Five Production Techniques in Ableton – LO 9

AUS220 – LO 9

FM Synthesis in Ableton

My first production technique I want to research is the making of a ‘Future House’ Bass with FM Synthesis using Operator.

A Future House Bass is a Synth that follows the sound of being ‘Futuristic’ and of unique sound to other typical House Basses, the sound can be defined sometimes as having a detuned layer on it usually down -7 Semitones but sometimes other tunings work too. Here’s a preview of a well-known ‘Future House’ track that features this ‘Future House’ Bass which I’m going to be making.

Future House Bass in Operator:

I start off by adding Operator to an new Midi track, then coming up with a melody to use as we develop the sound more.

Starting with Oscillator 1 were going to use a 64 Square Wave.

Firstly I dropped the Sustain so I can keep just the pluckiness of the sound, then I added a Low-Pass Filter and went down to around 70 Hz. Then I put the Envelope up to 100% to benefit filter by coming out through the envelope we’ve got in the image above.

I then duplicated the first layer but added a EQ and used a High pass filter to focus the layer for on the highs, then added a chorus effect.

I then duplicated the layer again but this time added a Midi Effect called Pitcher, and set the pitch to +7 semi tones. This adds a cool detuned effect to the overall sound.

Side chain Compression in Ableton

What is side chain?
Side Chain Compression allows the producer to have a compressor react from a seperate signal to minimise clashing or phasing between the kick and other sounds on top of it, the main benefit is to let the Kick have room in the mix. Side chaining is only necessary on sounds that are being played at the same time as a Kick, the more compression you use will give more of that pumping feeling of the sound.

So in my session of Ableton I’ve got my Kick sample playing 4/4 and Operator as my main synth, the sound what is needing to be Side Chained.

I’ve started by Duplicating my ‘Kick’ channel which is acting as my signal for the compressor, then I muted this signal so it’s only ducking out that signal. I could actually use any sample if I thought that this kick sample didn’t duck out enough for me but it goes down to what sound you’re wanting to have come out of that synth or what is being side chained. Then I renamed the channel to Sidechain.

Once I added my Ghost Kick or signal to be side chained I added a Compressor from Audio Effects to the sound I want Sidechained.

Then I need to choose where my side chain signal is coming from, in this case it is the Sidechain signal we created by duplicating a kick.

I then tweaked the Threshold to find the right spot where It isn’t pulling out to much sound but also not leaving to much in there, also by adding in the built in EQ gives a much cleaner effect to what is being ducked out.

There I have successfully Sidechained my synth to my kick and any other sound that I want to be side chained I can just copy this compressor or add another to the channel by receiving signal from the Signal or Ghost Kick.

Vocal Sampling in Ableton

For my third technique i’m going to learn vocal sampling, for starters I need to find a vocal sample I want to use and add it to a new Audio Track.

Once I did that I need to find the root note of the sample I am using, which will help soon.

In this case, my root note is E3.

Now that I know my sample is hitting an E note I deleted it, and dragged in a Sampler which is an audio instrument.

I then dragged my sample into sampler, I then used the little orange flag to choose a position in the sample which I would like it to play from.

Then in Sampler I change the Root Note to what it is (E3), then will then give me the knowledge that every note I hit now will in fact be hitting the correct note and in the right key.

That’s all there is to it, after that I added some effects of Saturator and Reverb.

Sliding and Pitch Bending in Ableton

Coming from FL Studio, Pitch bending was very easy for me so I want to learn how to bend notes like I would in my old DAW (FL Studio).

So firstly I opened up Analog and chose a preset, Analog is found in Instruments. This is a 2 Oscillator virtual Analog Synthesiser.

So this preset I imported has a Macro control linked to it so you can turn up the pitch bending or ‘Glide’ by turning the Marco Knob labeled Glide. But with an empty preset of Analog you can switch on Glide and turn up the percentage amount to how much ‘Glide’ you want, Legato gives the feature that only the notes will slide when the Midi information crosses over the next note where without it will bend every note.

Manipulating Vocals in Ableton

So to start off the last production technique, I grabbed a Vocal sample and dragged it into a new Audio Track.

     

So then I used this cool feature and Sliced the vocals to a new Midi Track, here I was able to choose how much of the vocals I wanted to be sliced and how many samples I wanted. I chose ‘Bar’ to keep it quite simple but If you preferred you could just 16th Notes which would give you a lot more samples to play with.

