Musical Filler as Production Tool

The vinyl noise on YG’s “Toot It and Boot It” sounds like it’s been added to the sample, or at least hyped to extreme loudness. But I don’t mind at all. In fact, it’s a great production trick!

“Toot It & Boot It” is a relatively simple track when compared to other songs in the same genre, and lack of complexity can sometimes work against you in a recording situation. Too much “silence” in music can be deadly, especially for music geared toward commercial success. So if there’s something missing in your sparse arrangement, there are a few tricks you can use to fill-in-the-blanks.

The most obvious are pads and percussion. Subtle sustained chords do wonders to add ambience to a track that needs it. Shaken percussion can also add “something” to a track that sounds like it “needs something,” and has been a tried-and-true producer technique for years. Their high frequency energy will also add a crispy balance to the usually crowded low-mid-range. Listen to the claps and metallic jangly thing at the intro of Linkin Park’s “I’ve Given Up.” Now imagine if the intro consisted of just the guitar, which is what most amateurs would have done. Boring. The claps and jangles add so much energy, which fills empty musical space and gives the listener an idea of where the track is heading.

Another trick is to add a simple but cool sound. The eerie sound that runs through “Boom Boom Pow” is a great example. The Black Eyed Peas use it as background filler as well as weave it in and out of the musical texture to keep the arrangement fresh. Notice how it fades out when Fergie first comes in, but then comes back at the first chorus. This keeps the track moving without adding too much variety (which can distract from the vocal and disrupt the groove).

People-noise can keep a track from sounding too sparse. Listen to the hooting crowd that runs throughout Kanye’s “Homecoming.” Linkin Park’s “Bleed it Out” also uses the sound of a crowd to keep the intro guitar part from sounding too “alone.” The crowd also serves to add angsty energy to the track as a whole. Nice.

There are less obvious ways to add much needed sonic filler. On the really subtle side tape emulators come to mind. Tape hiss has “warmed up” analogue recordings for years. White/pink noise can also work in rare circumstances, although it is far less musical. That kind of noise is usually used to dirty up a synth sound. (…But if your synth sound lacks texture, consider adding some noise!) Nine Inch Nails uses a wind sound (probably a synth-generated sound effect) throughout “Hurt,” and it helps evoke an emotional affect and fills the void.

Vinyl noise also falls under the above category. This iconic phonographic artifact can actually do a lot to not only fill the void, but “glue” the rest of the sounds together. According to Gestalt theories of perception, a “figure” needs a “ground” to be noticed. For something to be in the foreground, there must be a differentiating background to give it contrast. The hyped vinyl sound in “Toot It and Boot It” works well as filler to keep the simple arrangement from sounding too vacant, but it also acts as a foundational bed that unifies the piece as a whole. The scratchiness of the vinyl is the field on which the musical play happens, and allows the old sample and the new drum/vocal production to collaborate instead of clash. When the sample drops out toward the end (around the 3-minute mark), notice how something sounds missing? The drop out adds needed contrast at that point, but when the sample returns in all its vinyl-rrific glory, it just sounds better.

If all that sounds too academic, then I’ll simplify: pads, percussion, crowd sounds, synth effects, and vinyl noise are tools in a producer’s bag that she will sometimes use to rescue a sparse track from the void. This kind of subtle production “voodoo” is often what differentiates an amateur sounding recording from a professional one. Try it out.

If you have used a similar effect, please leave a comment explaining what you used and how you used it.

Happy Producing!

For daily tips on recording, music production, songwriting, and ProTools, follow Create Music Productions on Twitter @CreateMusicPro