My track "Frost" was recently used on the trailer for The Pale Blue Eye, and I'm really excited to break down how I wrote it.
What makes me particularly proud of this one is that it features cello playing—and normally I'd call my friend Tim to play cello parts, but this time it was all me. And I'm going to show you how I did it, because it's kind of hilarious.
Starting With the Raw Sketch
Although I'm a big fan of templates and shortcuts when I work, for tracks like this I load up a ton of audio channels and just start recording.
I record my voice, whatever instruments are nearby, and I sketch the track in this form first—all recorded using my own loops.
On this track, I'm doing vocals, playing the recorder, playing the cello, using my singing bowl, and playing violin.
There's also another vocalist doing more manly-sounding mantras with a great growl to his voice, kind of like a proper metal singer.
Then I layer all the trailer elements on top afterwards, which is actually the opposite of how I often work (usually I do the big hits and effects first, then add the organic elements).
But with this type of music, I really just like to open up the mic and start recording.
Act One: Setting the Atmosphere
I start by setting the tone and getting the atmosphere right. For this track, the stage was set by two key sounds:
- A cello drone
- A singing bowl drone
I'm a huge fan of singing bowls—I absolutely love them. These two elements formed my Act One Part One.
Then for Act One Part Two, I introduce something new—whether that's a thematic element, a riff, or a rhythm.
In this case, it was the descending cello bassline. This became the main thing used in the trailer.
Recording the Cello (When You Can't Really Play Cello)
Here's my secret: I recorded each cello note separately. I'd record one note, press stop, make sure I got the right note, record the next one, press stop.
I recorded them all separately because my ability to play the cello is that bad. I can hold the bow, and I can hold my finger in the right place—that's pretty much it.
So for those of you thinking you can't record real instruments because you don't have the capabilities: with string instruments, there's a certain amount of give and take.
I just played the note, recorded it, played the note, recorded it, and then cut them all together in Logic.
Don't let your limitations stop you.
Building the Layers
Adding Secondary Ambience
I like to introduce a second layer of ambience on top of the initial drones. In this case, it was chanting.
The idea with this album was to put chanting and vocal sounds pretty front and center.
I made up a load of invented sounds and got the vocalist to repeat them. I might be saying something filthy in another language and would never know!
But when you layer these vocals with the instrumentals and drums, it creates this wonderful, textured build.
The Rhythm Approach: Steve Reich's Influence
Steve Reich's "Clapping Music" is a huge influence on me when it comes to writing rhythms.
I generally take a rhythm and treat it the same way he treated rhythms in that piece—through phasing.
You start with a rhythm, then take that same rhythm but start it a bar later, kind of like a melodic canon but with rhythms.
This creates beautifully intricate movement going left and right, forwards and backwards.
It gives you wonderful growth without having to think of any new rhythms.
I start with one rhythmic element—in this case, col legno (hitting the wood of the bow on the strings) to create a ticking sound.
Then I layer and phase these rhythms.
This theme runs through all the Throat albums, and it's really fun because it enables me to take one idea and progress it into a two or three-minute build.
The Percussion Build
I emphasise the pulse with ticking sounds, then use big drums to pick out certain aspects of the rhythm.
There isn't a huge amount of compositional theory behind this, except for the layering of rhythms that are usually staggered or at least variations of one another.
I try to keep the bass lines and harmony very simple. You'll very rarely hear me playing a bassline in Throat tracks that's not one note - this track was uncommon in that regard.
When I first did it, the early feedback was uncertain about going into a melodic bassline, but I really pushed for it, and I'm glad it landed.
The Trailerization Process
From there, it's about adding the trailer elements:
- String rises at the back end
- Doubling down on rhythms
- Making things hit harder, louder, quicker
- Really hammering home that build
My Recording Setup (It's Simpler Than You Think)
I used to bother getting my decent condenser mics out, but these days I just record right here at my desk. I know it's lazy, but I'm pretty happy with the sounds I get.
The track editor's mix is different from mine - I tend toward more ambient sounds, whereas when Toby mixes them and when trailer editors get hold of them, they move the ambience away and bring out all the punch, bite, and character.
The Key Takeaway: Embrace Your Limitations
What I want you to take away from this track is that your limitations can be a blessing.
I did not allow my inability to play the cello to prevent me from recording a bassline I wanted recorded.
I often try sample libraries and think, "yeah, that sounds good, but does it sound gritty? Does it sound real?" That's what I was going for with this—a lovely sense of organic things happening.
I'm not even trying to pretend there's legato going on. I didn't play it in time. I haven't even bothered to quantise it (though it probably was quantised further down the line by the mixing engineers).
So much of this stuff I wanted to sound human and real, and quantising removes that—or at least part of it.
My Advice to You
- Get hold of a second-hand string instrument and just have a go
- Don't worry about timing or tuning too much at the sketching stage
- Work quickly with your mouth and whatever instruments are nearby
- Sketch ideas out fast without worrying about perfection
- Let the freedom of creation come out
It's about being excited about the creation of your track.
Sometimes I work really quickly with one-shots to create the shape of a track.
Other times, I work quickly with my voice and an instrument nearby so I can sketch ideas out fast.
Don't let your limitations stop you. Let your limitations push you forward.
If you're interested in learning more about writing for trailers, check out my Trailer Music courses.
