Music is such a personal experience, right?
One lesson I’ve learned is that music becomes more meaningful when listeners understand its origins. That’s why I’ll be sharing the ideas and inspirations behind every track on this album, giving you a deeper insight into each piece’s creation.
This idea mirrors the early days of Dadaism.
You can place a bidet as an art piece in a gallery, but providing its name, explaining its purpose, and detailing the creative process behind it is crucial.
That’s why I’m here, offering insights into each track of my album AMBI.
While the song links direct to Spotify, you can enjoy the full album on any music platform of your choice.
Enjoy!
Track 01 – Harmonics and Rain: The Layered Soundscape of ‘Be Present’
What could be more cliché than starting an album with a bell? Perhaps adding the sound of rain in the background, right?
Well, that’s exactly what I did. A wake-up call on a rainy day to help you “be present”.
The song is slow (at 45 bpm), with layers gradually appearing as the music evolves. An interesting phenomenon occurred while I was creating these layers: the emergence of harmonics when combining two or more sounds.
In simple terms, a harmonic is a wave or signal whose frequency is a whole-number multiple of a reference signal or wave’s frequency.
In practice, this means that when you play two instruments together (or even the same instrument in different notes), new “notes” appear like a sound mirage. I didn’t play these notes, but they materialized from the combination of other notes. You can sense this while listening to the song—some “vibes” emerge unintentionally, adding a new dimension to the sections where they appear.
After completing the initial version of the song, I rendered it into a stereo wave file and applied a stretch effect. This created another sound layer that produced even more harmonics and unusual textures.
For this song, I used an excellent vocal plugin from Crow Hill called Dot Allison Dulcet Voice. Dot Allison is the name of the talented singer who recorded the vocals, which were then transformed into notes we can play freely. So the wailing you hear in the song is indeed human in origin, but not sung directly for this piece.
Interesting, huh?
**Here’s the link to listen to the song.**
I hope you like it!
Thank you for taking the time to explore “Be Present”, the opening track of my album. I’d love to hear your thoughts and impressions.
Feel free to share your experience or any questions you might have about the creative process behind this piece.
I encourage you to check out the rest of the album. Each track has its own unique story and sonic landscape waiting to be discovered.
Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes insights on the upcoming tracks!
Best wishes,
Billy
P.S. Don’t forget to follow me on social media for updates on new releases and exclusive content!
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