Friday 21 June 2019
CP Evaluation
- Compare your work to professional work in the same area. Are you satisfied with your work in comparison?[[a
Overall, I feel our work does follow the same standards of quality shown in similar music. In terms of creative production, we have made good use of the techniques and methods commonly found in similar trap music.
- How does your work fit into the music industry? Provide professional examples
Our work definitely fits around the modern hip-hop/trap industry standard. The Sounds we used are very stereotypical within the Trap genre and sound very similar to songs found in Trap and hip-hop playlists.
- What areas have you still struggled with?
I have struggled with time management, I spent too long researching areas around things like Ambience and Ambient Production while neglecting writing aspects such as progress reports. I also found trying to juggle the workload with personal matters difficult, as my assistance at home is needed extensively.
- With hindsight, what would you do differently?
Prepare outline plans for when to do the written work and prepare more detailed notes when preparing to write progress updates. Better timetabling.
- How will you improve in the future?
- What were your key areas of research?
Ambient music and trap production techniques.
- What research methods did you apply?
My main method of research was using the internet, which involved sources such as articles, interviews and scholarly studies. I also used a small collection of books as well as 'YouTube videos.'
- Have you been able to synthesise your research into your work?
Yes, Using the research I have done I have been able to source the content for my case study and my progress reports. In terms of practical research, I have been able to display good use of the techniques and methods I was researching within my practical work.
- Do you feel that you completed sufficient research?
I feel I have completed a good amount of research, however, I would be more satisfied with further research as my topics chosen were broad enough for the research to be endless. I feel I could've done more research into recording techniques, however, my issues with time management left me feeling I could've done more.
- In hindsight, are there other topics you should have researched?
I believe my chosen topics were the right ones in terms of relevance and improvement of my skills, however, research into promotion and the industry side of making an EP would've been helpful.
- Are there other areas you would have liked to research, but did not have time?
As stated above, topics regarding the music industry rather than research into practical music would have been useful. In terms of time, there was enough for me to expand on these topics but I did not choose to do so when starting my research points within the proposal.
- What have you learnt that you can apply to your future projects?
I have learned the ways of working in a collaborative environment and the problems
that can occur when doing so. This will help me evaluate who I decide to work
with collaboratively in the future.
that can occur when doing so. This will help me evaluate who I decide to work
with collaboratively in the future.
- How has your research informed your practical work?
In terms of practical research, I have learnt a lot of production techniques and methods within Trap and Hip-hop music. This research has all been displayed within the EP and the production process to get these songs would have been difficult without this research.
I have also researched into the Ambient genre and the origins and values of it's music. This has helped me incorporate the Ambient themes into my work
- What skills (new and existing) have you developed in order to complete your project?
I have developed a massive skill set regarding production techniques and am now confident in producing Trap songs such as the ones on the EP.
I have also massively advanced in my mixing and mastering skills, improving and evaluating the many mistakes I have made previously in this area. This has specifically been developed from my collaboration with D'Angelo, where he has helped me to become more confident in my mixing.
I have also massively advanced in my mixing and mastering skills, improving and evaluating the many mistakes I have made previously in this area. This has specifically been developed from my collaboration with D'Angelo, where he has helped me to become more confident in my mixing.
- Do you feel your practical skills have developed sufficiently during the course of the project?
- What problems did you encounter during the CP? How did you overcome these problems?
I encountered some problems regarding time management and workload management, especially when working collaboratively with people encountering the same issues. It is clear now that plans should've been created in order to complete the written work, not just the practical work.
- Have you completed all of the work you intended to create for this project?
In terms of practical work, I feel we completed the work we intended to create. In terms of the written work, I feel although there is a satisfactory amount to be shown, there was always room for more research and updates regarding my progress and the themes of the project.
- Did you discover that you had tried to do too much over the course of 1 term? How did this affect your project, did you reduce the scale of your work?
I knew a 4 track EP was always going to be realistic and accomplishable with the recourses available. I do not feel I tried to cram in too much but I also feel that I did not expand on too little regarding updates and practice.
- How did you make use of the access time that is available to you?
- Who have you worked with to complete your project? What role did they fill in your project?
I worked with D'Angelo and Blaine. We all played an equal role in the production, D'Angelo specifically worked on the mixing and mastering and Blaine represented us with a performance aspect by doing a DJ set.
- Describe the collaborative experience. Was it enjoyable, or did you encounter problems?
The experience was definitely enjoyable as I chose people with similar taste and interests and we were able to create a solid final product.
We encountered problems regarding communication between peers when organising dates to work together outside of college. This is due to our areas of residence being fairly far apart and the personal problems and issues at home that constrained our progress.
- How did you overcome any problems with your collaborators?
We overcame this by focusing on the time we had in college hours and using this time to make collaborative decisions.
