I found an abstract monochrome photo I’d taken, and thought it would be interesting to write a track in response to it.
Words which came to mind as I was looking at the image:
- Mysterious
- Linear
- Abstract
- Movement
- Blurring
- Monotone
- Repeated patterns
- Steps
- X-ray
Track Formats:
- Title – Hover Lines
- Time signature – 4/4
- Key picked at random – G# minor
- Scale – Pentatonic
- Three sections for the track – intro, main, outro
The order of my workflow:
I thought about sounds which would represent the mood of the image:
- Industrial, electronic, longer sounds with reverb
- Synth bassline
Intro:
- A minimalist drum beat with three sounds
- Second bassline – I sang the line then located the notes on the digital bass
- Sustained guitar synth
Main section:
- I kept the drums, synth bass and guitar, and changed the second bass melody
- I wanted to find a large sound which would disrupt the middle part somewhat, to represent the abstract mass in the lower left-hand side of the image
- The underlay for this is a digital analogue synth
- I went through various distorted and bass-heavy sounds, however none of these fit, and I ended up choosing a bending lead pad sound, which made the middle section more harmonious
Outro:
- I then tapered various parts towards the end in order to bring it to a close, adding a DJ effect to the last few bars
I was intrigued how the track syncopated itself throughout. I would also like to experiment with slowing down the pace. Creating this has inspired me to plan a video piece in response.