What is a soundbed

[smith3rz]

I came across this when reading a Harry Fraud interview. My question is what is he talking about when he says "soundbeds underneath the drums." Is it a mixing effect?
Yeah, your stuff tends to be pretty dynamic and layered.

harry fraud: Yeah especially the soundbeds underneath the drums. They’re real manipulated and treated. I never take a sample and just leave it how it is.


Beat Construction: Harry Fraud « The FADER

 

[Foggy]

It could be a typo . as in the sound beds underneath the drums .

Either way I read it as .....
Your music has many layers that all seem to bed down well under the drums , and not be a distraction from or fighting with , the other sounds .

 

[bandcoach]

I agree, to some extent, with you foggy.

The term "soundbed" is used to describe the sonic landscape over which other sounds are added; i.e. a soundbed is the basic layer over which everything else is added. Some tend to use a pad of some type to provide this soundbed.

 

[Foggy]

I have never heard the expression before Band !
There's a spin or a buzzword to everything studio related !

 

[bandcoach]

trouble is, foggy, I was using the term, very popular at the time, in the mid-1980's. It just died out and someones dad or grand-dad has just let it slip and suddenly there it is again....

---------- Post added 08-25-2012 at 01:54 PM ---------- Previous post was 08-01-2012 at 03:01 PM ----------

Another thought on the genesis of the term "soundbed"

We also used this term when talking about composing for radio and tv commercials: the jingle would be broken down into "theme-soundbed-recap_of_theme" or variants thereof, where the Bed was a place deliberately without arresting melodic content for the voice-over talent to deliver the message of the ad.