ISP: Muddy Water

I have chosen this project to use in my portfolio as it showcases skills and abilities that are crucial in sound production. I was tasked with finishing a track which was essentially only a demo. I had a choice of 3 tracks, which I listened to and brainstormed ideas until deciding to go with Muddy Water. After deciding on this track I researched producers and reference tracks to build my idea and then presented this and my plan via powerpoint.

I planned out how I was going to make the track based on the reference track, Wild Ones by Jessie Murph & Jelly Roll.  I decided to use the same tempo of this track, which is 120BPM.  At my home studio, I created a Hi hat loop, an 808 loop and a snap/snare loop to use in the track.  I used samples from splice to create these.

I loaded the created drum samples into an Ableton session and laid out the drum pattern for the main part of the track.  from here I worked through listening to the Muddy Water track stems to see what I would keep as well as what sounded good with the loops.  I decided to keep the vocal and guitar and to use the droning bass to build tension in a build-up.  I chopped the vocal stem into sections and worked out which sections I would use for verses and choruses. I also looped the guitar stem and used this throughout the track.

I added strings and plucks to fill the track out more and add a counter melody to the main guitar melody, I used midi for the plucks and recorded myself playing strings into the DAW on the keyboard to humanize the sound.

After listening back to the track with the new elements added, I didn’t like the way the 808 loop sounded with the rest of the track.  I used Splice to download a new 808 sample and made a new bassline in midi which I felt suited the track much better.

This shows my proficiency in DAW use, creative abilities in using pre existing stems to build and create a full track and my abilities in planning and researching. It also shows my musical abilities as I created multiple elements to be used in the track

Once I had all of the electronic elements in the track, I then held studio sessions with Bruce Murray as my session musician to record guitar. We recorded several parts which I used as an intro & outro and then chopped the other recordings and used them throughout the track. We used the guitar rig plug in to create interesting tones and ambience in the track. This shows my skills and abilities in hosting studio sessions as well as creative abilities and knowledge of plug ins as well as my ability to collaborate with artists and work together to create.

I had a feedback session with my lecturer and listened back to the track, noting any changes we felt should be made. We agreed that the track was longer than it needed to be and there had to be more variation in it. I took this on board and cut out parts of the track and added in additional guitar and drum elements as well as recorded backing vocals and ambient vocals to be used as a pad after I added reverb and delay to the recorded samples. This shows my ability to take feedback on board and make adjustments based on this feedback.

Once I was satisfied with the track I then moved on to the mixing stage. Throughout this I held listening sessions with people and took on more feedback.

I also mastered the track, using the skills I learned from our mastering module.

Overall this project shows my musical ability as well as my proficiency in using DAWs, as I used Ableton, Pro Tools and FL Studio to create this track, these are skills gained through making my own music for 5 years as well as in the majority of modules covered in college, notably DAW, ISP and ADR & foley. This also showcases my file management skills as I worked with the track across 4 different desks. I worked to a brief and timescale showing my time management skills as well as being able to work to a brief with a set out plana and vision, these are skills that I have learned though previous freelance work as well as consistently meeting deadlines throughout college. I also gained the skills to create a professional mix from my 5 years experience making music as well as the mixing module from HNC in college.

 

Log

Week 1

Initial plan stage

I planned out how I was going to make the track based on the reference track, Wild Ones by Jessie Murph & Jelly Roll.  I decided to use the tempo of this track, which is 120BPM.  At my home studio, I created a Hi hat loop, an 808 loop and a snap/snare loop to use in the track.  I used samples from splice to create these.

 

Week 2

Initial composition & arrangement

I loaded the created drum samples into an Ableton session and laid out the drum pattern for the main part of the track.  from here I worked through listening to the Muddy Water track stems to see what I would keep as well as what sounded good with the loops.  I decided to keep the vocal and guitar and to use the droning bass to build tension in a build-up.  I chopped the vocal stem into sections and worked out which sections I would use for verses and choruses.  I also looped the guitar stem and used this throughout the track.