CP Progress Updates
UPDATE 1
This week we started our work with the collaborative project. Through working with my proposal, me and other co-producers in my group all spoke with one another in an early-stage meeting. The Main topic that was spoken about was the type of sound we are looking for, which was Ambience. We also agreed that we would like to fuse these sounds with aspects of Trap and Hip-Hop, using the same type of bass sounds and drum kits commonly found in Trap production.
Here's an example of the type of tracks we are looking to create: The track's main melodies and chords are ambient, and share the uplifting themes we are looking for. The drums are also a good example of the different types of techniques we would like to use.
https://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/10-tricks-every-trap-producer-should-know-638684
This article on Trap production techniques explains some of the same techniques my group will be using. The tips featured on 808s and drums are a good guideline to go by in order to fully incorporate the Trap aspect into our tracks
UPDATE 2
This week my main progress through my project involved some solo work outside and inside the college. I wanted to meddle around with trying to create some ambient sounds and loops using Logic Pro X's stock sounds.
The use of pad instruments in Ambience is very common and contain dynamics and timbre that can create a good ambient sound. I started to look at some of the pads available to use within Logic and trying out melodies and chords with them. I liked a lot of the airy textures to them and felt they were a good starter in order to get some basis ambience sounds.
While researching into reverb and the effect it has on Ambient Music, I came across a very useful method which can turn any regular sounding instrument into an airy atmospheric pad.
While experimenting with this method, I found it to be useful in giving me more freedom when creating the Ambient sounds I was trying to create. Instead of looking through stock pad instruments that I wasn't really liking, I could source a regular instrument that I did like and turn it my own pad like sound, adjusting the settings accordingly.
UPDATE 3
This week, I expanded my progress with Ambient production using some VSTs known for holding good the ability to create quality Ambient sounds. Omnisphere is a synth VST that has a very big selection of sounds and presets and is used commonly in both Ambient and Trap production
Here is a loop I created using Omnisphere, specifically the 'Airy Piano' preset. Using my music production knowledge and past experience in melody and chord production I was able to create an uplifting melodic sound. I have found this loop to be a good example of the vibe we are trying to create and will continue to create loops like this
Here is a video sharing some tips for creating Ambient melodies and some instruments and presets to use. The creator of the video is also using Omnisphere and shares some of the best Ambient presets within the VST.
UPDATE 4
This week, me along with the others in my group, got down to creating and finalising at least two loops we are going to use within the tracks. We are doing this in preparation for our final sessions where we will create and produce drums and 808s around these loops. This will even out the workload over time, so that we will not be trying to create every aspect of the tracks in only a couple sessions.
In these loops and all Ambient sounds, reverb is used heavily. This article explains how to use reverb when creating Ambience and the effect it has on the sound. To fully master the effect of reverb, I will need to
http://sound-museum.org/how-to-use-reverb-for-ambient-soundscapes/5
UPDATE 5
This week I wanted to create some drum kits for the tracks. As we have finalised the loops, they are gonna need some 808 sounds as well as drums. similar to the loops, my collaborators and I decided that the drums should be made beforehand in preparation for the session.
Using and creating drum kits is something I am already adept in, so the method and technique to doing so is not an issue but I wanted to get some extra info on sourcing these sounds.
PRODUCTION SESSION 1
This week, my peers and I within the group got together to create a beat for the EP. We did this at my bedroom studio and used Logic Pro X to produce the instrumental. We started off by using a loop made by D'Angelo, who made the sample in preparation for the session using his sound-design skills with 'Nexus' plug-in. We liked this one for the airy, ambient vibe to it and the sound featured a good layering of melodies and chords.
After inserting the loop, we wanted to modify the sound and clean up some of the frequencies. We first started with some basic EQ adjustments, using a 'high pass' filter to cut out unnecessary sub/low frequencies and a 'low shelf' filter to clean up some of the muddy high frequencies. This is what the EQ looked like afterwards.
We also transposed the sample by 4 semitones, which shifts the key of the sound by the selected amount. by doing this we slightly switched the overall tone of the beat, making it sound darker than the original.
After we established our driving sound, we moved onto placing in some drums and bass sounds. We decided to use my personal selection of drum kits that I had previously made in preparation for the session. We created a drum loop that consisted of some lagging hi-hats, a heavy kick and a punchy snare. This helped establish the trap element of the track
After placing the drums, we then wanted to place an 808 into the tracks. We used a preset I had used for previous projects and placed in a pattern that went with the melody as well as the kick.
THIS WAS THE FINAL PRODUCT
Overall I feel this was a very good start and showed the qualities we were looking for. The sounds we used are of a high standard and we displayed a clear direction of what we are looking to create. Preparing the loops and
However, we weren't impressed with our decision flow as although everything we were doing was relevant to making the track, we felt we spent too much time deciding on the elements and aspects of the sounds being used. For example, there was too much time being spent deciding on the tone of our sample and whether we wanted it to be higher or lower. In terms of improvements for the next session, we will be looking to be swifter with creative decisions and will be looking to make the whole process a lot faster
PRODUCTION SESSION 2
This week my peers and I got to creating the second beat for the EP. The system of pre-preparing the drums and loops helped massively, so we repeated the technique in this session. This is the loop we used
We didn't want to change the sample too much as we already liked the tone and the ambient vibe it had. The only effect we added was some crackle and slight distortion using the 'Abby Road Vinyl Plug-in' which can be used to add vintage like characteristics to your sounds.
