Deconstructing the Boards of Canada (BoC) Sound and Music

Boards of Canada is a personal favorite band of mine and I have studied their music with the aim of learning how they achieved their distinctive sound.

Here are what I think I have learned so far (I will continue to add to this page as I learn more).

Last updated: 30-April-2022.

A Study of Ambient Drone Music

I like ambient drone music and would like to expand my expertise in making such music, so I’ve begun a study of some of what I consider the best ambient drone-type of music. This will be an ongoing collecting of information and you are welcome to check back when it has been updated.

Last updated: 22-February-2022

Using EQ Matching and References to Create Great-Sounding Tracks

Using a reference track when mastering is a kind of standard practice, but it can be done much better with the wonderful EQ matching functions found on so many equalizer plugins. Here’s what I’ve tried and how it’s worked out for me.

Mixing Chain Analysis – Kush Audio

I chose to analyze a Kush After Hours video by UBK/Gregory Scott because I seem to follow his type of mixing style already and he delineates how he does his. I broke it down step-by-step for my own understanding.

Psychic Modulation’s Phonec Synth (vst) Presets: “Boards” – Free Presets

Psychic Modulation has made a synthesizer that combines that “lo-fi” sound with vintage tape and synth type of processing, for a synth that sounds remarkably similar to artists such as Boards of Canada and others of that type.

It comes as a low-cost vst file type of plugin that works in your DAW (digital audio workstation). I use it in FL Studio.

Simple to use and fun to adjust, Phonec2 shatters the learning curve usually associated with many soft synths out there today. I like it in my music because it gives me the sounds I need that fit my genre.

I have made my sound bank of presets for Phonec version 2 available to everyone that owns Phonec2.

The Music Process: Making Money?

In general, you should not expect to make much, if any, money from music. Do the music for you and not for anyone else. Don’t do it for the money because that is a really rough road to travel – and it leads to poverty (in my opinion).

Boards of Canada Chords and Variations in Xfer Records Cthulhu – Free Chord Presets

Listen to the chords in the video above.

Some of what makes Boards of Canada’s songs (or for that matter, any artist’s songs) interesting for me are the chords. If you know the chords, you can get a feel for how to make your own song sound similar or “in the flavor of” so to speak. From the chords, you can often get a melody you like by building off of them or playing along with them. You can even arpeggiate them.

I took the chords from Boards of Canada songs and put them into Xfer Records Cthulhu. From Cthulhu, you can make variations, add low notes, and change to major/minor/suspended. This gives a lot of inspiring chord progressions from some of my favorite Boards of Canada songs. I put them into a zip file of chord presets that you can use in Cthulhu for yourself (see below).

Updated: 1/5/22

A 1-2 Punch: Record Everything – Release It Before It’s “Ready”

Sometimes two things just go together like ham and cheese. Here are two of those things. This one-two punch will kickstart your creative process. It does mine.

1. Record everything.
2. Release it before it’s “ready.”

How to Replicate Biosphere’s Shenzhou Track Using Loops and a Few Effects

I like Biosphere’s (Geir Jenssen’s) music very much and one of my favorite albums is Shenzhou. The album is made up of repeated looping of Debussy orchestral track samples. The title song is particularly interesting to me as I like the depth and width of the sound. I was able to figure out how to remake it and I’d like to show you how I did that.

Replicating Background Noise – Susumu Yokota’s, Saku

It may seem strange to want background noise in a recording, but it gives it a certain realism as opposed to the cleanliness of a digitally-mastered DAW creation. I like the sound I hear in the background of Susumu Yokota’s Saku from his Sakura album, so I was able to replicate it using common pink noise and equalization. Here’s how:

Levels in Mastering for the Various Streaming Platforms (and what happened to the K-system of metering)

Sage Audio and Mastering the Mix both wrote great articles on the levels required for the various streaming platforms so I thought I would share these as this is a common concern for music producers. I’ll also tell you how I am rationalizing my mastering.

First, the link to this great article by Sage Audio: https://www.sageaudio.com/blog/mastering/mastering-for-streaming-platform-loudness-and-normalization-explained.php.

Mastering the Mix has an equally excellent one here: https://www.masteringthemix.com/blogs/learn/76296773-mastering-audio-for-soundcloud-itunes-spotify-and-youtube

(I also don’t use the K-scale or K-system any more thanks to the inventor of it, Bob Katz himself. Scroll to the bottom to see why.)

Updated: 12-November-2021

Here is how I am currently mastering my music:

Sample Pack – Sound Library: Fundamentals – Free on Bandcamp

Using the synth “Fundamental” from SonicLab, I made several interesting sounds that producers of music might find interesting to use in their own compositions.

Add Binaural Beats to Music Using Valhalla FreqEcho

I looked for a way to add binaural beats to my music, and I found it in the most unusual place – Valhalla’s FreqEcho. It is so easy, it is unreal. Oh, and it’s free.

