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Throughout his Soundfly course, we see Son Lux’s Ryan Lott work on and play with sounds and instruments, often ruminating on the roles they could play within songs or tracks along the way. He describes a range of ideas: pulsating bass lines, textured pads, and interesting beats, just to name a few.
In the song “Live Another Life,” we really get to hear his process and skills in action. There are a few things in particular that stand out.
1. Start with compelling sounds.
The gyil provides a rhythmic element that’s textural and tonal. It’s clicky and percussive, but harmonic and melodic as well (especially around 1:53 when the higher notes come in). The loop it provides serves as a backbone throughout the song. It’s a nice complement the simple, percussive piano part.
On the other hand, the cello part is smooth, dark, and warm. It sharply contrasts the bounciness of the gyil. It sets the emotional tenor for the song, working well with the vocals and other legato elements.
Within the arrangement, both instruments play critical roles in spite of the ways in which they contrast with one another.
2. Always look to create sonic contrasts.
As we’ve seen throughout the course, Ryan is intrigued by balance and dichotomies. That interest often proves to be fertile ground for inspiration.
Custom instruments can be used to create all sorts of timbres and textures. That provides unique opportunities for arrangers, especially when looking for something to add to a piece of music that’s already in progress. For example, if you have a lot of warm tones, try adding an instrument that’s brighter and more abrasive. If you have a steady drum groove, try adding an element that’s slightly off-kilter, unpredictable, or arrhythmic.
Tip: Use the concept of contrast as a starting point when designing your next instrument. Think about the qualities you already have in mind for your song and what might stand in contrast to them.
3. Never stop exploring the infinite power of loops.
Because it’s played in repetition, the gyil has an comfortable, yet interesting rhythmic feel in “Live Another Life.”
We saw that sort of thing in several lessons in the course, including “Off the Grid” and “Your Brain, Retrained.” When rhythms are looped in that way, our ears sort of get used to parts that may have once felt random or irrational.
Tip: Find a unique and compelling rhythmic moment in a sample or performance. Then, loop it until your ears start to acclimate and you feel a pulse. Then, use that moment as the rhythmic foundation for a new track.
4. Embrace the organic.
Each time Ryan created an instrument throughout the course, he took the time to play and get to know it. He played high notes, low notes, sustained chords, staccato melodies, and so forth while discovering the instrument’s character and capabilities. It’s a crucial part of his process, as he’s constantly listening for creative possibilities and unexpected sonic elements.
Tip: Give yourself the chance to come up with parts organically by playing your new instruments and responding to what you hear. You can even jam along with existing songs to see what ideas emerge!
5. Change your soundscapes over time.
One of the most compelling aspects of Ryan’s musical style is the way things tend to shift and evolve. An initial sound may draw you in, but the way it progresses keeps you interested. He makes this happen in several ways, including through the use of filters that open and close and by arranging parts in such a way that the relationships between instruments seem to change.
Just as a strong melody has a clear arc, a good arrangement tells a story. When you’re working with custom instruments, the tools you have for creating that narrative are practically endless. Think about the musical details, sounds, and ideas you find dynamic — the ones most likely to contribute to the energy and evolution you want to create. That could mean incorporating a filter that gradually opens over the course of an intro or building a wall of background vocals, one layer at a time.
Tip: Chart the dynamics and energy of your next piece of music and look for ways your instruments can support that. Think about how the evolution of an instrument can make rises more obvious, drops hit harder, or dramatic moments feel a little more tense.
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6. Starting on familiar ground is a useful tool.
The cello in “Live Another Life” sounds kind of, but not quite like a French horn. The buzzy instrument Ryan created in Section 5 had such a great synth bass tone, it’s hard to believe it started as a high-pitched sample of a human voice. Through preparation and processing, three keys on a piano practically became an entire ensemble of their own.
When in doubt, start with something familiar and look for ways to push beyond your first instincts and ideas listeners might expect. If you want to sample a snare drum, great! But challenge yourself to think outside the box. What if each time you hit the drum with your drum stick, your other hand simultaneously tapped the shell? If you’re recording vocal sounds, how many ways to sing the same note can you come up with?
Tip: As a practice exercise, set aside some time to experiment with an instrument or sound source you know really well. Think about all the obvious ways to use it to create sound. Then, try to push yourself beyond those and see what you can come up with!
7. Try to take new approaches with “normal” roles.
You can always treat a new sound you’ve created like a more run-of-the-mill instrument, at least as a starting place. Again, we heard a cello behave like a French horn, a voice become a bass synth, and a trio of piano keys transform into something reminiscent of some kind of mallet ensemble.
A new instrument does not have to take on an entirely novel role within an arrangement. It’s okay to adhere to standard expectations now and then. Thinking about the way standard instruments tend to work together can give you a solid starting framework.
Tip: Next time you create an instrument, ask yourself it reminds you of anything else. Then, try treating it the way you might its more traditional equivalent. What kind of part could you write to make it fill the role of the strings section? What if it was a synth bass? How might you make it act more like a backup singer?
8. Know that there are no rules.
Finally, it’s worth remembering that there isn’t exactly a textbook on how to use custom instruments. In many ways, you’re paving new territory for yourself with the sounds you use.
Experimentation is a key part of the process. Feel free to run down rabbit holes, forgive yourself when something doesn’t work out, and give exciting ideas a try even if they don’t quite seem to make technical sense.
Don’t stop here!
Continue learning with hundreds of lessons on songwriting, mixing, recording and production, composing, beat making, and more on Soundfly, with artist-led courses by Kimbra, Com Truise, Jlin, Kiefer, and the new Ryan Lott: Designing Sample-Based Instruments.
