The Initial Spark (Patreon)

The Initial Spark

For producers, one of the hardest parts about producing is gaining access to the initial spark of inspiration - or sound - to follow the muse and see how far the music goes. In my own work, this is something I search for time and time again. After all, it’s a single sound that could lead us on a totally different path. It’s a single sound that could inspire a whole track or a whole album’s worth of material, just from a single sound source. But how, or where, do we search for this type of thing and better yet, how do we utilize this resource once we have found a reliable source?

It’s important to remember that these sounds can come from literally anywhere. Everyday, we are surrounded by sounds in nature and in the real world which our senses have become accustomed to hearing. It’s only through proper capturing of those sounds that we’re able to process them into something that might be usable. The sound of a car whizzing by, the sound of a busy city street, the sound of the wind blowing through the trees, the sound of the birds at the first morning light. These are all sounds we’ve become so used to, but do we actually stop and appreciate how these sounds could actually inspire us?

Starting from “found sounds” or “samples” is a great way (but not the only way!) to begin the journey. After that, it’s through processing those sounds in unique ways, that’s where it gets interesting. For example, you could reverse the sound, time stretch it out, and cut and sample a portion of the sound and start from there. After that, pitch shifting, granular processors (emergence, Pigments, Novum) are all great choices. At this point, you’re starting to transform the sound into something else entirely and your original sound is becoming unrecognizable from where you first started. It’s through this process that we’re starting to “break through” the same way an artist sketches many times, before they actually approach the canvas.

Outside of using samples and recordings, you could use your synths to try and drum up unique sounds that you could loop or use in context within your tracks. Of all my synthesizers, I’ve found Vital to be extremely capable of this kind of thing due to the fact it’s got everything you need right there to make actual noise. Literally! 4 randomizers, 8 envelopes and 8 LFOS, spectral distortion modes, and you can even import your own samples and it will create wavetables from those samples, as will Serum (which is another great choice!) to make magic happen. Like I said, it’s through this process that new ideas or born and it could be what’s needed to push you beyond getting stuck at the initial stage and moving into a place where the pathway forward is quite clear.

One more thing you might haven't considered yet, but modular synthesis is one of the best ways to generate "unusual" types of sounds, simple because it provides you with so many modulation routings that you can easily manipulate the traditional envelope and filter path and really start mangling your audio signal. If you don't have enough to splurge on a new modular rack full of actual hardware, VCV Rack 2 or even Cardinal (or Voltage Modular!) are fantastic ways to get into modular without having to spend a lot - and best of all, they are UNLIMITED in their ability to add more modules! It's so amazing. So if you haven't tried it yet - perhaps this is your time to dive in deep. 

I'll have more content on this topic in future videos and livestreams. Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-S1gns