Instrumentation and Arrangement: Building the Full Picture on That's What I Want to Do

That's What I Want to Do by T. Nguyen is out worldwide July 23 on all streaming platforms. Preorder opens July 13.

Finding the Right Loops and What They Inspired

Loopcloud has been a consistent part of my workflow, and this track is a good example of why. Sometimes you find a loop on there that is just too good to leave alone. Playing around with instrumentation like that has a way of pulling the track in a direction you did not plan for, and that is usually where the best decisions come from.

Working with these samples has also pushed me toward building my own. I have been developing sample packs lately, and this track is going to become one of them. A dedicated pack built from the sounds and sessions behind this record. Keep an eye out for that.

The Vocal Chop: It's Alright

There is a secondary vocal element scattered through the track that most people will feel before they consciously notice it. The original sample from Loopcloud is a simple phrase: well alright, well alright. I took small pieces of it and placed them throughout the arrangement to add flavor without letting the vocal become a focal point. Vocal chops at this scale are about texture, not statement. They give the track a human quality that sits underneath everything else and keeps it from feeling purely mechanical.

Filling the Stereo Field With an Arpeggiator Element

To keep the groove moving, I needed something that behaved like an arpeggiator. The way this element works in the stereo field is deliberate. It hits far right, then far left, then far left again. When you look at it through an Insight meter, you can see exactly how it fills the space. The result is a wide, plucky sound that gives the track lateral movement without pulling the center apart. Width built from motion rather than from spreading a static sound.

Two Pad Layers and the Atmosphere They Create

The pads on this track are doing more than most people will realize on a first listen. There are two separate layers. One sits higher with a harder attack. The other is softer and sits underneath, providing the atmospheric bed that the rest of the instrumentation floats on top of.

The original sample was in D minor, and the character of it was strong enough that I would sample it again without hesitation. When the plucks, the milky piano, and the pads are all running together, the instrumentation feels complete. Each element has a role and none of them are competing for the same space.

Bringing the Full Instrumentation Together With the Bassline

The piano on this track is soft and atmospheric despite the name I gave it. Milky is the right word for the texture, but it is not a dominant sound. It sits in the arrangement and supports the groove rather than leading it. When you bring the bassline in alongside everything else, the track starts to breathe as a whole record rather than a collection of parts.

The bassline is what ties it together. The plucks give it movement. The pads give it atmosphere. The piano gives it warmth. And the groove underneath all of it gives the listener somewhere to land.

Next in the breakdown, the vocal group.

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