These sneaky, playful, quirky tracks sound like they fit right between suspense and comedy. In the tutorial video above, expert film composer and educator Dave Kropf<\/a> showcases how to compose a dramedy cue from the ground up, using only sounds from Splice Sounds<\/a> and Splice INSTRUMENT.<\/a> Watch along to learn how to write a dramedy cue that fits right at home in any cooking, dating, renovation, or lifestyle show, and read highlights below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bring Splice directly into your DAW with the Sounds Plugin (beta).<\/strong><\/a> Audition millions of samples, explore our latest search tools, and instantly create variations of any Splice sample.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The reigning champion of dramedy music is pizzicato strings\u2014violins, violas, cellos, and basses that are plucked instead of bowed. Mallet instruments\u2014pitched percussion like marimbas, vibraphones, glockenspiels, and xylophones\u2014also work really well for writing dramedy cues, as do keyboard instruments like pianos, clavinets, Wurlitzers, and electric pianos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other sounds that are commonly used include acoustic and electric guitars\u2014maybe with wah or a whammy bar for some added playfulness. Depending on the rest of your sound selection, you can explore a wide variety of options for writing basslines<\/a>\u2014electric basses, keys basses, synth basses, or if you’re pushing into hip hop territory, even some 808s can be effective. Just be careful not to overdo it; you’re writing an underscore piece, not a contemporary beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the note of hip hop, sprinkling in its characteristic elements into the percussion like trap snares,<\/a> hats,<\/a> little kick patterns,<\/a> or even breakbeats<\/a> can create small moments of intrigue that editors appreciate. Finally, you can add other percussion like shakers,<\/a> cymbals,<\/a> congas,<\/a> and bongos,<\/a> or effects like whooshes<\/a> and risers.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n There’s no universal tempo for dramedy cues, but generally you don’t want anything that’s too slow or too fast\u2014around 90 BPM can be a good place to start. When you’re writing your melodies,<\/a> leaving a lot of space between notes can help create that balance between tension and comedy. This also helps create room for other parts and accents to sneak in between as you develop your cue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For drums, layering multiple loops can give you interesting grooves that are easy to vary and combine in unique ways. If you take this approach, make sure to monitor the low end and EQ it out<\/a> in individual layers as necessary to avoid muddiness in your mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s common for dramedy cues to take a subtractive arrangement<\/strong> approach, where a single stack of sounds is repeated throughout the entire duration of the cue, and then different parts are removed in each section to carve out the form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n1. Gather sounds for your dramedy cue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n2. Build the cue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n3. Establish the arrangement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n