Embracing the Power of Distortion
What's missing in music is a highlight on the power of saturation and distortion. When it comes to music production and sound design, I find myself being a fan of distortion. Distortion is the engineer’s and musician’s biggest rival. Modern music industry tactics seek to limit and battle this wonderful beauty called distortion. The beauty of distortion is the abstract quality it adds to a sound—it's what I call the mysterious shimmer you hear or feel. Modern digital music creation methods have made it easier to achieve pristine, clear sounds with a lack of distortion. Yet the fundamental truth is that everything in life is distorted: ideas, feelings, dreams, even reality. Why remove the essence that creates reality? When that essence is distortion.
In much of my production, especially in beat making and vocal production, I use a variety of digital compressors (CLA-2A, Softube) and analog ones (1176, FMR PBC-6A) to add that magic. I also rely on wonderful Slate Digital plugins to give my saturation and distortion their own personal warmth and character.
As a songwriter, I feel like distortion gives your songs that extra heat, the flavor they need to not just live and breathe but also connect. Distortion in songwriting is like the difference between saying, as T-Pain does, “Put you in the mansion, somewhere in Wisconsin (Wisconsin).” The irony mixed with deliberateness is a skill that only the most masterful songwriters pay attention to and develop.
All in all, I believe music is about being aware of the unknown and allowing it to be exactly that. The best moments, especially in my case, have all sprouted from not realizing I was creating something great. That’s the beauty of making art. You create your piece and wait for the world to catch on to your own iteration of distortion.
About MyCompiledThoughts
MyCompiledThoughts, born Carlheb Cemesca in Boston, MA, is an R&B/Soul artist known for his deeply personal lyrics and innovative production. Growing up he would work out his often-abundant number of thoughts with frequent journaling and eventually adopted his Tumblr page name as his stage name.
Now a Los Angeles resident, MyCompiledThoughts stays busy not only producing for himself but other artist including Teamarr, Love Moor and members of the Van Buren Collective.
