Blog Post 2- The Secret Language of Computer Music Composition

1. VST- VST is an acronym for Virtual Studio Technology, which means exactly what it sounds like.  VSTs are tools used in electronic music composition software that allow you to either create or manipulate sound in a certain type of way.  VSTs that create sound do so in multiple ways- either from an original audio sample or by creating a digital audio wave that can then be altered by other tools within the VST.

2. Slap- Slap is more of a term specific to the code used by my friends at home and I while discussing music, and it's a term that has evolved a lot over the past few years.  Calling a beat or a song a slap originally meant that the drums were hitting in an optimal way, essentially slapping against your ears.  However, slap has become a catchall term for me when it comes to describing progressive music- when a beat or song evolves in a way you couldn't have foreseen, or explores a texture you've never heard before that affects you, it's a slap.

3. Pocket- Pocket is a term I've most often and for the most time heard used by jazz musicians to describe the timing and collective rhythm of a group or individual part.  Pocket means the same thing when it comes to computer music, the way of execution is just somewhat different.  For the elements of your track to be in pocket the timings of the individual sounds need to be slightly off the perfect DAW grid, in order to emulate human error and establish a groove.  Different pockets require different changes in the rhythm of different instruments, and there are technically an infinite number of pockets you could be playing in.


One pet peeve I have around my field that's pretty irrational and definitely not super important is when people call me a DJ- I can understand the misconception from an outsiders point of view but being a DJ and being a composer/producer are two different things in todays world.  To be a DJ in 2017 is to play and combine other peoples music, while being a producer is writing and creating your own music.  I think this misconception mainly comes from how prevalent sampling and remixing have become in todays music- non-producers could label that as DJing because of the known source material.