Final Track Description
When I began the process of piecing together this masterpiece, I wanted to create something that captured the ear and drove the body, mind, and soul into joyfulness. The first 16 bars came from a previous project that I thought did just that, so I wanted to influence the feeling more. After a while of playing around with different instruments and sounds, the feeling of hip-hop came into mind. I kept the same tempo at 105 bpm, the meter at 4/4, and in the key of Em. So I added a hip-hop flavor mixed with an already techno-like groove, and this is what it sounds like.
I used a 4/4 meter instead of trying something I’m not quite as familiar with, such as the 3/4 or 6/8 meter. My primary focus for my drums was sticking to the backbeat formula, by keeping the kick hitting on 1 & 3, and the snare hitting on the 2 & 4. In my second mix I felt a little bit more comfortable, so I ventured out and played with the drums myself. I allowed my bass to follow the kick pattern and extended the first note, so that it would be more realistic. I also made another change from the first project with my Melody. I went from a Fuzzy Fock Lead to a Bright Punchy Synth to bring out that hip-hop feeling more.
For my chords in the first project, I used an Em7 Am G Bm7, and they sounded really good together after making an inversion. My interest peaked however, after learning about the suspended chords. In my second mix, I made a slight change by adding in some of the suspended chords to influence the groove more. I used notes Em7 Esus2 Am Asus4 G Bm7 Bsus4 in which I inverted into Em7 Esus4 Am Asus4 G D6 F#sus4. I was able to come up with a smooth Falling-Rising Melody, using some of the notes from my chord progression. Needless to say, I was over pleased with the way it turned out.
In the first mix, you can hear where I recorded in a few claps in hopes of getting the crowd moving. In my second mix, I got a lot more creative by adding in Sampler tracks, creating my own sounds, and vocals. I have to admit, I enjoyed the whole creative process of this assignment. I made an electric guitar sound from a ES-P on Track 92, because I felt it lacked something in the background. I came up with a glass-like sound on Track 90, which to my surprise actually sounded good. I also used a few Time-Based Processors and Dynamic Effects to balance out the sounds together and enhance the quality of others. To be specific, I used an Eq., Comp., and a Reverb Effect on my Melody (Track 89) so that the presence could be felt in your face. I put a De-sser on my vocals to remove the S’s and T’s, along with an Eq., Comp., and a Delay effect. I want my listener to feel like they’re here in the room with me when they listen to my craft.
I actually wound up using 3 Time-Based Processors in total, on Tracks 89, 91, & 92. I wanted to enhance the sound of my mix, so I put a Delay on my vocals so they wouldn’t sound plain. I wanted everything to hit you in the face and it be exciting. I wanted to throw a Reverb on the vocals as well, but instead I put it on my Melody. I wanted my Melody to surround you with its brightness and punchy hit while being in tune with my Chords. For the Sampler sound that I created, I put an Ensemble on it. To me, the guitar sound I was looking for was brought out more by this processor effect, so I stuck with it. As far as my Dynamic Effects, I used the 2 most efficient effects known to date, the Equalizer and Compressor. I put these on Tracks 84 & 89-91, so that their presence could be felt more. I was pleased with the way my final track turned out. I learned a lot more about backbeats, and the proper way to organize and construct a beat such as the tempo, meter, keys, and effects.