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Final Track Description
The piece I created for this final track was inspired by one of my favorite chord progressions. The restrictions for the track one project led to me adding various elements such as a beat and melody that couldn’t have any electronic instruments. In the end I wanted the track to have a country base and then have a few different additions. This track would best fit as background music for a television commercial.
My goal was to add more layers onto the original track and structure it in a way so that it becomes fuller as the track progressed. To build the rhythm section I decided to keep the original drum set that was on the track because I feel that that the SoCal drumkit is one of the best stock kits on logic. Then I thought to add additional percussion elements throughout the track like a cowbell and toms. To build my bassline I kept an unplugged bass sound and built on it with a synth sound that I formed to make the bass punch more. This synth bass also connected the bassline to the kick timing.
I aimed to keep my harmony section simple but not boring. I took the key of C major and played the chord progression C | G | Am | F and then repeated it another time but substituted the F at the end for a D minor. Most of the chords I played are out of root position and some have added notes to help thicken the chords The harmony is comprised of a piano and a guitar. For my melody I chose to use a flute for its expression and mellow qualities.
To help compliment the rhythm section I added a tambourine audio loop and a recorded clap. I made the sampler sound I used from a one-shot percussion hit and for the synth sound that I used the ES P synthesizer. These sounds add movement to the background of the track. They aren’t heard as loud as the melody or chords, but you could feel them adding different textures to the track.
For processing, I didn’t do much on this track. I made two aux tracks for a reverb and a delay. I added the reverb to my flute melody along with the synth and sampler sound. This reverb helped with getting rid of notes that may have ended short and had little sustain. I also added the delay to the synth and sampler sound along with the guitar. The delay helped to fill up dead space in the track and add motion. For dynamic processing I added a compressor and EQ to my recorded clap. I added these to help the clap sound dryer so that with reverb added it would sound less like a clap but more like an impact sound effect.