Hello everyone! This is week 8 of Laying Down the Sound. In this video, I highlight the various constituent guitar, vocal, and percussion parts that comprise the second half of my song “Unraveling.” Most of the video features commentary on recordings present within Ableton, but some segments are instead dedicated to demonstrating how certain guitar parts are played. The entire second half of the song is here covered, meaning that this video marks the last episode of the series focused on “Unraveling.” I did not intend for this video to be so long, but I hope you enjoy the in-depth dive! Thanks for watching!
Author: Dominic Manzo
Hello! I'm Dominic Manzo, a self-taught, self-recording musician hoping to share my creative process with anyone interested; hopefully what I've learned along the way can be of some benefit to someone out there. My intention is to take the viewer, via a series of videos, on a journey from the inception of a mere musical idea to the ultimate completion of a song. I've made public various standalone tracks in the past and recently released a 9-track album (it's titled "Summer . . . and Some" and can be found on YouTube under "Mr.TheDom" or on Bandcamp under my full name). My process behind creating these previous tracks will be here in focus. Acoustic guitar and vocals are typically the central components of my music, but I mix in other sounds as well. The purpose of this series is to illuminate my process of laying down the sounds that, when put together, become a song.
Laying Down the Sound: Unraveling – Episode 3
Welcome back to week 7 of Laying Down the Sound! This is the 3rd episode of the series focused on my song “Unraveling.” After finishing up with the acoustic composition last time, I shift my focus in this video to the recording side of things, going through the various parts that comprise the song. I explain the reasons for the decisions I made along the way and demonstrate how certain parts are played. In total, this video covers everything up until the second verse. Next time, I’ll pick up where I left off and likely bring the “Unraveling” series of videos to a conclusion. Thank you for watching and I hope you enjoy!
Laying Down the Sound: Unraveling – Episode 2
Welcome once more to Laying Down the Sound! This is the sixth installment of the series and the second episode focused on my song “Unraveling.” Last week, I went over the core guitar parts and vocal melodies of the song, leaving off after the second chorus, just before the guitar solo at the end. In this video, I demonstrate the chord progression that underlies that solo, and I dig into the lyrics of “Unraveling” – their origin and meaning. To conclude, I include a full acoustic performance of the song (I also have a bit of fun with a guitar part in the song I haven’t shown yet). Next time, I’ll move to the recording side of things.
Laying Down the Sound: Unraveling – Episode 1
Welcome to the fifth installment of Laying Down the Sound! After completing my breakdown of “Colored Balloon” last week, I now move on to a different song, this one called “Unraveling.” It’s one of the shorter, simpler songs on my album and also one of my favorites. In this video, I expound and expand on the guitar parts and vocal melodies essential to the composition, and I demonstrate their organization and fit with one another. In all, I highlight the development (in terms of guitar parts and vocal melodies) of all but the last section of the song, which is primarily instrumental. I’ll get to that next week! Thank you for watching!
Laying Down the Sound: Colored Balloon – Episode 4
Welcome again to Laying Down the Sound! This is the fourth installment of the series and the fourth and last episode focused on my song “Colored Balloon.” Picking up where I left off last time, I continue to concentrate on the recording process and the various constituent parts of the song. This occurs mainly in Ableton Live, the DAW (digital audio workstation) I used to record, although some segments are demonstrated acoustically. This video wraps up my breakdown and decomposition of “Colored Balloon”; my next video will spotlight a different song of mine. If you wish to suggest a song, please leave a comment about that. If not, I’ll choose! Either way, thanks for watching!
Laying Down the Sound: Colored Balloon – Episode 3
Welcome back to Laying Down the Sound! This is the third installment of the series and likewise the third episode focused on my song “Colored Balloon.” (I aim to finish the song in 4 videos total). In this video, I shift away from the acoustic composition – this was covered in the previous two videos – and begin concentrating on the recording process, including the equipment used and walkthroughs of the arrangement within Ableton Live, the DAW (digital audio workstation) I used. Somehow, against my will, my videos keep getting longer every week! But, again, hopefully you enjoy and can get something worthwhile out of this. Thanks for watching and I’ll be back next week with the last video – this is at least my plan – focused on “Colored Balloon.” After that, I’ll move on to other songs from my album!
