My Creative Process
Tools / Techniques
Spitfire
I tried using Ableton's built-in instruments but was not content with the sound so I researched some plug-ins for different virtual instruments. In my search, I found the plug-in Spitfire Audio. Their software instruments, "made by musicians and sampling experts in London,"are all free and were immensely helpful. I used soft piano and a couple different synth pads the most in my song, but also various other Spitfire instruments. (https://labs.spitfireaudio.com/)
Ableton
I used the free trial of Ableton because the software is quite expensive, especially the Suite which has the most features, but am interested in buying it sometime in the future so that I can continue to use and expand on the knowledge I have learned about the DAW. I definitely have only scratched the surface in terms of the capabilities of Ableton. I mostly used youtube videos to figure out how it worked. One youtube channel that I found helpful was InspirAspir.
Audacity
Once I had finished my instrumentals, I exported them from Ableton to Audacity in order to record the vocals. I could have recorded them in Ableton but was somewhat familiar with Audacity and so I felt it would be easier for me to use. After recording, I went through the audio and did my best to eliminate the audible breaths and all background noise. I added a bit of reverb to my voice to make the audio sound more professional and an echo effect in the humming parts because I couldn't imagine them without an echo.
Blue Yeti Microphone
My brother let me borrow his microphone which was very helpful and I got a pop filter which worked well with it. I plugged my headphones directly into the mic which made it easy to sing along to the instrumentals, although I did have to put a slight lag in the instrumentals to compensate for latency which made it so I could hear my voice milliseconds after I sung, which was slightly distracting. I turned the gain all the way down on the mic to eliminate background noise which I think was pretty effective. The vocals don't sound very polished, though, and if I were to consider releasing this song I would want to re-record them.
Attention Management
I got really stuck at times throughout the process, whether that be with writing the words or piecing together the melody. It helped me to go on walks and sit and write outside, especially now in the springtime, as well as listening to some records (a few shown to the left: Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, Pang by Caroline Polachek, Free Yourself Up by Lake Street Dive, The Debussy Album, Historian by Lucy Dacus).
detailing the process
Lyrics
This song was initially a romantic song which is basically my default. I love writing romance and most of my stories include it. However when I was writing the lyrics I began thinking of the times that I have talked to my friends, particularly my best friend, about living together when we’re older in a house like the one I describe in my song. That idea is a comfort to me. This is still a love song, just a different kind than the ones I usually write.
Instrumentals
Creating the instrumentals involved a lot of layering. I had a basic understanding of what the melody would be from recording me singing it on my phone. I started with figuring out the basic chords needed and then just expanded on it by drawing whatever I felt the song was missing. It was a really neat process because it felt like putting puzzle pieces together. AÂ difficult part was figuring out how to bring ideas I had to fruition because Ableton is not always super intuitive. I ended up starting with just a synth and then adding on instruments to create what I hoped would be some sort of momentum in the song, since it turned out to be quite slow. The bridge turned out to be the most complex part instrumentally and also my favorite because of its mystical quality.
Recording
I found recording the vocals difficult. I know it's a very common thing for people to feel uncomfortable listening to themselves and I am definitely not a stranger to that feeling. I took 2 days to record the vocals but I didn't use any of them from the first day since I hadn't really sung in a long time so that turned out to be just a warm up. I think I ended up concentrating really hard on trying to make sure I was on pitch and sounded fine that the actual words I was singing weren't the focus of my attention, even though I'm telling a story so that's really the most important part. I think if I were to record this again, I would pay more mind to the story and less to the sound.
Making the cover
For my cover art, I chose to have a photoshoot around my neighborhood in a desire to capture an image with a warm and mystical quality. I dressed up in an outfit I felt most myself in because a part of what this song is about is thinking towards the future, and in the future I picture myself as feeling most like myself. For the shoot I scoped out a few places around a pond nearby that I thought would make nice photo locations. However, when I was on my way to the pond a neighbor’s affectionate cat named Murka walked up to us. My mom took a few pictures of us and then we went to the pond. When I was looking back at the pictures from our photoshoot, I realized the one that most suited my song was actually the one I took with Murka. The song mentions a cat and I’ve always pictured having a cat when I’m older. Once I had chosen a photograph, I used Canva to add on the title to the image. Then, to create a whimsical effect, I downloaded the app Prequel and experimented with filters until I found one I was quite happy with.
