This leads me to believe the heavy emphasis on synth layers and creating an ambient kind of vibe make the lead synth the “star of the plate”. The instrumentation is also minimal, compared to the multiple guitar layers he has on many other tracks of Salad Days. As seen below, there are many bridges where the vocals are not present, and synth layers are focused on. The structure is also heavily synth-based, allowing large gaps between the vocals for the synths to be heard. The chords for the song are quite unusual, and looking at these chords and listening to similar songs, I decided on D#m, C#, G#, and B as the main chord progression for my project 1 piece. The bpm I found online and checked via Abletons Tap to Tempo feature, and the chords were checked by playing them on guitar with the song. The bpm of “Chamber of Reflection” is 131, the chords throughout the piece are quiet unusual, consisting of A7m, B7m, Cmaj7, A7m, B7m, Em, and E7m (UltimateGuitar, 2015). The track was released in 2014 as track number nine off his album “Salad Days”, and although wasn’t the most popular track off the album, it sparked my interest the most and heavily influenced the genre of music I started listening to, and in turn influenced the style of music I enjoy making.
Some other great resources for finding out more about Mac’s gear and recording techniques are the Pepperoni Playboy documentary, his Tape Op ‘Varispeed and Beyond’ interview, and the Mac DeMarco Nerds Out About Music Gear video by first case study, obviously from the title, will be of Mac DeMarco’s “Chamber of Reflection”. Where to find out more about Mac DeMarco?
A good software emulation is Arturia DX7 V, which comes with the SYNORGAN 1 preset that may have been used on the original recording. The DX7 excels at complex sound design but also has some great organ factory presets. The organ that plays the chords in Chamber of Reflection likely came from Mac’s Yamaha DX7, a late-80’s digital synth. What kind of synth does Chamber of reflection use? The bass guitar is a Fender P-Bass played with a pick and palm-muting and the drums are from Toontrack Superior Drummer 3 with a heavy slapback delay from Soundtoys Echoboy (75ms delay, 32% mix).
Mac uses sparing amounts of reverb, and I used Soundtoys LittlePlate on both synth tracks for reverb. What kind of reverb does Mac DeMarco use? After utilising synths for Salad Days’ Chamber of Reflection, synths took on a much bigger role for the 2017 album This Old Dog, with several synth-only tracks. Mac DeMarco is a Canadian musician known for his brand of old-school-influenced indie music, using a chorused guitar sound, simple arrangements and a varispeed tape sound.
What kind of music does Mac DeMarco make? Theory: The E minor chord is constructed with a root, a minor thirdAn interval consisting of three semitones, the 3rd scale degree and a perfect fifthAn interval consisting of seven semitones, the 5th scale degree. What does em mean on piano?Į minor chord The chord is often abbreviated as Em (alternatively Emin). Teisco / Stagg Bass While the specifics on this one aren’t exactly 100%, DeMarco’s bass used for recording looks like it’s a vintage Japanese model from the ’70s, judging from the cheap red sunburst finish and vintage hardware and electronics seen on the instrument. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major.
What is the key signature for E Minor?Į minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F♯, G, A, B, C, and D. What key is chamber Of reflection in?Ĭhamber Of Reflection is written in the key of E Minor. The track runs3 minutes and 52 secondslong with aBkey and amajormode. Where to find out more about Mac DeMarco?Ĭhamber Of Reflection is asong byMac DeMarcowith a tempo of131 BPM.It can also be used half-time at66 BPM or double-time at262 BPM.What kind of synth does Chamber of reflection use?.What kind of reverb does Mac DeMarco use?.What kind of music does Mac DeMarco make?.