“Whispering”
Task 1: Three Minute Song Production (70%)
Task 2: 1000 Word Write-Up (30%)
Introduction
“Whispering” is a track that combines the two sub-genres of drum and bass; minimal and liquid. It is produced at 174 BPM and through the lyrics and tonality explores themes of mental entrapment and paranoia.
Concept and Songwriting
The song was based around the experience of intrusive thoughts and the feeling of being trapped inside your own mind. The lyrics create a storyline; first through a sense of numbness (“nothing’s quite the same”, “a body just flesh and bones and limbs”). Then comes paranoia (“storm clouds are circling”), and finally comes acceptance (“maybe I should stick to praying instead… I should prepare for the worst to come ahead”).
I originally recorded the vocals with the vocalist at 145 BPM as I intended for a different genre direction. However, when I listened back to the vocals a cappella and revisited the brief, I knew that it would be perfectly suited for DnB. I stretched the vocal recordings to 174 BPM in FL Studio and also the order of the phrases was switched to fit these genre conventions. In “The Producer as Composer” written by Moorefield (2005), he notes that the studio itself functions as an instrument through all of the ways you can change the sound of recorded material. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XwO846oTdDEcj2U0_vJuXHxHmVOSEL_l/view?usp=sharing
Sampling and Sound Manipulation
I created a riser from the word “maybe” at the start of the chorus by duplicating this word and then slicing and keeping only the first half-second of it. I added a ‘ValhallaSupermassive’ reverb with a large decay time and exported the final product. Then by reversing this, I was able to create a natural riser into the drop which blends into the vocal line.
With the title of the track being “Whispering” I knew that I had to manipulate this word somehow. Firstly, I use onomatopoeic word painting by adding a free-time stereo delay to the end of the word to create a sense of whispers surrounding the stereo field. I also reversed it and then added a spring reverb again with a long reverb decay time and tail to portray a sense of confusion and transform the original source material into something unrecognisable from its origin. As Schloss (2004) argues, sampling is not simply reproduction but an act of transformation.
Originally, I had a lead bass sound in Serum, in which I resampled through the use of a plugin called ‘Gross Beat’. This allows for time manipulation and rhythmic stuttering in order to create new melodies.
I built the sub bass itself from scratch in Serum, making it unique by adding harmonics and noise alongside the fundamental sine wave in order to give it presence across many different playback systems. This is an important consideration in DnB, where low end is central to the genre’s identity.
Arrangement and Structure
The arrangement follows mainly liquid DnB conventions – intro, build, drop, breakdown, second drop, outro. The intro features a Serum single-note drone sound and also an arpeggiated reverb with heavy reverb, which begins to drown out the attack of the pluck to create suspense going into the drop. Piano chords are also heard in the intro and outro to keep a sense of tonality. Both the pluck and drone sounds were processed with the ‘Wider’ plugin to push them to the sides of the stereo image, leaving the centre clear for the drums for the drop.
I used automation extensively to differentiate sections and manage energy throughout the track. High-pass filters sweep out bass and low-mid frequencies during breakdowns to create contrast, and synth parts also have decay times and attack times automated to manage their density.
Mixing and Processing
Vocal processing was given the most attention, which reflects common practice in EDM and DnB where the vocals must cut through a dense mix with loud drums and basses. I applied a heavy compression chain to control dynamics and also maintain presence, followed by the Slate Digital Fresh Air plugin to create high-frequency clarity. Four parametric EQs were used in series – three of them performing surgical cuts on problem frequencies and also slight shelf boosts on certain frequency ranges, and one dedicated low-cut filter to remove unwanted low end. Two reverbs were used; a shorter, quieter reverb on the overall vocal to add depth, and an automated reverb which at certain points in the track produces a long feedback delay to naturally trail off at the end of vocal phrases.
Both the kick and snare were processed with a transient shaper to increase attack and a clipper was applied to raise perceived loudness without increasing true peak level. I also added a Fresh Air boost and a low-cut EQ to keep it crisp. Both are side-chained to the main bass and sub bass, with the kick receiving heavier side-chain depth due to their frequency overlap, ensuring the low end remains clean and punchy. Hi-hats and percussion all received high-pass EQs, with the faster hi-hat patterns kept lower in the mix and widened using Wider to sit in the periphery of the track.
On the master bus, a parametric EQ slightly cut muddy low-mid frequencies and applied a gentle high-frequency boost for overall shimmer. A TDR Molotov compressor running at a 2:1 ratio provided a subtle glue compression and output level control, followed by a KHS Limiter as a final ceiling on the master.
Commercial Potential
Liquid and minimal DnB occupy a growing space in the UK electronic music industry. Labels such as Hospital Records and Dance Macabre have demonstrated the sustained commercial viability of the genres. The genre’s melodic aspect gives it appeal beyond just the DnB audience, reaching listeners who engage with both electronic music and also singer-songwriter influenced production.
“Whispering” targets this market through its catchy vocal hook and emotionally relatable and resonant vocal theme. The subject of the song, intrusive thoughts and mental noise, aligns with a broader community, particularly among teenagers and 18-30 year olds, who represent the core streaming demographic for the genre (BPI, 2023). The production quality, which is at 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV, meets industry standard for distribution, and the track would be suitable for DnB blogs and playlist pitching through platforms like SubmitHub.
Conclusion
“Whispering” demonstrates an integrated approach to music production, combining songwriting with sound design and sampling. The lyrical themes are expressed through words but also through the production of the track, through the spatial reverbs and delays, and the eerie risers and reversed vocals. This track functions as not only a creative statement but also as a viable commercial song within the DnB scene.
Bibliography
BPI (2024) All About the Music 2024. London: BPI. Available at: https://www.bpi.co.uk/news-analysis/bpi-s-new-yearbook-highlights-breadth-vibrancy-of-british-recorded-music-including-an-independent-sector-growing-for-a-sixth-consecutive-year (Accessed: 2 May 2026).
Moorefield, V. (2005) The Producer as Composer: Shaping the Sounds of Popular Music. Cambridge: MIT Press. Available at: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262514057/the-producer-as-composer/ (Accessed: 12 March 2026).
Schloss, J.G. (2004) Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press. Available at: https://www.weslpress.org/9780819574817/making-beats/ (Accessed: 3 May 2026).
