4

I plan to make Track 4 an instrumental song. My main inspirations for this song include the works of Makeup and Vanity Set – mainly focussing on the song ‘Eidolon‘. I broke it down to see what elements I could use for my song.

Point 1 – It’s very progressive. Melodies loop throughout while other musical ideas/instruments are added or taken away.

Point 2 – Automation is also used to create a sense of progression throughout the song.

Point 3 – Drum selections are constantly changing. Throughout the song, cymbals and other percussive instruments are constantly being added, layered or taken away. I don’t think this was done for the purpose of mixing and level-balancing. Rather, it was more a musical/writing choice than a technical one.

My first demo for Track 4 (can be heard HERE) was just a simple loop and drum beat. Although I wanted to keep the melody, I realised that the drum beat would have to be completely rewritten if this song was to resemble anything by Makeup and Vanity Set.

I made a simple 1/4 drum pattern and looped the drums and melody a few times. I then started brainstorming ways I could make these loops progress into something. With point 3 in mind, I first began introducing cymbals to the drum loops. Next, I added some more synthesisers. One played chords in the background. The other added height, as researched in Production Post 7, by introducing a high-pitched volume-automated riff. It was an idea I picked up from Makeup and Vanity’s song ‘It’s Our Rules Now‘. It really contrasted with the other instruments in terms of frequency range. With the song reaching a musical peak, I decided it should switch to a minimalist section. I added a bridge that removed the high-pitched riff via a downwards automation in pitch, giving the impression that it was slowing down (like a vinyl record effect). Only the lead synth, drums and bass are present in this minimalist section However, I kept it interesting via changes in EQ automation on the bass line.

I ended the song by further progressing what had been developed in the peak of the introduction section; And so the chords and high pitched riff were all re-introduced. To progress the final section, I wrote a more complex bass line for the song to finish on.

I took another idea from ‘Eidolon‘ and made some final adjustments to the drums by subtlety layering cymbals above the kick drums. They can be heard whenever the background chords are playing. I also added some width, as researched in Production Post 2, by splitting the notes of the background chords into individual tracks and panning them to different speakers. One note was automated in pitch and pan to create a howl-like sound.

Listen to the development of Track 4 HERE.

References

‘Eidolon‘ and ‘It’s Our Rules Now‘ by Makeup and Vanity Set