Welcome to the Sound Konstrukta Lab

This is one of those pieces that came to me from improvising on the guitar. I came up with a bass line first, recorded that and then built the chord harmonies, rythmn and melody around that.

For the bass I actually use a normal six string strat. I record at normal pitch, apply a little distortion to ensure a rich ‘fat’ sound. I play this line along to the drum track. Having obtained a satisfactory recording of the bass line I then pitch shift the track down by an octave so that it’s in the same register as a bass guitar. The rest is then experimenting with equalisation/filters and dynamics to create a full bass sound. I could have saved a lot of trouble by writing something via MIDI, but I wanted to play it live and improvise a little - much more fun! For the guitar solo I instantly knew the sound I was after. Not too much distortion but enough to create sustain, depth and character. I didn’t use a guitar pick. I feel much more of a connection with the instrument when playing this way.

I added a second lead guitar halfway through to change the dynamics a bit.

I added piano and synth sounds last - just to add a wider sound for some sections.

A very enjoyable piece to write and record!

Paul

October 2012