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4 1st part of Under the Skin 

The sound and music in Under the Skin make the atmosphere super tense and creepy. In the first scene, Scarlett Johansson walks through a dark forest, and the sounds pull you into this weird, unpredictable world.

The music starts with a pad that sounds like a voice, but it keeps changing. It never stays in one key, which makes it feel unsettling, like something could happen at any moment. This constant change in the music matches the tension in the scene, making you feel as nervous as the character.

To make the forest feel alive, I added whispers and crackles. These sounds make the forest feel like it’s watching, adding to the danger. You also hear bamboo stumps before Johansson reaches the truck, which hints that someone’s coming. The stumps make dissonant sounds, building tension even before we see the guy.

When Johansson shuts the truck door, the music cuts out. This gives us a moment of quiet, like she’s safe for a second. But then, when she struggles to start the truck, the horn suddenly blares. It’s loud and sharp, breaking the silence and bringing the tension back.

As the guy walks toward her, I added deep kicks with a long reverb to match his footsteps. Each kick feels like a step closer to danger. The bamboo stumps also get louder, adding a creepy metallic sound that makes everything feel more uncomfortable.

When the chase starts, the tempo speeds up from 120 bpm to around 150 bpm. This matches Johansson’s growing panic as she runs. The faster music, along with new beats, makes things feel more intense. The distorted tremolo violin riff that comes in makes the music chaotic, just like the scene. 

5 2nd part of Under the Skin

The second clip of Under the Skin picks up right after the chase ends, when the man catches on fire. In this part, the music and sound design get a bit more creative since there’s no original sound for this section of the clip. My main goal was to make the transition between the first and second clip feel smooth while adding tension through the sound design.

To blend the clips together, I used the same drum instruments from the first clip, but I added a lot of reverb at the end of the first clip to make it flow seamlessly into the next one. The reverb helped create a natural transition, so the two parts didn’t feel like they were cut off from each other. It’s all about maintaining the atmosphere and not losing the tension as we move into the new part of the scene.

When the fire starts, I had to get really creative because there were no original sounds for that moment. I used flattened reverb drums and took an audio sample of a “persuasion hit”and ran it through granulator. The granulator lets me stretch and twist the sound, so I could turn it into this evolving, airy texture that sounds like crackling fire. I automated the position and pitch of the sound using a pitch shifter, which made it feel dynamic, ike the fire was moving and growing. I also added a real fire sample to give the sound some texture and make it feel more alive and real.

As the scene slows down and we see the man collapse in the snow, the music gets calmer to reflect the shift in energy. To create this sense of calm, I brought back the same atmospheric pad from the beginning of the scene. The chord progression comes back, helping to bring the story full circle. 

6 Challenges and solutions of Under the Skin 

Working on the music and sound design for Under the Skin was a fun challenge, but it wasn’t easy. The scene I was working on is super intense, and I wanted the music to bring out that fear and anxiety. But sometimes, things didn’t go exactly how I planned, and I had to make changes.

One of the biggest problems was finding the right balance in the music. At first, I added a lot of elements like bamboo stumps, a low-end metallic lead, and more elements to go along with the kick drums when the man appears. I thought it would make the scene feel more intense, but when the man first appears on screen, it all felt way too much. Instead of making it scarier, it kind of ended up sounding like a cheesy thriller soundtrack. It was almost like a parody of what I was trying to do. So, after my first draft, I decided to take a lot of those extra elements out. I removed the strings and sound effects that were drawing too much attention away from the scene, which helped it feel more real and tense.

Another big challenge was the technical side. Since Logic Pro only lets you work with one movie clip at a time, I had to create a new project just to extend the scene with the second clip. After that, I had to merge the two projects together, and I had to make sure everything lined up perfectly, both sonically and visually.

The first clip had all the original movie audio and foley sounds, but the second clip didn’t. So, I had to get creative with sound design to make it sound like everything was connected. I had to hide the fact that the second clip didn’t have the same original sounds, and that was tricky. I used different techniques like reverb and automation to smooth the transition and make it feel seamless.

