06: Void Walker

BPM: 95 | Key: B Minor | Duration: ~3:30

Dark power at slow tempo. Void Walker proves that slow doesn’t mean weak — each hit lands with devastating weight.

The Vision

Track 6 builds tension before the album’s climax:

1. Slowest BPM — 95 creates hypnotic menace
2. Maximum weight — Each element hits harder
3. Space = power — Less notes, more impact
4. Building dread — Preparing for Core Meltdown

What Makes It Unique

The Slowest Tempo

At 95 BPM, Void Walker is 13 BPM slower than Skull Fracture:

Slow tempo = more time between hits = each hit feels heavier.

Triple-Layer Dark Bass

The deepest, heaviest bass in the album:

define :bass do |n, v=1, c=72|
  use_synth :prophet
  play n, amp: 0.6*v, attack: 0.02, decay: 0.28,
       sustain: 0.18, release: 0.22, cutoff: c, res: 0.22
  use_synth :dsaw
  play n, amp: 0.4*v, attack: 0.01, decay: 0.22,
       release: 0.18, cutoff: c-12, detune: 0.2
  use_synth :sine
  play n-12, amp: 1.2*v, attack: 0.02, sustain: 0.32, release: 0.25
end

Key choices:

• Prophet for warmth + dsaw for grit
• Lower cutoff (72) — darker than other tracks
• Louder sine sub (1.2) — physical weight
• Longer decay/release — notes bloom and sustain

Dark Ambience Stabs

Power chord stabs using dark_ambience:

define :stab do |notes, v=1|
  use_synth :dark_ambience
  play notes, amp: 0.4*v, attack: 0.04, decay: 0.35,
       sustain: 0.12, release: 0.45
end

define :stab_pattern do |v=1|
  stab [:b2, :fs3, :b3], v; sleep 2
  stab [:b2, :fs3, :b3], v*0.5; sleep 0.5
  stab [:d3, :a3, :d4], v*0.75; sleep 1.5
end

B minor power chords — dark and powerful.

Pulse Arpeggios

Hypnotic, minimal arps:

define :arp do |v=1|
  use_synth :pulse
  notes = [:b3, :d4, :fs4, :b4, :fs4, :d4, :b3, :fs3]
  notes.each do |n|
    play n, amp: 0.22*v, attack: 0.01, decay: 0.15,
         release: 0.12, cutoff: 95, pulse_width: 0.35
    sleep 0.5
  end
end

B minor arpeggio — simple but hypnotic at slow tempo.

Whisper Textures

High, ethereal layer:

define :whisper do |n, v=1|
  use_synth :hollow
  play n, amp: 0.18*v, attack: 0.4, decay: 0.3,
       sustain: 0.5, release: 1.2, cutoff: 82
end

Adds ghostly presence without taking focus.

Sound Design

Heavy Kick

define :kick do |v=1|
  sample :bd_tek, amp: 2.4*v, rate: 0.85
  sample :bd_zum, amp: 0.6*v, rate: 1.0, cutoff: 65
end

Lowest rate (0.85) for the deepest pitch. The slow tempo lets each kick breathe.

Snare (Impactful)

define :snare do |v=1|
  sample :sn_dub, amp: v*1.05, rate: 0.78
end

Lower rate = deeper, more impactful.

Drums Pattern (Half-Time Feel)

define :drums do |k=1, s=1, h=1|
  in_thread do
    kick k; sleep 2
    kick k*0.65; sleep 0.5
    kick k*0.8; sleep 1.5
  end
  in_thread do
    sleep 2; snare s; sleep 2
  end
  in_thread do
    8.times { hat h; sleep 0.5 }
  end
  sleep 4
end

Key difference: Kick on beat 1 and 3.5, snare on beat 3 only.

This creates a half-time feel — even slower than the tempo suggests.

Patterns

Bassline (Sparse)

define :bassline do |v=1, c=72|
  bass :b1, v, c; sleep 2
  bass :b1, v*0.55, c-10; sleep 0.5
  bass :d2, v*0.8, c; sleep 1
  bass :b1, v*0.7, c; sleep 0.5
end

Only 4 notes per bar — space is power.