After this, we added some drill inspired hi-hats into the tracks as well as a punchy kick. These sounds were extremely similar to the sounds used in the previous tracks, which was done with the purpose to create consistency in sound. We then added an 808 bassline that went well with the sample.
UPDATE 6
This week my peers and I got to work with deciding a name for the EP as well as making a start on some artwork. Thinking of a name was difficult as we all collectively decided it had to be related to the theme of our project, which was Ambience. This took a detailed brainstorming session of researching and thinking to try and get a name. We started to look at other Ambient Album names for inspiration, many of which were unorthodox and somewhat ethereal in nature.
SOME EXAMPLES OF OTHER AMBIENT ALBUMS NAMES AND COVERS
Although we liked the unique sound of these titles, we wanted something that was more punchy and to the point. We also thought that the style of these names would fit better to an ambient album. While our themes and sounds will be ambient, we are looking to create an ambient-trap project so a name that sounds more modern and which would relate to younger people who listen to Ambient-Trap would fit more.
We also took into mind that we wanted our EP to have sounds related to the ambience of outer-space. This idea of a name sounding 'out of this world', reminded me of the use of ancient gods and goddesses names in popular culture. This inspired me to start researching through the names based around Greek Methodology, I found a couple that could match our theme.
After looking at some of these names, My collaborators and I liked the sound of these names and decided that one of them should be the name of the project.
We decided that although the sound of Apollo was good and catchy, it has been used very frequently in pop culture and wasn't unique enough to stand out. The elements Apollo is the god of also don't really relate to our project enough for it to be a sentimental name
The problems that came up with the name Chaos were the same as Apollo, the name wasn't distinctive enough and sounded too simple for Album name. The idea of Chaos 'filling the gap between heaven and earth' sounded appealing as a relation to our themes, but this we did not see to outweigh the negatives of the name
Asteria was the name that we decided to go with as we all saw it as very unique and sounded special when saying it out loud. The relation between Asteria and falling stars was a good enough link to our project for it to match and the use of the name has been very uncommon in past music.
UPDATE 7
After finalising the name of the project, D'Angelo and I (Collaborator) wanted to make an album cover for the project. While researching and referencing other pieces of artwork related to Ambient albums and tracks, we decided that the style of these covers was too unconventional and that we wanted to create an artwork that related more to the trap aspect of our EP.
We both started to develop a draft image together using Photoshop, starting with the text. We looked at a couple different Trap albums, looking for some inspiration of the type of font we were looking to create. My collaborators and I had to decide whether we were looking for a cover with text and an image or one with just an image. We decided on one with both as to show off our name and make it memorable for the listener
UPDATE 8:
UPDATE 9:
After creating a beat with my peers this week, The block of sounds we had created needed to be arranged into a full track. This was something I had planned to work on personally, so I looked into some different arrangement techniques and advice. Here are the videos I found the most useful in getting some of this help.
From research and previous knowledge of arrangments, I was able to get a grip on how to arrange a Trap song and some of the techniques used to do so. To get started with my group music, I started to arrange the intro to the songs in 3 different ways and then decide collectively which one was best.
1. This set of arrangement follows a stereotypical trap/drill arrangement. The intro is for 16 bars and features the introduction of the 808s and hi-hats within the 8th bar, getting the listener attracted fast but not too sudden. The verse starts as the kick begins to follow the 808 and create a groove for the track
2. This set of arrangement is a lot more subtle with its intro and has the hi-hats lead into the verse at the 8th bar and all other elements of the track following it
3. Similar to number 2, the intro is more subtle with the Hi-hats opening and the 808 not appearing until the verse. Here, the snares accompany the hi-hat in establishing a groove and adds more layers to the intro to make it more interesting
This week we started our work with the collaborative project. Through working with my proposal, me and other co-producers in my group all spoke with one another in an early-stage meeting. The Main topic that was spoken about was the type of sound we are looking for, which was Ambience. We also agreed that we would like to fuse these sounds with aspects of Trap and Hip-Hop, using the same type of bass sounds and drum kits commonly found in Trap production.
Here's an example of the type of tracks we are looking to create: The track's main melodies and chords are ambient, and share the uplifting themes we are looking for. The drums are also a good example of the different types of techniques we would like to use.
https://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/10-tricks-every-trap-producer-should-know-638684
This article on Trap production techniques explains some of the same techniques my group will be using. The tips featured on 808s and drums are a good guideline to go by in order to fully incorporate the Trap aspect into our tracks
UPDATE 2
This week my main progress through my project involved some solo work outside and inside the college. I wanted to meddle around with trying to create some ambient sounds and loops using Logic Pro X's stock sounds.
