SHR4C004M-003 Song Prod. & Write Up Template
Task 1: Three Minute Song Production (70%)
Task 2: 1000 Word Write-Up (30%)
Song prod & write up – Luke Gilmour (GIL23086109) SHR4C004M~003
My song ‘Speak Up’ is at 144 BPM in the key of Bb Major, this song has a very up-tempo beat with lyrics looking at relationships, creative life and life struggles in general. I based this song around music I like to listen to currently, with the beat being similar to that of current UK underground rap using fast hi-hat patterns and vocal chops. The vocals were recorded, mixed and written all by me in my home studio using a variety of plugins and VST’s to gain a quality sounding end vocal product.
For the recording process, I used a Shure MV-7 microphone plugged into a Focusrite Scarlett solo Gen 3. I recorded this song in 4 parts, the main vocal, 2 harmony vocals panned left and right, and an ad-lib track on top. The plugins and effects I used for the vocal mix were, Auto-Tune, 2 separate EQ’s, stock ableton Compressor, Stock ableton De-esser. Cymatics Space reverb, Fresh Air, and ableton Delay effect. For each of my different vocal tracks I slightly tweaked the effects to better fit that vocal, for instance slightly more reverb on the panned harmony tracks, and higher delay on the ad-lib track for emphasis. The fresh ait plugin i got last year for free, and it has been great for my other tracks that include vocals, it helps to brighten dull and lifeless vocals by changing the vocal dynamics to give the vocals more brilliance.
The equalizer I used for this project is called Ozone 11 which I use for the majority of my mixes as it allows me to see in real time how it is affecting the vocal waveform. With this EQ i removed any frequencies below 100Hz and also removed any frequencies above the 15k Hz range to prevent any unwanted sounds, buzz and frequencies getting into the mix. I also dipped the vocal in the 5K Hz range as this is where most of my sibilance was which I did not want coming through in the mix, I slightly boosted the mid range and took out some boxiness in the 500 Hz range too.
For the sampling aspect of this assignment I used drum one shots from a variety of drum packs I have accumulated over the years, picking each sound thoughtfully to ensure it will fit the overall mix of the song also ensuring the one shots were in key. The vocal chop which can be heard in the beat is from the song ‘Sound Of The Underground’ By Girls Aloud- Girls Aloud (2023), I had stem split the original song to get the acapella vocals and then I have chopped them in a sampler using just syllables to create my own melody line with the chops. I felt that this vocal chop gave more bounce and character to the track, with slight reverb and delay to fill the space surrounding the chops out more in the higher end of the mix.
With the current direction of UK rap and underground rap music I believe this song has commercial potential in that scene, the beat is similar to a lot of big songs from this scene at the moment which are all high BPM’s with synth leads and vocal chops. My main influence with this song was a UK artist called Fakemink who is currently gaining large popularity globally, the song of his that I majorly based mine off of was ‘Music and me’- Fakemink (2025). The fast paced drums, hard hitting bass and pluck melody in the song came together very well and had me hooked on the first listen, so I knew I had to make something similar. In 2024 rap/hip-hop accounted for 12.4% of sales and streams Paine, A. (2023). The UK underground rap scene has taken the internet by storm however with songs from many uk underground artists going viral on tiktok/ instagram and reaching worldwide audiences, allowing for tours and bookings at festivals. By making songs like I have done here and evolving my sound and finding my vocal template I am sure that they can have commercial success in the music industry.
The lyrics in the song reflect on relationship experience and the feeling that you’re far behind everyone else either in life or creatively.
“Speak up, tell me how I got it wrong.
Run up, I’ve been waiting too damn long.
Yeah
I don’t understand these feelings
Sitting in my room I’m just staring at the ceiling.”
This is the main body of the chorus which I repeat 3 times throughout the song, it is meant to symbolise feeling like you can’t express yourself to someone or they are perhaps not understanding you and your waiting for them to ask you the questions you want to hear and therefore, being left alone with your own thoughts.
“Now you in my way
I got time i can’t be wasting nah
Think its fate
I got too much on my plate yeah.
Tell them to hold up but don’t wait for me,
I been racing it’s 100 degrees
I’m going fast but i can’t feel the breeze”
This part of the lyrics comes straight after I repeat the chorus for the second time. In this section I talked about someone holding you back from what you are trying to achieve and the feeling that you might be stuck in this situation forever. After that I wrote about wanting my peers and people I look up to ahead of me to slow down with the work they are doing and wait for me to catch up so I can be at their level, which is something that I want, but cannot happen. The next line “I’m going fast but I can’t feel the breeze” is meant to show how much work I’m putting in and the speed at which I’m doing it but I’m not moving to where I want to be, I am stuck.
Reference list- L. Gilmour (GIL23086109)
Fakemink (2025). fakemink – Music and Me (Prod Ok). [online] Youtube. Available at: https://youtu.be/UKQup7bw0Xo?si=jphls6HBkVMTbQUt [Accessed 30 Apr. 2025].
Girls Aloud (2023). Girls Aloud – Sound Of The Underground (Official Lyric Video). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw-j2L6wSk4 [Accessed 30 Apr. 2025].
Paine, A. (2023). UK stars including Central Cee, Dave and Digga D help Rap claim record share of albums market. [online] Musicweek.com. Available at: https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/uk-stars-including-central-cee-dave-and-digga-d-help-rap-claim-record-share-of-albums-market/087721 [Accessed 30 Apr. 2025].