Intervals and Chords

Intervals in music are important for understanding the sounds of chords and dyads. Even melodies can benefit from a clear understanding of intervals. Unfortunately, a lot of the information I have found out there is confusing. I’m trying to unravel it for myself and you may get something out of it as well.

Last updated: April 23rd, 2021

Ambient Chords

A lot of people ask what kind of chords work well for Ambient music. That varies a lot.

As I research it further, I will post more, but for now here is what I have.

Last updated: 2/26/21

Song Structure

Song structure consists of repeated sections of verse (melody) and chorus (different melody) interwoven, but what exactly is it?

Last updated: 28-November-2020

Boards of Canada Roygbiv in TAL Bassline 101 – Free Presets

Demonstration of Roygbiv Bass in TAL Bassline 101

You can easily recreate the sound of the bass and lead in Boards of Canada’s song “Roygbiv” by using the TAL Bassline 101 synthesizer vst plugin. Here’s how…

On Musical Loops

Making music with loops is not a new process. However, after thinking about it, I was surprised at how many different ways there are to loop samples to make music. I’ll add to this as I discover more, but the list is long right now.

Last updated: 26-December-2020

TAL Sampler Presets with a Boards of Canada Sound – Free Presets

I have been building presets for TAL Sampler for awhile and thought I would share some of them that I particularly like. These have a sound that reminds me of Boards of Canada. I even named a few with telling names based on Boards of Canada tracks and titles.

They are free for you to use in your commercial works. Yes. Free. (Not that you would, but please don’t resell them or anything crazy like that.) You can download them in one Zip file (see below).

How to Make Convincing Disintegrating Tape Loops in a DAW (no tape)

For the aspiring tape loopers out there, I’m sure I speak for us all when I say that we’d all like to have the time to play around with splicing tape into loops and recording through a four-track. But when this is not possible, here’s an easy alternative right in your DAW.

Modartt Pianoteq Piano Presets (FXP files) – Free Presets

I use the Modartt Pianoteq vst plugin as one of my main piano instruments and frequently modify or create new presets. This is my page for sharing those presets in the form of FXP files (.fxp).

Updated: 1-June-2021

I have used many piano vst plugin instruments and have a page dedicated to that: Getting Authentic Piano Sound in a VST Plugin and DAW

In the post below, I have provided all of the presets that I am using and what each sounds like. Feel free to download and use these as you like.

Emulating Boards of Canada’s Classic Synth Sound Without Breaking Your Bank or Brain – Soundfly

https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/emulating-boards-of-canadas-classic-synth-sound-without-breaking-your-bank-or-brain/

Getting Authentic Piano Sound from Sampled Pianos and Piano Plugins

I started out playing the piano, and I have come back to it often. I like the actual sound of a piano as the hammers hit the strings and it resonates through the wood and structure.

Here is my assessment of how to get a great piano sound in a vst or plugin instead of having the actual piano.

Last updated: 27-November-2020

The Music Process: Actually Producing Music by Fighting Perfectionism

It is easy to be a perfectionist, for me. I like things to be just right and as near perfect as I can get them. This extends well into music and my production of it (or lack thereof). But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Getting Beautiful and Realistic Sound From a Piano Simulation

Simulating a Real-World Piano

After having been to Budapest and found an 1896 C. Bechstein piano in the lobby of The Continental Hotel, I’ve learned much more about how I can make the same sound of it or any other piano within Pianoteq or via other vst instruments and effects. But, in fact, I aim to make it sound even better. Here’s what I have learned so far.

Last updated: 04-October-2019

The Music Process: Organization

I am not a master at organization when it comes to my music, but I can tell you what works and what doesn’t work for me. Maybe it could help you.

The Music Process: Where Music Comes From

Where exactly do songs come from? Not an easy question. But, I believe there are two distinct ways that music arrives to the musician.

The Music Process: Getting Started

Wondering how to get started making music? It’s not hard and I can tell you what I did. Read on and you’ll be able to know my experiences and can adapt these ideas for your own.

My background is not music. For me, I had a little piano experience when I was a kid, but that was it (and not really very useful in itself.) I just, in the last few years, had this need to make music. A desire. I wanted to make music. Somehow.

So I did. Here’s how:

Brian Eno’s Sound

Brian Eno is, to me, the undisputed king of ambient music. He coined the term, “ambient music” in his groundbreaking album “Music for Airports.”

Here I will revel in his sound-creating process and offer some captured bits of what I know of it – not as an attempt to deconstruct, per se, but more as an aspiration to his greatness.

As I learn more, I will post more, and update this one.

Last updated: 1-March-2019

Deconstructing Hans Zimmer’s Sound and Music

Cinematic music is fascinating to me. It moves the story of the movie along and the movie itself is nothing without it (at least it is a completely different movie).

I’m interested in deconstructing the sound of cinematic music and Hans Zimmer is one of the composers at the forefront.

