How I Did It
On the Earthby Quarkstar
Uses samples from:
Tools I Used
Bowed Bass: Ableton, Operator (Quarkstar patch)
Continuous Pad: Rob Papen, Blue 2 (Quarkstar patch)
Organ Pad: Synapse, Dune 2 (Keywing EDT)
String Pad: U-he, Zebra 2 (PluginGuru, Stereo Unison)
Guitar: Music Lab, Real Guitar
Electric Piano: Applied Acoustic Systems, Lounge Lizard
Grand Piano: Native Instruments, The Grandeur
Metal + weird effects: Native Instruments, Kinetic Metal (Blacksmith)
Plugins
Binaural beats: By Quarkstar (frequency shifter on each channel)
Chorus: Acon, Multiply
Compressor: Vladislav Goncharov, Nova-67P
Equalisation: Tokyo Dawn Labs, VOS Slick EQ
Harmonies on vocals: Ableton, Resonator
Reverb: Acon, Digital Reverb
Tape Effects: Fab Filter, Timeless
Transient Shaping: Native Instruments, Transient Master
Waveshaping: Cable Guys, Waveshaper
Vintage sound: Sonimus, Statson
Vocals: iZotope, Nectar elements
Vocals: Ableton, Chorus
Process
BPM 90, three different Keys (C, B, A#)
I wanted this tune to be relaxing, which to me means repetition, but I also wanted it to vary all the time and to have chord changes. Chord changes break the repetition, so I hid the chord changes. The secret of this tune, is that the key steps down by several semitones over the sections. So it goes C, B, A# and back to C. This creates a number of unconventional key changes. There are two bridges, each of which ends a semitone lower than it started and create the key changes. The accidental notes add some sophistication to the melody which has so far been keeping to notes in the key. The change from A# to C sounds quite sweet and finishes off the tune.
There is a polyrhythm with a 3:4 and 2:4 timing with notes falling on one or other of the beats throughout. The guitar starts by exposing the rhythms and main themes which are then developed by various instruments throughout. With the exception of guitar and grand piano, most of the instruments fade into each other, adding new interpretations to the chords playing in the background.
Several of the melodies take their rhythm from the spoken word and play underneath the spoken phrases.
The main Pad is binaural. I tried it with an Alpha rhythm of 8Hz, supposedly a relaxation frequency, but it was just too strong an effect, so its set to around 1Hz which gives a lovely floaty effect.
The backing vocals were reversed, processed then swapped back round the right way. So what you hear is the reversed echo and resonant chords building up and then the normal vocals. The resonator was tuned to C major and quite a long reverb added. The words are "You are supported”.
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