Once that is finished you are given a Midi track like this, which now gives you the freedom to delete what the original vocals were saying and use your keyboard and piano roll to manipulate and create something new from all these different phrases which Ableton sliced up for us.

Then its a matter of playing on your keyboard or drawing in notes to create something to your liking and add further FX to create a sound that appeals to you.

References

Allison, J. (2015). Side Chain Compression in Ableton Live Tutorial. Austinabletontutor.com. Retrieved 18 March 2016, from http://austinabletontutor.com/side-chain-compression-ableton-live/

ARTFX STUDIOS,. (2016). Chopping vocals like the pros! Skrillex / Feed Me style – Ableton Tutorial Tuesday. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVZD9WgBXsg

DJ Tech Tools,. (2016). Processing And Playing Vocal Samples Like An Instrument. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Wpxca-6W4iI

Playing Vocal Samples Like An Instrument In Ableton – DJ TechTools. (2015). DJ TechTools. Retrieved 18 March 2016, from http://djtechtools.com/2015/06/21/playing-vocal-samples-like-an-instrument/

Production Music Live,. (2016). roducing that Future House Bass Bassline in Ableton Live 9 only – Sound Design Tutorial Tchami. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWVF4ilnwnQ

Bend Between Notes with Glide in Analog – New Point Blank Tutorial | Ableton. (2016). Ableton.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016, from https://www.ableton.com/en/blog/make-juke-beat-ableton-drum-machines-new-tutorial-point-blank/

Platinum Loops,. (2016). Ableton Live Tutorial – How to Manipulate Vocal Samples. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vkXKSw2gTk

AUS220 – LO10

In this blog I was be critically analysing the characteristics of three different versions of the same track also follow their own styles, these differences between them will also be discussed. I will be basing my analogies from the topics of influences, vocals, instrumentation and then relating these back to the context of the genre.

For this blog I have chosen one song represented in three different creative styles. the first  is the original The Weekend – Can’t Feel My Face, secondly Ember Island – Can’t Feel My Face  and lastly Ember Island – Can’t Feel My Face (Steve Void Remix).

The Weekend – Can’t Feel My Face:

The Weeknd is a solo artist who goes my the name of Abęl Makkonen Tesfaye, his lyrical and vocal content highly encourages an R&B however his song structure and instrumentation really places his latest work as well in the genre of Pop. Can’t Feel My Face combines the sound of R&B into the genre of Pop which is something lots of artists are doing in this new age of music, gaining places on the top charts all over the world. The minor and sad sounding chords with the use of filtered pads really define that R&B feeling, the upbeat Chorus and catchiness in the vocals and beat is what causes it to really fit the Pop genre.

R&B is a genre with the early influence of Blues which erupted in the late 40’s, artists such as Ray Charles and Ruth Brown followed this throughout the 50’s (AllMusic, 2016). This song by The Weeknd also has a large influence from the Genre of Pop, this combination with R&B is something which is really taking its peak to provide ‘hit’ music to this generation. Pop Music in the 1920s-1950s held a major influence from Jazz, progressing into the 50s which began its draw from Rock and Blues (R&B). The genre Pop itself can theoretically take its plunge towards or from any particular style or genre of music as long as it follows the original basis to what defines ‘Pop’ music, which is to follow a relatable lyrical basis, danceable rhythm, catchy melody and a repetitive structure.

This song follows the structure of Pop which will have a Verse (introduction to the story or appose a question) and then followed by a Hook or Chorus (usually the catchiest section of the track, very repetitive and usually answers the question or resolves the story) and the hook will be repeated again at least 2 or 3 times. “Pop music is generally understood to be commercially recorded music with the goal of having mass audience appeal, with the result that its style changes significantly depending on the time and place.” (Newworldencyclopedia.org, 2016)

This quote by New World Encyclopedia really defines the approach which Max and Ali followed to produce the chart friendly track Can’t Feel My Face, which hit #1 in 10 different countries (external sources within each location). (Wikipedia, 2016)

Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd carries a few different interpretations, these different views or perspectives are taken by each listeners and how they individually can relate to the lyrics. This song has had rumours about the vocals having reference towards a cocaine addiction by Abel, how ever the song can also take the perspective of a relationship. (Bustle.com, 2016) The lyrics once placing them in the belief that it is about cocaine it becomes very hard to take it any other way for example, “I Know She’ll Be The Death Of Me / At Least We’ll Both Be Numb.” (Bustle.com, 2016) Personally these lyrics are hard to relate to in a love sense but I can really see how the cocaine would encourage that feeling of knowing that ‘she’ will be the death of you but knowing it’s okay because you are numb. I find this lyrics very powerful and manage to really catch that attraction to a lot of people through Abel’s influence of Pop with a blend of R&B.

