We Need To Name This Sound Effect And Quick
Has Anyone Else Noticed This Sound Invading Our Airwaves?
What does En Vogue’s “Hold On” and Yes’s “Owner of a Lonely Heart” have in common? If you said they are both shining examples of the lyrical mastery of Dolly Parton…you’d be 100% wrong. However, if you said “Orchestral Hits are used in both songs”, then you, you Squire of Musical Knowledge, can take a victory lap around your block because you are correct. Go on now, I’ll wait.
Welcome back.
Ok, for the rest of us, let’s hold a quick Orchestral Hits 101 session. The most basic explanation is that an Orchestral Hit is a sound effect created on a synthesizer. This will typically be several orchestra sounds layered on top of one another. It became so popular during the 80’s and 90’s across multiple musical genres that it was practically a staple sound on every electronic keyboard manufactured since then. Here is a sample of the orchestra hit found on the Yamaha MU50.
Sound familiar?
I now call on the assistance from my fellow musicians and music enthusiasts. There seems to be a new sound creeping into several songs these days. Let’s go on a little ride shall we?
First, let’s take a look at Slow Hands by Niall Horan. Right around the 0:03 mark and then several times throughout the song, listen for an odd little “Wooooo!” sound.
Did you catch that? Ok, now check this out. Camila Cabello’s Never Be The Same has a strangely similar “Woooo!” at the 0:14 mark.
I’ve heard this in several other songs as well and I have to admit; I think it’s the strangest sound and adds nothing to the song. Is this a button on modern keyboards now? Am I now so out of touch that I don’t recognize its musical significance? Is this the Orchestral Hit of 2018? I would love to be a fly on the wall during the recording for a new pop song being produced right now.
Producer: “Hey New Artist. You really destroyed those vocals during that last take. I think we can wrap it up. Nicely done on that drum machine as well New Artist’s Drummer. You nailed it.”
New Artist’s Drummer: “Thanks man. I programmed this last night and the beats just flew. Flowed? …Either way, it was like poetry.”
New Artist: “Ok, let’s get this song out there. I want to share my pain with my fans.”
Producer: “Actually, have you heard that ‘Woooo!’ sound that Niall Horan is using like every 30 seconds? It blew my mind. I really think if we throw that sound into the intro of our song, we’ve got a platinum record on our hands.”
New Artist: “Love it. Yeah, that ‘Woooo!’ does make the song smarter doesn’t it? It really helps share the pain I was feeling during that breakup when I wrote the lyrics. Why don’t we start each chorus with it?”
New Artist’s Drummer: “I’ve already programmed it in.”
Producer: “Good work team. That will be $100,000 paid in full.”
I’ve looked all over the web and can’t seem to find a name for this sound. I have no idea who came up with it or where it first popped up. I propose we give it a name. MilleniWoo? MicroCheer? Nanny McShoutsmith? Do you have any ideas? Have you heard this sound in other songs? Share your thoughts in the comments.
