Signature sound design
Today’s electronic musician is in a unique predicament when it comes to creating a
defined sonic palette. Right within our DAWs, we can access thousands upon thousands of sounds spanning every conceivable type. Virtual synthesizers are only a couple of mouse clicks away, each filled with oodles of ready-rolled presets. Sample packs offer countless loops, one-shots and even full-blown construction kits that can be mixed and matched with ease, while sizeable sample libraries load your sampler of choice with uber-realistic snapshots of orchestras, choirs, classic synths and more. Drum ROMplers place any number of studio-quality drum kits and percussion sets right at your fingertips and virtual drum machines spit out the classic beats of Dance music. And that’s without mentioning the overwhelming number of effects processors that can be called upon to shape these source sounds! When you consider that members of a Rock band need only reach for an instrument and jam away, it’s clear that electronic artists are completely overwhelmed with choice. At worst, too much choice can stifle creativity and breed procrastination; at best, those who do finish tracks often draw upon generic, pre-prepared samples and synth presets, which results in generic, bland music that quickly fades into obscurity.
So how do you sonically stand out from the crowd as a producer? Although it might sound obvious, musical content is the most important part of a piece of music, so a rudimentary knowledge of music theory is a logical place to start. Want to incorporate Jazz influences into your tunes? Brush up on your Jazz chords! Yes, plenty of big-name artists don’t understand theory, but get to grips with how the language of music works and you’ll find it much easier to piece together notes into something musically satisfying. You needn’t be Mozart, either — you can get pretty far by simply drawing in chords using basic theory knowledge combined with trial and error.
Knowing which notes to lay down is important, but electronic music is just as much about sonics. Think of your favourite artists, and how they incorporate unique sounds and textures into their tracks. In the world of Dance music, the producers who create truly individual, ‘signature’ elements are the ones who impress and stand out from the crowd. Remember the popularity of the Dubstep ‘growl’ bass? As squealy and annoying as they were, these signature basslines jettisoned Skrillex to the top of the Dance music tree. Likewise, Burial’s name conjures up visions of lo-fi, dusty soundscapes and off-kilter beats that will forever be cemented in Dance music history. Think about it: if you’re lazily piecing together ready-made construction kits and generic presets, you’ll never devise a sound that’s unique to you.
Of course, we all want to come up with that killer, never-before-heard sound that’s completely our own, but that’s easier said than done. There’s no one-size-fits-all method to unique, innovative sound design — it’s up to you to find ways to create your own sounds that fit within the genre and aesthetic you’re working in. However, we can guide you down the right path with a few useful pointers. One widely discussed (but important) approach is to limit your sound-generating palette to a few key pieces of gear (hardware and software) that you know inside out. If you’re using a different bundle of tools every week, you’ll never get further than preset-tweaking; but learn a small selection of synths and effects like the back of your hand, and you’ll uncover their idiosyncrasies and under-the-hood ‘power’ features that casual users won’t. Plus, you’ll commit your decision-making to ‘muscle memory’, helping you create a sound from scratch or mangle an existing sound with effects without having to reach for the manual or look up a YouTube tutorial during a creative spurt.
Over the next couple of tutorials, we’ll explore some surefire recipes for sound design success.