It’s time for my final playlist of 2019!
Each time I create a new playlist, I feel it’s important for me to analyse each track in detail and give you the information that I think will help you get to the next level on your audio journey.
Even if you don’t use Spotify, you can use these tracks as references, borrow techniques from them and implement them into your own style.
This week is all about creating a sense of space in your mixes. People always think of reverb when it comes to creating a sense of space in a mix but a lot of producers and mixers are afraid of using reverb because they don’t want to “wash out” the mix or “overdo” it.
I completely understand. But creating a sense of space in a mix is not all about using reverb. You can also create space with panning and fader balance but reverb and delay will give you that “front to back” depth you’re looking for.
If you want to avoid your mix feeling “washed out” and muddy because you’ve used too much reverb or tried to be too clever with your effects, then you need anchor points. Your anchor point could be a lead vocal, a guitar melody or a clap. Like a painter builds his vision and sense of depth in his work with motifs in the foreground, middle ground and background of a painting, you can do the same with your mixing and production work.
This weeks’s list features some rich examples of production and how to create a sense of space in your work. The breakdown of each track is down below.
So, now is the time to check it out…
If you still want to listen to last week’s tracks, you can see what was included here.
If you like what you hear, then please hit that ‘Follow’ button on the playlist on Spotify and follow along!
Remember – I have previously featured the work of Understanding Audio subscribers in the list and I’ll also happily include your music, so please send links my way!
Now, without further ado, here’s the breakdown of Stephen’s Selects #14: December 30th – January 5th…
- Thom Yorke – ‘Suspirium’
‘Suspirium’ comes from the soundtrack to the 2018 horror movie Suspiria. The full soundtrack was written by Thom Yorke and it features a combination of songs and instrumentals. This track is nominated for the Best Song Written for Visual Media at the upcoming Grammy Awards and I’m sure you can hear why. Without having seen the movie or listening to this piece along with any visual media, it’s phenomenal. The piano and vocals are playing through a haunting waltz. They’re mixed beautifully with some very tasteful reverb added to help position them in the mix and add a haunting sense of space. I love how the sibiliant sounds in Thom Yorke’s vocals are emphasised with EQ and reverb but it isn’t overdone. There is no excessive sibilance. Despite the haunting tone, both the vocals and the piano are bright with lots of high end present. The production is sparse and the only other instrument in the mix is a flute that comes in later in the piece to support the vocals and weave between the vocal melody and piano line. - Anderson .Paak- ‘Jet Black (feat. Brandy)’
The piano intro in ‘Jet Black’ resonates with me because of the similar treatment to the piano in ‘Suspirium’. The reverb keeps it positioned very nicely in the mix. When the bass, claps and vocals enter, they feel a lot more up front for that reason. It’s an anchor point. The verse synth is level matched to the intro piano to keep the piece anchored throughout. Starting with the bass… it’s mixed in a way that reminds me of the bass in ‘Used to Love U’ by John Legend but there’s more mid range in ‘Jet Black’. It’s slightly more aggressive. The claps are panned wide and there’s a lovely combination of delay and reverb that really makes them stand out. There’s either a very long pre-delay or extra delay added to the claps before the reverb which makes the backing track sound super wide and pushes the vocals even further forward in the mix. If you want to hear what the effect sounds like exposed so that you can try to replicate it, check out 2:30. When Brandy’s vocals enter, they’re layered and quite heavily treated with what sounds like a phaser. That gives them an ethereal feel and pushes them a little further back in the mix so Anderson’s vocals again are the main emphasis on this one. They blend very nicely with the reverb and claps to punctuate the whole piece. - Mac Miller – ‘Ladders’
The tension-filled start to ‘Ladders’ captures my attention straight away. There’s a synth “hum” that sounds like some sort of electrical generator that creates a sense of uneasiness. Miller’s vocals are heavily layered and treated when they enter to create a sense of the vocals “surrounding” you. That’s the anchor in ‘Ladders’. The lower vocals are panned wider for a sense of support and the higher vocals are closer to centre. When the rapped vocals come in, they’re much more up front and dry in comparison to the sung vocals at the start. Again, the claps are panned wide with some reverb and pre-delay. The low end is also balanced beautifully. The highlight of this track for me is the instrumental section at 2.18 featuring the trumpets. There’s a lot going on at this part and it’s a really well worked instrumental. It’s so good, that it returns again at 3.50. With the vibe of ‘Ladders’, would it surprise you to know that David Pimentel, one of the song’s writers, also co-wrote ‘Jet Black’? - Masego, FKJ – ‘Tadow’