These challenges made the whole project harder, but they taught me a lot about balancing music and sound and figuring out how to fix problems creatively. In the end, I was able to get the sound to feel just right, making the scene feel intense without being too over the top.

7 Music composition: video game

For the music in my sci-fi fantasy RPG, I focused on creating an ambient, evolving atmosphere to match the game’s mysterious world. The game features a little turquoise creature exploring two different worlds, a darker purple one and a lighter green one, and I wanted the music to reflect the magical yet mysterious energy of the environment.

I used a generative approach to avoid repetition. Instead of writing a fixed, long track, I created a single MIDI track that triggers notes every few bars. This MIDI track controls various instruments, like pads and bass, ensuring that they play the same melodic information but evolve randomly. For the pads, I used two different textures: one soft and airy, and the other more distorted. The gain of the distorted pad is controlled by a random LFO, which changes the pad’s volume and character over time. This gives the music a sense of constant movement and unpredictability.

To add depth and richness, I also included a sub-bass that follows the same chord progression as the pads. This ensures everything stays harmonically coherent. I designed another similar pad using an arpeggiator that’s controlled by a random LFO and has random note effects and velocity changes. This instrument adds an extra layer of evolving harmony and rhythm, further enhancing the background pad.

For ornamentation, I used electronic bells that contrast the low-pitched pads and bass. The bells are panned across the stereo field and controlled by an arpeggiator with a random rate and velocity effects. These bells add a touch of sparkle and make the background music feel more interesting. 

8 Sound design & Stingers: video game

Stingers are short, impactful musical cues that add extra drama or emphasis to key moments in a game. For my sci-fi fantasy RPG, I wanted to design stingers that fit seamlessly into the mysterious atmosphere. Each stinger was created to enhance the player’s experience and bring attention to specific actions or changes in the world.

One of the first stingers I designed was for the elevator. When the elevator moves down, I sound designed a swooshing sound. To make it match, I reversed it when the elevator goes up. This not only made the elevator’s movement more noticeable but also made the elevators feel more alive. Another stinger I worked on was for the crystal explosion. This needed to be dramatic, so I designed a bell-like instrument that played an ascending scale run, building up tension before a sudden drop. The drop is accompanied by a low-pitched bell and an airy metallic sound, which makes the explosion feel both grand and mysterious. This stinger adds excitement during moments of action while still staying true to the game’s atmosphere. I also created this pad and played a I V I chord progression to give a sense of reward to the player. 

For the portal transitions between worlds, I created two stingers: one for entering the green world and one for returning to the purple world. The entering portal stinger features a descending piano scale run, while the returning portal has an ascending piano scale run. This simple use of piano helps to signal the change in environments while keeping the musical transition smooth and cohesive.

Lastly, I designed the round structure opening sound, which uses a granulator and resonator effect to create a metallic, evolving sound as the structure opens. The sound evolves with the action, helping to draw the player’s attention to the changing environment and making the moment feel interesting

9

Composing music for a video game, especially an open-world RPG, comes with its own set of unique challenges. One of the biggest difficulties is ensuring the music doesn’t become repetitive or overwhelming. Since players can take as much time as they want to explore the game, you have to make sure the music adapts to their actions without distracting them from the game’s world. If the music loops too often or feels too repetitive, it can break immersion. Also, if the music is too loud or in-your-face, it can draw attention away from the game itself.

To solve this, I turned to generative music techniques. Instead of composing long, fixed loops, I used MIDI effects that allow the music to evolve over time. By sticking to one key and programming instruments to randomly change chords and melodies, the music stays new and interesting. This approach worked especially well for the ambient background pads, bass, and little bells/keys. These elements would always feel different, even if the player stayed in the same area for a while. 

Another challenge I faced was ensuring the stingers fit seamlessly into the game’s world. At first, many of the stingers felt too loud or didn’t blend well with the music, standing out in an unnatural way. To fix this, I used the resonator effect to make the stingers feel more cohesive with the background music. Adding reverb also helped give them a sense of space, making them feel like part of the environment rather than an abrupt interruption.

Through these changes and techniques, I was able to create a more immersive soundtrack that supports the player’s experience without taking them out of the game.

