Source

Reference

Inspired by 👤 The Neptunes

Sound selection

  • less clean, more organic/acoustic
    • something very colorful

Arrangement

  • BPM: 90-105
  • 4 repeating bars (stutter effect)
  • explode into full beat

Percussion

Summary

The beat should be open and almost empty.

  • very swung feeling; nudge samples slightly off the grid, don't have them all align
  • humanise all samples to move things just slightly off the grid + time-shift (? is that a Logic feature or only FL Studio)
  • clap + rimshot layered – the rim just a little off from the clap (don't put them exactly together)
  • triangle to fill empty spaces
  • shaker similar rhythm to triangle, but in a different pocket
  • breath samples

Melody

Analog synth

  • 🎹 Jup-8 V4; m9, dom7, m9, maj9, dim
  • "jazzy, neo-soul" = lots of minor sevens
  • keep it short – about 1.25 counts
  • syncopate
  • chop it up

Plucks

  • a higher accent, one octave up (only 1st + 3rd + 5th)
  • alternate bars

Lead

  • kind of fading in and out, very transient and soft

Bass

  • root notes, but following drum beats
  • ghost notes and filler – prominent in the mix