SHR4C004M-003 Song Production & Write Up Template
Task 1: Three Minute Song Production (70%)
Task 2: 1000 Word Write-Up (30%)
The aim of my three-minute track was to create a 1980’s synth pop / synthwave song. I took stylistic and aesthetic influence from artists such as Tears for Fears, known for their synthesiser driven production. (Reverb Machine, 2025) Therefore, my track includes many synthesised instruments, electric guitar, and vocals, with a focus on arrangement and overall production quality to keep the listener engaged, as many Tears for Fears’ songs did. I want this track to be used for media potentially, especially with its nostalgic aesthetic, as there is growing interest in 1980’s inspired music (Sutcliffe, 2025)
My piece was produced at a tempo of 130 BPM, giving an energetic and driving rhythm which suits synthwave, but would be considered slightly faster than the usual 1980’s synth pop. (Soundplate, 2026) However, I chose this tempo as allows a balance of keeping the harmonic elements to remain clear and punchy while maintaining a nice dance-like groove. The harmonic progression of the piece takes influence in both pop and 1980’s inspired music, showing emotional depth within the track. I used a minor tonal centre and combined it with brighter harmonic sounds, to create a nice contrast that brings feeling and movement to the track. I think this also supports the vocals nicely.
The piece follows a structured arrangement typical of pop music, starting with an introduction, followed by a verse, chorus, verse 2 (build), chorus and an outro. The introduction introduces the sonic identity of the piece by using the chord progression, synthesiser textures and the lead guitar, which is powered with reverb to make this more atmospheric. In the first verse, the first 8 bars are simple as the main element is a guitar rhythm that was ran through some FX to give it a cool stutter effect. Vocals then follow to add some melodic progression, making sure the listeners don’t get bored. The following 16 bars building to the chorus sees more elements being added as I introduce more synths to build up to the chorus. For the chorus, most of the elements in the track come together as this is the most powerful part of the song. I got the vocalist to show his vocal range by going the octave above the verses to add more power, this was layered with two lower octave vocal backing tracks. In the second chorus the sampled vocal chops are involved, and the normal lead vocal is not introduced until the 8th bar just to show the synthesiser driven elements of the track with the guitar work very well. The contrast between the second verse and chorus is clear as the chorus has more instrumentation, melodic content and overall feels more full, also much louder to add to the dynamic range as I wanted this last section to be the most powerful part of the song.
The vocals were recorded using a Shure SM7B due to its warmth and slightly dark tonal character, which in my opinion suits the track. The vocals were recorded in the vocal booth of Studio 422 to minimise background noise. I made sure multiple takes were recorded to ensure that I captured the best possible performance. To process these vocals, I used an EQ to add a high pass filter around 100Hz to remove low end rumble. I added a compressor with a slow attack, medium release and 3.2:1 ratio, achieving roughly 3dB reduction as most 80’s vocals are controlled but not squashed. I added a De-Esser at around 6500kHz to tame the harsh hiss sounds. They were ran through a plate reverb bus and an echo bus. I also added a chorus with a low mix and rate just to add width and a nice shimmer; this technique is used in 80’s style synth pop / synth wave. (SonalSystem LLC, 2024) I added some saturation, and since I still wasn’t happy, I added an automated De-Harsher in Fabfilter Pro-Q4.
For the sampling, I decided to sample the vocals hoping to achieve a nice and unique texture element adding variation and interest to the arrangement. To do this I took the first 8 bars of the first verse vocals and put them into the quick sampler. I then sliced this up to 4/3 beat divisions, then played around with chops in MIDI until I was satisfied with a pattern. I then added step FX to add a filter and modulation, which gave this movement.
Key mixing techniques included using a gated reverb on the snare drum, a key characteristic of 1980’s production, as used in tracks such as “Another Day in Paradise” by Phil Collins. This gives a punchy and spacious sound but keeps it authentic to the style of the time. Also, subtle sidechain was used to prioritise the vocal in the mix. Competing elements were slightly attenuated when vocal was present, keeping it clear and prominent. Similarly, a sidechain was used to ensure the kick maintained presence in the low frequencies, keeping the groove.
To finish my piece, I mastered the track to make sure it was balanced and commercially acceptable. The mix was first exported with roughly –6dB of headroom and no clipping. A linear phase equaliser was used to add a high pass filter at approximately 30Hz to remove unnecessary sub content and low-end rumble. Corrective EQ was used to reduce frequencies around 250Hz, removing muddiness in the mix. Slight boosts were applied in the 2-3k Hz range to improve clarity and presence, alongside an additional high frequency boost above 12k Hz to improve brightness and air. Dynamic processing was involved using the vintage VCA compressor to create a glue across the mix, helping bring all the elements together. A multiband compressor was also used to control high frequency harshness; however very little gain reduction was applied to keep the natural tonal balance of the track. To improve harmonic richness, I added an exciter for upper harmonic content, adding warmth and more presence to the mix. Stereo imaging was used to slightly widen higher frequency elements to increase spatial width. Finally, a limiter was used to control peak levels and increase the overall loudness of the track.
Reference List:
Reverb Machine (2025) How Tears for Fears created ‘Everybody wants to rule the world’. Available at: https://reverbmachine.com/blog/tears-for-fears-everybody-wants-to-rule-the-world-synths/ (Accessed: 5 May 2026).
SonalSystem LLC (2024) Sample pack – Horizons modern classic wave. Available at: https://sonalsystem.com/blogs/frequencies/revisiting-classic-hits-from-the-80s-production-techniques-and-instrumentation (Accessed: 5 May 2026).
Soundplate (2026) Typical BPM by genre: the complete song tempo chart. Available at: https://soundplate.com/typical-bpm-by-genre-chart/ (Accessed: 5 May 2026).
Sutcliffe, J. (2025) Why modern music is experiencing a 1980s revival. Soundsphere Magazine. Available at: https://www.soundspheremag.com/features/why-modern-music-is-experiencing-a-1980s-revival/ (Accessed: 5 May 2026).
Below is proof of vocal recording and sampling:
