6. Behind the Beat

Photo Credits to Luis Morera

BEHIND THE BEat

By: Cameron Reyes

usic has been an important part of society’s development in culture and style since the beginning of civilization. As technology advances and becomes more and more integrated with our everyday lives It transforms all of our surroundings, including music. After the invention of being able to record sound on tape, music has followed in the footsteps of technological advancement. Whole professions became along with the new aspects of making a song. Production arists, sound engineers, and beat makers. Even so, popular production artists are still left in the shadows, casted by the voice and persona of the music star they work with. It’s time to bring the work behind the scenes to the spotlight.

Joe sheriff, an artist who uses an alias on Sound Better, makes his career by remixing songs into dance tracks. This supports his living exspenses so he can also work on his “Artist project”, being part of a band named,

‘The Pressure’, a duo band with his partner and close friend.

“So a lot of the time, I’m working with artists that are sort of, just up for a bit of a refreshment on what they already have, and a lot of the time, it’s to make their music more danceable. Maybe, like a club remix or something like that. Usually it’s in a house style or kinda EDM. But yeah, most of the time it has house influence, techo influence. Straight four to the floor, four for kick drum, that sort of thing,” Sheriff explained

Many musical artists with music production ability have begun to take advantage of this skill in order to support themselves. The music industry is a highly competitive environment, and it has more to do with strategy than talent. 90.7% of musical artists remain undiscovered and out of the remaining percentage only 1.1% achieve mainstream status. Blake Bergman, a talented instrumentalist who currently struggles with getting his work out to listeners, shared some of his thoughts on the matter.

“It’s hard, you know? Cause ever since I was little I was told that if I became an artist I would go hungry. That’s just the opinion people have of dreamers,” Bergman says he’s wanted to be a musician ever since he was little. His parents put him in piano lessons and he “just fell in love”

The introduction of the internet and technology to music making has skyrocketed the productivity of the industry. It has made music production much more accessible to a greater demographic of people. You no longer need a studio consisting of several persons to play each individual instrument for your music. Newly developed pieces of software like Ableton Live, FL studios, and Garage band allow you to create musical compositions without the problem of finding the capable people needed to play specific instruments. Another revolutionary addition to the music making process, that came with digital outlets, is the creation of sample packs. Sample packs, or plugins, are sounds created by other music creators by recording their instrument and then

Just as a generation changes and creates new popular sounds and genres, the same effect goes for popular plug-ins. As you look through the eras of the music industry, you will notice common sounds recurring within the instrumentals of that time’s greatest hits.

“There are so many plugins right now that you can hear in a lot of contemporary pop music. I’m always looking for those, the latest ones, the ones that are going to end up shaping music in the future,” Sheriff says after being asked about his favorite instrument to start with when

Photo Credits to Mishaal Zahed

James S, a producer, profiled on Sound Better, offers the ability to produce ghost tracks. A ghost track similar to ghost-writing for lyrics, is an instrumental in which the producer doesn’t credit themselves remaining anonymous. The contracts these songs are under are often airtight, not allowing the producer to even mention it to his close friends and family. No sound signature is left in the track, leaving the masses without any knowledge of who produced the track behind the song.

“I kinda just sat back and watched it play out, kinda smug ya know. That I did something like that and no one knows.”

QUOTE : JAMES .S “I don’t mind actually, it’s kinda fun to, ya know, have a secret like that. Once, my friends actually ended up listening to a song I helped produce. I kinda just sat back and watched it play out, kinda smug ya know. That I did something like that and no one knows. I’m also a lil shy about praise, so it works for me, ya know?” James recalled.

This thriving, intricate, and complex industry is constantly growing and evolving.

Photo Credits to Henry Perks

Photo Credits to Lee Campbell

Being founded on all the little pieces being used within the instrumentals and mixing of a song that is often overlooked by the mainstream community. Technology has allowed us to perform amazing acts that will be marked by humanity within our species’ history. One of these acts, of course, being music. I urge you to listen for the different layers in a song. The pianos’ long calm synth in the background, or the energizing fast pacing of the drum kit. Pick the work apart, see how it works together, I promise it will enhance your enjoyment of your favorite songs. “It’s a balance really, thats what people don’t realize. Music is so much more than what you hear in the car on the way to work or on your spotify picks. It means something, it always means something to someone.”

QUOTE : JAMES .S Know that it’s not just the artist’s persona that made this piece come together. Although not to take away from their sacrifice and devotion to being a performer.

Just appreciating art for the people that are expressing themselves makes it more relatable. That’s all we humans really ever look for, isn’t it? We want to be a part of something, and music gives us that. Music brings us together and comforts us when we’re torn apart, even as we rocket into the advancements of the future.

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WRITTEN AND EDITED BY CAMERON REYES

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