10

For this blog post, I set myself a fun challenge of how to create an evolving piece of music using just four simple 4-bar loops. The goal was to make it so anyone, whether they’re a musician or not, could interact with the music and create something cool and experimental.

A lot of people I’ve spoken to say they don’t make music because they don’t understand music theory or harmony. They feel like they can’t create melodies or figure out how to make something sound good. I wanted to prove that’s not true. You don’t need to know complicated stuff like music theory to make something interesting and beautiful. All it takes is the right mindset and a little creativity.

For this piece, I used 3 simple piano loops and a vocal sample, each only four bars long. These loops repeat, but I made them evolve by warping them and adding effects. I added things like reverb, distortion, and saturation, and even changed the BPM to make the track speed up and slow down. I also used a vocal sample that I ran through a granulator, which gave it a completely new and experimental texture.

The cool part about the piece is how it evolves. The piano loops get more and more distorted and saturated as the track goes on, which makes it feel like the music is changing and growing. It starts out clean and simple, but by the end, it’s more complex and unpredictable.

The way I envisioned this piece working in a installation was with four sensors connected to the four tracks. Each sensor would control the volume of its track, making it louder or quieter depending on whether it’s activated or not. I also imagined other sensors that could control the effects, like adding reverb, distortion, or pitch changes, and speed up or slow down the track.

The goal was to make it interactive, so people who don’t know anything about music could still experiment and create something that sounds cool. It’s a way of showing that even simple, repetitive elements can be turned into something unique and interesting. By taking away the complicated parts of music-making and focusing on creativity, anyone can make interesting music. 

When working on a clip for Blade Runner 2049, one of the most important aspects of composing the music was ensuring it synced perfectly with the visuals. To achieve this, I used beat mapping in Logic Pro, which allowed me to match the music to the film’s timing.

The process started by watching the clip without any sound or music and observing which scenes/cuts were the most important to sync with music, such as when Ryan Gosling first notices the bee on his hand, when he enters the mansion, and when he plays the piano. I followed by setting up markers in Logic Pro matching those actions. Then, using SMPTE lock was important, as it ensured that the clip and the markers were synchronised, so it would stay synched if I played around with the tempo.

By working with beat mapping, I was able to ensure that the music was in synch with the visuals, enhancing the emotional impact of the scene. You have to make sure the music supports the story without overpowering it. If the music is a reflection of every cut/scene or action of a character, the score could end up being too distracting or the film could end up looking a like a cheap music video.

This week, we were introduced to the term Leitmotif, which is a short, recurring piece of music that represents a specific person, place, idea, or emotion in a story, like in movies or operas. Each time the idea or character appears, the leitmotif plays, helping the audience connect the music to the story.

When working on a movie clip for Soul, I wanted to capture the heart of the main character’s journey through music. The scene was filled with flashbacks, each showing moments of joy, struggle, and growth in his life. To represent the journey he’s been on and his inner turmoil, I wrote a musical phrase exemplary of this idea.

I created a simple piano melody and it plays at the beginning of the clip when he lays down the different items on the piano, which triggers him to relive these emotional moments in his life. I wrote the phrase in the aeolian mode (natural minor) instead of the harmonic minor because its softer, smoother sound creates a sense of calm and reflection, avoiding the tension that the raised seventh in the harmonic minor would bring. Furthermore, the aeolian mode fits well with the character’s state of mind, his reflections about his past in a introspective way, while still carrying the great emotional depth of the past.

By the end of the clip, the leitmotif returned in a different key with a more complex instrumentation, as a reminder of his journey.

Using a leitmotif in this way helped make the flashbacks feel connected and gave the scene an emotional impact. It’s a simple, powerful tool to tell a story through music. It also helped me tie the beginning of the clip with its end.

CPT (common practice tonality) is usually found in radio hits and children’s lullabies, however, since the golden age of cinema, film composers have unanimously decided to heavily employ late romantic techniques in their work, which oppose cpt guidelines.

