Information
Task 1: Three Minute Song Production (70%)
Task 2: 1000 Word Write-Up (30%)
Over the past several months, I have been developing my artistic identity as a rapper, with a particular focus on refining my sound and exploring different stylistic approaches. While my previous work has largely been centred around trap and drill production, I’ve decided to experiment with a more modern hip-hop style. I made this decision to expand my versatility as an artist and producer.
My primary intention behind this track was to create a listening experience that prioritises the vocal’s emotional expression and the lyrical storytelling. As a result, the composition was intentionally kept minimal to allow the vocals to remain the central focus of the track. This approach is common in hip-hop, where vocal clarity is prioritised over complicated instrumental arrangements. I drew inspiration from artist like Muchi and Milkzy, particularly their raw drum sounds.
The vocal performance on this track was performed by me and recorded by Joseph and me. Since I have been recording vocals for 5 years now and collaborating with my friend Joseph Nguyen for 3 years, we have formed an efficient workflow for recording vocals. This allowed for a smooth recording process and a greater focus on performance quality and emotional delivery rather than technical limitations.
We recorded using an Audio-Technica AT2020. I selected it because I am familiar with its tonal characteristics with my voice. Although higher-end microphones were available within the conservatoire, the AT2020 provided a slightly rawer and less polished sound, which is what this genre needed. An overly clean recording would’ve reduced its authenticity.
While tracking, I monitored my performance with Audio Technica ATH-M30x’s. These are a pair of closed-back headphones, so they have minimal noise bleed for a cleaner recording.
We used a pop filter to prevent the plosive sounds from overbearing the recording and also ensured that the central rod on the mic stand wasn’t making contact with the floor. This was to avoid capturing any extra rumble that may be picked up from me moving around.
We recorded this song in my room and placed the microphone between two perpendicular walls. One of these walls already had foam absorption panels, so we placed my mattress upright against the other wall to create a corner of the room to capture an isolated vocal with less uncontrolled vocal reflections.
While recording, I would loop 16-bar sections of the song at a time and perform three takes. This allowed me to get momentum and consistency with my vocal performance while still maintaining vocal stamina across the session. This allowed for more options during the comping processes.
The sampling process was varied and added to the texture and character of the music. To emulate manipulating a sample from a song, I consolidated the melodic elements of my track and repitched them down by two semitones. This made it sound slightly grainier, the aim was for the effect to be subtle, not overbearing.
At the end of the track, I chopped and rearranged the drum pattern and melodic elements to create new rhythmic variations.
I kept the arrangement stripped back, relying primarily on guitar chords that I played on my electric guitar. I used guitar pedal VSTs to process the guitar to make it sound more ambient and dreamy. This allowed them to serve as a melodic base. I also asked my friend Joni from London to play some flute lines into the melody. I also used some synth leads and pads to add some extra melodic runs and details.
For the drum pattern, I kept it simple and used a repeating drum pattern that put the snare on the 2 and the 4 with a syncopated kick pattern to add rhythm. The important thing to me was the sound selection, choosing samples that sounded more raw as opposed to drum machine-based.
My vocal chain was primarily comprised of frequency rebalancing and compression.
My first move was three EQ cuts between 450 Hz and 650Hz. Because my room is untreated, there was a buildup of energy in this region, so I wanted to tame that before putting it through any compression that would amplify this. Next, I used a multiband compressor to control the fundamental frequency of the vocal. This allows the vocal to have some low mid energy without clashing with the instruments.
Next, I put my vocal through an LA-2a, more subtractive EQ, Pro C2 and UAD 1176 compressor. A natural-sounding performance is important for this style, so I used 3 compressors to minimise the work and perceived compression that each had to do. This resulted in a natural vocal. Lastly, I added some high-end with the Fresh Air plugin, added a Desser and a limiter.
For the instrumental processing, I focused on getting a strong volume balance. This was my primary way of controlling the overall frequency balance. I used a mix of limiting and clipping to save headroom on the bass and kick, which were occupying the peaks of the overall track, making the limters sound harsh.
I used the PAZ analyser to check the frequency curve of the overall track matched some of my reference songs
I consider this track to be viable for commercial releases across DSPs. Its blend of rapping and its mellow style of singing. Artists like J Cole have amassed international acclaim, with a strong section of his audience residing in the UK. Despite this clear demand for this style of music, no artists from the UK have emerged to prominence, making this style of music show a gap in the industry waiting to be properly exploited.
I primarily envision this song being consumed through streaming in solo settings. The introspective lyrics and mellow-sung performance lend themselves to solo listening sessions where the listener is trying to unwind from a long day.
I believe the song has strong sync compatibility, too. I can envision it being used in a cinematic section of a film where a character is coming home after a difficult day and is getting ready to sit in bed and relax, melting into bed. I could aslo see it being used in a commercial, either for heaters, or something else ice-related. This is again due to the song’s main hook line of melting.
