Verses, Chorus Sections & Intro - I used the nexus2 vst for pads and piano and I used one shot drum samples to make the rhythm. I didn't want this track to have a lot of instruments and sounds. I wanted this track to have space and atmosphere as this track is RnB/Ambient. Nexus2 had the pads and piano I was looking for. I don't have a midi keyboard at home, so what I did was I played the chords on my PC's type pad and once I came up with a chord progression I opened the piano roll and pasted the notes in. This was for the first pad. For the second pad I didn't use chords, I used lower octaves to layer the first pad. When I listened to both pads I was satisfied that they both sat in perfectly because the second pad gives atmosphere and depth because it's in a lower octave. Finally, for the piano, I played the same chords as the first pad but I used quarter notes. I did this because I wanted to put the piano into the chorus section of the track. I didn't wanted the track to sound too repetitive. I wanted the track to have some difference. The piano really helped the chorus section sound like a proper chorus.
For the drums I only used a kick, snare and closed hat. I didn't want the drums to be too complex. For the choruses the snare is playing on three & seven and the off beat and the hats are playing in 8th notes. For the verses the snare drum is playing on three only and there are no hats playing and finally I used kick and hats only for the bridge but there is one snare drum hitting on three just before the bridge ends. I wanted the drums to fit in well with the pads and piano and by using only kick, snare and hats I managed to create an 8 bar rhythm to fit in well with the verses, choruses and bridge.
I made the verses, chorus sections and intro 16 bars long. The reason is because this song has a fast tempo and I didn't want sections of the song ending very quickly or otherwise song wouldn't last so long. I would usually make my intros 8 or 4 bars long and I would make my verses 16 bars long and choruses 8 bars long. I do this because that's how long those sections would last for. But since this song has a fast tempo I increased the length of those sections so that they last longer and make the duration of the song itself last 3 - 4 minutes because this is how long a track would usually last for.
Bridge - On the other hand, I did make the bridge section 8 bars long because this is how long a bridge would normally last for. I didn't want every section of the song lasting 16 bars or the duration of the song would be too long to listen to. When I made the bridge 8 bars long it really helped the track's duration 3 minutes and 38 seconds. Also, a bridge section is not like a verse and what I mean by this is the bridge section doesn't need to have too much feeling because most of that feeling is coming from the verse and chorus sections of the song.
Outro - I made the outro 8 bars long as well because the outro doesn't have to last long. The chord progression in this song is 8 bars long. So after the 8 bars ended the song faded out slowly and gradually. This is due to the pad's and piano's release. The release is how long is takes for the sound to stop. There wasn't too much release in the pad or piano, which is a good thing because if there was too much release then it would take some time for those sounds to stop. Adding volume automation is a good way of helping sounds fade out faster.
Track 2 - I used the same daw for track one to produce track two and I used this daw because this daw is easy to use, it helps the song's channels look tidy and the vst plugins I have on the daw have the sounds I am looking for to produce another ambient instrumental. For this track I used the vst plugin 'nexus2' for a pad, bells, bass, sub bass and piano. In addition, I used one shot drum samples to make the rhythm for the track. I used nexus2 because this vst plugin has an amazing library of sounds to choose from. The pads deliver great depth, atmosphere and emotion. What I like about bass and sub bass sounds on the vst is that they are fat and in your face and these are the exact sounds I was looking for to produce the track. What I like about the pianos is they are subtle, gentle and mellow. The piano is I used in this track added more gentleness and became more subtle in the song itself. Finally, what I like about the bells is the life they bring to the track. The bells deliver brightness, colour and strength. Plus, it made this track so much more catchy and illuminating. The drum samples I used was a kick, finger snap, clap, closed hats, chants and snare.
Verses & Pre Chorus Sections - I made verses and pre chorus sections 8 bars each and I made the drums simple for the verses by using kick and finger snap and for the pre chorus sections I put in closed hats and bass because this helps the verses and pre chorus sections sound better melodically and the hats and bass give the pre chorus a groove and warmth. I also used the pad because the pad is the main chord progression of the song and the pad delivers atmosphere & ambience. I didn't want the verses and pre chorus sections to have too much in it. I wanted the verses to sound simple and I wanted to give the verses space to breath. I wanted to save the other sounds and instruments for the other sections the song because it helps develop the song more in terms of sounds and drums. I added more in the pre chorus because I didn't want the pre chorus to sound exactly like the verse or otherwise the pre chorus wouldn't sound like a pre chorus. It would sound exactly like the verse.
I made the verses and pre chorus sections 8 bars long it helps keep both sections 16 bars long altogether and it makes the each section equal because the first 8 bars is the verse and the last 8 bars is the pre chorus. I added the pre chorus because the pre chorus will build up slowly into the chorus. On the last bar of the pre chorus I added a sweep effect and a snare fill. This is how the pre chorus builds up into the chorus because elements like this introduce the next section of a song and without these elements the track wouldn't have that build gradual build up.
I added the the sweep on the last bar of the intro, pre chorus sections, chorus sections, break and bridge and I placed the snare fill on the pre chorus sections, bridge and last chorus only. By doing this, it makes every section of the song easy to figure out because the drum fill and sweep is introducing the next section of the song.
For example, electronic music usually has an 8 bar snare fill or longer and electronic music is a really good example of introducing the next section of a song, which will get people up on their feet. The song 'Martin Garrix - Animals' is a really good example of how the snare fill creates a gradual build before the drop. At 1:15 the snare fill comes in and this element makes the track more alive because it's and EDM track.
Chorus Sections & Break - For the chorus I removed the bass and added a sub bass, piano and bells. This makes the chorus obvious to the person that is listening to the track. This also makes the less repetitive. I didn't want the chorus section to be the exactly the same as the verse. I wanted to add in more the make the chorus section sound like a chorus. For the chorus I made the drums much more uplifting and I did this to give the chorus energy and life. I didn't want the chorus to be like the verse. For the chorus I removed the finger snap and replaced it with a clap and snare. I also put a little bit of reverb on the clap and I did this because I wanted the clap to have energy as it hits with the snare drum. The clap was too dry and it didn't fit in with the track but with reverb added to the clap it makes the track sound much more compelling and energetic.
I made the first two chorus sections 8 bars long and the last one 16 bars long and because I didn't want all the chorus sections to last too long. I like to keep the chorus sections short and verses long because 16 bars for each section makes the duration of the song last too long and I always make my track 3 - 4 minutes long because that's how long a normal track should last. In this track I made the last chorus section 16 bars long because I didn't want the chorus to end too soon. I wanted to make the chorus longer so that the song itself lasts longer rather then ending after 8 bars straight away because the last chorus will be more enjoyable to listen to. The sound used in chorus are melodic and ambient.
After the first chorus I put in a 4 bar break before the next verse comes in. I wanted some distance between the first chorus and second verse because this allows breathing space for the singer and track itself. Not all songs have to be like this but I preferred this because I wanted some breathing space in this track rather jumping from one section into another and another.
Bridge - For the bridge I only used a pad, finger snap, bass, clap and snare and I made this section 8 bars long. I made the bridge 8 bars long because that's how long a bridge should last for. Sometimes it can last 16 bars but I decided to make it last 8 bars because I wanted to keep it short. In the bridge I added an instrument after every 2 bars. After the first two bars I added a finger snap and in the last four bars I added a snare, clap and bass. I did this because I wanted to gradually make this section of the track go into the final chorus and outro. Another reason why I made the bridge 8 bars long is because I the bridge in this track didn't need to last too long because the bridge isn't like the verses, pre chorus sections or chorus sections. A vocalist wouldn't sing or rap many lines like the other sections of the song and this is another reason why I made the bridge 8 bars long.
Intro & Outro - For the first four bars of the intro I used a pad only and in the last four bars of the intro I put a kick drum with a finger snap and a sweep effect on the last bar before the verse. I made the intro 8 bars long because I didn't want this intro to be too short. I wanted to leave enough breathing space before the verse comes in. Most tracks need to have breathing space because it will allow the to sound free and open and I knew that breathing space for this track would improve the track so much more. In this track I use a sweep effect on the last bar of each section because I want to make the sections of the track obvious to the person that is listening to it. It is important for songs to have rising or sweep effects because it makes sections of any song obvious to the person that is listening to it. This is what I usually do when I am producing a track.
Track 3 - I used the same daw for track one and two to produce track three and I used this because I find this daw easier to work with, it helps with making the project look tidy and it has all the sounds and drums I need to produce a style of my choice. In this track I used a piano pad, electric guitar, bass and bells. For the drums I used one shot drum samples from a royalty free drum pack. The samples I used were kick, finger snap, sweep effect & downlifter effect, snare, clap and closed hats.
Intro - I made the intro 8 bars long and I used the piano pad to make an 8 bar chord progression. I also put in a sweep effect on the last bar of the intro to show that the verse is the next section of the song. I made the intro 8 bars long because I don't want my intros to be too long. I prefer to keep them short because the person that is listening to the song would want to know what the next section of the song will sound like. Intros that are too long can make the track sound very boring unless it's a house track or edm. Most tracks of this style have 32 or 64 bar intros and this means the intro must be entertaining for the people listening to it. If it isn't the people listening to the track will not be interested in what comes after the intro because they kept listening to an intro that lasted a minute or more.
Verses - I made all the verses 16 bars long because I like the verses to last longer rather then ending after 8 bars. I like making my verses 16 bars long because a verse lasting 16 bars is more than enough before the chorus comes in. I didn't want to make the verses too long or the verse would be too long and not interesting to listen to. This is why I like making my verses 16 bars long in any track I produce. The instruments and sounds I used in the verse is the piano pad, kick, finger snap, snare, reverberated clap, closed hats and sweep effect. There rhythm in the verses is simple and there isn't really much in the verses because I wanted the verses to have space and width. I didn't want the verses to have too much because I wouldn't be able to add in anything else to the chorus sections. Verses in my opinion don't need to have a lot of instruments and sounds because the chorus is the most entertaining part of a song. You can add in extra instruments and sounds to make the chorus less repetitive, more interesting and entertaining.
I put a sweep effect on the last bar of the verse because this shows that the chorus is about to come in and I have put a sweep effect on the last bar of each section of the track to make each section of the track obvious to the person that is listening to the song. If each section of the track is not obvious to the listener, he/she will get very confused of which section is which. So this is a most important factor for me when I produce any song.
Chorus Sections - For the chorus sections I made them 16 bars long. I don't usually make my chorus sections 16 bars long because 16 bars for a chorus is a bit too long. I'd usually make my chorus sections 8 bars long but this song has a fast tempo. So I decided to add an extra 8 bars to each chorus section so that they last longer. A good thing I like about 16 bar chorus sections is that they make the duration of the whole song longer. If this song is less than 3 minutes long because the chorus sections are 8 bars long I would add an extra 8 bars to those sections longer and this would make the entire song 3 minutes or longer and every track I produce, I like to make the duration of each track 3 - 4 minutes long because that's how long a normal track would last for, especially this style of music, which is ambient.
In the chorus sections I removed the finger snap and added an extra snare drum, electric guitar, bells, bass and a downlifter effect. I added these sounds and instruments because these sounds and instruments make the chorus sound very alive, present, warm and uptempo. I didn't want the chorus to sound like the verses and by adding extra instruments and sounds they made a big difference to how the chorus sounds.
Outro - The outro is 8 bars long and has the same sounds as the chorus but without the drums. I decided to make the outro this way because this is a good way to let the listener know the end of the song is just around the corner. It also shows that the song doesn't end right away after the last chorus. It ends in a subtle and calm way. The outro without the drums is a good way of showing the song is coming to a close and to make it better, it is only 8 bars long and the good thing about this is the outro doesn't go on for a long time like the verses and choruses. It ends straight away after 8 bars. The release on the bells and piano pad help the outro fade out slowly.
Bridge - For the bridge I used a piano pad, kick, closed hats, reverberated clap and sweep effect. I made the bridge 8 bars long because this is how long a bridge should last for. Usually a bridge section can last for 16 bars but in this song I wanted to make the bridge section 8 bars long. I didn't want the bridge section in this song to be too long. I wanted to keep it short because most of the sections in the song are 16 bars long. This is why I wanted to change the duration of how long the bridge should last for. I made the rhythm of this section a bit more simples than the verses. The reverberated clap is always hitting the 6th crotchet out of every 2 bars, the closed hats are playing in 8th notes, the kick is always hitting on and off beat and the sweep effect goes from the bridge and into the final chorus of the song.
Track 4 - I used the same daw for producing tracks 1, 2 & 3 to produce track 4. I also used the same vst plugin, which is nexus2, to create chords and melodies only. Finally I used one shot drum samples to create the rhythm for the track. I used all of this equipment because it really helps me with making great chord progressions, melodies, basslines, rhythms, sweep effects, etc. Another thing I like about fl studio is the sequencer. The sequencer helps me a lot with making rhythms for chord progressions, basslines and melodies. I can select where I want the kick drum to hit and I can select where I want the clap to hit. I can also de-select a instrument if it's in the wrong place. For instance, if a open hat is hitting on the off beat and I wanted it to always hit every beat off a bar I can de-select the hats and select the first four beats of a bar or I can shift the hats until they are on the first beat. I can shift by holding shift and pressing the left or right arrows on the bottom left of the type pad of the laptop.
Intro - I made the intro 8 bars long and for the intro I used a pad, FX and clap. I made the intro 8 bars long because that's how long the pad's chord progression lasts for. I also made the intro this long because I didn't want the intro to last to long. I don't like intros that are too long because short intros mean the next section of a song will drop in. Another I like about short intro is they keep the song's duration 3 - 4 minutes and this is how long a normal track would last for. Especially for a track like this because it is an ambient/RnB style track. I placed the FX and clap on the last bar of the intro and this is to show that the verse is about to drop. If I didn't place a sound effect before the next section of the song the verse would've come out of nowhere. I placed the sound effect and clap there because it creates I wanted to make the next section of the track obvious to the person that is listening to it. If I didn't do this it would make sections of the song hard to figure out and I wanted to make sections of the song obvious. So this is why I placed a sound effect and clap just before the verse was about to drop in.
Verses - I made the verse sections of the song 16 bars long and I used 2 pads, kick, 3 snares, sub bass, closed hats and crash cymbal. The purpose of the crash cymbal is to is to make important sections of the song obvious such as the chorus, verse and middle 8. Without the crash cymbal it will be hard to figure out which section is which. So it was important for me to make important sections of the track obvious to the person that is listening to it. It will make the song's sections sound obvious to me and the person that is listening to it and it's a good way of keeping the track together.
I used three snare drums because I wanted to layer them. I played one snare drum with the track and it didn't fit in well with. There wasn't enough crunch in the snare. So I put two extra snare drums and I played all three of them with the track and I noticed the difference. I was happy with this change because layering the snare drum with two extra snare drums means that the snare overall is getting a nice crunchy sound and this is what I was going for. The snare drum is always hitting the third beat of every bar. I didn't wan the snare drum to come straight ofter the kick. I wanted some distance between the kick and the snare and the snare hitting three of every bar was the perfect place for the snare to hit.
The purpose of the kick drum is to make the track sound interesting to listen to. The kick is one of the main instruments that keep the track going. What I mean by this is the kick drum keeps the entire track in time and it is one of the instruments everyone like listening to. The kick drum has a great punch and lo end, which is great for giving the track warmth. Kick drums are meant to punch through throughout the entire track. A kick drum that doesn't have punch or enough lo end is a bad instrument to use in a track. If I didn't use a fat sounding kick drum in this track the track will not sound interesting to listen to and it would probably sound flat. I wanted to make this track as interesting as possible and by adding a fat sounding kick drum it has done the job.
The purpose of the sub bass is to provide extra warmth for the track. The sub bass has a subtle resonating lo end and the good thing about this is the track itself doesn't sound left out. The sub bass really brings the track together. The sub bass gives the track body as well as warmth and Bass is one of the key instruments that make a track sound fat and in your face. Without bass the track would not have that rumble, resonance or presence and it wouldn't the track stand out.
I used two pads. The first pad is the chord progression and the second pad is just single notes being played and volume automated. I volume automated the second pad because it gives the track atmosphere. The automation gives the second pad that atmosphere because it's a slow and gradual automation plus this automation lasts every two bars. A slow and gradual automation for a track like this really fits in well because this track is meant to be relaxing, chilled and not uptempo for the person listening to it.
Finally, I used closed hats because the hats made the track sound more interesting to listen to and it gives the track hi end. Without the hats the track wouldn't have had hi end and it wouldn't have had an interesting vibe. Open and closed hats add feeling and groove to any track and if I didn't add hats in this track I know it wouldn't have sounded as great to listen to. Open and closed hats help keep the track going and they also make the track sound brighter because of the hi end the hats possess.
Pre Chorus - For the pre chorus I took out the snares, sub bass only. I used the remaining instruments and sounds for the pre chorus because the pre chorus didn't need a lot of instruments and I wanted the pre chorus to have room to breathe. The pre chorus is sign to show that the chorus is about to come in and another reason why I wanted a pre chorus in this song is because I wanted some distance between the verse and chorus. I didn't want the chorus to come in straight away. I wanted the chorus to build up gradually and a pre did just the thing. I also placed a sound effect and clap on the last bar of the pre chorus. With the sound effect and clap on the last bar of the pre chorus I know the next section of the song is going to be and so does the person listening to it.
I made the pre chorus sections 8 bars long because I didn't want the pre chorus lasting too long or that will make the duration of the song too long to listen to. I felt 8 bars would be enough for a pre chorus and I wanted the chorus to come in soon after the pre chorus finished playing. The song's chord progression is 8 bars long, which is a good thing for the pre chorus because once the chord progression is about to start from bar one there is no need to add an extra 8 bars because this section can instantly go into the chorus.
Chorus Sections - For the chorus I used the same instruments I used for the verses but I removed the automated pad and I added a lead, clap, snare and a sweeping effect. I added these instruments because I wanted the chorus to sound more entertaining. The lead, snare and sweeping effect does just that. The lead is accompanying the chord progression in the chorus, it doesn't sound too repetitive and it sounds really interesting than the other sections of the song. The snare is playing mostly on the off beat and this makes the chorus' rhythm sound much more complex. The snare is not hitting 3 & 6 like the other snare drums. The chorus section sounds a lot better when the snare is playing on the off beat because the off beat is mainly the reason why a song sounds vibey and catchy.
The clap is always hitting the 6th crotchet every two bars. I didn't want the clap to hit 3 & 6 because the snares are doing that and I also wanted to add variation. When the clap is hitting the 6th crotchet it sounds subtle and it sounds subtle because it's always hitting the 6th crotchet whereas if the clap was to hit 3 & 6 it wouldn't sound as great than before. The clap also fits in perfectly with the snares because the snares have been layered and the clap is layered with them and this doesn't make the snares sound too dry.
What the sweeping effect is doing is it's making the chorus sound more chilled & relaxed because the sweeping effect has been side-chained using volume automation. I used volume automation to make the side-chain because it was not that difficult to use. I created the automation clip and I selected points I wanted to use and I adjusted the tension of the automation because I didn't want a sharp automation. I wanted a gentle automation that would fit in well with the track because a sharp automation didn't work too well. Also it would sound like a sweeping effect if it wasn't side-chained. It would sound like annoying white noise and that is not a pleasant sound to listen.
On the last bar of each chorus section I added a dropping sound effect because this shows that the next verse is about to come in. If I didn't add this it would make the song's structure difficult to figure out. The sound effect ensures that every section of the song is obvious to whoever is listening to it and it keeps the song in place.
Bridge - I made the bridge section 8 bars long and I used a crash, pad, clap, hats & kick drum with a sound effect on the last bar of the section.
I made the bridge 8 bars long because I wanted the bridge to last this long. I didn't want the bridge lasting 16 bars because that's how long the verses and chorus sections last for. By making the bridge 8 bars it doesn't make this section last too long and it helps with the track's duration. I didn't want this track to last too long or it wouldn't be interesting to listen to anymore. Plus, the verses and chorus section in this song are 16 bars and the vocalist wouldn't sing or rap as much in a bridge section. In a bridge section the vocalist will either sing or rap a few lines. Also, the bridge section is the second last section before the song comes to an end.
The reason why I used a crash, pad, clap, hats and kick is because I wanted this section to have some breathing space. I didn't want to add every instrument and sound just like the chorus sections because it wouldn't have sounded like a bridge section. This is why I used very few instruments and sounds. The pad is playing the same chord progression and with the drums I decided bring them in rather than all of them playing. In the first 4 bars it's just the hats and the clap on the last 4 bars I bring the kick drum. I did this because I wanted the bridge gradually build up into the last chorus. I didn't want the kick to play for 8 bars because it wouldn't have helped the bridge build up into the chorus. So it was better for the kick drum to play the last 4 bars of this section because the kick is the main instrument that helps the bridge build up into the chorus because it's playing on the last 4 bars. Plus, it helps with the drums not play constantly throughout the track. The drums do play constantly in the verses and chorus sections mostly whereas the pre chorus sections and bridge section have instruments taken out and this ensures the drum pattern is the same but has instruments coming in and out. By taking instruments in and out it helps with making the drum pattern the same but not allowing the drum pattern to play constantly.
Like the other the sections of the song, I added a dropping sound effect and I added this sound effect because I wanted ensure that every section the song is clear to the person that is listening to it. Without the sound effect it wouldn't have made every section the song clear to the person listening to it. Plus, it wouldn't have given a sign to show that the next section of the song is about to drop. The sound effect makes a huge difference with how the song is structured and what each section sounds like. With a vocalist it makes the track even easier to figure out because you'll know whether the vocalist singing the verse, pre chorus, chorus, etc.
Outro - For the outro I used the chord progression pad, lead and crash cymbal. I used these instruments because this shows that the song is about to come to an end. I didn't want to add extra instruments because it wouldn't sound like an outro with so many instruments. With just the pad and lead the outro sounds mellow and free and I wanted the outro to have this feel. The ambience from the pad and lead definitely give this feel because the sounds have reverb and release and this is what makes them mellow and free.
I made the outro ten bars long but I added a dropping sound effect with a clap on the 8 bar of the outro and I removed the lead and made the pad 2 bars long. I did this because the pad has a long but not too long release and the pad's release helps the song fade out slowly. This was a good way to end the song because I didn't want to use volume automation to fade out. The release was gradually reaching zero and there wasn't any need for volume automation. However, if the release is too long I can adjust the release so it's not too long. The release can make a huge difference in terms of how long it takes to reach zero. A long release is useful sometimes when a song is ending but if the release is too long then that's not a good thing because you'll be waiting too long for the song to end and that's not what you would want to listen to for so long.
Track 5 - I decided to make the style of the fifth track a hip hop/rnb/old school style and I used the same daw for track 1 - 4 to produce the fifth track of the E.P. I used the same vst plugin 'Nexus2' to find the sounds I wanted to use to create the chords and melodies and I used one shot drum samples to create the rhythm. I also used garageband because I wanted an electric piano and pad for the song. Before I did that I needed to remember the song's chord progression so that I could paste the notes into the electric piano and pad I wanted to use. Once I memorised the song's chord progression I opened garageband, open two midi channels, selected an electric piano and pad, create 4 bar midi regions and pasted the notes into the regions. After this was done I played the stems to ensure that I was happy with it. Once I was satisfied I plugged my memory stick into the pc and I bounced the two stems into my memory stick. I then ejected the memory, plugged into the pc I was using to produce the fifth track and I dragged the stems onto the pc's desktop so that they are ready to use. I then dragged the two stems from the desktop and onto the fl studio sequencer.
Intro - I made the intro 4 bars long and I only used drums for it. I used closed & open hats, snare and kick with a tom fill on the last bar. I made the intro 4 bars long because I didn't want to the intro too long. I wanted the intro to be short so that the verse comes right after 4 bars. I didn't use chords or melody because I wanted the intro to build up to the verse and by using the rhythm only it helped build up to the verse. The first two bars had no kick drum because I wanted the first two bars I didn't want the kick playing for 4 bars. This is how I made built the intro into the chorus. I used no kick drum for the first two bars and I added a kick drum on the last two bars to ensure that this section of the song is going into the the first verse after 4 bars. The tom fill also shows that the next section of the song is about to drop. Drum fills are really useful to create excitement, tension and awe. Without drum fills the song wouldn't be as exciting. Also drum fills make each section of a song obvious to the person that is listening to it. In my opinion it is important to add drum fills or sound effects to make each section of a song clear and obvious because it keeps the whole track tight.
Verses - I made the verses 16 bars long and I used piano, drums and bass with a tom fill on the last bar of the two sections. I used these instruments because I didn't want the verses to have a lot of instruments. I used more instruments in the chorus section. If I were to use a lot of instruments then in the verses it would've been pointless because the chorus sections would sounded like the verses. The piano in the verses adds emotion and this is what I wanted the verses to sound like. If there was no emotion in the track it wouldn't sound great to listen to. I added bass for only 4 bars because the bass adds muscle to the track and I wanted a bit of muscle in the verses. However, I didn't want the bass to play for 16 bars because the bass will be playing for 16 bars in the chorus sections. I didn't the bass playing constantly throughout the track or otherwise the bass would make the track sound boring to listen.
On the last 4 bars of the verse sections I took the snare out and I did this because I wanted this section to build up into the chorus. I didn't want the snare playing on the last 4 bars because it wouldn't sound like a build up with them. Without the snare playing on the last 4 bars it really helps these sections build up gradually into the next section of the song. However, I did a snare on the beat of the bar where the tom fill hits and I did that because this shows the chorus is about to play. If I hadn't done this then it wouldn't have felt like a build up and there wouldn't have been any tension and this is key feature that makes a song exciting to listen to.
Chorus Sections - I made two of the chorus sections 16 bars long and one 8 bars long and the instruments I used were electric piano, bells, pad, bass, synth, electric guitar and drums. I added these instruments I knew that theses instruments would make a great and fat sounding chorus. The electric piano has a gentle subtle sound. It doesn't sound harsh and it was a great feature to add in this track. The pad was also a great feature because the isn't too ambient and the release is not too short. The pad is playing stabs instead of full length notes like the piano and electric piano. I chose to create stabs for the pad because the stabs add emphasis. What I mean by this is when the kick hits with the stabbed pad it sounds like the kick is giving the pad a hit. The thwack of the kick drum is giving the pad that extra hit and if I were to listen to the pad without the kick drum the pad wouldn't have had that hit.
I added bells and a lead to the chorus because I wanted these sounds to accompany the chord progression. I didn't want to have just chords in the chorus. I wanted to make the chorus sections as entertaining as possible. The lead accompanies the chords more than the bells because the lead is playing constantly throughout the chorus. You don't hear the bells as much because the bells are more of a back up melody. What I mean by this is the bells don't play constantly like the lead does. The bells have frequent breaks. I didn't want the bells to play constantly because the lead was doing that and bells are subtle sounds and I wanted to make those bells even subtler by not let them play constantly and giving them frequent breaks.
On the last 8 bars of the last chorus I added an electric guitar and I added this instrument because the electric guitar gives this section a bit of a rock 'n' roll sound. I didn't want all the chorus sections to sound the same because it wouldn't sound that great after listening to it for a while and by adding an electric guitar in the last chorus it makes a huge difference because the guitar gives the last chorus section a bit more life and this is how I wanted the last chorus to end before the outro.
I made two of the chorus sections 16 bars long one chorus section 8 bars long because I didn't want every section of the song lasting 16 bars. This makes the duration of the song too long and I didn't want that. I made the second chorus section 8 bars long because I wanted the second chorus to go into the bridge right after 8 bars and I wanted to keep the duration of the song 3 - 4 minutes long. By making some sections of the song 8 bars long it helps the duration not to be too long.
I would normally make my chorus sections 8 bars long but in this track I only made two of my chorus sections 16 bars long and I did this because I wanted the first and last chorus section not to end right after 8 bars. Another reason why I made the two of the chorus sections 16 bars long is because they have great sound and excitement. The drums and sounds used in the chorus section give that excitement and if I were to make every chorus section 8 bars long I would be cutting that excitement out and I didn't want the track to sound like this. I wanted to make this track as exciting and entertaining as possible.
Bridge - I made the bridge section 8 bars long and the instruments I used were only electric piano and drums. I made the bridge 8 bars long because this is how long a bridge would normally last for. I didn't want to make the bridge too long because I wanted the bridge to go straight into the chorus after 8 bars. I used electric piano only because the electric piano has a subtle and relaxed sound. I didn't want the bridge to sound like the chorus because if the bridge did sound like the chorus it wouldn't have sounded like a bridge section. What the drums are doing is they are building up slowly to the last chorus and I did this because If I just let the electric piano play by itself it would sound like the last chorus came out of nowhere. So the drums made a big difference to how the bridge ends and it also helps track not become lifeless.
Outro - I made the outro two bars long and I used electric piano for it. I made the outro two bars long because I wanted the outro to be short and two bars ensured that the outro wasn't too short. I used an electric piano because the electric piano has a subtle and soft sound and I wanted the outro to sound like this because it brings the track itself to calm and relaxed ending. I also used an automated reverb on the electric piano because with the automated reverb it makes the song sound like it's disappeared. Also the reverb helps the song end smoothly. For instance if the song were to end without a tail it would've sounded like silence right after the last bar finished and this didn't sound like a great end to song. This is why the reverb helps the song end smoothly because right after the last bar of the outro the reverb comes in to help the song end slowly and it gives the song that audio tail.
Track 6 - I used Logic 9 to produce the final track of my E.P. For this track I used drums sounds from the ultrabeat plugin, I used an electric piano, bells, strings from Logic's sound library and used stab sounds from one of the ultrabeat presets. I used these instruments because I wanted to this track a style of Hip Hop and Rap and these instruments helped me with making this track sound like these styles. By combining these sounds and drums together it helped with making the track sound dark.
The electric piano is the main chord progression, the strings are playing three notes of the chord progression with the first note on a lower octave and the other two notes on a higher octave, the stabs and bells are the melodies accompanying the chord progression and the drums are the main rhythm of the track.
Intro - I made the intro 16 bars long and I used strings, electric piano, stabs, bells and drums. For the first 4 bars I used electric piano, bass, stabs and bells because I wanted the first 4 bars to not have a lot but still sound dark at the same time. The stabs and bells are giving the first 4 bars that dark feel mostly because the bells have delay and the delay is giving the bells stereo image and this is what makes the first 4 bars sound dark. The stabs are stronger than the electric piano and bells because the stab have some lo end and lo end instruments and sounds are the strongest. This is how the stabs are making the first 4 bars of the intro sound dark because of the lo end of the stabs.
In the next 4 bars of the intro I added strings with a snare fill on the last bars. I added strings because the strings make the make the track sound mellow. The strings I used were not strings you would here in orchestral or film score music. I would describe the strings I used as relaxed, graceful and melodic. I didn't want this track to have loud and dark strings because I knew if I were to put those kind of strings in the track it wouldn't work properly because the track itself is a calm and mellow track. So it was important for me to find the right strings.
I added a snare fill because after the first 8 bars of the intro finished the drums and bass will come in straight after. I pasted the snare fill in 32nd notes and I bounced it as a wav file and dragged it onto the project. I did this because I wanted to add a slow down effect and I couldn't do this with midi and this is why I bounced the snare fill as an audio file. From there I put a fade of the audio file, I then pressed ctrl + click to edit the fade and it gave me the slow down option. I clicked this option and the fade turned from white to orange. It did this because it made the slow down effect obvious to me. I understand that the white fade is for volume and the orange fade is the slow down effect.
I then adjusted the fade because I wanted the snare fill to have a smooth slow down effect rather than a sharp slow down effect. The sharp slow down effect didn't work well. So I adjusted the curve on the fade to make the slow down effect not sound sharp. It did take me some time to adjust the fade so the snare had a well fitting slow down effect. I added this snare fill on the last bar of each section because I want every section of the song to be clear to the person that is listening to it. Without the snare fill the sections of the song wouldn't be easy to figure out. Adding a sound or drum fill or both is a good way to make every section of song clear and it's also a good way to create tension.
In the last 8 bars of the intro I added drums and bass. I added drums because the drums are the main instruments that keep a track pumping. However, not every song has to have drums but without drums the track wouldn't be as great to listen to. The drums in this track really help the track keep on going and it's not boring to listen to. If I weren't to add drums to this track I knew that it wouldn't have had that rhythm and it wouldn't have had a great feel.
I added bass because bass adds body, strength and warmth to the track. Without bass in this track it wouldn't have had body and the track would've sounded week to listen to. The sub on the bass is what makes the bass rumble and without that sub the bass itself would've just had a harmonic sound, the body of the track would sound weak and the warmth would've disappeared. Bass is fantastic instrument to use in a track because bass adds a lot of strength and power, especially with a strong.
Verses - I made three 16 bar verses and the instruments I used were electric piano, strings and drums. I made three verse instead of making two and adding a bridge section because I wasn't planning on adding a bridge section to this song. Instead of one rapper rapping two of the verses and the other rapping one, both of them will rap 8 bars each. Then this way they will be rapping 24 bars each. I will then ask a different rapper to rap the chorus then this way the song won't be dominated mostly by the rappers rapping the verses. The track will be equal vocally.
I made the verses 16 bars long because I didn't want the verses to not last a short time. 16 bars is how a verse would last normally. Not all verses have to be 16 bars long. They can be 24 bars, 8 bars, 12 bars, etc. Making verses longer is a good way for a vocalist to sing or rap longer. Plus, it helps the duration of the song last 3 - 4 and this is how a song normally lasts for. Another reason why I made the verses 16 bars long is because the track is playing at moderate tempo. So it's not too fast or slow and this is why I made the verses 16 bars long. They fit in well with the tempo and they are great for the vocalists.
In the verses I added electric piano, strings and drums. I used these instruments because I didn't want to make the song too repetitive, plus, I didn't want to have a lot in the verses. I wanted to the verses to have breathing space and by adding very few instruments and sounds it did just that. Also I wanted to make the verses subtle and relaxed and the electric piano and strings do just that because the electric piano has a subtle and gentle and the strings also have a subtle and gentle sound but they sound more mellow than the electric piano. The drums are always keeping the track pumping and this is what I imagined the song to sound like when I was composing and producing it.
I did variate the drums in the second and last verse. I did this because I didn't want the drums to sound repetitive. I didn't change how the drums were being played. The only thing I did was bring the kick and snare drum in and out. I did this because I didn't want the verses to have the same, constant rhythm and by bringing the kick and snare drum in out I this ensures that the verses don't sound exactly the same. I didn't want the drums to be playing the same rhythm constantly in the verses but I wanted to keep the drums the same. So the best way was to bring the kick and snare drum in out and this ensured the drums were the same but not playing constantly.
Chorus Sections & Outro - I made the three chorus sections and I made two of them 8 bars long and one 16 bars long and the instruments I used were the same instruments I used for the intro but with all them playing together instead of them playing playing after 4 or 8 bars. I made two of the chorus sections 8 bars long because the chorus sections isn't like the verses. The chorus sections repeat the same lyrics a vocalist is singing or rapping. So there is no need to make them longer unless the track is playing at a fast tempo and the chorus needs to last longer. I then made the last chorus section 16 bars long because I didn't want every chorus section lasting 8 bars. I wanted to make only one of them longer and the third chorus was a good option because the third chorus is the last section of the song and I wanted the last section to sound enjoyable to listen before the song ends.
If I were to make every chorus section 16 bars it wouldn't sound as great as the verses. Plus, it would make the duration of the song last too long. The verses are much more interesting than the chorus sections because the verses don't repeat the same lyrics and the verses have a better feel than the chorus sections.
Finally, I put a snare fill on the 12th bar out of the 16 bars. The last bar of the song is doing two jobs. It's playing the last 4 bars of the chorus and it's also playing the outro. I did this because it was a great way to end the song. The reason why it was a great way to end the song is once the rapper has finished rapping the last 4 bars of the section the song ends straight away and this is how I imagined the song to end. Also, the last bar just has electric piano, the electric piano doesn't have a release or reverb on it and this was a great benefit of making the song end because after the vocalist and electric piano has finished doing there jobs the song ends straight away.
I made the verses, chorus sections and intro 16 bars long. The reason is because this song has a fast tempo and I didn't want sections of the song ending very quickly or otherwise song wouldn't last so long. I would usually make my intros 8 or 4 bars long and I would make my verses 16 bars long and choruses 8 bars long. I do this because that's how long those sections would last for. But since this song has a fast tempo I increased the length of those sections so that they last longer and make the duration of the song itself last 3 - 4 minutes because this is how long a track would usually last for.
Bridge - On the other hand, I did make the bridge section 8 bars long because this is how long a bridge would normally last for. I didn't want every section of the song lasting 16 bars or the duration of the song would be too long to listen to. When I made the bridge 8 bars long it really helped the track's duration 3 minutes and 38 seconds. Also, a bridge section is not like a verse and what I mean by this is the bridge section doesn't need to have too much feeling because most of that feeling is coming from the verse and chorus sections of the song.
Outro - I made the outro 8 bars long as well because the outro doesn't have to last long. The chord progression in this song is 8 bars long. So after the 8 bars ended the song faded out slowly and gradually. This is due to the pad's and piano's release. The release is how long is takes for the sound to stop. There wasn't too much release in the pad or piano, which is a good thing because if there was too much release then it would take some time for those sounds to stop. Adding volume automation is a good way of helping sounds fade out faster.
Track 2 - I used the same daw for track one to produce track two and I used this daw because this daw is easy to use, it helps the song's channels look tidy and the vst plugins I have on the daw have the sounds I am looking for to produce another ambient instrumental. For this track I used the vst plugin 'nexus2' for a pad, bells, bass, sub bass and piano. In addition, I used one shot drum samples to make the rhythm for the track. I used nexus2 because this vst plugin has an amazing library of sounds to choose from. The pads deliver great depth, atmosphere and emotion. What I like about bass and sub bass sounds on the vst is that they are fat and in your face and these are the exact sounds I was looking for to produce the track. What I like about the pianos is they are subtle, gentle and mellow. The piano is I used in this track added more gentleness and became more subtle in the song itself. Finally, what I like about the bells is the life they bring to the track. The bells deliver brightness, colour and strength. Plus, it made this track so much more catchy and illuminating. The drum samples I used was a kick, finger snap, clap, closed hats, chants and snare.
Verses & Pre Chorus Sections - I made verses and pre chorus sections 8 bars each and I made the drums simple for the verses by using kick and finger snap and for the pre chorus sections I put in closed hats and bass because this helps the verses and pre chorus sections sound better melodically and the hats and bass give the pre chorus a groove and warmth. I also used the pad because the pad is the main chord progression of the song and the pad delivers atmosphere & ambience. I didn't want the verses and pre chorus sections to have too much in it. I wanted the verses to sound simple and I wanted to give the verses space to breath. I wanted to save the other sounds and instruments for the other sections the song because it helps develop the song more in terms of sounds and drums. I added more in the pre chorus because I didn't want the pre chorus to sound exactly like the verse or otherwise the pre chorus wouldn't sound like a pre chorus. It would sound exactly like the verse.
I made the verses and pre chorus sections 8 bars long it helps keep both sections 16 bars long altogether and it makes the each section equal because the first 8 bars is the verse and the last 8 bars is the pre chorus. I added the pre chorus because the pre chorus will build up slowly into the chorus. On the last bar of the pre chorus I added a sweep effect and a snare fill. This is how the pre chorus builds up into the chorus because elements like this introduce the next section of a song and without these elements the track wouldn't have that build gradual build up.
I added the the sweep on the last bar of the intro, pre chorus sections, chorus sections, break and bridge and I placed the snare fill on the pre chorus sections, bridge and last chorus only. By doing this, it makes every section of the song easy to figure out because the drum fill and sweep is introducing the next section of the song.
For example, electronic music usually has an 8 bar snare fill or longer and electronic music is a really good example of introducing the next section of a song, which will get people up on their feet. The song 'Martin Garrix - Animals' is a really good example of how the snare fill creates a gradual build before the drop. At 1:15 the snare fill comes in and this element makes the track more alive because it's and EDM track.
Chorus Sections & Break - For the chorus I removed the bass and added a sub bass, piano and bells. This makes the chorus obvious to the person that is listening to the track. This also makes the less repetitive. I didn't want the chorus section to be the exactly the same as the verse. I wanted to add in more the make the chorus section sound like a chorus. For the chorus I made the drums much more uplifting and I did this to give the chorus energy and life. I didn't want the chorus to be like the verse. For the chorus I removed the finger snap and replaced it with a clap and snare. I also put a little bit of reverb on the clap and I did this because I wanted the clap to have energy as it hits with the snare drum. The clap was too dry and it didn't fit in with the track but with reverb added to the clap it makes the track sound much more compelling and energetic.
I made the first two chorus sections 8 bars long and the last one 16 bars long and because I didn't want all the chorus sections to last too long. I like to keep the chorus sections short and verses long because 16 bars for each section makes the duration of the song last too long and I always make my track 3 - 4 minutes long because that's how long a normal track should last. In this track I made the last chorus section 16 bars long because I didn't want the chorus to end too soon. I wanted to make the chorus longer so that the song itself lasts longer rather then ending after 8 bars straight away because the last chorus will be more enjoyable to listen to. The sound used in chorus are melodic and ambient.
After the first chorus I put in a 4 bar break before the next verse comes in. I wanted some distance between the first chorus and second verse because this allows breathing space for the singer and track itself. Not all songs have to be like this but I preferred this because I wanted some breathing space in this track rather jumping from one section into another and another.
Bridge - For the bridge I only used a pad, finger snap, bass, clap and snare and I made this section 8 bars long. I made the bridge 8 bars long because that's how long a bridge should last for. Sometimes it can last 16 bars but I decided to make it last 8 bars because I wanted to keep it short. In the bridge I added an instrument after every 2 bars. After the first two bars I added a finger snap and in the last four bars I added a snare, clap and bass. I did this because I wanted to gradually make this section of the track go into the final chorus and outro. Another reason why I made the bridge 8 bars long is because I the bridge in this track didn't need to last too long because the bridge isn't like the verses, pre chorus sections or chorus sections. A vocalist wouldn't sing or rap many lines like the other sections of the song and this is another reason why I made the bridge 8 bars long.
Intro & Outro - For the first four bars of the intro I used a pad only and in the last four bars of the intro I put a kick drum with a finger snap and a sweep effect on the last bar before the verse. I made the intro 8 bars long because I didn't want this intro to be too short. I wanted to leave enough breathing space before the verse comes in. Most tracks need to have breathing space because it will allow the to sound free and open and I knew that breathing space for this track would improve the track so much more. In this track I use a sweep effect on the last bar of each section because I want to make the sections of the track obvious to the person that is listening to it. It is important for songs to have rising or sweep effects because it makes sections of any song obvious to the person that is listening to it. This is what I usually do when I am producing a track.
Track 3 - I used the same daw for track one and two to produce track three and I used this because I find this daw easier to work with, it helps with making the project look tidy and it has all the sounds and drums I need to produce a style of my choice. In this track I used a piano pad, electric guitar, bass and bells. For the drums I used one shot drum samples from a royalty free drum pack. The samples I used were kick, finger snap, sweep effect & downlifter effect, snare, clap and closed hats.
Intro - I made the intro 8 bars long and I used the piano pad to make an 8 bar chord progression. I also put in a sweep effect on the last bar of the intro to show that the verse is the next section of the song. I made the intro 8 bars long because I don't want my intros to be too long. I prefer to keep them short because the person that is listening to the song would want to know what the next section of the song will sound like. Intros that are too long can make the track sound very boring unless it's a house track or edm. Most tracks of this style have 32 or 64 bar intros and this means the intro must be entertaining for the people listening to it. If it isn't the people listening to the track will not be interested in what comes after the intro because they kept listening to an intro that lasted a minute or more.
Verses - I made all the verses 16 bars long because I like the verses to last longer rather then ending after 8 bars. I like making my verses 16 bars long because a verse lasting 16 bars is more than enough before the chorus comes in. I didn't want to make the verses too long or the verse would be too long and not interesting to listen to. This is why I like making my verses 16 bars long in any track I produce. The instruments and sounds I used in the verse is the piano pad, kick, finger snap, snare, reverberated clap, closed hats and sweep effect. There rhythm in the verses is simple and there isn't really much in the verses because I wanted the verses to have space and width. I didn't want the verses to have too much because I wouldn't be able to add in anything else to the chorus sections. Verses in my opinion don't need to have a lot of instruments and sounds because the chorus is the most entertaining part of a song. You can add in extra instruments and sounds to make the chorus less repetitive, more interesting and entertaining.
I put a sweep effect on the last bar of the verse because this shows that the chorus is about to come in and I have put a sweep effect on the last bar of each section of the track to make each section of the track obvious to the person that is listening to the song. If each section of the track is not obvious to the listener, he/she will get very confused of which section is which. So this is a most important factor for me when I produce any song.
Chorus Sections - For the chorus sections I made them 16 bars long. I don't usually make my chorus sections 16 bars long because 16 bars for a chorus is a bit too long. I'd usually make my chorus sections 8 bars long but this song has a fast tempo. So I decided to add an extra 8 bars to each chorus section so that they last longer. A good thing I like about 16 bar chorus sections is that they make the duration of the whole song longer. If this song is less than 3 minutes long because the chorus sections are 8 bars long I would add an extra 8 bars to those sections longer and this would make the entire song 3 minutes or longer and every track I produce, I like to make the duration of each track 3 - 4 minutes long because that's how long a normal track would last for, especially this style of music, which is ambient.
In the chorus sections I removed the finger snap and added an extra snare drum, electric guitar, bells, bass and a downlifter effect. I added these sounds and instruments because these sounds and instruments make the chorus sound very alive, present, warm and uptempo. I didn't want the chorus to sound like the verses and by adding extra instruments and sounds they made a big difference to how the chorus sounds.
Outro - The outro is 8 bars long and has the same sounds as the chorus but without the drums. I decided to make the outro this way because this is a good way to let the listener know the end of the song is just around the corner. It also shows that the song doesn't end right away after the last chorus. It ends in a subtle and calm way. The outro without the drums is a good way of showing the song is coming to a close and to make it better, it is only 8 bars long and the good thing about this is the outro doesn't go on for a long time like the verses and choruses. It ends straight away after 8 bars. The release on the bells and piano pad help the outro fade out slowly.
Bridge - For the bridge I used a piano pad, kick, closed hats, reverberated clap and sweep effect. I made the bridge 8 bars long because this is how long a bridge should last for. Usually a bridge section can last for 16 bars but in this song I wanted to make the bridge section 8 bars long. I didn't want the bridge section in this song to be too long. I wanted to keep it short because most of the sections in the song are 16 bars long. This is why I wanted to change the duration of how long the bridge should last for. I made the rhythm of this section a bit more simples than the verses. The reverberated clap is always hitting the 6th crotchet out of every 2 bars, the closed hats are playing in 8th notes, the kick is always hitting on and off beat and the sweep effect goes from the bridge and into the final chorus of the song.
Track 4 - I used the same daw for producing tracks 1, 2 & 3 to produce track 4. I also used the same vst plugin, which is nexus2, to create chords and melodies only. Finally I used one shot drum samples to create the rhythm for the track. I used all of this equipment because it really helps me with making great chord progressions, melodies, basslines, rhythms, sweep effects, etc. Another thing I like about fl studio is the sequencer. The sequencer helps me a lot with making rhythms for chord progressions, basslines and melodies. I can select where I want the kick drum to hit and I can select where I want the clap to hit. I can also de-select a instrument if it's in the wrong place. For instance, if a open hat is hitting on the off beat and I wanted it to always hit every beat off a bar I can de-select the hats and select the first four beats of a bar or I can shift the hats until they are on the first beat. I can shift by holding shift and pressing the left or right arrows on the bottom left of the type pad of the laptop.
Intro - I made the intro 8 bars long and for the intro I used a pad, FX and clap. I made the intro 8 bars long because that's how long the pad's chord progression lasts for. I also made the intro this long because I didn't want the intro to last to long. I don't like intros that are too long because short intros mean the next section of a song will drop in. Another I like about short intro is they keep the song's duration 3 - 4 minutes and this is how long a normal track would last for. Especially for a track like this because it is an ambient/RnB style track. I placed the FX and clap on the last bar of the intro and this is to show that the verse is about to drop. If I didn't place a sound effect before the next section of the song the verse would've come out of nowhere. I placed the sound effect and clap there because it creates I wanted to make the next section of the track obvious to the person that is listening to it. If I didn't do this it would make sections of the song hard to figure out and I wanted to make sections of the song obvious. So this is why I placed a sound effect and clap just before the verse was about to drop in.
Verses - I made the verse sections of the song 16 bars long and I used 2 pads, kick, 3 snares, sub bass, closed hats and crash cymbal. The purpose of the crash cymbal is to is to make important sections of the song obvious such as the chorus, verse and middle 8. Without the crash cymbal it will be hard to figure out which section is which. So it was important for me to make important sections of the track obvious to the person that is listening to it. It will make the song's sections sound obvious to me and the person that is listening to it and it's a good way of keeping the track together.
I used three snare drums because I wanted to layer them. I played one snare drum with the track and it didn't fit in well with. There wasn't enough crunch in the snare. So I put two extra snare drums and I played all three of them with the track and I noticed the difference. I was happy with this change because layering the snare drum with two extra snare drums means that the snare overall is getting a nice crunchy sound and this is what I was going for. The snare drum is always hitting the third beat of every bar. I didn't wan the snare drum to come straight ofter the kick. I wanted some distance between the kick and the snare and the snare hitting three of every bar was the perfect place for the snare to hit.
The purpose of the kick drum is to make the track sound interesting to listen to. The kick is one of the main instruments that keep the track going. What I mean by this is the kick drum keeps the entire track in time and it is one of the instruments everyone like listening to. The kick drum has a great punch and lo end, which is great for giving the track warmth. Kick drums are meant to punch through throughout the entire track. A kick drum that doesn't have punch or enough lo end is a bad instrument to use in a track. If I didn't use a fat sounding kick drum in this track the track will not sound interesting to listen to and it would probably sound flat. I wanted to make this track as interesting as possible and by adding a fat sounding kick drum it has done the job.
The purpose of the sub bass is to provide extra warmth for the track. The sub bass has a subtle resonating lo end and the good thing about this is the track itself doesn't sound left out. The sub bass really brings the track together. The sub bass gives the track body as well as warmth and Bass is one of the key instruments that make a track sound fat and in your face. Without bass the track would not have that rumble, resonance or presence and it wouldn't the track stand out.
I used two pads. The first pad is the chord progression and the second pad is just single notes being played and volume automated. I volume automated the second pad because it gives the track atmosphere. The automation gives the second pad that atmosphere because it's a slow and gradual automation plus this automation lasts every two bars. A slow and gradual automation for a track like this really fits in well because this track is meant to be relaxing, chilled and not uptempo for the person listening to it.
Finally, I used closed hats because the hats made the track sound more interesting to listen to and it gives the track hi end. Without the hats the track wouldn't have had hi end and it wouldn't have had an interesting vibe. Open and closed hats add feeling and groove to any track and if I didn't add hats in this track I know it wouldn't have sounded as great to listen to. Open and closed hats help keep the track going and they also make the track sound brighter because of the hi end the hats possess.
Pre Chorus - For the pre chorus I took out the snares, sub bass only. I used the remaining instruments and sounds for the pre chorus because the pre chorus didn't need a lot of instruments and I wanted the pre chorus to have room to breathe. The pre chorus is sign to show that the chorus is about to come in and another reason why I wanted a pre chorus in this song is because I wanted some distance between the verse and chorus. I didn't want the chorus to come in straight away. I wanted the chorus to build up gradually and a pre did just the thing. I also placed a sound effect and clap on the last bar of the pre chorus. With the sound effect and clap on the last bar of the pre chorus I know the next section of the song is going to be and so does the person listening to it.
I made the pre chorus sections 8 bars long because I didn't want the pre chorus lasting too long or that will make the duration of the song too long to listen to. I felt 8 bars would be enough for a pre chorus and I wanted the chorus to come in soon after the pre chorus finished playing. The song's chord progression is 8 bars long, which is a good thing for the pre chorus because once the chord progression is about to start from bar one there is no need to add an extra 8 bars because this section can instantly go into the chorus.
Chorus Sections - For the chorus I used the same instruments I used for the verses but I removed the automated pad and I added a lead, clap, snare and a sweeping effect. I added these instruments because I wanted the chorus to sound more entertaining. The lead, snare and sweeping effect does just that. The lead is accompanying the chord progression in the chorus, it doesn't sound too repetitive and it sounds really interesting than the other sections of the song. The snare is playing mostly on the off beat and this makes the chorus' rhythm sound much more complex. The snare is not hitting 3 & 6 like the other snare drums. The chorus section sounds a lot better when the snare is playing on the off beat because the off beat is mainly the reason why a song sounds vibey and catchy.
