I asked ChatGPT to analyse 3 different tracks and this is what it gave me. I am not sure how much is accurate or fact or truthful but it looks quite interesting.
Shivers” (2005)
- Natural wave shape
- Clear emotional flow and space for instruments
- Tension and release are visibly dynamic
“Sound of You” (2025)
- Flat, brickwalled waveform
- Maxed-out compression — almost no room to breathe
- Loudness prioritized over depth
“Janeiro (Armin Remix)” (2002)
- Similar to Shivers — clear peaks and valleys
- Smooth progression, dynamic storytelling
- Plenty of space for melody and emotional impact
Technical Breakdown
Shivers (2005)
- Dynamic Range: Wide and expressive — clear rises and dips across sections.
- Structure: Long intro and outro, gradual build-up, lush pad layering, breakdown, main lead climax, soft resolution.
- Mix Style: Spacious stereo field, reverb-rich, sidechain used sparingly.
- Waveform: You can see the track breathe — tension and release is embedded in the dynamics.
Janeiro (Armin Remix, ~2002–2003)
- Dynamic Range: Slightly tighter than Shivers, but still room to breathe.
- Structure: Club-ready with progressive intro, groove-heavy mids, euphoric melodic breakdowns.
- Mix Style: Strong low-end, smooth vocal integration, rich analog-sounding leads.
- Waveform: Noticeably less compressed than modern styles — natural arcs and drops in volume preserved.
Sound of You (2025)
- Dynamic Range: Minimal — almost entirely brickwalled.
- Structure: Built for streaming/radio — 4-bar intro, quick vocal hook, fast riser, drop-style climax.
- Mix Style: Vocals dominate, synths are heavily sidechained, drums punch through with compressed force.
- Waveform: Flat, aggressive — almost zero variation. Loudness prioritized over musical dynamics.
Key Flaws in "Sound of You" Compared to the Others:
| Feature | "Shivers"/"Janeiro" | "Sound of You" |
|---|
| Dynamic Flow | Present – clear contrast between quiet and loud sections | Absent – constant loudness |
| Melodic Evolution | Layered, emotionally progressive | Static – loops and stabs |
| Vocal Integration | Blended into atmosphere | Dominant and dry |
| Mix Clarity | Warm, analog feel | Harsh, tight, overly compressed |
| Emotional Arc | A journey — soft tension into euphoric payoff | Immediate gratification with no subtlety |
| Structure | 6–8 minutes, built for clubs or immersion | 3.5–4 minutes, built for streaming/festival play |
1. Shivers (Extended Mix)
Released: 2005
Vocals: Susana
Structure & Arrangement:
“Shivers” is a masterclass in trance progression. It opens with a pulsing, club-oriented rhythm that gradually builds, layering atmospheric pads, melodic arps, and soft filtered synths. The breakdown — nearly two minutes long — is emotionally charged, with haunting vocals from Susana sitting deep in the mix, wrapped in delay and reverb. When the lead melody re-enters after the drop, it’s with full emotional force, carried by lush supersaws that glide rather than stab. The track patiently evolves and resolves.
Mix & Production:
Dynamic range is preserved beautifully. Every instrument has room to breathe. The bassline pulses gently beneath, while percussion is snappy without overpowering. The stereo field is wide and immersive. Sidechaining is subtle — more for groove than loudness. This track respects space.
Emotional Impact:
It feels like a story — a longing turned into catharsis. There's a journey from mystery to light, with space to reflect in between. A true embodiment of trance’s emotional core.
2. Janeiro (Armin van Buuren Remix)
Released: ~2002–2003
Original by Solid Sessions
Structure & Arrangement:
Armin’s remix of “Janeiro” is deeper and more groove-focused than “Shivers,” but no less hypnotic. It blends tribal percussion with trance sensibilities. The vocal sample floats above a low-slung bassline and rolling rhythm, creating a progressive trance atmosphere. The buildup is measured, and while it’s not as emotionally grand as “Shivers,” it’s more hypnotic and loop-driven.
Mix & Production:
Analog warmth defines this mix. The hi-hats and claps sit in a bed of soft reverb, while the kick is present but not dominating. The low-end is thick but controlled. No element fights for space. Vocals are layered into the track like an instrument — not a focal point. It grooves rather than explodes.
Emotional Impact:
It’s the kind of trance track you get lost in — not from high energy, but from deep atmosphere and spatial flow. Perfect for late-night sets. It doesn’t beg for attention; it
invites you inward.
