Break Switch

https://www.audiotool.com/track/switch_break_p1/comments

For my 'Break Switch' project I decided to make an original composition in the Audiotool DAW. I had used this DAW previously and listened to the powerful music it is capable of creating (made by some of the popular Audiotool artists), but I had never actually composed anything intelligent. Audiotool differs from Logic in two ways: first, it is free and web-based so anyone can use it; second, rather than Logic's system of tracks, Audiotool sounds are created by dragging, dropping in, and customizing different sound generating or modifying machines, and connecting them with cables however you want. This provides for a less linear workflow because different machines can interact with each other in an unlimited web of ways, which makes it easier for less talented people to be creative, in my opinion.

I wanted to make something that sounded good and had structure without being so complicated that it would take me many days or weeks to be happy with finishing it. So, I only used two main instruments out of Audiotool's menagerie - the 'Pulverisateur' synthesizer (which actually has 3 oscillators) and the 'Maschiniste' drum kit (which is nearly identical in function to a limited Logic Ultrabeat, with permanent 'Full View' and 'Drag and Drop Samples' options enabled). Although there are many options available, I chose these two after a process. Audiotool has a really helpful 'Remix' option, which allows me or anyone to view the components and arrangement of other people's (surprisingly very well produced) music, and by looking through these I noticed the Pulverisateur and Maschiniste were commonly used, especially in the lo-fi, chill type of music I was going for in my song. I read and watched some tutorials and figured out the details of how they worked. I was able to use samples and create a pattern in the Maschiniste, and I was able to draw in a chord progression for the Pulverisateur in the lower window (with difficulty, because I'm not the best with musical scales). I wrote a four-bar sequence for the Pulverisateur and had it repeat throughout the song; the drums also don't vary much. I wanted to include more and experimented with different things to do but couldn't settle on anything that objectively improved the song, so I left it simple. After writing my four-bar synth sequence, my peers notified me that there was something wrong at the beginning of the third bar, how it goes out of key for a tiny amount of time, but I think it sounds good and so I elected to keep it how it was. My favorite part of making this song, which I did after most of the musical structure and arrangement, was finding the right effects from the large menu! In the end, I had 3 'Compressor' effects, a 'StereoDetune', a 'Chorus', a 'Splitter', a 'Crusher' (my favorite effect), and an EQ. I had to try a lot of combinations to see which ones fit best where, and most of them made the synths sound like crap, but it was fun seeing how crazy I could get the sounds to be. Finally, I rearranged my synths and effects to make it look good and organized in a screenshot, saved and uploaded.

Overall, I really enjoyed making this song in Audiotool. In many ways, although Logic has many more options, I prefer working in Audiotool because of its simple and nonlinear nature. Also, unlike Logic it saves drafts on the cloud and can run fine on Windows, Linux, and Chrome operating systems, which can be helpful. The capabilities of Logic extend much farther than customizing synths and it should definitely be used in professional or otherwise advanced situations. But, Audiotool's easy songmaking capabilties are nice!