In search of a beat
experiments with percussion
Recently I decided to rearrange and re-record a song I released earlier this year. I’ve changed the arrangement for most of the instruments. At some point this will require a new mix and new master too, but before I get to that stage, I have a lot of tech to grapple with. I love making music, especially writing and arranging. But the process of getting this into a recording is my nemesis. So in the meantime, I am procrastinating under the guise of experimentation, and putting off the screen-based work.
At the moment I’m working on the percussion. It’s a simple and stripped back section for the track, and the rhythm pattern is steady throughout. Simple always makes it feel harder because there’s nowhere to hide. Every beat is heard, every mistake, amplified. I’m experimenting with automation and loops but I keep coming back to acoustic set-ups. Recording an acoustic section then looping may be an option too - I haven’t made a final decision; but it’s fun exploring the options.
So far, here’s what’s not working: the Log jam/stomp box. It’s the first time I’ve tried it, so I may be getting the technique all wrong. It might also be better live through an amp, rather than having the sound pushed through an interface, I’m not really sure. But at the moment, it doesn’t have the depth of sound I want when I record it. Is it my choice of footwear? Perhaps!
I tried it a few different ways…
Next up was a djembe. I love the timbre and beautifully wide range of pitches. But in many ways I feel like it would be wasted on the track I’m re-recording. I would end up editing it to cushion it’s tonality, which seems pointless when there are other ways I can achieve the flatter, more muted sound that I need.
Which brings me to what did end up working for the track, and giving me the sound I wanted. This was the cajon.
I had a play about with various combinations of sticks/beaters. Bare hands hitting the cajon sounded too crisp and snare-y. I needed something softer and a little deeper. I tried wearing mountaineering gloves to hit the cajon (C’s suggestion), as well as an actual cajon bass drum kick pedal, plus anything else lying in a drawer or cupboard that could render some kind of diffuse sound effect. Ultimately, that ended up being a feather duster!
Admittedly, a feather duster is an unusual implement to use on a cajon, but it has created the exact sound I was searching for. Again, it was C’s suggestion. He’s much better than I am at thinking laterally! The sound is bass-ier, but with no hard edges—like listening to a heartbeat through someone’s chest.