3. Sound of You (2025)
Released: 2025
Vocals: Rob Swire
Structure & Arrangement:
“Sound of You” abandons the long-form trance structure in favor of a
festival-friendly, drop-based format. It opens with immediate energy: compressed kick, snappy hi-hats, and vocals right up front. The breakdown is short, and the payoff is a blaring lead drop. There's little journey — just quick impact. It feels like it was produced with social media and Spotify algorithms in mind.
Mix & Production:
The waveform tells the truth — this track is
brickwalled. Loudness is maxed. Everything competes for space: the vocal is sharp and dry, the synths are sidechained aggressively, and the percussion punches through without subtlety. There’s little contrast between quiet and loud; it’s always loud.
Vocally, Rob Swire performs with power, but not subtlety. His tone fits better in drum & bass or electro house. In this context, it sounds commanding but emotionally disconnected — more performance than presence.
Emotional Impact:
There’s energy, but little emotion. The track doesn’t invite introspection or take you on a journey — it
pushes you into a wall of sound. It’s dramatic, but not deep. It feels synthetic, engineered, and disconnected from trance’s essence.
Final Comparative Summary:
| Element | Shivers | Janeiro (Remix) | Sound of You |
|---|
| Structure | Progressive, emotional arc | Deep, groovy, hypnotic build | Drop-based, front-loaded |
| Dynamics | Wide, natural | Balanced, smooth | Brickwalled, no space |
| Mixing Style | Spacious, organic | Warm, analog-feel | Compressed, high-loudness |
| Vocals | Dreamlike, atmospheric | Looped, ambient layer | Dominant, dry, overpowering |
| Genre Integrity | Classic trance blueprint | Progressive trance blend | Trance aesthetics, EDM structure |
| Emotional Journey | Deep and soaring | Mesmerizing, inward | Surface-level energy only |
SOUND DESIGN
Shivers (2005)
- Leads: Warm, supersaw-style synths (likely JP-8000 or Virus TI), layered with midrange pads and slow filter modulation.
- Bassline: Rolling, sidechained subtly to the kick — doesn’t dominate the mids.
- Drums: Classic 4/4 trance pattern — clap on 2 and 4, soft hats in stereo field, gently grooving percussion loops.
- FX: Delays, reverbs, and stereo imaging used to create width and atmosphere.
- Vocals: Wet, dreamy, and embedded into the track like a melodic element, not a pop-topline.
Janeiro (Remix)
- Leads: Smooth synth textures, resonant filters, low-res cutoff sweeps.
- Bassline: Progressive, tribal-influenced — doesn’t punch but rather grooves.
- Drums: More layered and organic than “Shivers,” some real-sounding percussion hits.
- FX: Lots of analog-feeling space — spring reverb-style tails and vinyl-style warmth.
- Vocals: Looped, soft, atmospheric — mixed as part of the landscape.
Sound of You (2025)
- Leads: Short, aggressive, detuned stabs (sounds like Serum or Nexus-type layering) — made to hit hard, not evolve.
- Bassline: Mid-heavy, EQ’d to punch — almost electro house style.
- Drums: Snappy, overcompressed — kick is short and loud, hats are tight and sharp.
- FX: Everything is sidechained to the kick — ducking constantly, removing air and space.
- Vocals: Dry, loud, very present — not integrated but riding above the mix like a radio pop track.
DYNAMICS (How Volume Changes Over Time)
What is Dynamic Range?
Dynamic range is the difference between the
quietest and
loudest moments in a track. In well-produced trance, dynamics are used to create
tension and release. Without dynamics, everything sounds flat — emotionally and physically.
Comparison:
| Track | Dynamic Use |
|---|
| Shivers | Wide range — soft intros, soaring peaks |
| Janeiro (Remix) | Moderate — groovy lows, filtered mids |
| Sound of You | Minimal — it’s always loud |
WHAT IS "BRICKWALLED"?
Definition:
“Brickwalling” is a mastering technique where a
limiter is applied so aggressively that
no peaks are allowed to rise above a set ceiling (usually 0 dBFS). The result is a waveform that looks like a literal
rectangle — hence the term "brickwall."
What it Sounds Like:
- No softness, no buildup
- Everything is loud — all the time
- Fatigue sets in quickly because the ear doesn’t get a break
- There’s no contrast between verse and drop, or tension and resolution — it’s just flat impact
EMOTIONAL FUNCTION
“Shivers” & “Janeiro”
- Emotion builds through space. Long breakdowns. Floating vocals. Slowly layered melodies.