The instrumentation used within this track could be heard as very minimalistic but in context to the genre, I think the producers successfully achieved the sound they were aiming for. The drum instruments in this track include sampled clicks (first revealed at 0:30), recorded hi-hats & snare, sounds like a layer of a sampled clap under the snare. This relates to the genre of Pop because of the simplicity heard within the drums, also the live sampled drums in the chorus gives it a much more ‘real’ sound rather than if it was just sampled hi-hats and snare. There is two pads used within the ‘Verses’ and the first one sounds like a ‘brass or orchestral’ type pad and the second is a saw and sine wave layered with a sine wave with the use of filtering automation to really match the feeling that the vocals are catering for. The bass used within the Chorus also interprets a very ‘Funky’ feeling which is popular to be used within R&B & Pop tracks, this also gives a very upbeat vibe when listening.

 

Ember Island – Can’t Feel My Face:

Hailing from Sweden comes a Electronic trio called Ember Island who have a very Atmospheric take on Indie-Pop, they have received a substantial amount of notice from their covers such as ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ which I will be analysing. Their unique style of Pop really makes what is catchy within their ‘sound’, they take original tracks which have a complete different vibe and transform it into a beautiful creation unlike any other style of that original they cover.

Ember Island’s cover of Can’t Feel My Face has a completely different feeling which is being expressed through the gentle vocals, electric guitar and piano. The key of the song is in this version still following the A Minor scale however the progression and instrumentation adds together to create a completely different vibe whilst comparing to the original song. A quote from Dancing Astronaut about Ember Islands’ cover of ‘Where Are U Now’ is a perfect description to the overall ‘feeling’ which they employed within their production of ‘Can’t Feel My Face’. “This cover uniquely diversifies Jack U’s original by manifesting its purest features and creating an entirely new personality to the Skrillex/Diplo/Bieber super-collab.” – (Vandeventer, 2015) 

The genre of Pop can theoretically take its plunge towards or from any particular style or genre of music (in this case Indie Electronica) as long as it follows the original basis to what defines ‘Pop’ music. This popular form of writing comes through all styles of Pop in which is to follow a relatable lyrical basis, danceable rhythm, catchy melody and a repetitive structure in its own way. 

This song follows the structure of Pop which will have a Verse (introduction to the story or appose a question) and then followed by a Hook or Chorus (usually the catchiest section of the track, very repetitive and usually answers the question or resolves the story) and the hook will be repeated again at least 2 or 3 times. “Pop music is generally understood to be commercially recorded music with the goal of having mass audience appeal, with the result that its style changes significantly depending on the time and place.” (Newworldencyclopedia.org, 2016)

The Vocals within this track have been recorded in a way that gives a very intimate feeling throughout the Verses, the first half of the Chorus has an effect on the Vocals which sounds like a ‘Robotic Vocoder’. This plugin used adds more to the mood of the song, then the second half of the Chorus the effect turns off to return to the original open intimate sound.

The instrumentation which is used within this cover is what adds together to really create that Indie-Pop vibe what Ember Island are going for, a complete transformation from the original track. The drum and percussion instruments used within the track are very simplistic, sampled drums include Kick drum (808), Click/Clap and a live recorded Snare drum. The Piano used is very rich and includes a looped melody which plays through each verse, the electric lightly strums through the Pre-Chorus, a really gentle Pad plays through the Chorus and a Violin comes in the second Chorus to support the overall mood. All these instruments are very gentle and have good positioning in the mix.

 

Ember Island – Can’t Feel My Face (Steve Void Remix)

This Deep House remix of Ember Islands Cover of Can’t Feel My face takes the original version to another level, bringing it to an expressive level to dance too. This unique touch on the track with the use of a grand piano, organ basses, off beat hi-hats and a punchy click gives this track a complete different feeling to what Ember Island offered within their version. This feeling which Steve Void has employed within the remix is well-known to be used in deep house tracks trending in this day and ages Electronic Dance Music charts.