Oh this guitar riff… it promises so much. And ‘Tadow’ delivers. The vocal reverb creates a sense of live performance. It feels like the vocalist is in a music club of some sort but then the programmed drums are dry and up front. Once the sax comes in, it takes you away from that idea by being so up front in the mix. There’s only a very slight amount of reverb on it with some pre-delay. It’s also then doubled and harmonised. Once the sax dips out, the vocals return but they’re not as distant. The only time the previously used reverb is heard again is on the hooky word, “Tadow”. The mixing and production plays on a sense of space all the time. Sometimes the guitar is heard playing the riff fluidly and at other sections of the song, the chords are short, snappy and heavily treated with delay. By 3.55, the music club vibe is back and the instrumental vibe is very much of a band playing together to entertain a crowd. This is all very clever! - Sampha – ‘Treasure’
This song is taken from the soundtrack to ‘Beautiful Boy’. Straight away, you can hear the combination of acoustic piano and treated stutter edits. The track is built around that as an anchor. ‘Treasure’ is a lovely combination of “real”, acoustic elements and electronics. The vocals are again positioned in such a way as to create a warm sense of space. The “out of sync, audio phasing” line uses a combination of panning and edits to create a “real” sense of the effect happening in real time. The vocal melodies are interesting, unpredictable and similar to James Blake in places. If you’re looking for some new production ideas, then there’s ‘Treasure’ to be found here. Oh yes, I went there! - Rejjie Snow – ‘Egyptian Lover (feat. Aminé and Dana Williams)’
Dublin’s very own, Rejjie Snow! The production on ‘Egyptian Lover’ is tight. It’s not as wet as some of the other tracks in this week’s list and you can hear that in Dana Williams’ vocals around the 0.42 mark with the line, “Leave it in the past”. The vocals are much more dry. The rapped vocals are then also very dry and up front. The production here relies much more on positioning of layers with levels and panning than reverb to create a sense of space in the mix. - Bon Iver – ‘715 – CRΣΣKS’
I mentioned that Bon Iver was influenced by Imogen Heap’s ‘Hide and Seek’ in Stephen’s Selects #11. So here it is! This is probably the strangest male choir you’ll ever hear. To create the effect in this track, Justin Vernon sings and plays a keyboard that creates harmonies instantaneously. He’s harmonizing in real time with other vocal and choral sounds. This one is hard to replicate but it shows the ingenuity involved in modern music. This isn’t a simple replication of ‘Hide and Seek’ but a new direction. - Kiasmos – ‘Looped’
The combination the piano chords with the vinyl crackle at the very start of this track are instant hooks. The beat is excellent and keeps the listener interested as soon as it enters with it’s driving four on the floor style but what really gets me is the reverb on the wood block. Yes, I know, that’s not really something normal people should be excited about but it’s what gives ‘Looped’ its sense of space. Everything else can find its place in the mix once there is something creating that sense of space. When the synth strings come in there’s a reference point behind the piano with the constant sound of the wood block and that helps to further enhance the piano sound. When the block drops out, it gives the piano more room to express itself. Then when it returns, it’s accompanied by a clap that takes up the same rhythmic space but is much more up front in the mix. When other synth layers and piano melodies enter, they’re layered on top of the existing building blocks and anchors to find their own space in the mix. Creating these roadmaps in a mix, allows you to build and deconstruct as you please. - FKJ – ‘Better Give U Up’
I love the intro to this. If you want to recreate it, put a low pass filter on your stereo bus at about 100Hz and then automate it so that it slowly opens up over the next few bars until you can hear the full frequency range. The treatment of the guitar here is pretty special with the creative use of frequency modulation. It’s a very spacey effect. The vocals once again have a very nice sense of space and creative use of reverb. They’re nicely blended in the mix while still being the overall focal point. - Stormzy, Burna Boy, Ed Sheeran – ‘Own It’
We’re into sound design and creative effects straight away at the very start of ‘Own It’ with crowd effects, sirens, vocal stutters and effects. The beat enters with a bang and the vocals are heavily processed with compression, distortion, reverb and delay. When Stormzy’s rapped vocals enter, they are much more dry in contrast. Any time the sung vocals come in, they are further back in the mix and wider. It’s the same when Ed Sheeran’s vocals enter. The vocals are layered with the longer, sung vocals pushed further back in the mix. The shorter, more fluid lead vocals are treated in a similar fashion to Stormzy’s. They’re kept front and centre. Once the chorus hits, the two contrasting styles of vocal treatment blend but maintain their sense of space in the mix.
Try to implement some of the techniques you hear in this week’s list and I guarantee you that your mixes will start to feel more spacious and deep.
So, that’s week fourteen of Stephen’s Selects.Click here to listen to the full playlist on Spotify!
(Please note that the link will send you to the playlist of the current week and might not feature the tracks listed above!
Remember that if you like what you hear, then please hit that ‘Follow’ button on Spotify and follow the playlist!
If you’d like to have your song featured or have any recommendations, drop me a comment below or email. Let’s talk more about the music we’re listening to and share our ideas!
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