How I Make Music

#048 Weird Science

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The soundtrack in this week's episode is called Weird Science. It’s a dreamy and dark chillout electronica piece inspired by the lofi chillwave sounds and techniques of bands like Washed Out. The instrumentation includes a funk-sounding synth, sampler and a load of small nuanced additions to a slow hip hop beat. My recommended usage is for depictions of laboratory experiments aliens and in other sci-fi and tech noir settings. Let’s break it down!

IN THIS EPISODE

  • 01:46 Chords are a simple i-i-VI-i in G minor throughout the track. A simple, repetitive harmonic progression means that you have to create variety elsewhere or risk boring your listener.
  • 03:21 Synthesizer pitch and mod wheels used in funk and soul always bring a cool sound to music. Getting funky with the pitch wobble is an invitation to groove. It was really fun to make. Ow-wee-uhr!
  • 05:30 To create the weird vocal effect, I multitracked myself singing one note, then tuned it down. I then used sidechain ducking to dip the vocals under the kick. Along with long reverb decay times, this technique was used to create the chillwave sound of the late 2000s. Notable artists are Washed Out, Toro Y Moi and Neon Indian. I covered this technique in Episode 11 of this podcast, Earning Happiness.
  • 07:58 The arpeggio melody is a little reminiscent of X-Files. It’s a minor 7 arpeggio played with a raw sounding sawtooth waveform. I used an LFO to hike the highpass filter up and down, creating variety and occasional ‘peaks of interest’ when those characteristic sawtooth highs pierce through. It feels like a cauldron bubbling up, or something coming alive in the style of Frankenstein’s monster.
  • 09:28 The beat contains three key moments of variation. In the first, a single clap sound gets a huge reverb, which tails off after a few seconds. In the second, the beat all temporarily gets played in triplets, breaking the core rhythm before returning in a satisfying way. Lastly, there’s a beat repeat on the whole track, which crunches the song for a second before ‘releasing’ it.
  • 11:49 The shaker sound is a cabasa sample. It uses pretty organic timing (meaning not too tight on the grid) and I feel it’s responsible for most of the groove. Hand claps always humanize an electronic song.
  • 14:39 Much of the track was the result of sample cut-ups. That’s where you record a part and then only select a short amount of it to be used as a rhythmic stab rather than a chord progression or melody. It results in some pretty abrupt changes, which are actually really hard to create naturally. When recording an instrument or voice, there’s always some room reverb or decay time which prevents a sound from ending suddenly. But in editing with software, we can create sudden cuts and use them rhythmically to our advantage.

    • DOWNLOAD THIS TRACK

    • Download it https://gum.co/SINBV
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      • SHOW NOTES

      • Washed Out http://washedout.net/
      • Video of this song being composed for the first time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q47x7Sj4Xo
      • Cape Town electronic artists Sibot https://sibot.bandcamp.com/ and Card on Spokes http://cardonspokes.com

        • SOUNDS & DEVICES USED

        • Ableton Live, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, voice,

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                • ABOUT THIS SHOW

                You’re listening to How I Make Music, a weekly podcast for the musically curious to go behind the scenes of composition for audio storytelling. Hey, I'm John Bartmann. I’m a composer from South Africa. My soundtracks, moods and themes have been used in podcasts, audio dramas, and also in commercial film, TV and radio. Every Wednesday, we break apart one of my own compositions and investigate the stories and insights into how it was made and its effect on listening ears. How I Make Music helps you better understand how to make, select and use music to create gripping storytelling.

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                How I Make MusicBy John Bartmann
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