Blog Post Spatial Processing Research

This week I listened to Björk‘s Hyperballad as an example of spatial processing in experimental music. I chose this track because it creates a very clear sense of space, even though it still works as a pop song. The sound-world in this piece feels open, floating, and a little distant, and most of this comes from how the producers use reverb, delay and stereo movement.

The vocal has a long reverb tail that makes Björk sound like she is singing inside a large space instead of a studio. Sometimes her voice feels close to my face, and sometimes it feels like it is further away. This shifting distance gives the track a sense of emotional movement. The background synths also spread out widely in the stereo field, almost wrapping around the listener. I noticed some short delays on small vocal fragments that make the sound bounce slightly left and right. It creates a feeling that the song is breathing, as if the space is alive.

Listening to this track helped me think about my own composition for the assignment. I usually focus on making vocals clean or “beautiful,” especially coming from my Diary Plugg and cloud-rap background, but I realised that the space around the sound can also tell a story. It doesn’t need to be realistic. It can feel dream-like, broken, or far away. For my current project, I want to experiment more with reverb shapes, stereo imaging, and using movement to show emotion instead of only relying on melody. This track reminded me that space itself is a part of composition.

Link: