Project Overview

This project is a sample-based hip-hop piece created in memory of someone I had deeply loved. It was produced in FL Studio. The samples used include “我们俩” by Guo Ding, “Familiar Arms” by Masaru Yokoyama, and “Choro Das Águas” by Ivan Lins. The overall musical style is influenced by Nujabes, while the vocal sample processing is inspired by American old-school hip-hop music.

The overall structure of the music is shown through different thematic layers, including an intro and an outro. It contains two choruses, two verses, one bridge, and three instrumental sections. The vocal samples and piano melodies appear alternately, creating contrast in the musical development.

Vocal Sampling/Vocal Chopping

For the vocal processing, I layered two tracks: a main vocal track and a reverb vocal track. For the main vocal, after applying EQ, compression, and de-essing, I added a glitching effect. This glitching effect appears in the verse section.

At the same time, in each separate section, I sliced the vocal parts, which was also inspired by some vocal chopping techniques from old-school hip-hop music. At the end of some phrases, I also added a delay effect to make the sound feel more layered. At the beginning, I also used many automation envelopes to achieve the effect I wanted.

Piano and Layered Samples

For the piano and fill phrase samples, I adjusted both of them to the same key as the vocals to make sure the tonality was consistent. In the intro, I reversed the piano.

For the piano sample, I used a tape slow-down effect and set the dry/wet mix to 50%, making the sound feel more layered and complex. The piano sample is a very listenable loop, so it also becomes an important musical language in the track. Many hip-hop instrumentals have the same feature.

The second background music sample mainly fills the low-mid frequency range. I reduced some of its high frequencies and stretched it, making the rhythm feel tighter. This sample was also used in Nujabes’ Luv(sic) Pt. 2. I also used the PanCake2 plugin to make this sample move from left to right in the stereo field.

At 2:26, both samples are raised by one octave. I wanted to use this to create contrast between sections and an emotional lift.

In the second part of both chorus sections, I also layered the piano an octave higher, which creates contrast within the piano part as well.

Drums

For the drum section, I used a standard hip-hop drum setup and groove. To reduce the peak level of the drums and create more space in the mix, while also adding some colour, I used a clipper on the kick and snare.

For the hi-hat part, I combined two different sounds and added delay, creating a swinging and fuller feeling. At the beginning, I applied a high-cut filter to the drums and added a very wet reverb, then used a fade-in. This creates a feeling of the music slowly unfolding like a story. At the beginning, I also used many automation envelopes to achieve the effect I wanted.

Other Samples

I also used a reverse crash sound effect to create a transition and a sense of forward movement, while also making each section feel more independent.

Because I like the natural sound of the ocean, I added wave sounds when the higher-octave piano appears, and they also return at the end. I added reverb to the wave sound with a lower dry signal, making it sound more airy and spacious. This kind of natural sample is also often used in lo-fi hip-hop.

The wave sound helps create contrast between sections. Since the main loop stays the same, I chose to change other sound elements to make the music feel more developed.

Mixing&Mastering

For the mixing, I added The God Particle on the master track. Then, I used compression and EQ to balance the different sounds in the mix. For the mastering, I used FabFilter’s multiband compression. The light compression makes the overall track sound more elastic and dynamic.

I used HoRNet Tape to add colour to the music and create some harmonic distortion, making the track sound fuller and warmer. Standard Clipper was used to remove unnecessary audio peaks and leave more headroom for the limiter later.

Ozone 9 Imager was used to adjust the stereo image of the track. I kept the sound below 100 Hz mainly in the centre, while slightly widening the other frequency ranges.

Master Plan was used to polish the track. I slightly adjusted the low and high frequencies, and made the overall sound have more of an analogue circuit texture, while reducing harsh sounds in the high end.

Finally, I used a limiter to raise the loudness to an average level of -9 dB.