The Power & Emotion
Next to structure, arrangement is a vital part of crafting a powerful and emotive song. We’re dealing with timbre (the sound of an instrument/voice), texture (layering of instrument and voices) and the interplay of those instruments and voices (melody, harmony, rhythm).
It’s important to think of arranging like mixing and both are very much linked. It’s a complex game of fitting together instruments so their frequencies and rhythmic phrases compliment each other. A great arrangement means a great mix which in turn equals an powerful and emotive release.
Here’s some things to consider:
Is there an appropriate spread of instruments across the frequency spectrum?
A great arrangement will mean your mix will shine. This means you need to be conscious of the space in the frequency spectrum the instruments in your track occupy. Depending on the genre, get used to thinking about arranging your song in terms of frequencies. The mid-range is often where things get crowded so pay special attention to this.
Listen to the song and listen to what’s happening in:
- Sub bass – 20Hz – 80Hz
- High bass/Low Mids – 80 – 400Hz
- Midrange – 400 – 2000Hz
- Upper midrange – 2000 – 10,000 Hz
- Highs – 10,000 – 20,000 Hz
Are there areas that sound crowded where there’s a lot going on and it obscures what the instruments are playing? The culprits are usually from the upper midrange down. (A more detailed explanation of the frequency spectrum and where instruments sit in an arrangement)
Try This
If you’re listening back to your song on headphones, place them around your neck, and listen to each section. Take notes of what you can and can’t hear. With the bits you can’t hear, try muting them and seeing how it changes the energy of the section. Try this with headphones on too. If muting the part doesn’t take away emotion or energy for the section, consider removing it. If it’s too big of a change, try automating that part down in the mix. I like to work in increments of 3dB so try bringing it down 3dB, then 6db etc.
Are there holes in the arrangement where it sounds empty when it shouldn’t?
Some intros should sound empty, the same with some verses but a chorus or bridge that empties out arrangement wise is generally not going to push the energy of the song in the right direction.
You can generally feel this “emptiness” as you transition from the verse to the chorus or the chorus to the bridge and the arrangement isn’t right. You know it should feel bigger but the energy goes down.
You can fix this by adding to the section that should feel bigger or removing something from the section before to make the new section sound bigger. You can also use high frequency instruments, faster rhythms or both to help increase the perceived energy of a section. You can also cheat this by dropping out instruments – usually bass or drums before – section to help the next section hit harder.
How you solve this issue is genre dependent. So the solution needs to fit appropriately.
Try This
If I’ve got a section that needs “lift” and I want to add something, I’ll listen to the transition and will beatbox a rhythmic element or sing a melodic part that I could add to lift the energy. This immediate organic response is natural and often the strongest I find. You can play things on your instrument but you’re responding instinctively rather than adding the layer of an instrument to the translation of your idea.
Does each instrument have a distinct role and purpose?
Continuing on from the point above but a little different. Avoid unnecessary doubling or redundant parts. Sometimes you write something you really like and try to squeeze it in. In the end it’s in there just because you like it and NOT because it’s enhancing the song.
Try This
Mute all the tracks in your project. Go to the busiest part of the song and loop it. Unmute the drums, bass, vocals. Now add in what you consider the next most important part, then the next etc. If at any point the addition of a part leads to the song losing emotion, energy etc. chances are that part isn’t necessary, should be turned down in that section or re-written and recorded again.
Bottom line, if it’s really not working, take it out. If you really love it, keep it for another song.
Are you manipulating dynamics as more layers are brought in?
When you add an instrument or voice, you’re naturally adding extra frequencies and volume. Instead of reaching for an EQ which adjusts the volumes of certain frequencies you should try reaching for the volume of the part first. This is something to be aware of if you’re recording live, the dynamics of your playing should follow the natural dynamics of the song.
If you’re sending your song to be mixed, automation is still valid BUT personally I prefer to make those automation moves once the mix is done and I have a rough balance. You can make suggestions to your mix engineer or if you’re sharing a project file from the same DAW and they can see the automation you’ve added and make notes to do the same when they get to that place in the mix. For reasons why I like to leave automation until the mix is pretty much done you can read this blog post.
Are there interesting and dynamic transitions between sections?
Variations in instrumentation, rhythm, or effects create movement and surprise. Remember texture, frequency and rhythm:
- Adding layers increases the texture and helps a section take a step up in energy.
- Adding high frequencies creates energy. Crashes on the first beat of the chorus help introduce the next section and tail out nicely. Adding in a tambourine or other high frequency percussion instrument helps lift a chorus.
- Adding bass creates body and power. Having a verse where the bass is quieter, sparse or completely out will add serious impact when the chorus hits. Same with taking out the kick drum.
- Going from longer notes to shorter note rhythms increases the energy of a section. Long held bass notes in the verse going into more pumping 8th notes is immediately going to up the energy.
Is there a clear hierarchy of importance among the instruments?
The lead vocal or main melody is going to be the most prominent aspect of the song. How you build your arrangement should support and compliment that melody. Here are some things to consider:
- Are there instruments that are competing for space with the vocals or main melody? Can the part be adjusted to give the melodic focus space.
- Are there melodies from other instruments smearing the vocal melody or just making everything too busy.
- If you have multiple melodic parts, are they creating unwanted harmonic relationships? I was recently working on a mix project with multiple guitar melodies and two of them ventured into dissonance for two beats which made the mix harmonically cloudy. I had to dip the volume on one of the parts to resolve this BUT it really should have been sorted out in the arrangement phase.
A Great Arrangement Makes For An Amazing Mix
When I’m mixing a song, I can tell pretty quickly how well the mix is going to come together based on the arrangement. With a less thought out arrangement, I have to work harder and tinker more. Spending the time to lock in your arrangement is time well spent.
One final rule of thumb, if you can balance a mix just using faders and it sounds clear and powerful without any other processing, your arrangement is probably pretty solid.
Now we’ve looked at some of the things to look out for to get a solid arrangement we can dive into production in the next blog.
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