The use of pad instruments in Ambience is very common and contain dynamics and timbre that can create a good ambient sound. I started to look at some of the pads available to use within Logic and trying out melodies and chords with them. I liked a lot of the airy textures to them and felt they were a good starter in order to get some basis ambience sounds.
While researching into reverb and the effect it has on Ambient Music, I came across a very useful method which can turn any regular sounding instrument into an airy atmospheric pad.
While experimenting with this method, I found it to be useful in giving me more freedom when creating the Ambient sounds I was trying to create. Instead of looking through stock pad instruments that I wasn't really liking, I could source a regular instrument that I did like and turn it my own pad like sound, adjusting the settings accordingly.
UPDATE 3
This week, I expanded my progress with Ambient production using some VSTs known for holding good the ability to create quality Ambient sounds. Omnisphere is a synth VST that has a very big selection of sounds and presets and is used commonly in both Ambient and Trap production
Here is a loop I created using Omnisphere, specifically the 'Airy Piano' preset. Using my music production knowledge and past experience in melody and chord production I was able to create an uplifting melodic sound. I have found this loop to be a good example of the vibe we are trying to create and will continue to create loops like this
Here is a video sharing some tips for creating Ambient melodies and some instruments and presets to use. The creator of the video is also using Omnisphere and shares some of the best Ambient presets within the VST.
UPDATE 4
This week, me along with the others in my group, got down to creating and finalising at least two loops we are going to use within the tracks. We are doing this in preparation for our final sessions where we will create and produce drums and 808s around these loops. This will even out the workload over time, so that we will not be trying to create every aspect of the tracks in only a couple sessions.
In these loops and all Ambient sounds, reverb is used heavily. This article explains how to use reverb when creating Ambience and the effect it has on the sound. To fully master the effect of reverb, I will need to
http://sound-museum.org/how-to-use-reverb-for-ambient-soundscapes/5
UPDATE 5
This week I wanted to create some drum kits for the tracks. As we have finalised the loops, they are gonna need some 808 sounds as well as drums. similar to the loops, my collaborators and I decided that the drums should be made beforehand in preparation for the session.
Using and creating drum kits is something I am already adept in, so the method and technique to doing so is not an issue but I wanted to get some extra info on sourcing these sounds.
PRODUCTION SESSION 1
This week, my peers and I within the group got together to create a beat for the EP. We did this at my bedroom studio and used Logic Pro X to produce the instrumental. We started off by using a loop made by D'Angelo, who made the sample in preparation for the session using his sound-design skills with 'Nexus' plug-in. We liked this one for the airy, ambient vibe to it and the sound featured a good layering of melodies and chords.
After inserting the loop, we wanted to modify the sound and clean up some of the frequencies. We first started with some basic EQ adjustments, using a 'high pass' filter to cut out unnecessary sub/low frequencies and a 'low shelf' filter to clean up some of the muddy high frequencies. This is what the EQ looked like afterwards.We also transposed the sample by 4 semitones, which shifts the key of the sound by the selected amount. by doing this we slightly switched the overall tone of the beat, making it sound darker than the original.
After we established our driving sound, we moved onto placing in some drums and bass sounds. We decided to use my personal selection of drum kits that I had previously made in preparation for the session. We created a drum loop that consisted of some lagging hi-hats, a heavy kick and a punchy snare. This helped establish the trap element of the track
 |
| SNAPSHOT OF THE DRUM PATTERN WE MADE |
After placing the drums, we then wanted to place an 808 into the tracks. We used a preset I had used for previous projects and placed in a pattern that went with the melody as well as the kick.
THIS WAS THE FINAL PRODUCT
Overall I feel this was a very good start and showed the qualities we were looking for. The sounds we used are of a high standard and we displayed a clear direction of what we are looking to create. Preparing the loops and
However, we weren't impressed with our decision flow as although everything we were doing was relevant to making the track, we felt we spent too much time deciding on the elements and aspects of the sounds being used. For example, there was too much time being spent deciding on the tone of our sample and whether we wanted it to be higher or lower. In terms of improvements for the next session, we will be looking to be swifter with creative decisions and will be looking to make the whole process a lot faster
PRODUCTION SESSION 2
This week my peers and I got to creating the second beat for the EP. The system of pre-preparing the drums and loops helped massively, so we repeated the technique in this session. This is the loop we used
We didn't want to change the sample too much as we already liked the tone and the ambient vibe it had. The only effect we added was some crackle and slight distortion using the 'Abby Road Vinyl Plug-in' which can be used to add vintage like characteristics to your sounds.
After this, we added some drill inspired hi-hats into the tracks as well as a punchy kick. These sounds were extremely similar to the sounds used in the previous tracks, which was done with the purpose to create consistency in sound. We then added an 808 bassline that went well with the sample.
