This is an essential turning point in your development as a producer and there is a vanishingly small amount of discussion on it so I’m going to do my best to put this out there now.

How do you make your composition feel full? Adding more riffs and parts tends to make it cluttered. The answer is ninja sounds.

NINJA SOUNDS

This is the name/brand I created to teach the absolutely CRUCIAL concept that you don’t want the listener to even notice many of the sounds that are doing the work.

Yes. That’s right.

Many or even MOST of the sounds in your music should be actively trying to AVOID ATTENTION.

When you start out you’re full of insecurity and that’s fine. It’s a normal part of the learning process and will provide motivation to up your skills. This is not a personal attack, I am just stating facts as I see them every day.

The problem with this insecurity is it leads new producers to thoughts like “what does this hi hat sound say about ME?” and “how can I impress people with this white noise riser?”

Pro tip: nobody cares and neither should you.

Why?

Those sounds (often derived from noise oscillators) are there to do the work without becoming a distraction.

Common ninja sounds: reverses going into a transition, downlifters acting as a crash on the downbeats, quiet risers providing a subtle boost in energy going into a section change, white noise textures, and hi hats.

This feeling of intentional design is easily ruined when background or “band” sounds interfere with foreground, focus, or “singer” sounds.

I use “singer” vs “band” even when describing purely instrumental music because the compositional etiquette becomes obvious when these terms are used. The band is to provide accompaniment and make the music feel full without upstaging the singer and getting in the way. This is how you need to think if you want to accurately and intentionally direct the focus of the listener.

So what makes a Ninja Sound distracting?

• being louder than the rest
• being brighter than the rest
• being dryer than the rest
• being wider than the rest
• dominating the “pain zone” (2-4.5kHz)

When mixing ask: “does this sound need to stand out or blend in?” and adjust volume.

If that doesn’t work ask: “does an aspect of this sound need to stand out or blend in?” and adjust that aspect.

BONUS TIP: If a mixing process is not serving these purposes maybe think twice about processing? It all costs you fidelity so don’t add processing just because you think you “should”.

If you can hear and identify a reason: do it.

If you can’t: then don’t!

Dylan aka ill.Gates