Examination of Sound Design: Unraveling the Secrets of Burial's Unique Audio Approach
In an exciting new series titled "Producer Analysis," Chris Martin, a Course Developer at a renowned music production school, has released a video demonstrating how to create a dark trap beat using Burial's production techniques.
Burial, a celebrated music producer known for his influence in the UK underground scenes, is the first producer to be analysed in this series. His unique style, characterized by shuffle-y dark UKG beats, ambient textures, and emotional vocal work, has left an indelible mark on the music industry. Burial's releases can be found on Kode9's Hyperdub label.
To create a dark trap beat inspired by Burial's style, focus on these key elements:
- Atmosphere and texture: Burial’s music is known for its atmospheric imperfections like vinyl crackle, tape hiss, and subtle audio artifacts that create a haunting, timeless vibe. You can add vinyl crackle or tape noise samples layered subtly beneath your track to emulate this textured, "imperfect" sonic atmosphere.
- Dark, modulated bass: Use a Reese bass or similar synth bass with detuned oscillators and filtered low-passed frequencies to generate a rich, dark, and slightly wobbly bass tone. Apply subtle modulation to the filter cutoff with an LFO synced to your tempo for that signature dynamic movement in the bass.
- Sparse, moody drums: Composing trap-style drums but keep them minimalistic and somewhat off-grid to maintain an eerie, unsettled feeling. Use sharp but muffled snares, tight hi-hats, and deep, punchy kicks arranged with rhythmic variation.
- Atmospheric sampling and effects: Incorporate ethereal vocal chops, distant reverbs, and delays. Burial often used reverb-drenched samples that blend into the mix, creating a spatial and emotional depth.
- Lo-fi and spatial mixing: Use subtle saturation, bit reduction, or tape emulation effects to add grit and lossiness, simulating aged recordings. Keep the sub-bass centered and widen higher frequency elements slightly to achieve spatial contrast without losing low-end power.
- Mood-driven workflow: Burial reportedly produced while driving through South London at night, using the environment’s mood as an influence and reference point for the atmosphere and pace of his music.
The school offering this course is providing a 25% discount on selected online and LA courses. Use the codes ONLINE25 and LA25 at checkout before July 6th to avail this offer. The school offers courses in London, LA, and online, and users can study in London and get a free module worth £1,995 by signing up before the deadline.
The school's free resources include music-making tools and tutorials provided by their team. To access these resources, users need to register on the school's website. After registration, they can visit the Free Stuff page to access the exclusive resources.
The "Producer Analysis" series aims to break down key techniques used by influential producers to create their signature sound and apply them in different ways. The series does not specify the number of producers to be analysed.
Chris Martin's video demonstrating how to create a dark trap beat using Burial's production techniques is just the beginning of this exciting series. Stay tuned for more insights and tutorials from the school's team.
- With the school's course on music production, students can learn to create a dark trap beat inspired by Burial's style, focusing on atmospheric imperfections, dark bass, sparse drums, atmospheric sampling, lo-fi mixing, and mood-driven workflow – skills that can be applied to various music genres in the field of education-and-self-development.
- Those interested in entertainment can delve deeper into the topic of music production by learning from Chris Martin's “Producer Analysis” series, which offers insights and tutorials on key techniques used by influential producers like Burial, demonstrating how to adapt these methods for personal creativity and enhancing one's skills in technology.
