LiamLyttle

StudentNumber:1010623

AUD110.3SongAnalysis

Intro

Earlydubstepinthelate90’swasa“London-centricoffshootofU.K.garagethatabsorbed

and transfiguredelementsofdrum'n'bass, techno,anddub” (allmusic,n/a).This sub-bass

centricmusicwasratherminimalisticbytoday’sstandards,butastimeprogressedthrough

to the late 2000’s the focus slowly shifted from the low end to the mid-range, whilst

maintainingtheheavysub-bassfrequencies.“(2006)wastheturningpoint,theentrypointin

drumandbassproductionwassohigh,thiswasaroundthesametimethatPendulumcame

outofdrumandbass so it seemedyour tuneshad tobeata certain level togetplayed,

Dubstepwasstillwellproducedbutitwasmoreaboutthevibes…youcoulddomoreminimal

stuff,youcandowhatyouwant,evenifit’ssoundsabitropey,aslongasit’sgotbassweight,

andisabout140bpm,that’sit.”(Melia,2015)

EventhoughthereweredubstepartistsandlabelsinAmerica,itwasn’tuntilSkrillexbroke

ontothescenein2011thatdubstepreallytookafootholdinthemainstream.Thiswouldn’t

havehappenedwithoutthehelpofhistwomentorsandfuturecollaborators,JohnDadzie

(the founderofSMOGrecords,betterknownas12thPlanet)and JoelZimmerman (better

knownasDeadmau5,thefounderofSkrillex’sfirstlabel,Mau5trap)(Leatherman,2011).

Forproducers,thisiterationofdubstepwasfreshandexciting,butitwasalsoconvenient—tempos

and textures aligned nicelywith current rap tracks, particularly from the South,which blasted

blockysynthmelodiesthatseemedtosplitthedifferencebetweenmetalandtechno.“Wobble,”as

itcametobeknownforitsoscillatingbass,couldrattleribsindingyclubs,festivaltents,oronthe

radio(Gaerig,2013).

Thepurposeofthisassignmentistoanalyzeinfluentialdubsteptrack,ScaryMonstersand

Nice Sprites, by Skrillex. It will serve as a guide to the songs structure as well as giving

informationontheinstrumentationandtheeffectitaimedtoachieve.

SongBreakdown

ScaryMonstersandNiceSpritesbySkrillexwasthetitularsingleoffthesecondEPfromthe

“FromFirsttoLast”singerturnedproducer.Widelyregardedasbirthofthe“brostep”craze,

the now double platinum Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (SM&NS) (Recording Industry

AssociationofAmerica,2016)waswritteninGMinorina4/4timesignatureatatempoof

140beatsperminute,thesefigureswerefoundusingMixedInKey8,aharmonicmixingtool

forDJ’s.Thistimesignatureisessentialforallgenresofdancemusicaswithoutbeingableto

easilymixasonglive,itishighlyunlikelytobeplayedbyotherDJ’s.Thetempoisalsostandard

forthegenrewithmostdubsteptracksbeingwrittenat140bpm,thoughthishaschangedin

recentyearstoaslightlyfaster145or150bpm

Skrillex’ssongwritingskillsaresecondtononeindancemusic,andhisabilitytojuxtaposehis

electroinfluenceswith“sickandgorystyleofSkrillexdubstepthatisliketheaudioequivalent

ofagorycarcrash” (Leatherman,2011).The track is composedof8barphraseswhich is

commonwithindancemusicasitallowsittoeasilymixintoothersongsofthesamelength.

Inordertoaccuratelyrepresentthisasystemof(beat/bar)willbeusedtoaccuratelyportray

thepointinthesongthatisbeingreferringtoo.ThesongstructureisIntro-Verse-Breakdown–

Dropx4–Verse–Breakdown-Dropx4-Breakdown-Outro.Allphrasesofthesongare8barsin

length,apartfromthedropwhichis4repeatedphraseswiththelastbeing2barsshort.The

lead,piano,vocalandchordmelodymidi information for thisassignmentwas taken from

NonStop2k (NonStop2k, 2011). Additional info on the bass (Volt Punk, 2016) and vocal

processing(HowtoAbleton,2011)werefoundonYoutube.

Thefirstphrase(1/1)beginswiththeimmediatelypresentdistortedelectro-sawsynthwitha

heavyhigh-passfilterautomatedtoslowlyturnoffoverthephrase.Themelodyofthesynth

isunderlinedbythechordspatternfrompads.Thedelayedhighhatsalso immediatepan

hardeartoear,creatingarhythmicsensationforthelistener,thisisthenenforcedat(1/5)

bytheadditionofaclassicdubstepkickandsnarepatternwiththekickonthefirstbeatof

thebarandthesnareofthethird.Thesekicksandsnaresareheavilyhighpassfilteredinthe

first phrase, yet you can still hear some compression. As the melody of the main synth

progressesthekicksnarepatternisvariedat(1/7)topreparethelistenertotheendofthe

phrase. Insteadofthepreviouspatternon1and3,therearekickat(1/7), (2.75/7), (1/8),

(1.7/8)and(2.5/8),thelastthreeofwhichareatripletbeforethenormalsnareat(3/8)and

anadditionaloneon(4/8).

Verse one begins at second phrase (1,9) with the now unfiltered electro-sawwhere the

distortionismorepresentthanbefore.Thesynthitselfislikelymadeupofmultiplelayersof

differentsynthsofvariousqualitiesandfrequencies.Themaintransitionfromthefirstphrase

tothesecondistheun-filteringofthedrumswhichbringsthemtotheforefrontofthemix.

Thehighhatsarenowgatedtotakethembackinthemix,addingswing.Thenewpresenceis

thebasssynthplayingabassmelody,accompaniedbyapadaddingathicklayeroflowend

givingthetrackwarmthinthemiddle.Theheavilycompressedkickandsnarebothsitinthe

centerofthemix,surroundbythesynthsandpadinstereo.

ThemainsynthmelodyisplayedthroughSylenth1aVSTpluginsynth,whileSkrillexwould

havemodifiedthepatchhimself, it iswidelythoughtthathestartedonapresetcalledLD

Screamer,tookoffthesecondoscillatorandturnedoffthedelayandreverb(/r/Skrillex,2013)

(dubstepforum.com,2011)(kvraudio.com,2013).

ThemelodystartsonGinthe3rdoctaveoftheGMajorScale,goingonseveralleapsandruns

betweentheupperandloweroctaveG’s.Themelodyoccursontheeightnoteswith2rests,

thefirstsnareofthephrase(3,9)andthesecondonthesixteenthnotbeforethesecondsnare

(2.5,10). These rests add groove to the track by emphasizing the percussion. At the

breakdown(1,17)thepercussionistakenawayafteronlythefirstkickreverberatesout,with

thenowhighpassfilteredmelodyjoinedbythevocalmelody.ThevocalmelodyisSkrillex’s

ownvoice,anditfadesinslowly2barsearly(1,15)toforeshadowthecomingmelody.The

deliberately unintelligible and auto-tuned vocal is sliced in certain parts to give it an

unnatural, robotic feel. A triplicate kick drum plays before the melody, and all other

instruments in the track end a bar short of the phrase (1,24). Skrillex uses a now classic

dubsteptechnique,ofsamplingaviralYouTubevideoasaprecursortohisdrop,forSM&NS

hechoseacutfromRachaelNedrow’s(akaspeedstackgirl)“7.00!!!OMG!!!NEWPB!OMG!!

OMG!!!SOCLOSETOSIX!!OOMMGG!!!”,avideo,andreactiontohersettinganewpersonal

beststackingcups.Inthe“Yes,Ohmygosh”thatSkrillexuses,headdssomecompressionto

matchittothevolumeofhistrack,aswellasspeedingupthetimebetweentheyesandthe

oh,tofitinthebar.Thisnotonlyaddstotheenergyofthetrack,butalsoitsmemorability.