The clap is always hitting the 6th crotchet every two bars. I didn't want the clap to hit 3 & 6 because the snares are doing that and I also wanted to add variation. When the clap is hitting the 6th crotchet it sounds subtle and it sounds subtle because it's always hitting the 6th crotchet whereas if the clap was to hit 3 & 6 it wouldn't sound as great than before. The clap also fits in perfectly with the snares because the snares have been layered and the clap is layered with them and this doesn't make the snares sound too dry.
What the sweeping effect is doing is it's making the chorus sound more chilled & relaxed because the sweeping effect has been side-chained using volume automation. I used volume automation to make the side-chain because it was not that difficult to use. I created the automation clip and I selected points I wanted to use and I adjusted the tension of the automation because I didn't want a sharp automation. I wanted a gentle automation that would fit in well with the track because a sharp automation didn't work too well. Also it would sound like a sweeping effect if it wasn't side-chained. It would sound like annoying white noise and that is not a pleasant sound to listen.
On the last bar of each chorus section I added a dropping sound effect because this shows that the next verse is about to come in. If I didn't add this it would make the song's structure difficult to figure out. The sound effect ensures that every section of the song is obvious to whoever is listening to it and it keeps the song in place.
Bridge - I made the bridge section 8 bars long and I used a crash, pad, clap, hats & kick drum with a sound effect on the last bar of the section.
I made the bridge 8 bars long because I wanted the bridge to last this long. I didn't want the bridge lasting 16 bars because that's how long the verses and chorus sections last for. By making the bridge 8 bars it doesn't make this section last too long and it helps with the track's duration. I didn't want this track to last too long or it wouldn't be interesting to listen to anymore. Plus, the verses and chorus section in this song are 16 bars and the vocalist wouldn't sing or rap as much in a bridge section. In a bridge section the vocalist will either sing or rap a few lines. Also, the bridge section is the second last section before the song comes to an end.
The reason why I used a crash, pad, clap, hats and kick is because I wanted this section to have some breathing space. I didn't want to add every instrument and sound just like the chorus sections because it wouldn't have sounded like a bridge section. This is why I used very few instruments and sounds. The pad is playing the same chord progression and with the drums I decided bring them in rather than all of them playing. In the first 4 bars it's just the hats and the clap on the last 4 bars I bring the kick drum. I did this because I wanted the bridge gradually build up into the last chorus. I didn't want the kick to play for 8 bars because it wouldn't have helped the bridge build up into the chorus. So it was better for the kick drum to play the last 4 bars of this section because the kick is the main instrument that helps the bridge build up into the chorus because it's playing on the last 4 bars. Plus, it helps with the drums not play constantly throughout the track. The drums do play constantly in the verses and chorus sections mostly whereas the pre chorus sections and bridge section have instruments taken out and this ensures the drum pattern is the same but has instruments coming in and out. By taking instruments in and out it helps with making the drum pattern the same but not allowing the drum pattern to play constantly.
Like the other the sections of the song, I added a dropping sound effect and I added this sound effect because I wanted ensure that every section the song is clear to the person that is listening to it. Without the sound effect it wouldn't have made every section the song clear to the person listening to it. Plus, it wouldn't have given a sign to show that the next section of the song is about to drop. The sound effect makes a huge difference with how the song is structured and what each section sounds like. With a vocalist it makes the track even easier to figure out because you'll know whether the vocalist singing the verse, pre chorus, chorus, etc.
Outro - For the outro I used the chord progression pad, lead and crash cymbal. I used these instruments because this shows that the song is about to come to an end. I didn't want to add extra instruments because it wouldn't sound like an outro with so many instruments. With just the pad and lead the outro sounds mellow and free and I wanted the outro to have this feel. The ambience from the pad and lead definitely give this feel because the sounds have reverb and release and this is what makes them mellow and free.
I made the outro ten bars long but I added a dropping sound effect with a clap on the 8 bar of the outro and I removed the lead and made the pad 2 bars long. I did this because the pad has a long but not too long release and the pad's release helps the song fade out slowly. This was a good way to end the song because I didn't want to use volume automation to fade out. The release was gradually reaching zero and there wasn't any need for volume automation. However, if the release is too long I can adjust the release so it's not too long. The release can make a huge difference in terms of how long it takes to reach zero. A long release is useful sometimes when a song is ending but if the release is too long then that's not a good thing because you'll be waiting too long for the song to end and that's not what you would want to listen to for so long.
Track 5 - I decided to make the style of the fifth track a hip hop/rnb/old school style and I used the same daw for track 1 - 4 to produce the fifth track of the E.P. I used the same vst plugin 'Nexus2' to find the sounds I wanted to use to create the chords and melodies and I used one shot drum samples to create the rhythm. I also used garageband because I wanted an electric piano and pad for the song. Before I did that I needed to remember the song's chord progression so that I could paste the notes into the electric piano and pad I wanted to use. Once I memorised the song's chord progression I opened garageband, open two midi channels, selected an electric piano and pad, create 4 bar midi regions and pasted the notes into the regions. After this was done I played the stems to ensure that I was happy with it. Once I was satisfied I plugged my memory stick into the pc and I bounced the two stems into my memory stick. I then ejected the memory, plugged into the pc I was using to produce the fifth track and I dragged the stems onto the pc's desktop so that they are ready to use. I then dragged the two stems from the desktop and onto the fl studio sequencer.
Intro - I made the intro 4 bars long and I only used drums for it. I used closed & open hats, snare and kick with a tom fill on the last bar. I made the intro 4 bars long because I didn't want to the intro too long. I wanted the intro to be short so that the verse comes right after 4 bars. I didn't use chords or melody because I wanted the intro to build up to the verse and by using the rhythm only it helped build up to the verse. The first two bars had no kick drum because I wanted the first two bars I didn't want the kick playing for 4 bars. This is how I made built the intro into the chorus. I used no kick drum for the first two bars and I added a kick drum on the last two bars to ensure that this section of the song is going into the the first verse after 4 bars. The tom fill also shows that the next section of the song is about to drop. Drum fills are really useful to create excitement, tension and awe. Without drum fills the song wouldn't be as exciting. Also drum fills make each section of a song obvious to the person that is listening to it. In my opinion it is important to add drum fills or sound effects to make each section of a song clear and obvious because it keeps the whole track tight.
Verses - I made the verses 16 bars long and I used piano, drums and bass with a tom fill on the last bar of the two sections. I used these instruments because I didn't want the verses to have a lot of instruments. I used more instruments in the chorus section. If I were to use a lot of instruments then in the verses it would've been pointless because the chorus sections would sounded like the verses. The piano in the verses adds emotion and this is what I wanted the verses to sound like. If there was no emotion in the track it wouldn't sound great to listen to. I added bass for only 4 bars because the bass adds muscle to the track and I wanted a bit of muscle in the verses. However, I didn't want the bass to play for 16 bars because the bass will be playing for 16 bars in the chorus sections. I didn't the bass playing constantly throughout the track or otherwise the bass would make the track sound boring to listen.
On the last 4 bars of the verse sections I took the snare out and I did this because I wanted this section to build up into the chorus. I didn't want the snare playing on the last 4 bars because it wouldn't sound like a build up with them. Without the snare playing on the last 4 bars it really helps these sections build up gradually into the next section of the song. However, I did a snare on the beat of the bar where the tom fill hits and I did that because this shows the chorus is about to play. If I hadn't done this then it wouldn't have felt like a build up and there wouldn't have been any tension and this is key feature that makes a song exciting to listen to.
Chorus Sections - I made two of the chorus sections 16 bars long and one 8 bars long and the instruments I used were electric piano, bells, pad, bass, synth, electric guitar and drums. I added these instruments I knew that theses instruments would make a great and fat sounding chorus. The electric piano has a gentle subtle sound. It doesn't sound harsh and it was a great feature to add in this track. The pad was also a great feature because the isn't too ambient and the release is not too short. The pad is playing stabs instead of full length notes like the piano and electric piano. I chose to create stabs for the pad because the stabs add emphasis. What I mean by this is when the kick hits with the stabbed pad it sounds like the kick is giving the pad a hit. The thwack of the kick drum is giving the pad that extra hit and if I were to listen to the pad without the kick drum the pad wouldn't have had that hit.
I added bells and a lead to the chorus because I wanted these sounds to accompany the chord progression. I didn't want to have just chords in the chorus. I wanted to make the chorus sections as entertaining as possible. The lead accompanies the chords more than the bells because the lead is playing constantly throughout the chorus. You don't hear the bells as much because the bells are more of a back up melody. What I mean by this is the bells don't play constantly like the lead does. The bells have frequent breaks. I didn't want the bells to play constantly because the lead was doing that and bells are subtle sounds and I wanted to make those bells even subtler by not let them play constantly and giving them frequent breaks.
On the last 8 bars of the last chorus I added an electric guitar and I added this instrument because the electric guitar gives this section a bit of a rock 'n' roll sound. I didn't want all the chorus sections to sound the same because it wouldn't sound that great after listening to it for a while and by adding an electric guitar in the last chorus it makes a huge difference because the guitar gives the last chorus section a bit more life and this is how I wanted the last chorus to end before the outro.