CPT “rules”:

• Only major and minor scales
• Begins and ends in the same key (tonally closed)
• Few uses of dissonance, and if used, they’re always resolved

Late Romantic Techniques:

• More complex/chromatic chords that are not in the key of the music
• Chromatic chord sequences like the hexatonic cycle, where each subsequent chord differs by one note moving up or down a semitone. eg: G Major, G minor, Eb Major, Eb minor, B Major, B minor, G Major

When working on the Soul clip, I used the hexatonic cycle during the flashback montage to create a sense of motion and unpredictability, reflecting the twists and turns of the character’s life. The alternating major and minor chords avoid a clear emotional atmosphere—neither purely happy nor purely sad—capturing the complexity of human experiences, where joy and struggle are often interlinked. Moreover, I avoided staying in a specific key during the flashback montage. I used modulation and augmented 7th chords to shift between keys, creating a sense of movement, exploration and unpredictability.

For my final blog post, I first thought of writing a piece about what I learned this term, something that can act as a representation of the evolution I undertook as a music student. However, it seems pretty redundant, since my evolution is laid out on the previous nine blog posts I wrote for my intro to music production course. Instead, I though it would be interesting to include the first blog post I wrote at the very beginning, that I never ended up using.

“Summary of my first week at LCC : Jose (the very creative audio programming tutor), the professional DAW Pro Tools, never ending definitions of music production, and the fabulous Rick Rubin.
My first class was creative audio programming and apart from Joses’s (my tutor) album listening party, we mostly just got to know each other. Jose, our tutor, who looked like someone I could’ve bumped into at KitKat, led the conversation by introducing themselves and then, the classed followed suit. One by one, my peers would explain their background in music. After too many niche artists were named, I have to admit that I was relieved when somebody said they enjoyed BTS (even though I’m an avid K-pop hater) and not another underground artist that I’ve never listened to.
On my second day, I left campus wondering if I was still enrolled at LCC or if I had been transferred to MIT. While learning the basics of Pro Tools that day – emphasis on the word “basics” – I felt as though I was back in math class. The programme is very technical and not as intuitive as other DAWs. Nevertheless, it does seem that once I get a good grasp on it, I’ll be able to produce more complex music thanks to the Pro(fessional) Tools integrated in the programme, as the name suggests.
Our last class was way less hands-on than our firsts. We pretty much spent three hours debating on what it meant to be a music producer and how we could define music production. The overall consensus was what that a music/record producer was someone who produced records – pretty straight forward, right? And apparently, Rick Rubin was considered a music producer, even though he would just lay down on a sofa with a microphone in his hand.”

Margaret Chardiet, better known as Pharmakon, is a unique musician who blends industrial noise, ambient and electronic music. In this blog post, we will delve in her creative process.

What sets her tracks apart are the unique techniques she uses while producing. She always has a recording device with her, just in case she stumbles upon an interesting sound. She takes these field recordings and manipulates them with Ableton, like creating a kick drum out of construction work.
Pharmakon is inspired by the raw and industrial sounds that are all around us. She incorporates these sounds into her music to celebrate the flaws of humanity and the chaotic nature of life. She’s not afraid to put those harsh sounds that some people might say don’t belong in music front and center, challenging her listeners.
When she performs live, her main goal is to connect with her audience. She does this by creating an immersive experience that breaks traditional rules, hoping to leave a lasting impression on her listeners. In her music, this experimental artist explores the human condition, drawing inspiration from her own life and the social issues of the time.

Pharmakon Entrevista/Interview September/Septiembre 2015 (2015). YouTube. 15 December. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCPBnEa3QY0&t=1s (Accessed: 28 November 2023).

(No date) Pharmakon. Available at: https://pharmakon.bandcamp.com/ (Accessed: 01 December 2023).

“Ocean of Sound” by David Toop was first published in 1995. In this influential book, Toop explores the world of ambient music, delving into its cultural, historical and artistic aspects. In the fourth chapter, titled “Burial Rituals,” Topp explores various themes related to noise, myth, music, and culture. It discusses indigenous ceremonies and their connection to noise. The chapter also talks about the relationship between noise and futurism, the impact of war on the musical genre, and the works of Edgard Varese, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and Charlie Parker.

