COM381soup Assignment 11

Instruments: Basic FM Bell, Upright Bass, Magnetic Strings, Music Box, Basic Nylon, Oracle Halo.
I started off depressing and lost in the woods, and then somehow stumbled upon a club. 
Arrangement view penciled in. I have no musical talent, so I resorted to old reliable.

COM381_Song11_Soup_Devin Crespo LifeCat

COM 381 Soup Assignment 11: Flutter

I made this piece with multiple sessions of work and utilizing almost exclusively ableton sounds and effects, besides for a couple of the drum sounds that I imported from a drum kit online. I knew I wanted to make a trap beat to compare to my first pieces for this class, so I wanted to find an instrument that was pleasing to hear in a loop throughout the whole beat. I first started with the jazz master instrument and made the main loop/melody heard in the background. I added the 808 bass after, making it contrast with the melody by moving in opposite directions but resolving at the same point. After this, I added the drum loop (first starting with the snare + kick, then adding the clap and hihats. Percs were added at the very end for finishing touches). Once this was done, I wanted to add more to the melody without making it too busy, so I lowered it an octave and played the same loop under a different instrument. At this point the beat started to sound repetitive. I didn't mind because i feel like the simplicity was making it a very good freestyle beat, so instead of changing up any melodys or having a switchup, I decided that I could reset the vibe with breakdowns everytime it got too repetitve. This made it more of a cypher beat and definitely broke the repetitive feeling. After this, I sidechained the kick and 808s and eq'd the rest of the track to make sure that everything sounded in balance. Sound effects for the breakdown segments and at other moments were added in at this later stage to add a little more flavor. This was also one of the first tracks where I spent a lot of time compressing the drums, and I feel like it made a big difference in the quality of the individual hits. Using the mixing skills I learned in this class to fine tune the sounds and instruments to play how I heard them in my head felt incredibly rewarding!

COM381 SOUP - CYPHER BEAT assignment 11

intro_cutscene - soup

A song where i was experimenting with trying to create a certain feeling through tone. This one was made by layering sounds and adding audio effects to the master track to create a unified tone to evoke feeling.

Com381 SOUP-Assignment 11-Etherium

Before the semester had even started, the main melody of this song had stuck itself in my head when I was messing around with my keyboard at home. I've tried several times to incorporate it into the songs I've made over the course of this class, but just wasn't able to, either because of restrictions, or other song ideas being a better fit for the assignment. Now, I've finally got the opportunity to make the song I've wanted to make all this time. It still doesn't sound exactly how I wanted it to, aside from the melody, I had no other real ideas for what I wanted this to sound like. I certainly wasn't expecting it to sound so dreamy-like, but after much trial and error with the bass and electric guitar, as well as the spontaneous inclusions of the choir and bell instruments and the laughing track sampled from the video game Deltarune, I'm very happy with what I've made. I believe this is the best song I've made so far :]

COM381Soup Assignment 11 - Cloudwalk

By Walter Picoaga and Emi Hidaki
- Worked on the wave-organ, audio and added some bass
We tried to make a mixture of afrobeat/chill beachy track

COM381-SOUP-Assignment 11 - Ft Walter

For this Final assignment I did a one minute piece by first creating a steady Cumbia beat. To that I added some custom bass, synth, and electric guitar. I made a simple melody but combined the 3 instruments so that its clear that multiple performers can play this song. Additionally, it gives room for improvisation as for Cumbia, any instrument be it strings or winds sound good with the Cumbia beat. Allows for so much improv. 

COM381soup - Assignment 11 - The Final Cumbia

For my final project in COM381, I set out to synthesize and showcase the full range of skills I developed throughout the course. Because this project serves as my culminating submission, I intentionally adopted a maximalist approach, pushing the boundaries of structure, texture, and narrative. Rather than creating a conventional beat, I chose to compose a long-form, multi-movement piece that functions more like a composition. This vision led to “let’s go in the garden, there’s something you should see,” a work designed to guide the listener through a psychedelic-inspired auditory journey.

The piece unfolds in distinct phases, each representing an emotional and sensory stage of a psychedelic experience. My goal was to reflect the dramatic highs, lows, confusion, and fleeting clarity that can accompany such a trip. To accomplish this, I layered numerous samples with original MIDI instrumentation and detailed drum programming. One unifying element throughout the entire work is a repeating drum loop, which remains constant as chord progressions, textures, and sonic palettes shift around it, providing continuity amid constant change.

The composition opens with an atmosphere of mystery and anticipation, evoking the curiosity one might feel before trying psychedelics for the first time. A softly sung female vocal repeats the line “let’s go in the garden,” symbolizing an invitation into an unfamiliar world. This vocal is sampled from “Everything Stays,” written for "Adventure Time". The restrained instrumentation gradually builds tension until it reaches a peak, after which the music abruptly shifts into a busier, more chaotic section, representing sudden immersion into an altered reality.

The second movement introduces chopped and looped handpan samples from C418’s “Aria Math,” heavily processed with disorienting effects. Once the beat drops, the music becomes dramatic and overstimulating, mirroring the sensory overload associated with hallucinations. Synth pads and strings expand the soundscape until the section collapses into a stark transition where only the drums remain. Over this moment, audio clips discussing the neurological effects of psychedelics play, bridging into the next phase.

The third movement builds on the same rhythmic foundation but adds warped, reversed keyboard tones and a distorted sample from “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica, layered with additional vocal harmonies. This section is intentionally dizzying and off-kilter, illustrating abstract and fragmented hallucinations. The fourth movement erupts with arpeggiated synths and dense vocal layers, forming the emotional peak of the piece. Familiar motifs return alongside glossy piano octaves and handpan textures, representing vulnerability and catharsis. At its climax, the music cuts to white noise.

The fifth movement begins in near silence, broken only by slow, high-pitched handpan notes. This reflects brief moments of lucidity and grounding. Gradually, guitars and keys enter, pulling the listener back into chaos. A chordal transition returns the piece to B minor, preparing for the reemergence of earlier motifs. The sixth section revisits the warped handpan chaos of the second movement, escalating to its most intense point before shedding its electronic layers.

The outro represents the return to reality. Synthetic sounds disappear, replaced by sparse acoustic instrumentation that conveys clarity and grounding. The song ends with a young woman reflecting on the uniqueness of psychedelic experiences, emphasizing that only those who have lived them truly understand their transformative nature.

Final  Project - let's go in the garden, there's something you should see

I tried my best to use everything I've learned this semester in this final song. I spent a lot of time choosing the different instruments I would use and what different audio effects I wanted on them and I really liked how it came together. I was inspired by the soundtrack of the game Earthbound to make this.

COM 381 SOUP - Assignment 11 - In The Maze

Com381-Assignment11

For the final project, I was inspired to do some of my favorite works in this course, which was using Audio and Midi Tracks together. My inspiration was "Scanning on Radio", in other words, changing the stations. This song features both Audio and Midi and they intertwine themselves ever few seconds to give the "changing radio effect". It's not perfect, and not everyone's taste, but I still hope you enjoy! :)

COM381soup Assignment 11

Bartosz Balbuza