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What inspired me to make this track the way it is was the requirement of microphone-recorded audio. I took this as an opportunity to record my roommate playing guitar, which compliments the melody. The second section contains a bounce in place of the same audio with some effects being sequenced. The sound of the upright bass synth, the guitar, electronic drums, and effects make for a very upbeat and spacious listening experience. 

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The meter of the song was 4/4, and there is a tempo change at measure 17. The rhythm section includes variations in the pattern every 4 measures including the fills at the end of those phrases. The most dynamic change happens when the back beat-inspired rhythm turns into a four-on-the-floor-inspired rhythm. The bass synchronizes with the kick drum but contains offbeat notes to accentuate the down beats. 

 

This track’s key starts as A minor but turns into A major, the parallel major key. The chord progression of the first section is: Am Dm F Em Am Dm F Bdim Am Dm F Asus2 Am Dm F Bdim. The chord progression of the second section is: D F#m Dmaj7 A D F#m Dmaj7 A Bm F#m Dmaj7 A E F#m Dmaj7 Dsus2. The melody that plays in the first section is a rising motif that arches upward. I enjoy the layers in the harmony for the first section as well as the melody in the second. The melody is a bit-beat like synth, and its layer is an es-p synth patch I made from scratch.  

 

The recorded audio on the “Mic Recording” track, as previously stated, is my roommate playing his guitar. I recorded this on my Zoom microphone. I wanted to get close to the strings to get their texture and pluckiness. My original synthesized tracks are the white noise “Synth Riser” you hear before the downbeat every four measures and the “Melody Synth Layer” track as previously stated. The sound source for my sampler track was a small guitar pluck from what I recorded from my roommate. The drive was set high, and I had a forward looping section after the pluck with fades turned all the way up. It sounded like a pad, so I used it as the “Harmony Synth Layer.” 

 

I used some compression and EQ for dynamic processing. I have compressors on the kick, snare, hi-hat, melody, and mic recording. The snare compressor settings are original, and the others are tweaked presets. I placed an EQ with original settings on the melody synth layer. My time-based effects are a simple reverb and delay residing on bus 1 and 2. The snare, hi-hat, harmony, melody, synth riser, and mic recording are all sent to the reverb. While just the harmony and melody layer are sent to the delay. There is some panning on the snare and hi-hat, as well as the melody. The harmony has some stereo panning. The dynamic reverb and delay made it unnecessary to add panning to many elements. In general, the mix is bright, snappy, and conveys a positive energy. 

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