Claude Levi-Strauss connects noise-making instruments to death, decay, and disorder in stories and myths. He studied the ceremonies of indigenous people and how they use noise to express emotions or communicate with ancestors. Levi-Strauss also talks about the contrast between noise and silence and how they are connected.
Edgard Varese was inspired by Levi-Strauss, the physiology of sound, and other studies on the art form. He believed that music should be experienced physically rather than following a set method. He incorporates everyday sounds and sounds from nature into his compositions, breaking away from traditional music norms. Varese’s aim is to create music that reflects the complex human condition.

Charlie Parker, inspired by Varese, went on a journey to discover new sounds and break free from the conventions of traditional jazz. He also wanted to shake up the established musical structures and push the limits of music. The chapter also talks about how the Futurist movement found noise and machines intriguing, and how different societies throughout history valued noise in their own unique ways.

The author’s writing style is really informative and analytical, which totally gave me a better understanding of different concepts and why they matter. And the way they included quotes and references in the chapter made it even more interesting.

In this chapter, we talk about how different ideas and artists in music production are connected. They like to explore new sounds and techniques, just like other experimental musicians. Artists like Aphex Twin and Pharmkaon are examples of this. They mix natural sounds, field recordings, and unusual noises into their music. They play around with these sounds to make interesting textures and vibes that go against the usual ideas of melody and harmony. Like, Pierre Schaeffer and his musique concrète experiments, he would use regular stuff from everyday life and random objects to make these avant-garde “instruments”.

This approach has influenced how music is made nowadays. Producers are always trying out funky sounds to make their tracks stand out and be creative. In general, this chapter really helped me grasp sound and music production better. It delved into the physical, emotional, and experimental sides of ambient music and noise, pushing me to think outside the box and appreciate the impact of unconventional sounds in stirring emotions, breaking boundaries, and crafting unique music.

Toop, D. and Faber, M. (2018) Ocean of sound: Ambient sound and radical listening in the age of Communication. London: Serpent’s Tail.

“Hamburger Lady” by Throbbing Gristle was a controversial industrial piece released in the late 1970s. It showcases the avant-garde nature of the genre and pushes the boundaries of music. Throbbing Gristle are an iconic British industrial music group formed in 1975 by Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Peter Christopherson and Chris Carter. “Burger Lady” is one of their most iconic and memorable works, known for its disturbing themes and unconventional music production. The aesthetic of “Burger Lady” is characterized by its industrial sound, a blend of electronic noise, distorted vocals and avant-garde instrumentation. Their musical approach often involves the use of natural sounds, tape manipulation and experimental techniques. “Hamburg Lady” challenges traditional notions of music.
This aesthetic is achieved by creating an unsettling and uncomfortable atmosphere. The song references a medical case written by William S. Burroughs in his book Naked Lunch. The song tells the story of a patient with severe burns, and the lyrics vividly depict the personal physical and emotional trauma. The disturbing imagery and aggressive delivery of the lyrics contribute to the overall unsettling atmosphere of the song.

"Hamburger Lady" was released during a period of social and political change. The late 1970s and early 1980s were marked by economic problems, the punk and post-punk movements, and a general sense of social disillusionment. Throbbing Gristle's music, including "Hamburger Lady", can be seen as a sign of the times. The industrial genre, with its aggressive and rough style, embodied the angst and frustration of the era. The band's use of unconventional sounds and rejection of traditional musical norms set them apart in the music scene of the time. The group also contributed to the development of alternative and experimental music genres.

Throbbing-gristle.com (no date) THROBBING GRISTLE. Available at: https://www.throbbing-gristle.com/ (Accessed: 01 December 2023).

Scanlon, K. (2023) ‘Hamburger Lady’: The scariest song of all time?, Far Out Magazine. Available at: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/hamburger-lady-the-scariest-song-of-all-time/ (Accessed: 01 December 2023).