I added strings and plucks to fill the track out more and add a counter melody to the main guitar melody, I used midi for the plucks and recorded the strings to humanize the sound.

After listening back to the track with the new elements added, I didn’t like the way the 808 loop sounded with the rest of the track.  I used Splice to download a new 808 sample and made a new bassline in midi which I felt suited the track much better.

 

Week 3

Studio session

I booked studio 2 for the full day.  I had agreed this with Bruce and we both worked on our tracks.  During the session for my track, we listened back and brainstormed guitar ideas, using the Guitar Rig plugin we experimented with sounds which could be used for ambience, texture or leads.  Bruce played along to the track, and we recorded multiple takes with different ideas so that I had a lot of options.

I decided to go with ambient sounds throughout the track, as well as textured plucks for the bridge of the track and an airy guitar solo for the outro.

 

 

Week 4

In the previous week, I added the guitar sounds to the track, this week the plan was to rearrange the track so that all of the sounds worked sonically together. This included mixing the levels of each instrument and some EQ, mixing and processing.

 

Week 5

Client feedback

I bounced a rough mix of my track and sent it to Davie for feedback. This was the first time I had listened to it on studio speakers since I had recorded the guitar and done the initial levels mix, I noticed that some sounds were lost in the mix, notably the synth plucks and strings as well as the vocals being too low in the mix.  The main critique that I received was that the song was quite long and there was not a lot of variation and was somewhat repetitive until the outro starts.

 

 

Week 6

Changes based on feedback

I shortened the length of the track and fixed the levels so that everything could be heard in the mix. I rearranged the synth plucks and guitar to add variation to keep the listener’s interest.

 

Week 7

Studio session

I played the track on the studio monitors, listening critically to see if any changes needed to be made. Using DI and guitar rig, I recorded Bruce playing guitar to add textured layers to the track.  I set up the vocal booth and recorded backing vocals, which I planned to process to give an ambient feel to add this to the track. I then set up the drum toom and recorded drum one shots to use as samples. I mic’d up the drums individually to ensure clear recordings for the one shot samples.

Mic List

Vocals – Shure SM7b

Kick – Audix D6

Snare – Audix I6

Hi Hat – SE-2

 

Week 8

I added the recorded elements, processing and chopping the backing vocals to use in different sections of the track. I added the additional guitar textures as ear candy throughout the track.  I added my recorded drum one shots into a drum rack and created a drum pattern, I used this in one of the choruses to add variation, then processed the drum samples.

 

Mixing.

808 – Used EQ to cut any high frequencies so that this wouldn’t interfere with other instruments with higher frequencies and so that the bass of the 808 would be the main factor when played. I added Fabfilter Saturn to add saturation to the 808, this helps it stand out in the mix with a unique sound and texture.

 

Kick – I used EQ to cut out the very low frequencies so as to not interfere with the lows of the 808. I then boosted the low mids to give more emphasis to the kick in the mix, and cut out the highs to give it a more filtered laid back sound. I used Pro C compressor to give the kick more punch.

 

Snap loop- I used EQ to cut the high and low end, leaving the mid frequencies.

Hi Hat loop – I used EQ to cut the low frequencies and most of the mid frequencies so as to not interfere with the low end of other parts of the track. I cut some of the high frequencies to give the loop less of a sharp feel.

Drum rack – This was made of one shots that I created in studio. I pitch shifted al of the samples down and used EQ to get rid of the tinny sound of the high hat and to dampen the snare sound.

Hi Hat roll – I used EQ to dampen the high frequencies of this sample.

 Acoustic guitar – I used EQ to cut the low end and allow the high frequencies to be the main timbre of the guitar.

Guitar layer – I added hybrid reverb to give ambience and texture.

Guitar ambience – I added Fabfilter Saturn to add saturation and character. I added compression and boosted the gain so that this stands out more in the mix.

Strings – I added Saturn for saturation, adding texture to the originally clean string sound. I used EQ to take out the low end and boosted the mid frequencies to accentuate the tones. I added reverb to make this sound bigger and more ambient. 

