Embedded Files
Composition 1:
For my experimental composition, I want to create an ambient like project, but with the use of samples throughout. I have a synth pad sound that I have created on the retro synth which fits in with an ambient track when it has a lot of reverb on it. For the samples, I would like to set them back and make them quieter as it is an ambient composition, but I still want them to still be able to be heard to add a sense of dynamism to the track. In studio sessions, I'm going to ecord some voice memos at random points to use and sample in the track as well. I also want to experiment with the use of some lightly played drums. Even though this isn't common in ambient tracks, I think it could sound really cool when played at the right parts. Effects like reverb and delay are going to be very important for this, as they can help create and enhance the atmosphere within the track. What inspired me to create a track like this was Brian Eno and Fred again's "Secret life" album, which is an ambient album mixed with your classic sampling from Fred again. There are also complete covers of songs in this album, with Leonard Cohen's "In My Secret Life" being covered in "Secret", which is track 2 of the album, and John Prine's "Summer's End" being covered in "Come On Home', which is the final track of the album.
This is "Secret", track 2 of the album.
Composition 2:
I have recently discovered an artist called Mk.gee. He creates dreamy soundscapes with his incredible guitar playing, with their also being heavy hitting R&B drums in his tracks. It's like if Phil Collins and The Police combined as one artist with a modern twist. I want to make a track similar to "Dream Police' off of his album "Two Star & The Dream Police" and his song "cz" off of his album "A Museum Of Contradiction"
Synth Pad
Here is a pad sound I made using Alchemy, I made it using 2 square waves and 1 saw wave. Square waves are shaped like squares and are usually used to create synth leads as they have a piercing sound. Saw waves are usually used for lead sounds too, as they are a sharp sound. I managed to take these 3 waves and make them sound like a pad by increasing the attack, decay, sustain and release to make the sound last longer. I have the volume sequenced to the velocity which means if I play a note quietly then it will sound quiet and if I play it loud then the note will be loud.
Synth pluck
To create a pluck sound I used 2 saw waves, 1 sine wave, and 1 triangle wave with an attack level of 0 seconds, a hold level of 0 seconds, a decay level of 0.14 seconds, a sustain level of 0%, and a release level of 0.0184 seconds. The 2 saw waves add a sharpness to the sound of the pluck, and one is playing through one filter and the other is played through the other filter. The sine wave adds adds a simple top layer to the sound, and it is tuned 2 octaves higher than the saw waves. The triangle wave adds a lower frequency sound to the pluck, and I have also tuned it down by an octave. Like the pad I have the volume sequenced to the velocity so when I play light the pluck is quiet but when I play hard the volume is loud.
Synth bass
For the bass I have 2 sine waves and 1 triangle wave. These 3 waves all work really well with each other to create a great bass sound. I have also set the attack to 0 seconds, hold to 4.05 seconds, decay to 1.68 seconds, a sustain level of 0%, and a release level of 1.73 seconds. I have the volume sequenced to the velocity like the pad and the pluck, and I also have a bass enhancer to make sure it has more of a punch, and I also have a distortion that activates when the notes are pressed down hard.
My understanding on synthesis
Subtractive synthesis - A form of music that uses different waveforms to create different sounds by using oscillators, partnered with envelopes to automate the sounds made, LFO's to make the sounds sound more alive, and filters to cutoff any unwanted fequencies.
Oscillator - An oscillator is what makes the sound within the synth with different frequencies, for example a sine wave. All the waves in a synth are different types of oscillators, and they all give off different sounds.
LFO - An LFO is a low frequency oscillator, and it adds a sense of movement to a synth, almost making it seem like it's alive, but you will never hear it as it is such a low frequency the human ear cannot physically hear it.
Envelope - An envelope is the attack, hold, decay, sustain, and release in a synth sound. The sound can be different if you change the levels of these parameters.
Filters - Filters allow you to cutoff certain frequencies that you don't want. A low pass filter cuts off the low and low mid frequencies and only allows the high and high mid frequencies play, and a high pass filter cuts off the high and high mid frequencies and only allows the low and low mid frequencies play.
Waveforms:
Sine wave - Useful for making all synth sounds, a simple singular wave which sounds clean.
Triangle wave - Another very simple wave, but a less clean and more sharper sound. Useful for making pad or bass sounds.
Square wave - A sharp, piercing sound, very useful for making synth leads and plucks.
Saw wave - Another sharp sound, good for making synths sound more powerful.
Attack - The time it takes for the soundwave to reach its peak.
Hold - The stage after the attack peak is reached and before the decay begins.
Decay - The time it takes for the soundwave to fall away from its peak.
Sustain - The time it takes for the soundwave to stop after a key is released.
Release - The time it take for the soundwave to reach a level of 0 after the sustain key is released.
Use of the sampler
Here is a loop from a video I screen recorded, here is the original clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_xOAMiEQLY&t=2165s . When I dragged the audio into the sampler there were too many slice markers so I deleted most of them and hand selected the ones that I wanted and put them where I wanted the keys to play each part. I also additionally fine tuned the audio to make it play 30 cents lower than what it was. If I had a loop that wasn't in key then I'd use the coarse pitch to pitch it down or up into the key it needs to be in. I turned the gate on so when I stopped playing the sample it would also stop playing, I turned on flex time so the sample would stay in time with the track. Transient mode is useful as it detects different parts of the audio file and uses transients to select the key that parts of the udio would be played on. Slice mode is useful for when you want to chop up samples, one shot mode is used to select a singular moment from the sample and play it over, and classic mode is good to use for looping.
Use of audio chopping
Here are some audio files that I chopped up and added within separate parts of a composition, these are audio clips that I captured in real life, youtube videos, or live speeches.
Use of bounced down sample
This is a bounced audio of a song I put in the sampler and looped at a certain point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqu5QtYuPIA this is the song.
This is a guitar audio that I recorded someone playing in the studio and added it into my track.
This is the mixer for my synthesis and sampling work. I have pretty much just added reverb and delay, and for all the samples I have added pitch correction to keep them in key.
This is my audio that has my synthesis and sampling in.
I have used found sounds in this next track.
I managed to make the pad (in green) by using an audio file of wind I recorded, and I boosted the EQ in the key the song is in, and double added the EQ edit.
This is a snare I managed to make by sampling someone stamping on a staircase.
This is another bit of guitar work that I got someone to record.
To get this unique sound, I have used: Robo flanger in the pedalboard, chorus, another flanger, EQ to cut out some mid and low frequencies and boost some high frequencies, AUPitch to pitch it down by 600 cents, stereo delay, and AVerb. Using these all together creates a dreamy guitar sound.
Here is the mixer for the project, I have copied the plugins I have used onto different instruments as well to keep the theme of the dreaminess.
This is the track I have used all of this in.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse