The most basic layer technique is octave unison. This technique emphasizes phrases by simultaneous playback in different octaves. The basic way of achieving octave unison is to record the same phrase in different octaves and play back the tracks together as one. You can increase the depth of sound or strengthen the lower range by laying a note one octave lower than over the base. You can make the sound clearer and more audible by laying a note one octave higher than above over the base. You can also control sound impressions by adjusting the volume of octave-based tracks with the desired balance.

You can use octave unison effectively in core parts such as the melody or bass line, and in supplementary parts such as melodic backgrounds played by horns or strings. Sample tune MA Sound Demo021 offers ordinarily programmed sounds in the first half and added octave unison for major parts in the second half. Sample tune Demo022 contains a series of parts played solo to demonstrate the differences. These solos correspond to parts comprising Sample tune Demo021. It is important to create the impression that the overtones of each timbre are varied instead of leaving obvious traces of layering octaves.

Overlaying timbres with different and distinctive characteristics is a popular layer technique. Overlaying sustained sounds and decay sounds are most frequently used technique in combination.

Let's create a melodic part by blending the sounds of a woodwind instrument with those of a bell. Sample tune MA Sound demo023 combines a flute with a glockenspiel. The flute dominates this sample's first half. Both flute and glockenspiel instruments are used in combination in the second half. You will notice the blending and addition of a glockenspiel, which creates a brighter impression in the second half. You will also notice the faster attacking sounds, featured on both instruments, to bring the melody line clearer to the foreground.

You can effectively combine decay sounds produced by an electric piano with sustained sounds played on strings in the backing parts. Sample tune MA Sound demo023 features an unaccompanied electric piano in the first half. The sample incorporates warmer pad sounds in the second half. By listening to this sample, you can understand how much warmth is added onto the brilliant sounds made by the FM tone generator. Adding soft pad sounds to harmonic parts is an effective technique for boosting the middle and lower ranges, which are rather difficult to reproduce on small mobile phone speakers.

You will consume a large number of polyphony volume of voice memory by using layered sounds in accompanying the backing parts as in MA Sound Demo024. In Sound Demo024, Small speakers become saturated when there are too many notes and voices, which have adverse effects. Techniques for saving and curbing voice memory polyphony consumption and still securing sufficient depth are required for preventing speaker saturation. You can achieve both goals by layering and adding such limited sounds as top and bottom notes instead of laying all notes, components of a chord one over the other. Another technique is to emphasize specific ranges with selective layering. You can boost the middle and bottom ranges, or highlight the top notes by using this technique.

You can effectively use this voice-thinning technique when programming chords with many notes and voices including such as tension notes. You can create rich, diverse sound and complex harmony by selected layering and distributing voices to two parts.

MA Sound demo025 begins with the backing sounds with all noted layered, then will be changed to selected layering technique. The sounds are initially overlaid in a straightforward manner, and then the voicing and layered parts are altered in stages. By listening to this sample, you can discover how selected layering fewer voices can still maintain the same sound impression, and how the same number of voices shapes different sound impression.