So, for the last month or so I haven't really had much time for music making, but this week I actually managed to get some good sessions in, and I'm really feeling like I made a track I'm happy with. Of course, I'll never be completely happy and there are parts of this track that I would like to improve, but I am happy with this one as it stands right now.

It's all M8 synths, with the exception of the little ambient sparkles in the background. I started with the kick and bass part which kinda set the feel for the track, as you will hear. Once I had that, I just left it playing while I messed around on my keyboard trying to find a melody that would work. And I'm pretty happy with the melody line I came up with ... it feels appropriate and I'm still liking it after hearing it a bazzillion times, so I think that is a good sign! And I am really loving the new wave tables in the Wave Synth engine ... I get lost in there sometimes just messing in the waves!

For the arrangement, I kept the same melody lead line throughout the song, but give it some different context/instrumentation/harmony to make it feel different in a few places. So the beginning feels kind of optimistic, like a hero's theme, but the middle feels kind of ominous (to my ears at least!), like a villain's theme, despite the melody being the same in both places. The ending returns to an optimistic feel, but the memory of the middle section makes it feel a bit more ambiguous (again, to my ears!), until the harmony part comes in, then it's nothing but heroes, haha! So that was what I was going for anyway. You be the judge!

One little thing came up that I was surprised made such a difference to the song. My first take on the melody had it starting on the first beat of a M8 phrase ... just because that is how the M8 is set up to work. You make a chain, make a phrase, and start entering notes. I didn't really notice that the melody I came up with had a lead in that should start a beat and a half earlier (on the upbeat of 3, of the previous bar). I was not feeling super excited to re-work all my phrases and chains to shift everything by a beat and a half, and resisted for quite a while. But after forcing myself to fix it, it sounded soooo much better! I have some pads that are repeating the melody, and they still have the "start on beat one, straight rhythm" version ... which I totally left for variety, not because I was lazy BTW! So you can kinda hear the different feel they have. Anyway, that was a bit of a learning moment for me ... that lead in, in the previous bar, really helps keep the song flowing and engaging I find. So, I need to remember that, even though the M8 pulls me to always start on beat one.

OK, what I'm pleased with: melody, instrumentation, overall feel. What needs work: transitions, more melodic variation aka "a verse", an ending instead of a fade out ... I've said it before, but I would like to ease up on the noise risers for transitions, they work, but I need something else for my peace of mind lol! Maybe that's a challenge for one of my remaining weeks: no noise risers! Have I said that already? Anyway ...

Oh, and my song titles are pretty random ... but I was thinking of the race car version of spoiler here, not the plot reveal, but it's punny regardless!

Anyway, I'm pleased with this one. For a high energy song, I think it hits the mark.

Thanks for listening and happy week 45!

Cheers!

Tags: dirtywave, dirtywave m8, m8 tracker, tracker, week 45 2024, View by:PeterM