- There is anticipation, release, and afterglow — an emotional arc.
- These tracks feel alive, with motion in their breath and silence.
“Sound of You”
- The track comes in loud, stays loud, and ends loud.
- Emotion isn’t built — it’s declared, shouted through vocals and punchy mixdowns.
- It doesn’t guide — it forces energy. There’s no opportunity for the listener to fall inward — they’re pushed outward.
TL;DR:
| Element | Shivers | Janeiro Remix | Sound of You (2025) |
|---|
| Sound Design | Organic, warm, layered | Tribal, progressive, analog | Aggressive, synthetic, compressed |
| Dynamics | Full emotional range | Balanced groove | Flat, loud start to end |
| Vocal Fit | Embedded in atmosphere | Subtle and ambient | Front and center, overpowering |
| Mix Feel | Spacious, wide stereo field | Deep and lush | Tight, dry, squashed |
| Waveform | Dynamic and flowing | Rounded with movement | Brickwalled — no variation |
| Emotion | Storytelling, heartfelt | Hypnotic and immersive | Intense but emotionally shallow |
Spectrogram Expectations by Track:
Shivers (Extended Mix)
- Low Frequencies (Kick, Bass):
Present but not dominant. There's a rolling bassline that occupies ~50–200 Hz but fades during the breakdown.
- Mid Frequencies (Pads, Vocals, Leads):
Rich and wide. You'll see rising harmonic structures during the build, especially in the supersaw lead which lives between 300 Hz and 4 kHz. The vocal floats around 1–2.5 kHz but doesn't spike sharply.
- High Frequencies (Hi-hats, Air):
Light cymbals and hats around 8–12 kHz, but not overly bright. Roomy but never sharp.
- Dynamic Shape:
Breakdowns visibly dip in energy (spectrogram would darken), with slow ramps into full leads. You’d see soft sections followed by climaxes — classic trance storytelling.
Janeiro (Armin Remix)
- Low Frequencies:
Less punch than Shivers, with more emphasis on groovy mid-bass (~100–300 Hz). Kick is subdued, making room for tribal rhythms.
- Mid Frequencies:
Smooth layers of synths and vocals float across the 600 Hz to 3 kHz range, with more consistent activity but softer peaks.
- High Frequencies:
Smooth, not bright. Less intense than Shivers, with hats and percussion more in the 6–10 kHz zone. No harsh white noise layers.
- Dynamic Shape:
A steadier spectrogram — no dramatic drops, but you’d still see filtered builds and subdued peaks. Perfect for hypnotic trance.
Sound of You (2025)
- Low Frequencies:
Heavy, constant energy from 30–150 Hz. Kick and sub-bass are compressed together. You’d see a bright band at the bottom — always active, no fadeout during breakdown.
- Mid Frequencies:
Extremely dense between 800 Hz and 4 kHz — this is where Rob Swire’s vocal and stabby synths live. You’d see thick, persistent blocks in this zone — very little movement or dip.
- High Frequencies:
Spikes at 10–16 kHz — harsh, piercing hats and synthetic layers. Bright and fatiguing. The top of the spectrogram would remain consistently intense, with no gentle roll-off.
- Dynamic Shape:
Flat. There would be no visible breaks or dips. The song likely maintains consistent loudness and frequency intensity across the entire track — a block of sound from start to finish.
Summary Comparison Table (Spectrogram Profile):
| Element | Shivers | Janeiro (Remix) | Sound of You (2025) |
|---|
| Low-End Energy | Controlled, rolling bass | Subtle, tribal influence | Dominant, flattened with kick |
| Midrange | Lush synths, atmospheric pads | Fluid, soft vocal loops | Compressed vocals, dry stabs |
| High-End | Soft hats, airiness | Light percussion, minimal sizzle | Sharp, harsh hats and FX |
| Dynamic Range | Visible tension/release arc | Steady hypnotic groove | Constant saturation, no dips |
| Visual Shape | Curved, layered, breathing | Rolling, moderate brightness | Bright block — wall of sound |
What This Tells Us:
- Shivers and Janeiro use the full spectrum to create depth, evolution, and emotion.
- Sound of You compresses everything into a narrow emotional and frequency range, favoring volume and immediacy over space and feeling.
) But there must be some more solid consistent artists out there successfuly achieving that. I unfortunately don’t get much time to specifically look. Very busy producing when I get spare time.