Steve Void has pitched the vocal stems down 1 semitone moving it from being in A minor to now Abm or G#m, his choice to change the key would come down to his personal preference and seems like he was aiming to target a different approach when remixing this track.

The genre of Deep House has been around since the 1980’s by artists such as Marshall Jefferson and Larry Heard, the genre now recently has had a uprise through artists like MK and Lost Frequencies. The instrumentation is what classes it to be ‘Deep’ House, based off a regular House song you could expect the off beat hi-hats and the groovy drum beat and it’s the same in this case however a ‘deeper’ expressive feeling with the use of analog and now digital synths. (JavCee, 2015)

This song follows the structure of House but however in the relation to the original cover, it also follows that structure. House remixes will often follow the same structure of the original track, in this case it is influenced by Pop which means the Verse (introduction to the story or appose a question) and then followed by a Hook or Chorus (usually the catchiest section of the track.

“Pop music is generally understood to be commercially recorded music with the goal of having mass audience appeal, with the result that its style changes significantly depending on the time and place.” (Newworldencyclopedia.org, 2016)

Like I said above, the vocals within this track have been pitched down 100 cents or 1 semitone, dropping it in the key of Ab Minor.

The instrumentation which is used within this remix took the cover to another level, the use of a grand piano really highlighted that Minor chord progression. The drum and percussion instruments used within the track are very simplistic, sampled drums include Kick drum, Click/Clap and off beat hi-hats. The bass used is very punchy and almost percussive sounding synth, it has multiple layers on it causing it to really punch through the mix and still not clashing with those vocals. His EQ techniques have the synth work really highlighting the mid range around (around 400-600Hz) where the vocals really take their mark in the mid-high range (800 Hz onwards) where her voice really shines. All these instruments are very gentle and have good positioning in the mix, the add up nicely to create an overall great Deep House remix of the cover Can’t Feel My Face by Ember Island.

References

AllMusic,. (2016). Beauty Behind the Madness – The Weeknd | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic. Retrieved 26 February 2016, from http://www.allmusic.com/album/beauty-behind-the-madness-mw0002860864

AllMusic,. (2016). R&B | Music Highlights | AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2016, from http://www.allmusic.com/genre/r-b-ma0000002809

Bustle.com,. (2016). Bustle. Retrieved 2 March 2016, from http://www.bustle.com/articles/103218-i-cant-feel-my-face-lyrics-are-absolutely-baffling-the-weeknd-needs-to-explain-their

Pop/Rock | Music Highlights | AllMusic. (2016). AllMusic. Retrieved 7 March 2016, from http://www.allmusic.com/genre/pop-rock-ma0000002613

The Weeknd. (2016). Wikipedia. Retrieved 7 March 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weeknd

The Weeknd’s ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ Gives Max Martin His 21st No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100. (2016). Billboard. Retrieved 7 March 2016, from http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6656874/max-martin-new-no-1-billboard-hot-100-the-weeknd

Pop music – New World Encyclopedia. (2016). Newworldencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 8 March 2016, from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Pop_music

Introducing: Ember Island | Spinnup.com. (2016). Spinnup. Retrieved 7 March 2016, from https://spinnup.com/en/2015/06/introducing-ember-island/

Rishty, D. (2015). Ember Island’s Breathtaking Version of The Weeknd’s ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ – PRO MOTION Music News. Blog.promotion-us.com. Retrieved 7 March 2016, from http://blog.promotion-us.com/weeknds-hit-cant-feel-face-receives-breathtaking-cover-ember-island

Vandeventer, H. (2015). Jack Ü – Where Are Ü Now (Ember Island Cover) – Dancing Astronaut. Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved 7 March 2016, from http://www.dancingastronaut.com/2015/05/jack-us-now-metamorphosis/

JavCee, F. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEQMmJdYJ0g

Pressure Radio – Deep Soulful House Music,. (2015). Deep House. Retrieved 2 December 2015, from http://pressureradio.com/deep-house/

Wikipedia,. (2015). Deep house. Retrieved 2 December 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_house

Tuneid.com,. (2015). Production Trend: Korg M1 “Deep House” Organ Bass – tuneID.com. Retrieved 18 December 2015, from http://www.tuneid.com/general-chat/49571-production-trend-korg-m1-deep-house-organ-bass.html