There’s nothing like being in a good mood, turning on a feel-good song, and bopping your head to it. That is the feeling I aimed for while producing this piece. Throughout the day I would find myself whistling the melody without realizing it, which also seemed to boost my mood. This piece could be used in the beginning of a movie before the conflict arises for example. The uplifting chords mixed with the catchy melody would work great to set a gleeful mood for a film.

            Different types of meters can be used to make a track more unique, but I chose to keep it simple with 4/4 and 70 bpm to keep the listener more grounded and to not overuse tension in such an uplifting song. The drum pattern keeps it simple through the verse as well as the chorus, so to add grove to the beat, I chose to accent the bass on the ‘a’ of the 1 and 3 using their respective octave notes. For the drum kits, I blended acoustic sounds with electronic hip hop ones. This gives some variety to the piece and allowed me to alternate or mix between them.

 

            Being in the key of G major allows this track to let the listener relax and think positive thoughts, especially in comparison to a minor key. The chords for the verse were Bmin7 / A,   Amin7 / G,   Bmin7,   Amin7. This then alternates between the chords Bmin7 / A,   Amin7 / G,   Bmin7,   C7. Then, throughout the chorus, the chords are Emin7,   D7,   C7,   Bmin7,   Amin7,   G7,   Bmin7. The harmony sound is a guitar virtual instrument which gives the listener a familiar sound to hold on to. I chose a flute virtual instrument for the melody and kept it simple. The arched nature of the melody provides a feeling of leaving home and coming back quickly. All of these aspects allow for people, including me, to find themselves whistling or humming the tune later on.

 

         You may notice a playful sounding, “Hey” chant throughout the piece. I strategically placed it every four measures starting halfway through the song, which adds variety from the verse to the chorus. This chant also allows for an additional part of the song that people can sing or say. I personally like creating my own synth bass for every song I create. For this piece, I chose the ES2 synth on track 108 to make a crunchy sound that is also bass heavy. Because of the mid frequencies that I implemented, when people listen through a phone or laptop, they can still hear the bass. The second synthesized sound I created for this song was the pad that plays at the end of almost every four bars. The swell of the pad creates a feeling of anticipation for what will happen next, and the fact that this happens directly before the beginning of the chord progression gives a sense of satisfaction every four bars. I synthesized the sound in the ES2 plugin on track 111 as well. On track 106, 107, and 112, I used the EXS24 plugin to sample percussion and a buzzy melody sound. The buzz is only implemented in the fullest section of the song, which starts at measure 25. The reason this section sounds so full is due in part because of this sound, which adds some texture and variety.

 

         In the process of creating this piece, certain tracks sounded slightly dry without effects on them at first. I chose to add the chorus plugin found in Logic Pro X to Aux 110 and 127 which I bussed track 111 pad, track 112 sampled synth, and track 113’s vocal to. This effect fills up their sound and extenuates the best traits of their sound through slight panning. On the Aux 127 track, I also added an echo delay plugin which was already bussed to track 112 sampled synth and track 113’s vocal. This effect allowed their bussed tracks to take up more time and space in the song by adding a repeat of the sound every eighth note. Also, since the word “Hey” comes in and out so fast, this echo lets the listener to process its place in the song better. On track 109, the guitar has a channel EQ inserted which cuts out the low-end frequencies starting around 60 Hz. The EQ makes the guitar sound crisper and less muddy which also leaves room for the kick and bass to shine. I also inserted a channel EQ on the kick on Track 1. I implemented an 8.5 dB dip at 124 Hz because that frequency seemed to take longer to decay than preferred for a kick drum. I noticed when I added the bass, the long decay of the kick frequency was clashing with the bass, which prompted me to lower it.

 

         Overall, this piece should uplift the listener and provide a catchy melody to sing along to early on. You might notice the sounds I synthesized add small details to the feeling of the overall song through tension and consideration of lower quality speakers. Listening through headphones may allow you to hear the space some tracks take up through effects like chorus and delay.