Say My Name” brings together three artists coming at house music from different directions.
ERAN has spent the past few years moving beyond the Afro focused material associated with some of his earlier releases and deeper into melodic, tech and classic house territory, while Budapest duo GrooveGeneration bring a funkier approach rooted in disco, chunky basslines and the club records of the 2000s. Terri B! brings the collaboration together with her fantastic vocals at the heart of the record.
Released October 2 via Vibora Music , the track draws inspiration from the classic “Feel So Good,” especially the immediacy of its vocal. ERAN and GrooveGeneration wanted to capture some of that feeling without turning the production into a throwback. They built around melodic and disco house ideas, with an emphasis on movement, warmth and a production that would give Terri B!’s voice space to shine.
That relatively focused approach carries over into the production itself. Serum handles the basslines and leads, with automation keeping those parts developing across the arrangement, while UAD’s SSL 4000 E Channel Strip controls the vocals and lead elements without excessive processing.
Below, ERAN and GrooveGeneration share how they created “Say My Name,” with Terri B!’s fantastic vocals at the heart of the record.
Serum
We used Serum for the basslines and leads, bringing our musical ideas together to shape the track’s sound. Automation, reverb and delay helped those elements evolve throughout the arrangement and keep the groove moving.
Our biggest tip is to experiment with automation. Even a simple sound can become much more expressive when a few parameters change over time.
SSL 4000 E Channel Strip by UAD
Terri B!’s fantastic vocal performance gave us a strong foundation to build around. As we developed the production with ERAN, we wanted the instrumental elements to complement her voice and give it space to shine.
We used UAD’s SSL 4000 E Channel Strip on the vocals and leads, keeping the processing subtle to preserve their character while helping them sit naturally in the mix.
Our advice is to start with small adjustments. A little EQ and compression can go a long way, especially when you already have a vocal with so much personality.
Quick Fire Tips
Tip #1
Use lots of automation. Keep playing with the knobs and let your sounds evolve.
Tip #2
Focus on the small details. Tiny changes can make a huge difference in the final track.
Tip #3
Give the track time to develop. Don’t rush it. Let the groove and arrangement breathe.
Tip #4
A strong, memorable vocal can give the whole track its identity. Build around it and let it shine.
Tip #5
Keep experimenting. If something feels too static, try moving a parameter or adding a little effect automation.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
