For my initial assessment I have decided to show you, and explain my latest release ‘El Ray’. I found the sample for this track around 3 years ago, and recently dug it back up when messing around in the studio at college. I started making the track at the beginning of this year. I had three years of ideas of what to do with this track all built up. So the progression and layout of the track came stupidly easy. This is by far the biggest project I have ever worked on, with over 40 different instrument tracks coming in and out through the song. The track roughly took around 40 hours to craft (this is not 40 hours in a row but in total).
The track took a while to get to the standard of release. It was a struggle to get the sample to match the modern drum patterns and basslines I wanted to use. However, when I got them to finally work, I knew this track would get a great reaction.
The drum samples were taken from splice and arranged into a pattern that worked for me. This wasn’t exactly a challenge. The challenge came when mixing the drums. I like to work with dry drum samples when making tracks, this is so I can mold and shape them into the exact sound I am looking for. Of course, this is going to be a struggle as I do not have the software or the hard ware that a professional would usually use to shape these sounds. But, I think I managed and created some nice sounding drums.
The bassline was created by me entirely. I programmed the bass’ progression, making sure to add lots of swing to it. With the shear amount of percussion and drum elements to the track, the bass needed to swing so it did not clash with the 4 to the floor kick. Sidechain was not enough. I crafted the bass sound myself using serum and then mixing it externally. The bass took me a while, but it is a vital part to the track, so I was happy to spend that time on it.
The main sample itself was rather easy to work with. The only problem was how old and badly recorded it was. Heavy processing was required to bring it up to a standard that can be used in one of my tracks. Through automation and chops, the sample moves in such a way that it sounds like its recorded for the track specifically. This can be heard specifically in the drop. The sample feels full of life and energy, this is what makes the track so special.
With FX added, the song was ready for its mix and master. The track was released 2 months after it was finished. It took me a while to get the confidence to release this track as it was such a jump from my previous projects. However, the track ended up doing quite well on, gathering over 3K on all streaming platforms since its release. Not earth shattering, but better than I though it would do.
I wanted to use this for my initial assessment as I believe it is a good example of where I am now in my career as a producer. I am creating good work. But some are rough around the edges, and that needs to be worked on so I can move forward. I believe I am in a good position coming into this year, and hopefully the skills that I learn in Level 3 Extended can help me.