My latest track, ‘Sundown Ride’, is well on it’s way – hoping to get it done by the end of the month. Today I started work on the part that I love, but which scares me the most – FX.
What is FX, you ask? It’s the little transients, the risers, the impacts and whooshes that add interest and character to the track.
I love it because there’s so much you can do. You can turn white noise into a hauntingly melodic refrain, or a baby’s laugh into a demonic howl. And anything in between.
This is also why it scares me. Not the demonic baby part (although yeah, I would not stay in that room) but the magnitude of choices available.
We generally think choice is a good thing. What’cha eating tonight – burgers, salad, pasta? You could have them all if you wanted (although your stomach would take revenge on you later).
Too much choice though, is paralyzing. Is a filter better here, or should I add some EQ? Is it best to widen with reverb, echo, a chorus effect, something else? What order do I put everything in my signal chain?
You get the idea.
For this reason, it’s especially helpful to have an idea IN ADVANCE of the type of sound you are trying to create. At least then you know when you are getting closer or further from your goal.
For example, this track is definitely more upbeat and less tense than my previous ones, and to me it seems to have an open and free kind of vibe. Like riding a horse at sunset.
To keep with that theme, I might include sounds that remind me of hoofbeats. I could include some windy-like transients, or leaves rustling. I could even include a melodic voice whispering ‘freedom’ over and over – as long as I’m not violating someone’s copyright.
And just as important as knowing what sounds to produce, is knowing when to STOP, and say ‘okay, good enough’.
Some perfectionists will disagree with me on that one, but I think we can all agree it’s not fun to be stuck ‘perfecting’ the same song for years.
It’s done… It’s finally done…
Now that I know WHAT I want to create, time to figure out exactly HOW to create them. Later, folks!
Credits:
‘Baby in White Onesie’ by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels
‘Person Riding Brown Horse’ by stein egil liland from Pexels
‘Seven White Closed Doors’ by Pixabay from Pexels
‘Silhouette Photo of Two Persons Riding Horses’ by willsantt from Pexels