How to make instruments from everyday sounds
In the age of digital creativity, the boundaries of music-making have expanded far beyond traditional instruments. The ability to transform ordinary sounds into extraordinary musical instruments is accessible to anyone with a creative spark. Learn the step-by-step process in Soundation that turns the noise of your surroundings into beautiful instruments.
Recording sounds
Record samples wherever you find them by using your phone’s built-in microphone. Gather sounds from objects of various materials and produce different textures by striking, scraping, blowing, or plucking. Be on the lookout for distinct notes. These sounds can easily be turned into melodic instruments. However, noisy sounds without clear pitches can also become tonal with some sound design.
Cleaning up samples
Once recorded, some sounds may need cleaning up to get rid of background noise and dissonant frequencies with a parametric EQ. Clean up rumble and humming with a high-pass filter, remove hiss with a low-pass filter, and reduce dissonant frequencies with narrow notch filters.
Resonate for tonality
For noisy samples that lack tonality, use the Parametric EQ to resonate specific frequencies. Choose a resonator preset to lift up the note you want from the noise. Turn off any frequency bands you don’t like the sound of, or reduce the gain to lessen the effect. Duplicate the Parametric EQ for a stronger effect.
Simple sampler
Drop your sample into the Simple sampler and play it across the entire keyboard. Isolate a good part from the sample, change the octave for higher or lower-pitched tones, enable the loop to extend the duration, and use the polyphonic mode for chords or the monophonic mode for leads and bass. Adjust the envelope to shape the amplitude over time to create anything from plucks to pads.
Audio effects
Elevate your instrument from basic and dry to lush, gritty, lo-fi, polished, or any desired texture with audio effects. Use EQ and filters to sculpt the instrument's tone, use reverb for ambiance, add delay for spatial and rhythmic interest, control dynamics with a compressor, introduce movement with a phaser, and use distortion for an aggressive and energetic sound.
Conclusion
With basic recording and editing techniques, you can shape raw samples into versatile instruments. Not only does this upgrade your creative toolkit, but also provides a fresh perspective on the potential musicality found all around you.
Free presets
Open the template to get the beat and all the instruments made for the tutorial.
