CPC Behind the Scenes: Making music for webtoons (part 2) (Patreon)

For this month's behind-the-scenes post, I wanted to talk a little more about how I compose music! I thought the most useful post for people who also make music would be to share 5 tips that help me compose music as quickly and effectively as possible for each episode.

As I stated previously, I make music using Logic Pro X and a MIDI keyboard. Here we go! (and I'm sorry, this is all probably just really boring):

TIP #1: Try completing all the art and story for the episode first

I make music much better when I can stare at the finished episode and kinda stare at it and soak it in. The colors, shading, and the dialogue all help communicate the mood and what sounds would work best.

This also helps me think about how many tracks I need to make for the episode. I try as hard as I can to limit it to just one, but occasionally it will be two. This is of course mainly because I don’t have much spare time to spend on music. But also, the Webtoon uploading system has limitations to how much music is allowed and how it’s played. A different Webtoon editor every week also has to read my weird instructions on when each track comes in / out. And I’m pretty positive I’ve annoyed them when it’s gotten a little too convoluted! 😬

TIP #2: Try starting with the chord progression

This is definitely not the only way or the best way to do it! It’s just what I consistently do. I feel like chords convey emotion most efficiently to me, so if I can fiddle around and find some piano chords that capture the general mood of the episode, everything else will fall into place the most quickly. Once you have it down, it’s a good stable foundation and vantage point for you to explore different melodies over it and bass lines / beats under it.

Chord progressions can be very simple and still result in really complex finished songs. So there’s no need (or time!) to go nuts coming up with something super unique. Find the first thing with potential and move onward!

What I truly recommend the most for coming up with chord progressions is to learn music theory and ear training, though it is very dull and takes a long time... But these skills are the #1 asset I rely on to make music quickly every week -- there's no way I could do it without it. It's definitely a language, and the more you learn, the faster you can figure out how to say what you want to say musically, figure out how other songs do what they do, and fulfill or defy listeners' expectations, etc. etc.

But for those short on time, there are online chord progression generators!  :D  I’ve never used one, but maybe I will some day, they seem really fun!!! 

If you do have the time and want to learn music theory, there are free courses on sites like Coursera and musictheory.net. toThere are also lots of ear training mobile apps! 

TIP #3: You don’t have to come up with a completely new song every time. 

I guess first and foremost, you don’t have to make music for every episode! Hahaha. I think many people would actually prefer if I didn’t ^^;;;

Anyhow, variations are a GREAT alternative to creating a brand new composition every time. Variations might seem like a cop-out, but it actually makes your soundtrack and story more cohesive and unified -- as long as you do it with purpose! For instance, I have some themes that are for Frederick, and I’ll bring variations of those songs back on later Frederick-centric episodes.

Ways to freshen up an old melody include:

• Making a piano-only or music-box only arrangement
  See “The Plaid Princes” → The Plaid Princes (piano ballad version)
  
• Change the beat! For instance, if your original song has a straight beat, make it a swing beat (or vice versa)
  See “Welcome to Our Little Forest” → “Pillow Fight”
  
• Make a bossa nova or jazz version! That’s a favorite method of mine :)
  See “A Lavender Morning” → “Another Beautiful Day"
  
• You can even just swap some MIDI instruments on an old track and call it a day haha

TIP #4: The track is done as soon as it adequately conveys the mood you’re going for. 

This is a good rule for when you don’t know whether a track is done or not. Some moods just need a piano and it sounds really effective (and if you added more, it would muddy things up). 

Also, the key to making any part of a webtoon is to just ask yourself constantly: "Is this effective enough?" And if the answer is yes, you need to hurry up and move on!

For other moods that need a full arrangement, I usually stop after I make sure I have at least one sound that's doing something in each general frequency, like so:

It definitely doesn't always follow this pattern, and this isn't the correct way or anything -- just what I tend to do!

TIP #5: When you're stuck, try some weirder sounds / FX

Sometimes I feel like a track needs something else, but every note or melody I try sounds silly or it’s not right. 

At times like this, I always turn to FX plug-ins (such as an arpeggiator or an echo) or try some weird experimental synth sounds that have their own motion to them, and it usually fills the track with that extra ambience I was looking for. 

For reference, listen to the bridge in “Pillow Fight” and the second half of the verse section in “Cursed Princess Club Prom”. 

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The biggest tip though is to just keep making music! The more music you finish, the better and faster you’ll get at every part of the process :)  

Once again, I dunno if this was helpful to anyone at all or just a giant blinding wall of text. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask below. 

Next month, I’ll cover the last part of my music-making process: mixing and mastering.