Modulation in music theory is a lot more than the “truck driver’s gear shift”.
A good example is the Sonata form, which is underrated for modern music, but it actually engages the listener throughout, which is exactly what is needed to avoid having to resort to endless repetition and silly gear shifts.
Re:fx parameters, I would love to discuss those a lot more. What do you know about parameter modulations and envelopes?
They’re fun to play with. They can give life to a boring synth patch. If you like ambient music chances are you’ve been exposed to all sorts of modulation. It’s an effective way to get “movement”. Throw in a “random” oscillator and you have practically infinitely-changing sounds.
If you’re new to the concept I highly recommend this video to get an idea of what is possible: https://youtu.be/ImWJixBPZj0
There’s a lot more to it than just trippy ambient pads, though. When you think about dynamics in music, especially synth-based sounds, envelopes and modulation can do a lot of heavy lifting. For example, turning down the sustain on a reese bass so it has a bit of punch at the start of the note, but isn’t going full blast the entire time can give room in the mix and have more impact. Also think about the neat little oddity where our ears perceive a sustained sound as louder than a short one and you can trick the listener into thinking something is loud while still saving headroom for other goodies if you so choose.
I’m not an expert but I have dabbled in sound design for a few years, especially in Vital. Sometimes I come up with patches I save and use later, but a lot of the time it’s just fun to screw around and make interesting noises. There’s a lot more you can do besides what I mentioned, too, including automation and things live “reverb throws”. Lots of things great for transitions between song sections.
So if we could address both that might be good. Key change, i made my comments above which I wouldnt mind your thoughts on.
Re:fx parameters, I would love to discuss those a lot more. What do you know about parameter modulations and envelopes?
So glad you threw in the word parameters, im actually dying to learn and talk way more about those
When folks call key change a modulation, what comes to my mind is the 70s disco gimmick to go one semitone up with the key on the last chorus.
Modulation in music theory is a lot more than the “truck driver’s gear shift”.
A good example is the Sonata form, which is underrated for modern music, but it actually engages the listener throughout, which is exactly what is needed to avoid having to resort to endless repetition and silly gear shifts.
They’re fun to play with. They can give life to a boring synth patch. If you like ambient music chances are you’ve been exposed to all sorts of modulation. It’s an effective way to get “movement”. Throw in a “random” oscillator and you have practically infinitely-changing sounds.
If you’re new to the concept I highly recommend this video to get an idea of what is possible: https://youtu.be/ImWJixBPZj0
There’s a lot more to it than just trippy ambient pads, though. When you think about dynamics in music, especially synth-based sounds, envelopes and modulation can do a lot of heavy lifting. For example, turning down the sustain on a reese bass so it has a bit of punch at the start of the note, but isn’t going full blast the entire time can give room in the mix and have more impact. Also think about the neat little oddity where our ears perceive a sustained sound as louder than a short one and you can trick the listener into thinking something is loud while still saving headroom for other goodies if you so choose.
I’m not an expert but I have dabbled in sound design for a few years, especially in Vital. Sometimes I come up with patches I save and use later, but a lot of the time it’s just fun to screw around and make interesting noises. There’s a lot more you can do besides what I mentioned, too, including automation and things live “reverb throws”. Lots of things great for transitions between song sections.