Here I have assembled what little I have learned about Hans Zimmer and his music.

Last updated: 4-February-2019

Pianobook

Pianobook is a site self-described as “Curated by one of the founders of SPITFIRE AUDIO pianobook is a collective sample project that aims to bring together a community of likeminded music makers to talk about their stories through the pianos they use, admire and are inspired by.”

Pianoteq Microphones – The AEA R84 Ribbon Microphone

Here’s one of a number of brief guides and details about the microphones available in Pianoteq.

Last updated: 9-January-2019

Pianoteq Microphones – The Royer Labs SF-12 and SF-24 Ribbon Microphones

Here’s one of a number of brief guides and details about the microphones available in Pianoteq.

Last updated: 09-January-2019

Spitfire Audio’s Gwylim Simcock Felt Piano Microphones

There’s not a manual with the Gwylim Simcock Felt Piano by Spitfire Audio, so here are my notes about the microphones used to record this wonderful piano. This piano is excellent and I highly recommend it.

Microphones recorded the sound with Neve pre-amps and Cranesong AD converters at 96k. In the interface, the microphones can be involved more or less by sliders with letters beneath them. Here are what those letters mean:

Synth VST Plugins That Sound Like Boards of Canada

Here below is a selection of synth plugins that I have found have that nostalgic, lo-fi, vintage sound epitomized by Boards of Canada and others.

Last updated: 8-February-2022.

Deconstructing the deadmau5 Sound and Music

I really admire deadmau5 (Joel Zimmerman) and his excellent music, including his use of chords and arps. He has a knack for it. I’ve watched him create on Masterclass and he just absolutely knows what he is doing. Moreover, he seems to be a guy who is limitless in his thinking while still knowing what he likes and dislikes. He doesn’t put out a ton of crap that is not up to his standards. Admirable.

Well, I wanted to know more about his producing talents, so I deconstructed some of his music, his chord progressions, and arpeggios. I’ll be adding more as I learn more, so stop back and check the “last updated” text below.

Last updated: 1-February-2019

Musical Modes Characteristics

Modes can add interest and really shape a musical piece so knowing the modes and what each is noted for is a good thing. I come back to this post quite often when I am composing so I can choose a mode.

Proper Levels and Metering for Sound and Music

There are a lot of ways to measure the levels of sound in your music production. Meter scales vary widely, and there are many misconceptions about what are the correct levels. Here below is what I have found currently works best for me.

Last updated: 09-January-2021.

Boards of Canada’s Music Has the Rights to Children Album Cover Blurred Faces

The Boards of Canada “Music Has the Rights to Children” album cover.

The blurred faces on the album cover of Boards of Canada’s “Music Has the Rights to Children” evokes an old, nostalgic, feel.

While the album cover may have been intentionally blurred (it is not known for sure), the same blurred face effect can be seen in old television commercials on VHS tape.

Pianoteq Microphones – The Schoeps MK2 and MK4 Microphones with CMC6 Amplifiers

Here’s one of a number of brief guides and details about the microphones available in Pianoteq.

Last updated: 16-November-2018

Pianoteq Microphones – The AKG C414

Here’s one of a number of brief guides and details about the microphones available in Pianoteq.

Last updated: 15-November-2018

Pianoteq Microphones – The DPA Microphones

Here’s one of a number of brief guides and details about the microphones available in Pianoteq.

Last updated: 16-November-2018

Pianoteq Microphones – The Neumann U87

Here’s one of a number of brief guides and details about the microphones available in Pianoteq.

Last updated: 6-November-2018

Fracture Sounds Woodchester Piano Presets (Kontakt Snapshots only)

Fracture Sounds makes an outstanding Kontakt instrument called Woodchester Piano for NI Kontakt.

Listen to it here:

These below are presets, or as Kontakt calls them, “snapshots” that are various settings of the Kontakt instrument. These are NKSN (.nksn) files that need to be placed in your Kontakt snapshots folder for the Woodchester piano.

You must own the full version of Native Instruments Kontakt and also must own the Fracture Sounds Woodchester Piano Kontakt library/instrument in order to use these Kontakt Snapshots.

I have used many piano vst plugin instruments and have a page dedicated to that: Getting Authentic Piano Sound in a VST Plugin and DAW

Minimalism in Music and Song Design

 

I’ve come to have a new respect for those musicians who say to “keep it simple” when it comes to compositions, melodies, and instruments in songs. Here’s why.

Getting That Thomas Newman Sound

Thomas Newman has made some of the most lush-sounding and poignant soundtracks in history (in my opinion). His Shawshank Redemption soundtrack is excellent with its soft piano sounds.

I will update this with more as I learn more, so check back often.

Last updated: 27-June-2018

Book Recommendation: Composing Electronic Music

Composing Electronic Music is a book that has proven invaluable in my equalization settings in my electronic music creations. I would highly recommend it!

[click here for a link to it]