UPDATE 6
This week my peers and I got to work with deciding a name for the EP as well as making a start on some artwork. Thinking of a name was difficult as we all collectively decided it had to be related to the theme of our project, which was Ambience. This took a detailed brainstorming session of researching and thinking to try and get a name. We started to look at other Ambient Album names for inspiration, many of which were unorthodox and somewhat ethereal in nature.
SOME EXAMPLES OF OTHER AMBIENT ALBUMS NAMES AND COVERS
Although we liked the unique sound of these titles, we wanted something that was more punchy and to the point. We also thought that the style of these names would fit better to an ambient album. While our themes and sounds will be ambient, we are looking to create an ambient-trap project so a name that sounds more modern and which would relate to younger people who listen to Ambient-Trap would fit more.
We also took into mind that we wanted our EP to have sounds related to the ambience of outer-space. This idea of a name sounding 'out of this world', reminded me of the use of ancient gods and goddesses names in popular culture. This inspired me to start researching through the names based around Greek Methodology, I found a couple that could match our theme.
1. APOLLO
Olympian god of music, poetry, art, oracles, archery, plague, medicine, sun, light and knowledge.
2. CHAOS
A god who filled the gap between Heaven and Earth and created the first beings Gaia, Tartarus, Uranus, Nyx and Erebos.
3. ASTERIA
In Greek mythology, Asteria or Asterie was the Titan goddess of nocturnal oracles and falling stars
After looking at some of these names, My collaborators and I liked the sound of these names and decided that one of them should be the name of the project.
We decided that although the sound of Apollo was good and catchy, it has been used very frequently in pop culture and wasn't unique enough to stand out. The elements Apollo is the god of also don't really relate to our project enough for it to be a sentimental name
The problems that came up with the name Chaos were the same as Apollo, the name wasn't distinctive enough and sounded too simple for Album name. The idea of Chaos 'filling the gap between heaven and earth' sounded appealing as a relation to our themes, but this we did not see to outweigh the negatives of the nameAsteria was the name that we decided to go with as we all saw it as very unique and sounded special when saying it out loud. The relation between Asteria and falling stars was a good enough link to our project for it to match and the use of the name has been very uncommon in past music.
UPDATE 7
After finalising the name of the project, D'Angelo and I (Collaborator) wanted to make an album cover for the project. While researching and referencing other pieces of artwork related to Ambient albums and tracks, we decided that the style of these covers was too unconventional and that we wanted to create an artwork that related more to the trap aspect of our EP.
We both started to develop a draft image together using Photoshop, starting with the text. We looked at a couple different Trap albums, looking for some inspiration of the type of font we were looking to create. My collaborators and I had to decide whether we were looking for a cover with text and an image or one with just an image. We decided on one with both as to show off our name and make it memorable for the listener
We found a font that we liked and made the text, featuring the name of the EP. We added some faint shadows onto the text as well as mixing some extra shades of purple in order to make it more compelling.
We then went on to add a marble background that we felt created a smooth and simple backdrop. The cracks within the marble we felt looked good with the shading within the text and added character
We then finally added the chain which was simply an aesthetic choice and made the artwork a bit edgier.
This was the Draft product we had created.
UPDATE:
After reviewing the cover we created, we wanted to make some changes for the final product. We decided to add colour and emphasise the blue a bit more. We also decided that the font was too simple, so we added a clipper mask layer to the text which will paste another image over it. In this case, we decided to layer the same marble image over the text which added a lot more character to the words.
This is the final product that we created.
UPDATE 8:
UPDATE 9:
After creating a beat with my peers this week, The block of sounds we had created needed to be arranged into a full track. This was something I had planned to work on personally, so I looked into some different arrangement techniques and advice. Here are the videos I found the most useful in getting some of this help.
From research and previous knowledge of arrangments, I was able to get a grip on how to arrange a Trap song and some of the techniques used to do so. To get started with my group music, I started to arrange the intro to the songs in 3 different ways and then decide collectively which one was best.
1. This set of arrangement follows a stereotypical trap/drill arrangement. The intro is for 16 bars and features the introduction of the 808s and hi-hats within the 8th bar, getting the listener attracted fast but not too sudden. The verse starts as the kick begins to follow the 808 and create a groove for the track
CP: Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CASE STUDY:
5 - (Eno, B) (1978) Ambient 1: Music for Airports liner notes. [online] Music.hyperreal.org. Available at: http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/MFA-txt.html.
3 - (Norman, J) (2019). George Owen Squier Invents Muzak: HistoryofInformation.com. [online] Historyofinformation.com. Available at: http://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3366 [Accessed 31 May 2019].
5 - (Gursten, J) (2019). History of Muzak: Where Did All The Elevator Music Go? | WQXR Blog | WQXR. [online] WQXR. Available at: https://www.wqxr.org/story/history-muzak-where-did-all-elevator-music-go/ [Accessed 31 May 2019].
1 - (Kostelanetz, R.) (1993). A dictionary of the avant-gardes. 2nd ed. Schirmer Books, p.12.
6 - (T. Lysaker J.) (2018). Brian Eno’s Music for Airports 40 years later | OUPblog. [online] OUPblog. Available at: https://blog.oup.com/2018/12/brian-eno-music-for-airports/ [Accessed 31 May 2019].
2 - (Watson, M.) (2019). A Short History of Ambient & Downtempo by Mike G. [online] Ambient Music Guide. Available at: http://ambientmusicguide.com/history-of-ambient/ [Accessed 29 May 2019].
PROGRESS UPDATES:
UPDATE 1
Music, C. (2017). 10 tricks every trap producer should know. [online] MusicRadar. Available at: https://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/10-tricks-every-trap-producer-should-know-638684 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2019].
UPDATE 2
Berthume, J. (2017). Logic Pro Tip #1 - How to Make Any Instrument an Ambient Pad. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/3XK5GaYiKqs [Accessed 4 Jul. 2019].
UPDATE 3
Holy, H. (2019). The SECRET To Making Ambient Melodies. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/Y7Jywy1sDI0 [Accessed 2019].
UPDATE 4
Forbes, T. (2019). How to Use Reverb For Ambient Soundscapes - Sound Museum. [online] Sound Museum. Available at: http://sound-museum.org/how-to-use-reverb-for-ambient-soundscapes/ [Accessed 4 Jul. 2019].
UPDATE 5
MIDTERM REVIEW
CASE STUDY:
5 - (Eno, B) (1978) Ambient 1: Music for Airports liner notes. [online] Music.hyperreal.org. Available at: http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/MFA-txt.html.
3 - (Norman, J) (2019). George Owen Squier Invents Muzak: HistoryofInformation.com. [online] Historyofinformation.com. Available at: http://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3366 [Accessed 31 May 2019].
5 - (Gursten, J) (2019). History of Muzak: Where Did All The Elevator Music Go? | WQXR Blog | WQXR. [online] WQXR. Available at: https://www.wqxr.org/story/history-muzak-where-did-all-elevator-music-go/ [Accessed 31 May 2019].
1 - (Kostelanetz, R.) (1993). A dictionary of the avant-gardes. 2nd ed. Schirmer Books, p.12.
6 - (T. Lysaker J.) (2018). Brian Eno’s Music for Airports 40 years later | OUPblog. [online] OUPblog. Available at: https://blog.oup.com/2018/12/brian-eno-music-for-airports/ [Accessed 31 May 2019].
PROGRESS UPDATES:
UPDATE 1
Music, C. (2017). 10 tricks every trap producer should know. [online] MusicRadar. Available at: https://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/10-tricks-every-trap-producer-should-know-638684 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2019].
UPDATE 2
Berthume, J. (2017). Logic Pro Tip #1 - How to Make Any Instrument an Ambient Pad. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/3XK5GaYiKqs [Accessed 4 Jul. 2019].
UPDATE 3
Holy, H. (2019). The SECRET To Making Ambient Melodies. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/Y7Jywy1sDI0 [Accessed 2019].
UPDATE 4
Forbes, T. (2019). How to Use Reverb For Ambient Soundscapes - Sound Museum. [online] Sound Museum. Available at: http://sound-museum.org/how-to-use-reverb-for-ambient-soundscapes/ [Accessed 4 Jul. 2019].
UPDATE 5
MIDTERM REVIEW
Wednesday 12 June 2019
CP: Mid-Point Presentation
This week, I presented my mid-point presentation. This was a good opportunity to present my ideas and the current state of my project as well as most importantly, get feedback from peers.
"HOW ARE YOU LOOKING TO RELEASE THE COLLABORATIVE PROJECT?"
'The project will be released through Soundcloud and will be promoted through our use of social media and sharing throughout the college.'
"WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE A PROJECT THAT CONSISTS OF A DJ SET AS WELL AS AN EP?"
The Dj aspect will be Blaine's personal side to the project. Although he will be a key part of the production and recording process, Blaine wanted to incorporate a performance for the project. He will be mixing all of our songs on the EP along with some other
"YOU MENTIONED YOUR RESEARCH INTO AMBIENCE AND THE ORIGINS, CAN YOU GIVE SOME EXAMPLES OF THESE AMBIENT ARTISTS YOU HAVE LOOKED INTO?"
Some of the originators of ambient music include artists such as Erik Satie and Claude Debussy, who both cultivated the early forms of Ambience. An example of a more modern Ambient artist would be Brian Eno, who was responsible for the genre's breakthrough and was the person who coined the phrase 'Ambience'
"IS THERE AN OVERALL CONCEPT TO THE EP?"
No, the themes are totally musical and don't really have any underlying concept. we want to make a well produced and mixed ambient-trap EP
"HOW ARE YOU LOOKING TO RELEASE THE COLLABORATIVE PROJECT?"
'The project will be released through Soundcloud and will be promoted through our use of social media and sharing throughout the college.'
"WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE A PROJECT THAT CONSISTS OF A DJ SET AS WELL AS AN EP?"
The Dj aspect will be Blaine's personal side to the project. Although he will be a key part of the production and recording process, Blaine wanted to incorporate a performance for the project. He will be mixing all of our songs on the EP along with some other
"YOU MENTIONED YOUR RESEARCH INTO AMBIENCE AND THE ORIGINS, CAN YOU GIVE SOME EXAMPLES OF THESE AMBIENT ARTISTS YOU HAVE LOOKED INTO?"
Some of the originators of ambient music include artists such as Erik Satie and Claude Debussy, who both cultivated the early forms of Ambience. An example of a more modern Ambient artist would be Brian Eno, who was responsible for the genre's breakthrough and was the person who coined the phrase 'Ambience'
"IS THERE AN OVERALL CONCEPT TO THE EP?"
No, the themes are totally musical and don't really have any underlying concept. we want to make a well produced and mixed ambient-trap EP
Friday 31 May 2019
CP Literature Reviews
LITERATURE REVIEWS
1. 'A Conversation With Brian Eno About Ambient Music'
https://pitchfork.com/features/interview/10023-a-conversation-with-brian-eno-about-ambient-music/
In this Interview, well-known British music producer Brian Eno shares his input on Ambient Music and his work within the genre. In the interview, we are introduced to some of his unorthodox recording methods in his Notting Hill studio. Some of these include randomization scripts to be used within Logic, which randomizes MIDI notes accordingly to the setting you choose. The Studio he works in also features numerous speakers in different locations around the room in order to enhance the 3D sound, swaying from the conventional 2 or 4 speakers placed in front.
This is all relative to my progress in understanding the production of ambient sound and thus relative to the progress of my project. I hope to use this interview and some of these techniques as a reference when trying to be creative in my production.
2. 'METRO BOOMIN | Beats Tutorial | FL Studio | Razer Music'
In this Interview/Tutorial, 'Metro Boomin', American trap record producer shares his methods and techniques involved when making Drums and 808s for his tracks. Metro takes us through his way of spacing out kicks and 808s to form a solid groove, instead of frequent kicks on every hit. The producer also gives advice on where to place snares and perc hits and other useful advice.
For the EP my group will be producing, the tracks main driving sounds, melodies and chords will fall under ambience while our drums and bass sounds will sound more towards the genre of the trap. Learning Production techniques such as the ones mentioned in this video will be essential in incorporating this into our tracks and giving the trap sound we are looking for. furthermore In this specific video, Metro Boomin also only talks about drums and 808s, serving as a good tutorial to take things from. Despite this, I will only take inspiration from this and not copy specific actions as I do not want for our tracks to sound too generic.
3. '27 Essential Ambient Production Techniques'
https://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/27-essential-ambient-production-tips-166772
In this article/tutorial, 'Computer Music' shares 27 tips and techniques for creating Ambient Music. The Tips range from effects to note placement, giving a good insight into getting started to produce Ambient Sounds. Some of the main things I got from this article was the tips involving sound creation and sourcing. Sampling was talked about briefly and even the use of nature recordings such as rainfall.
This Article I can say helped me progress the most with Ambience. As a newbie to the genre, learning some of these techniques was very inspiring towards my production. Some aspects of Ambience I have heard through research has been hard to replicate with my previous skill set, but with a lot of these tips, I have understood the methods of creating these sounds and have been able to do so. After reading this, I have applied a numerous amount of these techniques to my previous attempts with Ambience and have only gotten improvements doing so.
4. 'Brian Eno's Ambient 1: Music for Airports Sleeve Notes'
http://www.indiana.edu/~audioweb/T369/eno-ambient.pdf
In these Artist Notes of the Brian Eno's 1978 album, he explains his passion for the Ambient genre and elaborates on some of the dynamics of his work. Eno critiques the current state of conventional background music, saying that it dampens and diverts the acoustics of the room it is playing in. On the other hand, Eno explains how he wants his work to compliment the enviroment and enhance these acoustics.
This is good at progressing with my understanding of Ambience. Eno's ideas and concepts stated here and in other statements are recognizable in Ambient Music today and played a pivotal role in shaping the genre's qualities. Furthermore, in order to create sounds similar to modern Ambience myself, reading and understanding the method behind Eno's work will be a good way to do so. When resume producing some Ambient Sounds, I will keep in my mind the Idea of complimenting the acoustics and other points stated in these notes.
5. 'How to Record Better Vocals'
This article/tutorial presents some tips and tricks for recording vocals. Some good advice I got from this was the issues that can come from recording vocals:
I found this along with similar articles very useful in getting started to record vocals. Although the Vocals for our tracks have not been fully finished yet, it's important for me to plan and research beforehand as recording vocals is something I am not yet familiar with. From these tips, I can prepare the sessions and try to avoid issues before they come up.