“Youcan’ttalkaboutinfluentialdubstepdropswithoutmentioningSkrillex’sScaryMonsters

andNiceSprites,itsetthestandardofdubstepforthenext2or3yearsandeveryoneand

theirdogtriedtocopythatdrop”(Skism,2016).Thefounderofthe independentdubstep

label,NeverSayDie,certainlyisn’tlyingwhenhesaysSM&NSsetthestandard.Skrillex’sarray

of bass growls are impressivebecause the carefulmodulationheuses to get thatunique

timbrefitsperfectly intohisexistingdrumpattern.Thelistenerdoesn’thavetopayactive

attention to the rhythm as it has been simplified by changing the previous triplicate kick

patterntoa2baralternatingpatternwithsinglealwaysonthefirstbeat,adoublekickand

justafterthesecondbeatofthesecondbar.Thisiscomplimentedbyasnareonthethird

beatofeachbar.Thehighhatsnowonlyplayontheotherdrumhitsinsteadofintheirown

pattern,andthissimplificationallowsthelistenertofullyexperiencethewildlymodulating

distortedsawwavethat’sworkinginadditiontothedeepsubbass.

“ArecentstudybyCanada'sMcMasterInstituteforMusicandtheMindresearchedhowthe

humanbrainreactstolow-andhigh-pitchedtones.Anefforttofigureouthowhumansdetect

rhythm,thestudyhadparticipantslistentoastreamoftonesandtaptheirfingersalongto

various beats, allwhile having their brains scanned.Off-rhythmmistakeswere inserted in

thesebeats,andbrainswerefoundtorespondmorestronglytotheoff-beat,lowertones.

Thisledresearcherstodeterminethatit'seasierforushumanstofollowdeeperbasssounds.

Basically,yourbrainpicksupontherhythmsoflower,bassiermusicfasterthanitdoeshigh-

pitchednoises…

"There is a physiological basis forwhywe createmusic thewaywedo," Laurel Trainor, a

neuroscientistanddirectoroftheMcMasterInstituteargues,"Virtuallyallpeoplewillrespond

moretothebeatwhenitiscarriedbylower-pitchedinstruments."(Bain,2014)

Skrillex’smasteryofbassfrequenciesisondisplayinSM&NS,hisuseofunnaturallyloudlow

frequency noises with different volume and pitch automations elicits a deep emotional

responserelatedtoourprimalpast.

“A team of researchers at UCLAmade up of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary

Biologychair,DanielBlumstein,amovieandfilmcomposer,PeterKaye,andanevolutionary

psychologist who also is a musician, Greg Bryant think they've determined why humans

respondsostronglytothisstimulus.It'sbecausedissonanceinmusicmimicsdistresscriesin

wildanimals,whichsummonsstrongreactions.Inotherwords,theseartistsliterallybringout

theanimalinus…

Skrillexprobablyknowswhatthehellhe'sdoing,evenifhemightnotbeabletoarticulateit.

"Composershave intuitive knowledgeofwhat sounds scarywithout knowingwhy,"Bryant

says."Whattheyusuallydon'trealizeisthatthey'reexploitingourevolvedpredispositionsto

getexcitedandhavenegativeemotionswhenhearingcertainsounds."(Haithcoat,2012)

By far themostmusically complex thing Skrillex does in SM&NS is when hemanages to

seamlesslytake2barsoutofthelastphraseofthedrop(1,55).Byplayingthefirsttwobars

of themelodywherethe last twoshouldbe ineveryoneof thedrop’s4phrases,Skrillex

preparestheunknowinglistenerthenotonlyfortheendofeachphrase,buttheeventual

continuationofthemelodyintothesecondverse.Thisseamlesspieceofsongwritingwould

go unnoticed to the average punter, but this complex change melody’s structure allows

Skrillextomanipulatethesong’sstructureinthelastphraseofthedrop,givinghimaseamless

transitionintothesecondverse.

Thesecondverseisidenticaltothefirstandseesthereturnofthefullmelodyandnotjust

thefirsttwobarsteasedinthedrop.Thestructuralpatternofverse(1,55)-breakdown(1,63)-

drop(1,71)isrepeated,withslightvariationinsomeofthebassgrowlsoftheseconddrop.

Skrillexonceagaindrops2bars fromthe finalphraseof thedropbeforegoing intoverse

3(1,101).

