Task 1: Three Minute Song Production (70%)
Task 2: 1000 Word Write-Up (30%)
For this project, I wanted to create a song that combined elements of trap and modern metal. The basis for this song was actually a previous original track that I had made back in 2024, from which I took certain elements and used them to create a new track from the ground up. This previous track can be heard below.
Despite some aspects of this song being reused, the guitar parts were re-recorded and any synths were recreated from scratch. Both tracks used MIDI drums and bass which were essentially copied over, though they were re-processed from scratch in the 2026 version. The guitar riff stayed virtually the same between the 2024 track and this current one, and the 808 bassline for the chorus/intro followed it. This new track had a new bassline for the verse which was not made back in 2024. The breakdown at the end of the song is also present in both tracks, however only the 2026 version has the low pass filter sweep as well as the gun cocking sound effect before the drop. The synth bell that can be heard throughout the 2024 version was reused, but in a slightly different way. Originally, I had just opted for remaking the synth and keeping the same melody, but then I thought about how I could make it sound darker which gave me the idea to reverse the melody in MIDI, print the audio, and reverse it again, which resulted in the same melody, but as if it sounded like strings were being played in reverse. This gave the track have a much darker feel that is commonly seen throughout genres like trap and drill.
For the guitar track, I had used an amp sim tone that I had created years ago and have not really changed since. Though during my production process, I had stumbled on an Instagram post that demonstrated a producer adding heaviness to his tone by blending in the DI of the guitar track, which was an idea I never had. But upon trying it out, it did make my tone significantly better. I unfortunately forgot to save the post so I’m unable to credit the exact video.
In terms of my use of sampling, I had recorded a short sample of me hitting a metal pole that created a very interesting ringing sound, which I sampled using Ableton’s Simpler plugin to create a bell-like sound effect that plays arpeggiated chords throughout the song. This was a musical part that had not been taken from the 2024 song. Below are two videos, one showing how I obtained the sample, and the other showing how I manipulated it to create an instrument.
The other use of sampling found within this track is the gun cocking sound effect found just before the breakdown as well as the explosion heard afterwards, however these are simply just Splice samples and there isn’t much to say about them.
The lyrics of this song tackle the themes of intrusive thoughts and paranoia, and the song portrays these feelings as both another physical being that the narrator is fighting against, but also as a sort of prison that they are trapped in. The lyrics go back and forth between feelings of despair and helplessness, to feelings of resistance and strength, showing how often times people suffering with these emotions will go through periods where they are less susceptible to them, and that deep down they know the thoughts they are having bear no weight in the real world.
The vocals were written and recorded all by myself. The vocal chain was quite heavily processed, using heavy compression and equalisation, as is the norm within both modern metal and trap. My clean vocals were quite noticeably pitch corrected, this was for two main reasons: the first being that it just fit the song stylistically, and the second being that I honestly did not have enough time to get good enough vocal takes. To be completely honest, I started the vocal recording process way too late and it is a decision I wholeheartedly regret and will never do again (hopefully). The screamed vocals used roughly the same vocal chain as my clean vocals, with the addition of heavy saturation to make them sound much heavier. The scream after the drop in the breakdown used 3 sets of doubles, one that was the same pitch as the main, one higher, and one lower. This created an effect that made my vocals sound much more full and demonic. Below this paragraph is a video showing proof that I recorded these vocals, as well as another that shows proof of the overall DAW project, as to verify that the song was not made using AI. My mix references for this track consisted of bands and artists such as Sleep Token, Dayseeker, Chase Atlantic, Playboi Carti, YNG Martyr, Spiritbox, I Prevail, amongst others, as well as the DOOM Soundtrack composed by Mick Gordon.
In terms of this track’s commercial viability, this song has the ability to reach a fairly wide audience within the modern metal landscape, as in recent years a lot of metal bands have combined elements of trap, pop, and EDM, which has created a fairly large market for this style of genre blending. I am not sure if it would reach as big of a rap audience however, as historically it has been easier for metal fans to get into softer genres of music, than the other way around. However, the 2020s have seen an emergence of metal style aesthetics as well as attitude within hip-hop, and this song could be used as a gateway into metal for rap fans.
