Synesthesia and Beat Making

Have you ever heard a song that just “sounded” red? You may be a synesthete — someone with synesthesia! Synesthesia, broadly, is when one sense is involuntarily linked to another. For example, one common form of synesthesia includes associating numbers, words, sounds, etc. with determined colors. This can be either projective (meaning the synesthete visualizes the colors) or associative (when the synesthete has a strong and inexplicable connection between two senses). The awareness of synesthesia and how it manifests itself varies from person to person, and although it is not known how it develops, it has been theorized that it is related to how we learn abstract concepts as children. A fun way to test your own association between color and sound is to create music based on a palette of colors; here is how to use Soundtrap to create beats based on different hues!

STEP 1: CREATING YOUR COLOR PALETTE

There are a few ways to find colors to base your beat on. Whether its using objects around you, a color palette generating website such as coolor.co, or taking a trip to the paint store for inspiration, this activity will work best with a selection of 3-5 colors. 

STEP 2: MAKING ASSOCIATIONS

Before starting in Soundtrap, sit with your colors and take notes. Are the shades predominantly dark or light? Warm or cool? Complementary or conflicting? How do each of these aspects translate into a musical element that you can incorporate into your final piece? 

STEP 3: PUT IT TOGETHER IN SOUNDTRAP

Open a new soundtrap music studio, and start experimenting. Get creative with loops, use the patterns beatmaker, and play with sound levels and tempo. There is no right or wrong way to go about this, so keep trying different things until it sounds right. When you are finished, share your work with a friend! Listen to this beat below.