The single “Chess” has been released: melodic techno with acid fragments. Not an authentic 303 from Roland, but an imitation. I wanted to check how such a sound would fit into the genre. Checked.
I often come up with the name of the track in advance when I make the first draft. I save the project and immediately give it a name. And this name largely determines the sound and idea of the track. It was like that with Summer Holidays on Mars, with Poker Face, with Reunion. Usually, the connection between the name and the sound is clear only to me. In the last case, the name evoked associations with “Blade Runner” and its soundtrack by Vangelis.
With “Chess,” it turned out differently. I chose a name for the track in advance, as usual. But I didn’t understand how this name would “sound.” The name came from the moment: I had just finished watching a big chess tournament. And there was no sound to come from…
It appeared by accident: the idea came from a completely different project. I was making a track draft in FL Studio. I worked with Transistor — a plugin for a more or less accurate imitation of the Roland 303 sound. Then, somehow, I accidentally got stuck on a video “how to make a 303 in Ableton.” So I decided to try it.
In the end, the 303 is a “game” with a filter. You can replicate the signature character, albeit not exactly, on any modern synthesizer. So I did. I simulated it. It turned out to be quite an interesting phrase. The track grew around it. Moreover, the it lost its leading role in the course of work. It went into the background. The leading party is made in a more familiar sound for melodic techno.
The acid part is not the only experiment in the track. Another one is the way to find a suitable melody. I don’t have an external MIDI keyboard. Usually, I draw notes with a mouse or use different plugins. This time I decided to try using a computer keyboard to record melody ideas.
I set up a note filter so as not to fall out of key, turned on the recording… I recorded long “playings.” From which I chose interesting pieces, adjusted the notes with a mouse. It turned out great. Even too melodic for the genre: I couldn’t force myself to cut the parts even more.
Surprisingly, the adventures with the track did not end there. When I was doing the final mix, I accidentally shifted one of the notes in the bass part out of key. I didn’t notice right away: my hearing isn’t that fine. I realized that I had messed up only when I started transferring the part to Digitakt. There the sound of the bass is different, it cut through the ear…
Well, changing the part and doing the export again is five minutes. Another 15 minutes was spent writing to the distributor that the wrong file rolled into the release. Then I sit and wait for them to reply that the file has been replaced. Everything worked out. You will hear the correct version.
These are the adventures I had with Chess. Shall we go listen?
You can download this track from my boosty page for free from July 19, 2024. Until that time, the track is available for download for a small fee or by subscription.
P.S. As for the sketch in FL Studio. It didn’t disappear. The track with it will be released later this year.