Robot

 ROBOT EXTRAS - 

- adding synths to build up the sound more so more contrast and impact when it is more minimalist. Adding strings synth to try out different sounds and then will record with real strings once happy. 

- two violins, only one at beginning as has to build and starts too much too sudden

- take off pre chorus as more of a bare bit where the lyrics are more desperate and hopeless and so sadder with the lack of support and just having a very bare sound - I also tried taking out the bass and guitar but it sounded too bare then and I didn't like it - sounded too bare without any violins so added them back in but only one violin and for only every other bar - gives the first taste of the minimalist sounds without completely giving it away before the chorus 

- no violins for last bar before chorus but add lots of reverb for the obvious strip down of instruments and more impact when the chorus comes with a lower dynamic 

- second part of pre chorus - added lower violin as well as other low harmony to give it variation and also to make the sound the bigger before I make it more minimalist 

- struggled to get the reverb effects I wanted with the MIDI but it'll show more with a real instrument 

- added bells (COMPLEMENTS HIGH HAT SOMETHING) to give it a robotic feel and more treble to add contrast to the frequencies. It actually gives it a very magical sort of feel as though it's fantasy or made up which fits because the song is about coming out of the denial of pretending that things are fiction (coming to terms with reality). However, it did seem too harsh and sharp of a sound so I took out the highest frequency and a bit of the second highest to make it more of a dull sound so it doesn't take away too much from the main melody which I've found is a danger when adding higher frequencies to my songs as I have a high voice 

- Changed violin melody at beginning as I heard it differently and I originally had the first note as Fsharp4, Csharp4, D4 and then E4 but the descending pattern felt too much like it was going somewhere when it wasn't yet and so I wanted to make it to be more like an ostinato and I didn't want it to take away too much from the main melody - I kept the original melody for the bit just before the chorus as this is leading to the chorus and so it feels necessary for it to be ascending 

-  Added lower strings to help the song build over time - descending pattern on the bridge to make it feel sad (because it feels like you're getting lower and lower) 



- found presets while working on IYWH and found Bass Boost which seems to compress the vocal well so that my inconsistent recording sounds more continuous and consistent. 


ROBOT:

For the extra bits of this song, I didn't want to add too much as I didn't want to take away from the slowness and melancholy of the song. Before I started, my plan was to add strings in order to create a bigger sound which will add more contrast in dynamics. I wanted to use real strings on the track but I planned them out using synths first off. 

I decided on having two violins but only one playing at the beginning to allow the song to build. I originally took off the strings during the pre chorus as I wanted to give a more minimalist sound during the sad lyrics to have more of a lack of support. I then took out the guitar and bass leaving only vocals and drums but I immediately didn't like it as it sounded too bare. I added the violins back in after a couple listens as I wanted it to bare back a little bit without giving away the isolation of the chorus where there are no strings. I did also take away strings on the last bar before the chorus and I'm going to add heavy reverb to make the moment more impactful as it enters the chorus. 

I developed the strings throughout by having two violins all the way through the second verse and then adding low strings during the second part of the pre chorus; having them develop also causes for a bigger impact when they go just before the chorus. 

Something I ended up adding was a bell sound during the chorus at the beginning of each bar as I wanted there to be more than just vocals, bass and drums as it felt too bare like that. It actually ended up working as it gave a magical aspect which feeds into the lyrics about seeing things as fiction as a type of denial. Another good aspect was this worked well with and enhanced the ride cymbal that my dad programmed on the beginning of each bar. However, I did have to use EQ to take off the higher frequencies as the sound was too harsh and clashed with my voice due to having similar pitches which meant it distracted from the main melody. 



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