Creating Music with Unconventional Sounds: Essential Techniques

In the dynamic world of music production, standing out often requires pushing boundaries and exploring new creative possibilities. One approach that offers producers an opportunity to captivate their audience is crafting beats using unconventional sounds. These sounds—ranging from field recordings to experimental synthesis—can elevate your productions, adding layers of uniqueness and innovation. This article delves into techniques and principles behind using unconventional sounds to create groundbreaking beats and offers practical insights into how to implement these sounds in your own tracks.

Exploring Unconventional Sounds

Traditional music production typically involves familiar instruments and sound sources. While effective, venturing into the world of unconventional sounds can lead to truly unique sonic experiences. These sounds can come from various sources, including environmental field recordings, found objects, and innovative synthesis techniques.

Field Recordings: The Symphony of Life

Field recordings capture the sounds of the real world, adding authenticity and intrigue to your beats. From urban noises to nature’s soundscape, field recordings offer endless creative potential.

Practical Techniques for Incorporating Field Recordings

1. Selective Listening and Observation

   • Solution: Train yourself to listen actively to the sounds in your environment. Notice textures and rhythms that can enhance your beats.
   • Example: Capture the sound of bird chirps, wind, or distant conversations in a park. These subtle sounds can add an organic layer to your beats, creating a natural ambiance.

2. Capturing Clean Recordings

   • Solution: Invest in a high-quality portable recorder and use windshields or filters to minimize noise.
   • Example: Record urban sounds like traffic and footsteps at a busy intersection. Clean recordings provide a foundation for manipulation in your production.

3. Editing and Processing

   • Solution: Use audio editing tools to clean, process, and shape the recordings.
   • Example: Record the sound of a train passing by and use EQ to enhance the low-end rumble. This can serve as a unique bass layer in your track.

4. Layering for Depth

   • Solution: Blend field recordings with drums and synths to create rich textures.
   • Example: Combine the sound of rustling leaves with a hi-hat pattern. Adjust pitch and rhythm to align with your beat, creating an intriguing hybrid texture.

5. Time Stretching and Pitch Shifting

   • Solution: Transform field recordings with time stretching or pitch shifting.
   • Example: Record the sound of a door creaking and time-stretch it to fit your beat's tempo. This transforms a mundane sound into a haunting melodic texture.

6. Granular Synthesis and Sample Manipulation

   • Solution: Use granular synthesis to break field recordings into fragments for new soundscapes.
   • Example: Granular synthesis on a rain recording can create shimmering, ethereal textures that blend seamlessly with your beat.

7. Environmental Atmospheres

   • Solution: Capture the overall ambiance of locations to set the mood.
   • Example: Record the sounds of a busy marketplace and layer them under your track to evoke the vibe of a bustling city.

8. Percussive Elements from Field Recordings

   • Solution: Turn everyday sounds into percussive hits.
   • Example: Use the sound of a slamming car door as a snare-like hit in your rhythm, adding a sharp and snappy element to your beat.

Found Objects: Music in the Everyday

Found objects from your daily life hold unique acoustic properties, allowing you to create music from the world around you. Everyday items, when recorded and processed, can become the backbone of unique beats.

Practical Techniques for Using Found Objects

1. Understanding Tonal Qualities

   • Solution: Experiment with different objects to discover their tones.
   • Example: Tap or strike a glass to create bell-like tones, or hit a wooden table for a deep thud. Each object offers its own distinct sound, perfect for creative beat layering.

2. Capturing Clean Recordings

   • Solution: Use high-quality microphones and quiet environments for clean recordings.
   • Example: Use a contact mic on a metal object to capture its resonance and subtle vibrations.

3. Processing and Modulation

   • Solution: Apply processing techniques to further transform the recorded sounds.
   • Example: Pitch-shift the sound of tapping a spoon to create high-pitched percussive elements. Time-stretch the sound for an otherworldly effect.

4. Real-World Examples of Found Objects in Beats

   • Glass Percussion: Use the sound of glass clinks as melodic percussion, creating a xylophone-like sequence.
   • Shoe Grooves: Record shoes hitting the floor for a deep rhythmic base.
   • Utensil Rhythms: Use forks and spoons scraping surfaces as metallic textures in your percussion.

Experimental Synthesis: Shaping Sound Anew

Synthesis is an integral part of modern music production, but experimental synthesis offers the opportunity to craft sounds that are truly unconventional and unique. By venturing into granular, wavetable, or FM synthesis, producers can create evolving, dynamic soundscapes that push sonic boundaries.

Practical Experimental Synthesis Techniques

1. Granular Synthesis

   • Solution: Break down sounds into tiny grains and manipulate them.
   • Example: Load a piano chord into a granular synthesizer, adjust grain size, and create shimmering, evolving textures that shift over time.

2. Wavetable Synthesis

   • Solution: Use wavetables to cycle through different waveforms.
   • Example: Modulate wavetable position throughout your beat, transitioning from soft, simple waves to complex, textured sounds.

3. FM Synthesis

   • Solution: Modulate one waveform with another to create rich harmonic content.
   • Example: Use FM synthesis to create growling basslines or metallic percussive elements that add an edge to your beats.

4. Physical Modeling

   • Solution: Simulate real-world sounds using physical modeling.
   • Example: Use physical modeling to create lifelike percussive sounds, like the resonance of a struck metal bar, adding an organic touch to your production.

5. Additive Synthesis

   • Solution: Build complex sounds by layering sine waves.
   • Example: Use additive synthesis to craft precise harmonic content that evolves throughout the track, creating dynamic and unique tones.

Techniques and Tips for Unconventional Sound Crafting

1. Layering and Blending: Combine unconventional and traditional sounds to create engaging contrasts. For example, pairing field recordings with synthesized beats.

2. Processing and Effects: Transform sounds using effects like reverb, delay, and granular processing to create depth and atmosphere.

3. Microsound Sculpting: Focus on the smallest details of sound, zooming in on fragments to create intricate textures.

4. Automation and Movement: Use automation to introduce gradual shifts in pitch, timbre, or rhythm, adding unpredictability and dynamic evolution to your beats.

Conclusion

Innovation in music production thrives on exploration and experimentation. Crafting beats with unconventional sounds not only sets your work apart but also deepens your creative process. By incorporating field recordings, found objects, and experimental synthesis techniques, you can push the boundaries of traditional music production and create something truly unique. Embrace the unconventional, experiment freely, and explore the vast world of sound—your next groundbreaking beat may be closer than you think.