In the past, genres like jazz, blues, hip-hop, and African music have often been undervalued or taken credit for by non-black artists. This has created an unfair situation where black artists struggle to get recognition, fair pay, and the same opportunities as white artists. But Nyege Nyege is changing that by embracing diverse sounds and giving artists from all over Africa and the world a chance to shine. Nyege Nyege is an art collective based in Kampala, Uganda. Its founders, Arlen Dilsizian and Derek Debru, have created a cool vibe that combines local music with influences from all over Africa and beyond. The name Nyege Nyege has different meanings in the many languages spoken in Uganda, but in Luganda, it kind of means “the sudden urge to move, shake, or dance”, which is what the group is all about. They even have their own festival and two record labels, Nyege Nyege Tapes and Hakuna Kulala, where they mainly showcase talented black artists. (Main, 2018)
(Bloom, 2023)
The title track of MC Yallah’s 2023 album, “Yallah Beibe,” really captures the spirit and goals of the Hakuna Kuala label. It’s an upbeat song that blends electronic music with traditional African sounds, creating something totally fresh and authentic. It’s got catchy beats, deep basslines, and awesome synths mixed with Afrobeat melodies and infectious chants. The beat of the track is influenced by West African polyrhythms and the chants and vocals give it a real cultural feel. There are also electronic elements like the bassline and synths that make it sound more modern and futuristic, showing the innovative side of the Hakuna Kulala collective. They haven’t just sampled traditional sounds, they’ve blended them with electronic instruments in a way that works really well. Technology played a big role in creating “Yallah Beibe” with the production techniques and digital instruments used. The vocals have been manipulated to give them a gritty texture, similar to the chanting.
Overall, “Yallah Beibe” is a great example of how Hakuna Kulala combines traditional African influences with electronic music, resulting in a unique and authentic sound that celebrates the cultural richness of Africa while embracing contemporary and experimental music.

Yallah, M. (2023) ‘Yallah Beibe’, Yallah Beibe [Spotify]. Uganda, Hakuna Kuala. Available at : https://open.spotify.com/album/74FbvNoV00hE1ZcCohkoP3 (Accessed: 26 November 2023).

Bloom, M. (2023) MC Yallah: Yallah Beibe, Pitchfork. Available at: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/mc-yallah-yallah-beibe/ (Accessed: 06 December 2023).

Main, G. (2018) Nyege Nyege: the Ugandan dance collective reversing colonial culture, The Guardian. Available at: https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/29/nyege-nyege-the-ugandan-dance-collective-reversing-colonial-culture (Accessed: 06 December 2023).

Kanye West in one of the most influential and infamous musician of the 21st century. In this blog post, we will delve into his workflow, synthesis and sampling techniques, to try and understand his success and impact in the world of music. As a music producer, he is known for his innovative and fresh approach to hip-hop, influenced by electronic music, funk, and soul.

Kanye’s workflow often starts with a beat he makes with a sampler or a drum machine. He will then add vocals, and melodies.

We will take a look at West’s hit song “Stronger” to further understand his music production process.
(Britton, 2017)
The song began with a drum machine creating a beat and sampled “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” by Daft Punk, a famous electronic duo.

Kanye West used various techniques such as chopping and altering the speed of a Daft Punk sample in his song “Stronger.” By breaking the sample into smaller parts and rearranging them, he was able to create a distinctive and original sound. Additionally, changing the speed of the sample affected its pitch and tone, resulting in a futuristic and fitting sound for the song.

In “Stronger,” West employed different synthesis techniques to produce a range of sounds. He utilized subtractive synthesis to create the warm and fuzzy background pads and additive synthesis for the bright and harsh lead synths. Additionally, he incorporated FM synthesis and wavetable synthesis to generate a diverse array of sounds.

To sum up, “Stronger” is a great example of Kanye West’s innovative production style. His use of sampling, synthesis, and his hands-on workflow helped to create a song that was both catchy and groundbreaking.

Britton, L.M. (2017) ‘stronger’ at 10 – how the daft punk-sampling track was the turning point in Kanye West’s career, NME. Available at: https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/kanye-west-stronger-10-anniversary-2119541 (Accessed: 06 December 2023).

West, K. (2007) ‘Stronger’, Graduation [Spotify]. United States, UMG. Available at :https://open.spotify.com/album/4SZko61aMnmgvNhfhgTuD3 (Accessed: 26 November 2023).