Lead (Sparse, Emotional)

define :lead do |n, dur=1, v=1|
  use_synth :prophet
  play n, amp: 0.4*v, attack: 0.1, decay: dur*0.25,
       sustain: dur*0.5, release: dur*0.6, cutoff: 85, res: 0.15
end

define :melody do |v=1|
  lead :b4, 1.5, v; sleep 1.5
  lead :d5, 1, v*0.9; sleep 1
  lead :cs5, 1.5, v; sleep 1.5  # C# = major 2nd, tension
end

Long notes — at 95 BPM, a 1.5-beat note lasts nearly a full second.

Arrangement

INTRO (32) → BUILD (32) → MAIN A (48) → DARK (24) → MAIN B (48) → OUTRO (28)

The “Dark” Section

Instead of a break, a descent into darkness:

# DARK: 6 bars - descent
in_thread do
  12.times { hat 0.3; sleep 0.5 }
  sleep 12
end

in_thread do
  with_fx :reverb, room: 0.95, mix: 0.65 do
    with_fx :echo, phase: 1.5, decay: 8, mix: 0.55 do
      whisper :b5, 0.35; sleep 6
      whisper :fs5, 0.3; sleep 5
      whisper :d5, 0.35; sleep 5
    end
  end
end

in_thread do
  with_fx :reverb, room: 0.9, mix: 0.6 do
    sleep 8
    stab [:b1, :fs2, :b2], 0.4  # Deep stab
    sleep 8
    stab [:d2, :a2, :d3], 0.35
  end
end

sleep 24
hit 1.3

No bass, no kick — just whispers and distant stabs floating in reverb.

Building Weight

Energy through volume, not speed:

Long Outro

# OUTRO: 7 bars - slow fade
in_thread do
  7.times do |i|
    drums (0.9-i*0.1), 0, (0.55-i*0.06)
  end
end

in_thread do
  with_fx :reverb, room: 0.95, mix: 0.65 do
    with_fx :echo, phase: 1.25, decay: 10, mix: 0.55 do
      2.times { arp 0.35 }
      arp 0.25
    end
  end
end

sleep 28

10-second echo decay — notes ring out long after playing stops.

Key Techniques

1. Half-Time Feel

Even at 95 BPM, half-time makes it feel like 47.5:

# Normal feel (kick every beat)
kick; sleep 1; kick; sleep 1; kick; sleep 1; kick; sleep 1

# Half-time (kick beats 1 and 3.5)
kick; sleep 2; kick; sleep 0.5; sleep 1.5

The sparse kick pattern creates massive weight.

2. Space = Power

Compare note density:

Fewer notes = more impact per note.

3. Lower Everything

Void Walker uses lower rates/pitches than other tracks:

Everything is deeper, darker.

4. B Minor Character

B Minor has a unique darkness:

# B natural minor: B C# D E F# G A
# The F# (5th) is strong and stable
# The G (b6) adds darkness

bass :b1; sleep 2    # Root - grounded
bass :fs2; sleep 1   # Fifth - powerful
bass :g2; sleep 1    # b6 - dark tension

5. Dynamic Range

Void Walker has the album’s widest dynamic range:

• Quietest moments: whispers at 0.18 amp
• Loudest moments: kicks at 2.4 amp

Contrast creates drama.

The Void Walker Concept

The title evokes:

• Void — Emptiness, space, darkness
• Walker — Slow, deliberate movement
• Together — Something moving through darkness, each step deliberate

The slow tempo and sparse arrangement embody walking through the void.

Hacker Challenges

1. Go Slower: Drop to 85 BPM. At what tempo does “menacing” become “boring”? Where’s the floor?

2. Remove All Reverb: Strip the atmospheric effects entirely. Does the track still have power, or was the space doing all the work?

3. Add a Pulse: Introduce a quiet, steady 8th-note element (maybe a filtered arp or just a soft click). Does it add drive or fight the half-time feel?

4. Drone Layer: Add a sustained low note that never changes:

   use_synth :dark_ambience
   play :b1, amp: 0.3, attack: 4, sustain: 100, release: 4
   

   Does constant bass add weight or become oppressive?

5. Double the Tempo Feel: Keep BPM at 95 but change drums to 4-on-floor. Same tempo, completely different energy. Which is more “Void Walker”?

Full Code

The complete track code is available in 06_void_walker.rb.

Next: Track 07: Core Meltdown — the album climax.