How to think like a sound sculptor: hear each sound as an blank canvas
- Mar 17
- 5 min read
A clap is a clap, right? But... what if not hearing a clap as a clap were the secret to making more creative music?
Early in my journey, I was obsessed with rules—where the clap should sit, the exact pattern for a ride, or the 'correct' way to process toms. These guidelines were initially helpful because I knew so little, and any technical advice improved the quality of my tracks.
But as time went on, these rules became a creative trap, filling my head with rigid formulas that shaped my music into something lifeless and predictable.
If this sounds familiar—if you feel stuck in a creative box, making the same moves over and over—it might be due to how you perceive sounds.
Think of your favourite artists and why their music resonates with you.
Chances are, it is not because they followed a common, formulaic approach; it is because they dared to explore something fresh and authentic. They embraced the idea that every sound is a raw material they can sculpt, rather than a fixed entity with a prescribed 'best practice.'
Their music hits harder precisely because they are not afraid to break old assumptions.
I used to treat a clap strictly as a clap: always placed on certain beats, processed with the same chain of compression, saturation, and reverb. No wonder my results remained the same.
By letting go of labels, I learned to focus on the actual sonic qualities.
A clap can be a short, energetic burst of mid and high frequencies. Perhaps it feels punchy, gritty, or brimming with potential rhythmic excitement.
By ignoring what it is called, I gave myself permission to experiment more.
That is when I started layering odd delays, grain shifts, and automation in ways I never would have tried under a strict 'clap' mindset.
Suddenly, I found myself crafting surprising moments in my productions—moments that even I did not see coming.
However, this approach takes practice.
It is easy to default to old habits, especially when our brains crave shortcuts for efficiency.
Whenever I caught myself throwing a stock effect chain on a sound and calling it a day, I had to stop and ask: 'Is this really what I want, or am I on autopilot?'
We often think of creative expression as something magical that just flows, but the reality is that needs to be balanced with deliberate effort to keep the spark alive.
By slowing down to truly listen, you start to notice new possibilities in otherwise ordinary sounds.
That seemingly bland clap sample might become a breathtaking cascade of textures once you remove the preconception that it needs to 'sit' a certain way.
There was a time right before I made the music that came out on Clergy when I felt the weight of all those rules I had absorbed. I had studied endless tutorials and was forcing my tracks to conform to a formula in my head.
The moment I realised how limiting that was, I shifted how I listened. I forgot what each sound was 'supposed' to be and focused instead on what I actually heard: energy, emotion and textures.
That is when the creative floodgates opened and the tracks that came out on Clergy were born.
By thinking of each element in its raw form, I could let the music guide me to surprising results. The process became far more fun—and far more productive.
I did not have to fight my track to get it to sound interesting; I simply had to stop suffocating it with every rule I had picked up.
If this feels a bit abstract, try it for yourself in a very simple way.
Take a percussive sound you have always used the same way and pretend you have no idea what it is. Listen to its attack and decay, its subtle texture, and where it might sit in the frequency spectrum.
Throw on something you have never used before—maybe a corpus effect, or a pitch shifter, or just a bizarre automation curve—and see what happens.
Even if it sounds terrible, at least you are exploring something new. And in that process of trial and error, you will stumble into ideas that feel more like you than the templates you have relied on in the past.
From experience, letting go of preconceived notions is one of the hardest shifts to make.
We like to know we are doing things 'properly.' But the best tracks are rarely made by people who think only in terms of what is proper.
They come from artists who learn the rules, appreciate them, and then loosen their grip, allowing curiosity to lead the way.
Suddenly, mixing and arranging do not feel like chores but like playful sculpting. You experiment, test ideas, and refine until something resonates deeply.
I hope you carry this idea into your next session: forget the names and labels of your samples, stop worrying about what you 'should' do, and instead listen to the actual sound in front of you.
If you are drawn to it, explore it.
If it is jarring and unpleasant, tweak it with an open mind.
This mindset demands more effort than following a formula, but that effort is what breathes life into your music.
You might surprise yourself by creating sounds so exciting that you wonder if you really made them. That sense of amazement is a sign you are tapping into a deeper, more authentic level of artistry.
In my own journey, thinking of a clap as just another stream of frequencies was a massive game-changer. It freed me from stale habits and made music-making fun again.
Sure, it takes practice to keep doing it. Old thought patterns can creep back whenever you get too comfortable. But each time you catch yourself and push beyond those boundaries, you open a door to something fresh and unexpected.
If you ask me, that is the real joy of music production—hearing something that did not exist before and realising you brought it to life.
So go forth, let go of rigid definitions, and see what happens when you drop the labels.
Now go make some noise and share it with someone who will appreciate the madness.
After all, a clap is never just a clap—unless you decide it is.
Big love
Eryk Kabay
Ready for action? Whether you’re feeling stuck or looking for that final professional polish, I’m here to help you cut through the confusion and make your tracks have a real impact. Let’s get your music sounding its best and ready to be released into the world.
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