As I was planning my content for October, excited to start creating a new topline inspired by some of my favorite moody atmospheric and cinematic themes!
And if you haven’t noticed already, I love me a dark-goth aesthetic, and you can easily tell from my previous vocal work & toplines that I love to explore the darker side of human emotions in my lyrics (So far, my topline “Next of Kin” is the prime example of that). October is the perfect opportunity for me to completely lean into that gothic horror mood. 🦇💀
The Right Chords Sounding Wrong
Naturally, as a musician with a classical background, my first instinct was to start with the chord progression.
I started playing around with a few chord sequences and melodies in my DAW, but something just felt off and uninspiring about those progressions.
While some beautiful ideas still emerged, nothing felt quite “right”, and I started wondering whether I was just thinking about “darkness” in music completely wrong.
While I was doing everything “right” by the book (using tritones, diminished chords, and tense transitions), I was missing the bigger picture for what makes music actually feel dark rather than just sound dissonant.
Why Simpler Chord Progressions Leave Room for Mood
I started to challenge my own assumptions. My idea of a “dark” sound was based on a traditional, classical understanding of music theory (dissonance = dark). But modern music production works differently. A completely “normal,” simple chord progression actually leaves more sonic space for the darkness to be built through production, delivery, and atmosphere.
So I changed my approach completely, and here’s the framework I decided to use:
The result was something that was, in my opinion, far more elegant, atmospheric, and ultimately more usable for music producers looking to build a track that sounds moody and immersive.
When is it “Too Weird” to Be Useful?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting weird and adding dissonances as at the end of the day, we are here to explore, experiment, and have fun with the tools inside our DAW. Brilliant music constantly utilizes diminished and augmented chords to create tension and I’m not saying I won’t ever use dissonances.
But as a vocal pack producer, I have to look at songwriting through a slightly different lens. Every time I export a vocal pack or topline, I have to ask myself: “Is this actually usable for a music producer?” and “Does this style respect the genres that producers actually want to build around?”
I need to be creative, but part of that creativity means finding solutions around what producers buying pre-made toplines actually need and love to create with.
One of the main complaints I see on Reddit about existing vocal packs is that everything out there sounds generic. That is exactly what I’m fighting against. I want a producer to find my vocals and feel immediately inspired to open their DAW. That’s why I put so much work and emphasis on creating not only top-quality vocals, but also creating whole sonic concepts and stories around them. But that work goes unseen if the content isn’t usable enough.
I haven’t found the perfect answer to that balance yet, but I’d love to hear your perspective. What makes a vocal pack instantly usable for you?
Hear the idea in a finished vocals
I was very inspired this month, and so I naturally ended up recording lots of vocals to match the theme and the vibe of the month. It’s been feeling a little bit like a mini-celebration! This month was the perfect opportunity for me to experiment wiht new ideas, but also dark and gothic aesthetics are actually right down my alley, so it was also like a little candy!
Take a listen at those if you feel, and enjoy the dark, moody vibes of Halloween!
Topline | 150 BPM | C#mTransmutation
A dark, seductive vocal about transformation, with whispers and eerie vocal effects.
Hear the topline >
Hook | 96 BPM | D#mWild Hunt
A haunting hook inspired by Grimm fairytales and dark fantasy.
Hear the hook >
Cover | 116 BPM | GmLullaby of Woe
A breathy, dramatic take on the song from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Hear the cover >
Topline | 116 BPM | BbmGhost of Me
An intimate, haunting topline about feeling invisible and finding your way back.
Hear the topline >Happy music-making! Elvann
