Digital Music Music theory for digital musicians (MUS405) PDF

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Digital Music: Music theory for digital musicians (MUS405) Tom Barrett (Q14515964) Thursday 12th of December

This report will be discussing the compositional process of the track and how effective it was at expressing the desired mood. Inspiration for this track was taken from ‘BICEP’, the electronic dance/techno producer duo that has their own unique, almost hypnotic style. Also ‘Four tet’, an artist with a similar style however slightly more experimental. These artists usually use a bold and repetitive melody as the building block for their tracks, building and releasing tension throughout for a dynamic effect. Two tracks that showcase this are ‘GLUE - BICEP’ (1) and ‘OPAL - BICEP (FOUR TET REMIX)’ (2). I wanted to implement this technique into my own composition, building on an initial melody but I also wanted to keep it interesting, having less subtle changes and a wider range of musical inputs. The track was aiming to achieve an experimental sound without steering too far off the standard structure of a dance track. The composition process began with the creation of the melody, an experimental approach was needed to achieve the aims of the track. The melody is repeated throughout in two parts, so that it is memorable, but not too repetitive. Complex syncopation and note rolls were also used here to achieve a unique, experimental sound.

From this melody, the root notes were used as the bassline for the track with two different sequences being created. The MIDI’s are almost identical, just splitting the notes on the right to give a different effect for the second drop. Both include slides of notes, one octave up and slightly higher in the scale for a more dynamic bassline sequence.

The root notes from the bassline were translated into the chords to establish a relationship between each other, this can be seen in the image below to the left. The chords took the form of triads to enhance the harmony of the sound and plucks were added to give variation (shown to the right).

To ensure the project was successful at achieving the correct rhythm for the track, the bpm was set at 126, the mid range for the standard dance track bpm which usually ranges from 118-134bpm. This also links to the drums of the track which was formed using a kick, clap, hi hat and symbol.

Other elements that included to create a fuller sound across the eq range are: 1) A 2nd lead melody which is an octave higher, like a call and response

2) Low plucks to include in the intro and break

3) Transition lead to include in the break

Many automations were used in the composition for many reasons, the first one being volume. Volume was automated to ensure that the sound elements were smooth in entering and leaving the composition. Also to give certain elements dominance at different times and sidechaining shown to the right.

Other automations that were used include drive (on the left) to build and release tension on the chords and wet reverb (on the right) to build tension.

Below is the mixer which shows the editing of different components in the composition. The most important being EQ, ensuring that certain elements are more dominant in different areas of the EQ range. Other audio effect plug ins that we’re used include reverb, distortion, delay and more for variation and automation purposes.

The structure of the track is split into 7 main sections: - Build - Drop - Breakdown - Break - 2nd build - 2nd drop - Outro This track followed the standard structure of most dance tracks, having two sets of tension builds and releases translates excitement to the listener, however if they are too similar it can often seem boring. To avoid this the track includes many minor changes in the second drop, including a delayed tension release. In conclusion, the track had a unique sound and was overall good quality. Using complex syncopation and an abnormal number of notes made the experimental melody the most intriguing aspect of the opposition. From this the root note was translated into the bassline and chords which made them sound great together as they were linked by a harmonic scale. One aspect that could be improved is the break before the second build (1:46 - 2:01) where the main components leave the composition and it feels empty, either a new component needs to be added or an old one kept in. Overall, the project was effective at meeting the initial objectives set out of having an experimental sound however this could be further developed if it did not follow the standard structure of a dance track.

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GLUE - BICEP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7ZxRs45tTg OPAL - BICEP (FOUR TET REMIX) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTw-NrqKigs...