I made two of the chorus sections 16 bars long one chorus section 8 bars long because I didn't want every section of the song lasting 16 bars. This makes the duration of the song too long and I didn't want that. I made the second chorus section 8 bars long because I wanted the second chorus to go into the bridge right after 8 bars and I wanted to keep the duration of the song 3 - 4 minutes long. By making some sections of the song 8 bars long it helps the duration not to be too long.
I would normally make my chorus sections 8 bars long but in this track I only made two of my chorus sections 16 bars long and I did this because I wanted the first and last chorus section not to end right after 8 bars. Another reason why I made the two of the chorus sections 16 bars long is because they have great sound and excitement. The drums and sounds used in the chorus section give that excitement and if I were to make every chorus section 8 bars long I would be cutting that excitement out and I didn't want the track to sound like this. I wanted to make this track as exciting and entertaining as possible.
Bridge - I made the bridge section 8 bars long and the instruments I used were only electric piano and drums. I made the bridge 8 bars long because this is how long a bridge would normally last for. I didn't want to make the bridge too long because I wanted the bridge to go straight into the chorus after 8 bars. I used electric piano only because the electric piano has a subtle and relaxed sound. I didn't want the bridge to sound like the chorus because if the bridge did sound like the chorus it wouldn't have sounded like a bridge section. What the drums are doing is they are building up slowly to the last chorus and I did this because If I just let the electric piano play by itself it would sound like the last chorus came out of nowhere. So the drums made a big difference to how the bridge ends and it also helps track not become lifeless.
Outro - I made the outro two bars long and I used electric piano for it. I made the outro two bars long because I wanted the outro to be short and two bars ensured that the outro wasn't too short. I used an electric piano because the electric piano has a subtle and soft sound and I wanted the outro to sound like this because it brings the track itself to calm and relaxed ending. I also used an automated reverb on the electric piano because with the automated reverb it makes the song sound like it's disappeared. Also the reverb helps the song end smoothly. For instance if the song were to end without a tail it would've sounded like silence right after the last bar finished and this didn't sound like a great end to song. This is why the reverb helps the song end smoothly because right after the last bar of the outro the reverb comes in to help the song end slowly and it gives the song that audio tail.
Track 6 - I used Logic 9 to produce the final track of my E.P. For this track I used drums sounds from the ultrabeat plugin, I used an electric piano, bells, strings from Logic's sound library and used stab sounds from one of the ultrabeat presets. I used these instruments because I wanted to this track a style of Hip Hop and Rap and these instruments helped me with making this track sound like these styles. By combining these sounds and drums together it helped with making the track sound dark.
The electric piano is the main chord progression, the strings are playing three notes of the chord progression with the first note on a lower octave and the other two notes on a higher octave, the stabs and bells are the melodies accompanying the chord progression and the drums are the main rhythm of the track.
Intro - I made the intro 16 bars long and I used strings, electric piano, stabs, bells and drums. For the first 4 bars I used electric piano, bass, stabs and bells because I wanted the first 4 bars to not have a lot but still sound dark at the same time. The stabs and bells are giving the first 4 bars that dark feel mostly because the bells have delay and the delay is giving the bells stereo image and this is what makes the first 4 bars sound dark. The stabs are stronger than the electric piano and bells because the stab have some lo end and lo end instruments and sounds are the strongest. This is how the stabs are making the first 4 bars of the intro sound dark because of the lo end of the stabs.
In the next 4 bars of the intro I added strings with a snare fill on the last bars. I added strings because the strings make the make the track sound mellow. The strings I used were not strings you would here in orchestral or film score music. I would describe the strings I used as relaxed, graceful and melodic. I didn't want this track to have loud and dark strings because I knew if I were to put those kind of strings in the track it wouldn't work properly because the track itself is a calm and mellow track. So it was important for me to find the right strings.
I added a snare fill because after the first 8 bars of the intro finished the drums and bass will come in straight after. I pasted the snare fill in 32nd notes and I bounced it as a wav file and dragged it onto the project. I did this because I wanted to add a slow down effect and I couldn't do this with midi and this is why I bounced the snare fill as an audio file. From there I put a fade of the audio file, I then pressed ctrl + click to edit the fade and it gave me the slow down option. I clicked this option and the fade turned from white to orange. It did this because it made the slow down effect obvious to me. I understand that the white fade is for volume and the orange fade is the slow down effect.
I then adjusted the fade because I wanted the snare fill to have a smooth slow down effect rather than a sharp slow down effect. The sharp slow down effect didn't work well. So I adjusted the curve on the fade to make the slow down effect not sound sharp. It did take me some time to adjust the fade so the snare had a well fitting slow down effect. I added this snare fill on the last bar of each section because I want every section of the song to be clear to the person that is listening to it. Without the snare fill the sections of the song wouldn't be easy to figure out. Adding a sound or drum fill or both is a good way to make every section of song clear and it's also a good way to create tension.
In the last 8 bars of the intro I added drums and bass. I added drums because the drums are the main instruments that keep a track pumping. However, not every song has to have drums but without drums the track wouldn't be as great to listen to. The drums in this track really help the track keep on going and it's not boring to listen to. If I weren't to add drums to this track I knew that it wouldn't have had that rhythm and it wouldn't have had a great feel.
I added bass because bass adds body, strength and warmth to the track. Without bass in this track it wouldn't have had body and the track would've sounded week to listen to. The sub on the bass is what makes the bass rumble and without that sub the bass itself would've just had a harmonic sound, the body of the track would sound weak and the warmth would've disappeared. Bass is fantastic instrument to use in a track because bass adds a lot of strength and power, especially with a strong.
Verses - I made three 16 bar verses and the instruments I used were electric piano, strings and drums. I made three verse instead of making two and adding a bridge section because I wasn't planning on adding a bridge section to this song. Instead of one rapper rapping two of the verses and the other rapping one, both of them will rap 8 bars each. Then this way they will be rapping 24 bars each. I will then ask a different rapper to rap the chorus then this way the song won't be dominated mostly by the rappers rapping the verses. The track will be equal vocally.
I made the verses 16 bars long because I didn't want the verses to not last a short time. 16 bars is how a verse would last normally. Not all verses have to be 16 bars long. They can be 24 bars, 8 bars, 12 bars, etc. Making verses longer is a good way for a vocalist to sing or rap longer. Plus, it helps the duration of the song last 3 - 4 and this is how a song normally lasts for. Another reason why I made the verses 16 bars long is because the track is playing at moderate tempo. So it's not too fast or slow and this is why I made the verses 16 bars long. They fit in well with the tempo and they are great for the vocalists.
In the verses I added electric piano, strings and drums. I used these instruments because I didn't want to make the song too repetitive, plus, I didn't want to have a lot in the verses. I wanted to the verses to have breathing space and by adding very few instruments and sounds it did just that. Also I wanted to make the verses subtle and relaxed and the electric piano and strings do just that because the electric piano has a subtle and gentle and the strings also have a subtle and gentle sound but they sound more mellow than the electric piano. The drums are always keeping the track pumping and this is what I imagined the song to sound like when I was composing and producing it.
I did variate the drums in the second and last verse. I did this because I didn't want the drums to sound repetitive. I didn't change how the drums were being played. The only thing I did was bring the kick and snare drum in and out. I did this because I didn't want the verses to have the same, constant rhythm and by bringing the kick and snare drum in out I this ensures that the verses don't sound exactly the same. I didn't want the drums to be playing the same rhythm constantly in the verses but I wanted to keep the drums the same. So the best way was to bring the kick and snare drum in out and this ensured the drums were the same but not playing constantly.
Chorus Sections & Outro - I made the three chorus sections and I made two of them 8 bars long and one 16 bars long and the instruments I used were the same instruments I used for the intro but with all them playing together instead of them playing playing after 4 or 8 bars. I made two of the chorus sections 8 bars long because the chorus sections isn't like the verses. The chorus sections repeat the same lyrics a vocalist is singing or rapping. So there is no need to make them longer unless the track is playing at a fast tempo and the chorus needs to last longer. I then made the last chorus section 16 bars long because I didn't want every chorus section lasting 8 bars. I wanted to make only one of them longer and the third chorus was a good option because the third chorus is the last section of the song and I wanted the last section to sound enjoyable to listen before the song ends.
If I were to make every chorus section 16 bars it wouldn't sound as great as the verses. Plus, it would make the duration of the song last too long. The verses are much more interesting than the chorus sections because the verses don't repeat the same lyrics and the verses have a better feel than the chorus sections.
Finally, I put a snare fill on the 12th bar out of the 16 bars. The last bar of the song is doing two jobs. It's playing the last 4 bars of the chorus and it's also playing the outro. I did this because it was a great way to end the song. The reason why it was a great way to end the song is once the rapper has finished rapping the last 4 bars of the section the song ends straight away and this is how I imagined the song to end. Also, the last bar just has electric piano, the electric piano doesn't have a release or reverb on it and this was a great benefit of making the song end because after the vocalist and electric piano has finished doing there jobs the song ends straight away.
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