Breakdown3(1,109)differentiatesfromthefirsttwobyaddingtherhythmicpercussionand

high hats from the verse, before transitioning into the bridge (1,117) where the song is

strippedbacktojustpianoplayingthenewleadmelody,newbassprogressionandthevocals.

Skrillexfinallysingsthefirstandonlylyricsofthetrack;

Lookatthis

I'macowardtoo

Youdon'tneedtohide,myfriend

ForI'mjustlikeyou

Whileclearlyfilledwithintendedmeaning,thelackofcontextgivesambiguitytothewords,

ultimatelypersonalizingtheirmeaningfortheartistalone.Therhythmicpercussionjointhe

pianomelody for the outro (1,125), the kick and snare for the first phrase before being

strippeddowntojustthepianoanddelayedhighhats(1,133).Thepianomelodyrepeatsonce

morewiththehighhatsdroppingoutat(1,137)withtheirreverberateddelayfadingasthe

pianomelody finishes2barsearlyon (1,141),being replacedwitha fadingpanningvocal

chant.

ReflectionsScaryMonstersandNiceSpritesisoneof,ifnotthe,firstdubstepsongIeverheard.It,and

ultimatelySkrillexwereamajor influencetoome.Whilst IhadhearditmanytimesIhave

neverbrokenitdownanalyticallyorcriticallybefore,anddiscoveringtricksliketherepriseof

themelody to change the structureof the songwereexciting. Iwatched lotsofdifferent

YouTubevideosanalyzinghowtheindividualsynths,andvocalweremade,yetIwouldliketo

learnmoreabouthowtheindividualbassgrowlswerelayeredoverthechordprogression

throughouthisdrops,bothintimewithdrums,andeachother.

WorksCited/r/Skrillex. (2013).Hasanyonefoundanypresets inAbletonorpluginsthatSkrillexuses? .

Retrieved from Reddit:https://www.reddit.com/r/skrillex/comments/1gb2b5/has_anyone_found_any_presets_in_ableton_or/

allmusic. (n/a). Dubstep. Retrieved July 20, 2017, from allmusic:http://www.allmusic.com/style/dubstep-ma0000004465

Bain,K.(2014,July16).AScientificExplanationofWhyYouLoveBassMusic.RetrievedfromInsomniac: https://www.insomniac.com/media/scientific-explanation-why-you-love-bass-music

dubstepforum.com. (2011, June 23). Help Me Make That Sound - 2011. Retrieved fromdubstepforum.com:https://www.dubstepforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=197795&start=360

Gaerig, A. (2013, September 13). Dubstep 101: A U.S. Primer . Retrieved from Spin:http://www.spin.com/2011/09/dubstep-101-us-primer/

Haithcoat,R.(2012,June19).Here'sScientificProofThatDubstepMakesYouWanttoKillPeople.LAWeekly.

How to Ableton. (2011, September 11). How To Make Skrillexy Vocals. Retrieved fromYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEWuO4e9VEU

kvraudio.com.(2013,September14).FamousSongs,VstandPresetstheyuse!Retrievedfromkvraudio.com:https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=341956

Leatherman,B.(2011,December15).BassInvasion.MiamiNewTimes,p.41.Melia, A. (2015, July 13). Full Length Interview with DnB Producer Reso. (Producertech,

Interviewer)Nedrow,R.(2008,October12).7.00!!!OMG!!!NEWPB!OMG!!OMG!!!SOCLOSETOSIX!!

OOMMGG!!! Retrieved from YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j54yGxuk0yo

NonStop2k. (2011, December 27). MIDI of Skrillex - Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites(Dubstep).RetrievedfromNonStop2k:https://www.nonstop2k.com/midi-files/7035-skrillex-scary-monsters-and-nice-sprites-midi.html

RecordingIndustryAssociationofAmerica.(2016,July11).Gold&Platinum.RetrievedfromRecording Industry Association of America: https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=scary+monsters+#search_section

Skism.(2016,August19).TheEvolutionOfTheBassDrop:DubstepwithSKisM.(U.Dubstep,Interviewer)

VoltPunk.(2016,January26).SkrillexScaryMonstersandNiceSpritesBassGrowlTutorial-FM8 + Ableton Live 9. Retrieved from YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c6EXT2x1dA