Creative Techniques for Singers, Songwriters and Composers

In this first chapter you’ll discover how Jamie Lidell’s passion for music started. Anecdotes about his first instruments, his first tracks and his first live performances will show you how anyone can make it in the industry with enough courage and practice.

There are many ways you get into the music industry, but here you’ll learn how Jamie made it. Hear about his best and worst moments throughout his career and what he learnt along the way. Use this chapter to find new paths that you can take to get to where you want to be.

Jamie has years of experience writing music, and it’s not something that always comes easy. In this chapter he’ll give you tips for starting a song or a track, which you can use in your process. Don’t waste time staring at the blank page, get inspired and creative today!

Sitting at Jamie’s piano, he uses a small motor to manipulate the sounds of the strings, something creative you can record to make organic sounds.

Analog reverb can bring a unique feeling to your tracks. Here, Jamie plays around with the piano’s natural reverb to produce new sounds.

Why not use the objects you have around you to manipulate the sounds of instruments. Something as simple as black tape on the hammers of a piano can change the quality of the sound.

Another creative example of how you can play with sounds and instruments to produce something new. Try this at home with anything that makes sound, using different materials to alter the texture; record it and use it for a track.

Using the Korg MS20 and a simple patch, learn how to track the pitch of your vocals and manipulate your voice with infinite possibilities. This is another way for you to get creative and inspire new sounds in your music.

Guitar pedals can be very cheap, and infinitely fun. Test different pedal effects with Jamie to hear how they alter your voice.

Going a step further using some small synthesiser pedals, you’ll see even more creative ways to manipulate your voice or instruments. Sometimes it’s not perfect, but it will inspire you to try new techniques.

Something as unassuming as the Casio SK-1 can create unique melodies and patterns. With a built-in recorder, you can play with the keyboard and the different sample rates to come up with new melodies, another way to remove the creative block.

Imperfections in microphones will bring unexpected tones and textures to your vocals. You don’t need the most expensive equipment, just your creativity and willingness to experiment.

Here’s another physical way to make sounds with objects from your house. A transducer speaker and contact mic on a metal object can produce interesting sounds. Use the recording as a kick or a snare in your next track.

This could be something you’ve never seen before. Using different liquids and blowing bubbles, this chapter will definitely make you view sound production in a new way.

If you’re interested in modular synthesis, here you’ll learn Jamie’s Eurorack patch. Looping vocals, stacking effects and manipulating signals, you will definitely get some new ideas for your music.

Ever heard of a Leslie effect. Well here, Jamie physically produces a Leslie effect with a turn table, something which can be done on your computer, but becomes more exciting when you do it for real.

Using RX and vocal chopping, Jamie takes the recordings from chapter 3 to start a structure for a song. Here you will learn a new way to bring your vocal tests to life.

Following along from his previous improvised recordings, he re-records the vocals using a professional microphone to form the basis of his new track. You’ll learn vocal recording techniques used in industry-level studios for the next time you go to record yourself or a singer.

Ever been interested in beatboxing? It’s an organic way to get the bassline you want without having to search for it. After some chopping and tuning, you’ll have a unique bassline with an organic groove.

This is one of my favourite vocal effects. Using the Ableton resampler, you can create your own backing vocals to fill out your track and make a chorus effect. It’s a technique that Jamie has use when recording with major artists, and it’s something you can do in your own tracks.

In this chapter, Jamie Lidell stresses the importance of making your own sound library to set your sound apart from the rest. Take a look through his Splice sample library, you’ll learn how to EQ and control any sound to be ready to place in your song.

In an experiment, Jamie takes the underwater recordings from a previous chapter to show how you can find musicality in everything. By chopping and sampling sounds, you’ll learn to get creative with anything that you record.

Moving away from the computer, he decides to use his hallway space to create echo effects and reverb with a binaural mic, with only physical space. This will fatten your vocals and is another way to make a chorus effect.

Finally, using all the recordings from the Masterclass, Jamie Lidell arranges the clips to create his track, adding new sounds and vocals where he sees fit. Enjoy the process and wait for the (almost) finished product.