The Remix Thread

This is a remix based on a few vocal takes originally recorded for and targeted at electronic dance music ("Circles", Copyright Iconical Vocals). I asked myself if it would be possible to use the singer's nice voice for a completely different style. The download of the kit was available for only 4 Pounds on loopmasters.com, so I did not hestitate a second.

Needless to say that my time was limited, so I had to finish working on it. This is the result after a day of remixing. The song has a really epic feel to it, hasn't it?

(https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/track…)

That's what I did:

1. The vocals were 128 BPM
2. Found nice drums "Liquid Grooves" from 1996, at 55 BPM, changed tempo to 64 = 1:2 with vocals
3. Pulled both into Logic (needed to to some time scaling on drums)
4. Built a linear song structure based on 16 bars in Logic

This is what the song looked in Logic:

Then I continued:

1. Synched with Synfire, mirrored the song structure as containers
2. Understood rhythm of the voice (1/8 off-beat with syncopes, fix audio regions)
3. Transcribed melody as static pitches & used Harmonizer to find cords (C# Minor)
4. Added "Reverie" piano from Debussy, cut/trim/slice/etc. Actually the piano and strings are what makes the epic feel.
5. Added a bass
6. Added a 12-string guitar in B part (simple off-beat strokes, ostinato)
7. Added a synth pad using "Auto-Chords" interpretation setting
8. Added 3 slow lines of strings in the chorus

This is how the song looked in Synfire:

Observations and Insights

1. A melody narrows the number of matching chords extremely down, if it is based mainly on broken chord tones ("arpeggio melody style"). This is the case here. Such melodies are easy to make and play, so it's no wonder that this is very common for electronic music. Melodies with small movements in pitch are more ambiguous and allow for a greater variety of chord progressions. Here I had no chance other than using C#m - E - A - B7 | G#7 here. The progression never changes throughout the song. I tried going to E Major in the chorus (parallel key = same scale tones), but the melody did not support that. It sounded forced.
2. The big epic feel in the chorus is created by very few instruments and lines only. Less is more, as always.
3. Human voice and natural solo instruments (or analog synths for that matter) make a track stand out against pure computer intrumentals. Even electronic music benefits much from an "analog" touch. If you have any chance of getting your hands on a trumpet, sax, guitar, flute, electronic wind instrument, go and try. I've got an EWI-USB wind controller for programming and now much love it, although I am a total newbie (played the flute decades ago).
4. Doing remixes with other people's vocals is real fun! Saves me a lot of time and hassle recording my own voice (once been a singer).
5. This example is a proof that techno can easily be turned into slow epic pop using Synfire ;-)

Erm, ok. No remixes from you yet. So let's continue with another one I am currently preparing for a tutorial video and other demo use.

This is a drum & bass-ish, slow mo, stoned and dizzling track featuring vocals from Veela (@hummersald: Hint! Hint!). In order to get this rough first result, I had to

1. Find some d&b tracks on the net to learn how that style works
2. Fire up a quick d&b beat (2 patterns) at 175 bpm
3. Skim through the remix kit for vocal lines that I liked
4. Throw them into a new Logic Pro project synched with Synfire. Vocals are 128 bpm, so I had to scale down by 31% to 87.5. One mandatory feature of d&b is its double/half tempo feel at around 160/80 bpm.
5. Transcribed the melody with static pitches by hand (don't bother with audio-to-midi tools, it's really simple once you understand the off-beat nature of vocal rhythm) and used that for the Harmonizer to find chords: 
6. Dm | Bb | Gm | F | A7. Yes, these are different from what is noted on the remix kit. Well, changing things like that is the purpose of a remix, right? 
7. Built a sub bass that makes for the slo mo feel. Used overdub recording and editing.
8. Played around with sounds until I got headache. Man, this is no fun. I wish someone invented a synth that could read my mind and prompt me with sounds I am looking for. Still no satisfied.

The chords walk by almost unnoticed. They mainly make the bass move around and keep a few bleeps and bells together. This is a great example how a chord progression works in the background! There is a good deal of melody and harmony in this track. Since there are no blocked out chords, they have a very subtle effect on the listener experience.

(https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/track…)

This is really a rough first sketch only. I had to finish for today and could not resist posting it here in the hope to get a few comments as to how it could be improved. I think it needs a phrase in the mid frequency range that puts a little emphasis on rhythm and chords. I will also have to remove or replace phrases with that guitar-like sound. It does not fit the genre.

I will update this when I get further.

That's what the current progress is at:

(https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/track…)

The track will be used for a new video showing the Harmonizer. I'm still not happy with the mix, although I like the overall feel and strange atmosphere. Music is extremely subjective. Let me know what you think. 

Thanks for the feedback, Prado.

Making it more punchy and aggressive at 176/88 bpm without sacrificing the atmosphere is a challenge. Dominant drums at that speed squeeze everything else to the background. Finding the right balance requires hours of tweaking. I wish I had the time. Maybe I find a ready to use loop out there and use that.

When starting this, I had something in mind along the lines of a 30+ audience chilling out in a shady bar at 4:00 AM. For the dancefloor, it would require 128-148 bpm anyway and completely different, less airy vocals.

You are right, this is sort of a crossover of d&b, 90's pop and reggae. Both not really hot anymore today. On a side note, however, hipness is carried by people, not music. Any blend of musical styles can become hot, if their protagonists seem cool in the eyes of the audience, so it gets enough attention. Otherwise there would be no progress in music history. Synfire is a great tool to create new blends of music for those emerging people (or just for your own enjoyment).

But for those that don't understand, they may not realize that and think the program will only make music/ remixes in the style of that shown in the video.

I don't think this is really an issue. Those who can not make the distinction are not going to really compose music anyway. We are not inclined to compete with loop-based construction kits or grooveboxes.