Mixing, Music, and More

This is Hourglass!  A culmination of my time studying at Full Sail along with my own personal pursuit for storytelling through music.  This track was created using Ableton as my primary DAW.  Many of the sounds used, such the guitars, basses, and flute were synthesized using a combination of Xfer's Serum and Native Instrument's Kontakt VST. For the drums I combined sounds from from the Kontakt pack Battery 4 mixed with samples from my own personal library of noises.  The mandolin was from a new VST I had recently discovered titled LABS from Spitfire Audio (I would highly recommend checking them out as they off this great set of VSTs completely free).  

My inspiration for this piece came mostly from the scale.  I used an F harmonic minor scale which immediately gave me an middle eastern/desert feeling.  Starting with the mandolin, I knew I wanted this piece to be cinematic.  The beginning of the piece doesn't follow a set rhythm or pattern, as instead I chose to play everything by feel.  I wanted it to feel very haunting and eerie, giving the listener nothing to settle into until the eventual first "drop."  This is where the action picks up, but not dramatically so.  While this first portion of the song following the intro has energy thanks to the hiphop inspired drums and 808s, it is merely a sample for what I wanted to come next.  

I chose the name hourglass because I wanted to emphasize the motifs of both sand and timing.  The first "true drop" as I like to call it is far more aggressive, switching the drum pattern completely and giving a sense that there is some conflict.  As if our listener has just been caught in by some dangerous presence.  Maybe its a monster or a sandstorm. Whatever it is, it means business, as emphasized by the heavy dubstep style basses. Theres a communication between the heavy bass and the airy flute which symbolizes the ups ands downs of this particular conflict, and after all is said and done, our listener escapes.  

The bridge really changes things up and is perhaps my favorite part of the song.  The instruments are more natural, and I added a loop of running water in the backdrop to create oasis imagery.  It is relaxed but fast paced.  There is reprieve, but you can't exactly sit back and rest.  Something isn't quite finished, but this moment is here to be enjoyed while it lasts.  This section always makes me want to dance and I felt like it was a good transition between the last drop and the upcoming one.  

The final moments of the song hold nothing back.  That danger from before is back and in full force, but perhaps, so our listener/protagonist.  The array of sounds is more varied, and the combination of electronic vocals, mandolin, and gritty basses sell this as the climax to our little tale.  This is where everything comes together and at the end is the familiar echoing pattern used to introduce both drops.  Did the danger persist just barely, or has our listener defeated the disaster, now changed as a result?  I suppose its up to the listener to decide.  Regardless, I had a lot of fun making this piece and hope you have just as much fun listening to it.  Maybe my story for this one is unnecessary and its an enjoyable electronic listen, but I personally like to have narratives like this to help spur my creative process.  Thank you for your time (: