3 Surprisingly Simple Secrets To Good Sound Selection

Selecting the right sounds for
your music is crucial for 4 reasons:

1. The overall sound of a beat
   fundamentally influences its
   energy.
2. Genres and Subgenres are
   fundamentally defined by their
   sound.
3. Sound triggers emotions.
4. Selecting the right sounds
   makes mixing a lot easier.

The first 3 reasons affect the people
who listen to your music.

Which emotional impact it has on them,
if they can identify with it and if they
will remember it.

The 4th reason can make a big
difference to your workflow and
productivity…

…Which in turn affects how much
you enjoy producing and how fast
you produce.

But how do you select the right sounds?

Even though this depends on the
genre and the vibe you want to create…

…there are 3 rules that apply to
all genres.

1. Spread your sounds over the whole frequency spectrum

Each sound should have its own
position in the frequency spectrum.

In an orchestra, there are upright
basses at the low end and violins
at the high end of the sound spectrum.

And there are plenty of instruments
with different timbres in between.

Do the same when you select sounds
for your own music. Choose different
octaves and timbres to make use of
the whole frequency spectrum from
20Hz to 20kHz.

This creates space for each sound
and also creates a bigger overall sound.

2. Give each sound a defined role

In a football team, each player has a
defined role and position. And only
when the players stick to their roles
the team can be successful.

It’s the same in music. There are
several rhythm components, pads,
and leads.

Regardless how complex or minimalistic
a song is…

…the sounds and instruments should
have defined roles, so they don’t stand
in each other’s way.

If you used the same sound for a pad
and a lead and both would play in the
same octave…

…chances are the lead sound will be
hard to hear.

But as soon as you choose different
octaves and different timbres for the
pad and the lead, they will be easy
to distinguish.

3. Don’t be afraid of using odd sounds

A well-balanced overall sound can appear
very professional.

But it can also be…

…very…

…boring.

Odd sounds are the spice in music.

They help beats stand out, grab the
listener’s attention and make people
remember your music.

They are like the superstar in a football
team who makes all the difference and
can make or break a match.

In a song, the superstar can be a lead,
a pad, a weird sample or an unusual
drum sound.

And, like in football…

…it can take your music from mediocrity
to champion status.

–

Did this post inspire you? Did you
miss something?

Please leave your questions and
suggestions in the comments.

Plaease also click the social share
buttons on the left to share this post
on your favorite social platform.

Have fun putting good and
odd sounds into action.

Enjoy and stay creative:-)

Marc

P.S. For more spice and superstars in
your beats click here.

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