Synth Pluck – I used EQ to cut out the low end and high end, boosting the low mids. I used Saturn to add saturation, giving more character to the sound. I used hybrid reverb to add ambience and space to the sound. I also used a gate to add a pumping effect to the sound.

Riser – I reversed the riser sample to use as an impact in transitions. I added reverb to give more of a tail to the sample.

Sample chop – I chopped a portion of the vocal sample and used simpler to add a chopped vocal section. I used EQ to cut the low end and boost the high mids and high frequencies. I added a compressor to make this stand out in the mix more. I used Saturn to add saturation and texture to the vocal and added reverb to add more space to the sound.

Initial Master – after completing a fader mix of the track I loaded the bounced track onto Pro Tools. I used a limiter on the master and used Youlean loudness meter to ensure that the peak of volume is -6DB.

 

Final Master

Master Compression -

I added the first compressor to the master track. This helps to create a more even and consistent sound throughout the track.

Master EQ

I added the first EQ and slightly boosted the mid high frequencies and mid low frequencies. This was done to enhance these frequencies in the mix, I made slight adjustments as if I were to do boost or cut more then it would have a drastic effect on the master.

Master Saturation – I used Saturn to add warmth and character to the track. I boosted the higher frequencies slightly and used the warm tube to add slight changes to the timbre and tone of the track.

Master Multiband Compression – I used a multiband compressor on the master, this allows me to have more control of the frequency ranges and compress them separately. This helps with creating space in the mix for the different frequency ranges.

Master Final EQ

I made slight cuts to the low end, carving out some unwanted frequencies to the mix. I made slight boosts to the mids and mid highs.

 

Challenges

I Used Ableton to create the track, this is not my usual DAW of choice. I done this on purpose to gain more experience using it. While I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself as a novice with Ableton, it is definitely the DAW that I use least. The main challenge with this was navigating it as it performs slightly differently from FL studio and Pro Tools , however I was able to manage quite well. I see this as a positive challenge as I feel a lot more comfortable using Ableton now.

A part of the brief was to use multiple recorded elements. For this  I recorded multiple guitar takes and vocals, I also chose to record drum samples to use in loops. The college drums are not great quality, so this took multiple recordings of the drum one shots until I was happy enough with them to use on the track. I set up a drum rack in ableton and processed the drums individually, using EQ and compression to try and create a sound that fit will with my track, however I felt that it didn't fit well with the style. From here I used more EQ and pitch shifted some samples and created a percussion loop which was more suitable to this style of track. I was able to pivot from the original plan, still sticking to the tasks included in the brief as well as creating a sound which was suited to the style of the track.

I have made and sold trap beats before, however this process was quite different from what I am used to. Firstly, the style and sound of the pop / trap sub-genre is more melodic than what I would normally make, however I was able to use my knowledge from working in other genres to create a more melodic sounding track. Secondly, when I have worked with artists in the past, I have made beats and then vocals are added by the artist, with this project I had to create an instrumental track around the vocals. As a positive, I had a starting point and material to work with from the start but as a negative, I found it quite restrictive, as I had to make decisions based on these existing elements and find ways to fit them into the track. I made changes to the vocals, guitar and bass from the initial track and merged them with my own ideas and was happy with the result.

Studio time was fairly limited for this project as we had the Christmas break during the process and there were a lot of people working on tracks at the same time. To overcome this, I ensured to get studio time early into the process which gave me time to evaluate my work as I went and then revisit the studio later to make any changes or additional recordings. I also ensured that I was using my time in the studio well and always worked for the full sessions so as not to waste studio time and end up requiring more.

The timescale of this project was a challenge due to the amount of work that was needed, as well as the Christmas break during the project. The Christmas break came at a time where I was making good progress with the track and definitely interrupted my flow. To overcome this, I always worked to the best of my ability, creating deadlines for different parts of the track and prioritising time management throughout the project, always planning more time than I needed to ensure that I did not fall behind.