Music and “Timelessness”

Sounding outdated?

Lets be honest guys, Weve all heard and made tracks that were musically done with creative and technical know how but the sound design was just plain outdated. But what makes a track either “already done” , Or “Timeless”? Lets look into some tips ive created and collected over the years that will hopefully keep your music fresh and re-playable years later.

 

Art in general will never be timeless

Maybe some will argue with me on this. But i truly think that music is always tied to its century. There are of course some older pieces that we will look back on with joy and still enjoy today. But, i believe that has to do with your “Musical” generation.  I myself love to go back to the 90’s and listen to A tribe called quest, or MC hammer. But is the music made by these artists timeless? In my opinion, no. I just enjoy it because thats what i loved when i was younger. Everything has and should be viewed in context.

 

Staying ahead of the curve

So what can we do to stay ahead of our generation in terms of sound design? Nothing. Your music is current, its of this generations technological capabilities. Lets think about it… When dubstep came out it was viewed as “the sound of the future” but the moment it was conceived , it became current.

Get to the tips already

So what can we do to at least stay within our generation’s sound? Lets start.

Processing – Design sounds from the past – With a twist.

Most sounds that youve heard have been made before. The sound of a retro synth from the late 80’s can be heard today in the top 100’s. So what makes it new and exciting? Well, processing, notation, tweaking… basically anything you can do to make it different.

Lets take the “Wobble” sound as an example.

You can hear the “wobble” all the way back in 90’s drum & bass mixes. Obviously there nott the same sounds of todays “wobble’s” but the mechanics worked esentially the same way… Lfo’s, Cut off filters, Saw’s’ and squares. Todays Dubstep has evolved Drum & bass wobbles into something new with much help from technology.  Take for example the Zebra 2 synth and compare it to classic syntsh from the 90’s and you can easily see how a basic wobble sound can be transformed into something complex and exciting.

Now lets take a guitar as an example

Everyone knows its sound. Applying “modern” techniques such as adding stereo width or complex delays or stutter effects can keep it sounding upfront and now.

 

Infinite Arrangements

The possible variations on an arrangement are endless. Listen to your favorite artists and really listen analytically. Search for new innovative arrangement techniques constantly.

 

Consistency and Glue

Consistency is important. The supporting elements of your track need to be current sounding  as well. Obviously we cant just take an acid dubstep wobble and drop it in a retropop track and expect fame and glory. Glue your tracks together with consistency and apply these thoughts and techniques to everything.

 

Conclusion

Most sounds are just re-invested with new techniques. Learn your tools and keep up with new arrangement and processing techniques.