Stutter edit

The stutter edit is an audio software VST plugin, implementing forms of granular synthesis, sample retrigger, and various effects to create a certain audible manipulation of the sound run through it, in which fragments of audio are repeated in rhythmic intervals. "In plain English, a stutter edit contains a single segment of audio repeated a number of times, giving a performance a decidedly digital flavor."[1] Stutter edits not only occur as the common 16th note repetition, but also as 64th notes and beyond. Stutter edits can go beyond 2,048th notes and can be measured in milliseconds.[2] Above a certain point, these repetitions transition from rhythmic to tonal frequencies, making musical notes out of the repeated audio.[3] These extremely short, fast groups of notes are often placed into the spacing of an eighth or sixteenth note in an otherwise “normal” bar, creating rhythmic accenting and patterns that call attention to a particular section. These patterns can be placed at the beginning of a bar, or towards the end for a more syncopated sound. One example is in the second verse of "Drop It Like It's Hot", Snoop mentions a DJ followed by a stutter edit and turntable scratch in reply.[4]

'Stutter' edits, which are commonly used in a variety of pop music, including dance music and hip-hop, slice and dice clips into pieces and then reassemble them in a different order.[5]

While electronic musician Brian Transeau[6] developed the specific plugin, coined the phrase, and later released it as a standalone plug-in, various forms of this type of editing have been utilized by composers like Aphex Twin, Xanopticon and older modern classical composers for decades. The majority of stutter edits were created through deliberate manual editing techniques rather than automated processes such as the eponymous plug-in. The audio plugin is named "Stutter Edit" and was co-released by iZotope and Sonik Architects.[7]

Creation

Due to the extremely rapid rhythmic bursts, after a certain rhythmic point—i.e. the 128th beat—some stutters begin to sound like a tone rather than a short percussive beat. Traditional stutter edits splice percussive vocals or drum loops because they begin as rhythmic rather than constant tones. These percussive, on-the-beat areas are known as attack transients, and are usually no longer than an eighth note. The splicing of percussive samples results in a more attention-grabbing sound than it would with a single sustained pitch.[8] Stutters also often reduce notes within bars, beginning with 32nd notes, then reducing to 64th and 128th or something similar. There are instances of stutter edits that use logarithmic curves rather than relying on musically locked timings giving the impression of a "speed up" or "slow down".

Programs and the glitch edit

As a relatively new plugin, for most, the stutter edit is a trial-and-error process. However, there are new programs and plugins emerging to make creation faster and simpler:

The glitch edit is less about rhythmic synchronicity and intended more to jar and “wake up” the listener. Glitches also use sustained harmonic samples, as opposed to the percussive samples used in stutter edits. Usually in short bursts of sound; the glitch is almost always syncopated, placed on weaker beats to grab attention.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Preve, Francis (2004). Power Tools for Garage Band: Creating Music with Audio Recording, MIDI Sequencing, and Loops, p.38. Hal Leonard. ISBN 9781617745188.
  2. ↑ Harrington, Richard. "Reveling in the Human Side of Electronica". The Washington Post.
  3. ↑ "Waveformless: Review: iZotope Stutter Edit". Waveformless. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  4. ↑ Owsinski, Bobby (2013). Bobby Owsinski's Deconstructed Hits: Modern Pop & Hip-Hop: Uncover the Stories & Techniques Behind 20 Iconic Songs, unpaginated. Alfred Music. ISBN 9781470614225.
  5. ↑ Anderton, Craig and the Adobe Creative Team (2013). Adobe Audition CC, p.218. Pearson. ISBN 9780321929532.
  6. ↑ "Realtime editing and Performance of Digital Audio Tracks".
  7. ↑ McConnon, Brian. "iZotope and BT Release Stutter Edit". Music Marcom. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  8. 1 2 Alexander, Jason Scott. "Fractal Tendencies".
  9. ↑ "iZotope and BT release Stutter Edit".
  10. ↑ Apple - Pro - Profiles - BT, p. 1
  11. ↑ Harmony Central - Signal Processing with Propellerhead's ReCycle
  12. ↑ Sony Creative Software
  13. ↑ Memory
  14. ↑ Glitch beta demo available for download
  15. ↑ http://www.image-line.com/documents/grossbeat.html
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