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Part 2: Shepard Tone
shepard clip
chuck
I wasn't very sure how to manipulate the Shepard tone at first, so I played around with the increments in
in tone and time. I wanted to build up where the Shepard tone appears more intense with gradually slower or
faster increase in frequency. What ultimately worked is an exponential decay in INC, and I did not expect it
to sound like how it does, so it was an unexpected surprise, and the rippling effect is exactly what I wanted.
I also wanted to juxtapose the difference between a decaying shepard tone and another melody that increases in
frequency, which I find interesting to listen to.
The Drop Analysis
1. Immortal by DVBBS and Tony Junior
I usually don't listen to EDM, so this probably my first exposure to this genre of music, and
I find it interesting that other than the timbre of the tones that are very unique to EDM, the ways
in which the music is structured to enhance the effect of the drop is quite similar to classical music.
What I like about Immortal is that it starts off with intensity and builds upon volume and filter, but
it plays with listeners. The motif that it repeats can be a drop itself, but Immortal uses this attractive
rhythm and melody and creates a drop that is similar but slightly tweeked as the drop itself. As a result,
I felt that I was listening to a drop from the beginning, which is quite satisfying, but it is building for
another drop as if it's saying "there's something better after this." I also enjoyed how the build-up was
interrupted by a "sub-drop" that is also very catchy. Out of the EDMs I have explored this week, Immortal
stuck out because of its clever compositional style.
2. Soundtrack from The Untamed
Because I usually don't listen to EDM, I found drops in other compositions, and I think this piece offers
a great example of a drop in music that facilitates the development of a story. The soundtrack I link here
is actually a remix of different tracks in this show called The Untamed. From 2:35 to 3:00, there appears to
be a drop. I really like the filtering from eerie quietness that explodes into a full orchestra, and to me,
I get goosebumps. Another thing I really like is the flute trilling in the background as if stirring a
peaceful lake before the storm hits. The 10 seconds buildup also suits the drop itself very well, especially
the shimmering filter that creates a natural lead-in to the climbing notes of the motif.
Part 3: The Drop of No Drop
Final Drop Creation:
The Drop of No Drop
Chuck file
My Clips
frequency drop
timbre drop
tempo drop
Chuck Files
frequency drop
timbre drop
tempo drop
Reflection
The drop is defined as a build-up to the final drop, but I wanted to create a drop without any drop --
a build up in intensity that leads to nowhere. This is something I encounter frequently in classical
music repertoires, and being able to perform a believable drop while fading out suddenly is something
I took a long time to master and still haven't fully achieved, so I wanted to play with this idea in my
drop. The ripple effect I created from part 2 gave me some inspirations to build the intensity so the drop
is believable. I was also inspired by Immortal, where the buildup is interrupted by a small motif that plays
with listeners before building up to the drop, so I created something similar between the two rippling shepard
tones. My drop is also composed with a Modalbar, which I hoped to immitate the repetitive melody unique to the
baroque time period. I enjoyed fusing elements of classical music to a characteristic unique to modern music, the
Drop.
Potential Improvements
I would really like to build a shimmer effect right before the pause of the Drop that appears frequently in EDM
music, sort of sounding like a Gong, but I'm not sure how to create it. Something else that I could have included is
the Risset Rhythm, which is an infinite increase or decrease in tempo instead of frequency. I think this would add
to the intensity of the build-up. I'm thinking about potentially implementing this in my final project.