Loud Sounds 109
Manatee Commune – Mosaic
Curiously titled Manatee Commune is an electronica-leaning, classically trained multi-instrumentalist with a substantial following on Spotify. The new track pairs ambient textures with gated vocal pads to create a relaxing and somewhat moody atmosphere.
Curiously titled Manatee Commune is an electronica-leaning, classically trained multi-instrumentalist with a substantial following on Spotify. The new track pairs ambient textures with gated vocal pads to create a relaxing and somewhat moody atmosphere.
Listen to more music from the artist.
XXYYXX – About U (Remix by To the Tide)
This masterfully constructed downtempo tune manages to play with sonic space, leaving plenty of room for all the instruments to breathe, while being rich with little details and textural touches creating a world of its own. Each listener will surely have their own sonic metaphors, but for me the synths felt like shades of violet and dusty blue and the lush pads reminded me of ocean waves.
This masterfully constructed downtempo tune manages to play with sonic space, leaving plenty of room for all the instruments to breathe, while being rich with little details and textural touches creating a world of its own. Each listener will surely have their own sonic metaphors, but for me the synths felt like shades of violet and dusty blue and the lush pads reminded me of ocean waves.
Aidan (Silk Static & To the Tide)
I first heard the original song back when I was in high school, and at the time I was in a rock band and wasn’t into the idea of “computer music”. I had just started learning to use a DAW in order to record our demos, and then, funny enough, I got mononucleosis and it changed my life.
I had to isolate for a month, and in order to scratch the creative itch, I stared making songs entirely within the software. It didn't take long before I fell in love with the limitlessness of electronic music. This song in particular had a profound impact on my view of the genre, because it showed me that not all Electronic Music is "Dance Music".
When making the remix, I first started by isolating the stems of the original, but I can be a bit of a perfectionist and I couldn’t get all of the vocals to sound as clean as I wanted. I knew the original song sampled Beyonce pitched down, as well a reversed vocal sample from another track, so in some parts of the song I mimicked his work to get the cleanest possible result. I then had some fun with the panning of the reversed vocal, which bounces it from ear to ear at the start of each bar.
I wanted to write my own chords as another personal touch. I like to write all my chords and melodies on a piano first, because if it sounds good on a piano, then it will sound really good once I dive into sound design. As far as synth work, I like to layer, layer, and then layer some more, after which I bus the synths and process them together in order to help glue them. When doing this, the most important thing is to use EQ to make sure each element has its own space. Some blending can be cool, but more often than not it just causes mud.
In the final drop, there’s an arpeggio doing a 1/6th rhythm, but with a 1/8th swing, which knocks it back on time, but with a looser feel. As far as sound design, the pluck is made up of a sine wave, a Mbira, and a Handpan. The contrast between organic and electronic elements is a core part of my taste, and a huge reason why this song sounds so lush.
I also do a lot of effects on the master bus, which helps the song feel more fluid, and less like a bunch of loops. You can hear this in the first build, but even more so leading into the second build (1:28 onwards). Another trick I use on the master is a broken radio effect, which you can hear at 2:34. I do this effect on nearly every song I’ve ever made because it’s such an effective way of removing the energy for a moment before slamming it back in. You can also hear this radio effect on the vocals at 1:17
I had to isolate for a month, and in order to scratch the creative itch, I stared making songs entirely within the software. It didn't take long before I fell in love with the limitlessness of electronic music. This song in particular had a profound impact on my view of the genre, because it showed me that not all Electronic Music is "Dance Music".
When making the remix, I first started by isolating the stems of the original, but I can be a bit of a perfectionist and I couldn’t get all of the vocals to sound as clean as I wanted. I knew the original song sampled Beyonce pitched down, as well a reversed vocal sample from another track, so in some parts of the song I mimicked his work to get the cleanest possible result. I then had some fun with the panning of the reversed vocal, which bounces it from ear to ear at the start of each bar.
I wanted to write my own chords as another personal touch. I like to write all my chords and melodies on a piano first, because if it sounds good on a piano, then it will sound really good once I dive into sound design. As far as synth work, I like to layer, layer, and then layer some more, after which I bus the synths and process them together in order to help glue them. When doing this, the most important thing is to use EQ to make sure each element has its own space. Some blending can be cool, but more often than not it just causes mud.
In the final drop, there’s an arpeggio doing a 1/6th rhythm, but with a 1/8th swing, which knocks it back on time, but with a looser feel. As far as sound design, the pluck is made up of a sine wave, a Mbira, and a Handpan. The contrast between organic and electronic elements is a core part of my taste, and a huge reason why this song sounds so lush.
I also do a lot of effects on the master bus, which helps the song feel more fluid, and less like a bunch of loops. You can hear this in the first build, but even more so leading into the second build (1:28 onwards). Another trick I use on the master is a broken radio effect, which you can hear at 2:34. I do this effect on nearly every song I’ve ever made because it’s such an effective way of removing the energy for a moment before slamming it back in. You can also hear this radio effect on the vocals at 1:17
Check out more music from the remixer's different projects as well as from the original artist.