1. 'A Conversation With Brian Eno About Ambient Music'
https://pitchfork.com/features/interview/10023-a-conversation-with-brian-eno-about-ambient-music/
In this Interview, well-known British music producer Brian Eno shares his input on Ambient Music and his work within the genre. In the interview, we are introduced to some of his unorthodox recording methods in his Notting Hill studio. Some of these include randomization scripts to be used within Logic, which randomizes MIDI notes accordingly to the setting you choose. The Studio he works in also features numerous speakers in different locations around the room in order to enhance the 3D sound, swaying from the conventional 2 or 4 speakers placed in front.
This is all relative to my progress in understanding the production of ambient sound and thus relative to the progress of my project. I hope to use this interview and some of these techniques as a reference when trying to be creative in my production.
2. 'METRO BOOMIN | Beats Tutorial | FL Studio | Razer Music'
In this Interview/Tutorial, 'Metro Boomin', American trap record producer shares his methods and techniques involved when making Drums and 808s for his tracks. Metro takes us through his way of spacing out kicks and 808s to form a solid groove, instead of frequent kicks on every hit. The producer also gives advice on where to place snares and perc hits and other useful advice.
For the EP my group will be producing, the tracks main driving sounds, melodies and chords will fall under ambience while our drums and bass sounds will sound more towards the genre of the trap. Learning Production techniques such as the ones mentioned in this video will be essential in incorporating this into our tracks and giving the trap sound we are looking for. furthermore In this specific video, Metro Boomin also only talks about drums and 808s, serving as a good tutorial to take things from. Despite this, I will only take inspiration from this and not copy specific actions as I do not want for our tracks to sound too generic.
3. '27 Essential Ambient Production Techniques'
https://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/27-essential-ambient-production-tips-166772
In this article/tutorial, 'Computer Music' shares 27 tips and techniques for creating Ambient Music. The Tips range from effects to note placement, giving a good insight into getting started to produce Ambient Sounds. Some of the main things I got from this article was the tips involving sound creation and sourcing. Sampling was talked about briefly and even the use of nature recordings such as rainfall.
This Article I can say helped me progress the most with Ambience. As a newbie to the genre, learning some of these techniques was very inspiring towards my production. Some aspects of Ambience I have heard through research has been hard to replicate with my previous skill set, but with a lot of these tips, I have understood the methods of creating these sounds and have been able to do so. After reading this, I have applied a numerous amount of these techniques to my previous attempts with Ambience and have only gotten improvements doing so.
4. 'Brian Eno's Ambient 1: Music for Airports Sleeve Notes'
http://www.indiana.edu/~audioweb/T369/eno-ambient.pdf
In these Artist Notes of the Brian Eno's 1978 album, he explains his passion for the Ambient genre and elaborates on some of the dynamics of his work. Eno critiques the current state of conventional background music, saying that it dampens and diverts the acoustics of the room it is playing in. On the other hand, Eno explains how he wants his work to compliment the enviroment and enhance these acoustics.
This is good at progressing with my understanding of Ambience. Eno's ideas and concepts stated here and in other statements are recognizable in Ambient Music today and played a pivotal role in shaping the genre's qualities. Furthermore, in order to create sounds similar to modern Ambience myself, reading and understanding the method behind Eno's work will be a good way to do so. When resume producing some Ambient Sounds, I will keep in my mind the Idea of complimenting the acoustics and other points stated in these notes.
5. 'How to Record Better Vocals'
This article/tutorial presents some tips and tricks for recording vocals. Some good advice I got from this was the issues that can come from recording vocals:
- Popping
- Sibilance
- Proximity Effect
- Foot Noise
- Poor Room Acoustics
I found this along with similar articles very useful in getting started to record vocals. Although the Vocals for our tracks have not been fully finished yet, it's important for me to plan and research beforehand as recording vocals is something I am not yet familiar with. From these tips, I can prepare the sessions and try to avoid issues before they come up.
Wednesday 22 May 2019
CP Case Study: Ambient sounds
CASE STUDY: AMBIENT MUSIC
HISTORY OF THE GENRE
The origins of Ambient Music can be linked back to the work and compositions of the early 20th-century French composer, Erik Satie and his pivotal work within the classical Avante-Garde, a movement which prided itself in being at the forefront of unorthodox art. (1). Satie's ideas of creating pieces as background music rather than being at the centre of attention formed the early foundations of the Ambient Genre. This young concept was labelled as 'furniture music', and was designed to be heard but not listened to. (2)
 |
| BRIAN ENO IN HIS STUDIO (2002) |
"An ambience is defined as an atmosphere, or a surrounding influence: a tint. My intention is to produce original pieces ostensibly (but not exclusively) for particular times and situations with a view to building up a small but versatile catalogue of environmental music suited to a wide variety of moods and atmospheres."
Brian Eno's words within the sleeve notes of his album 'Ambient 1: Music for Airports
Instead of creating background music that was intended to blanket the environment and divert from its natural acoustics, Eno wanted to produce music to enhance these acoustics and induce composure for the mind (5). Furthermore to his concept, the producers work within the album does not follow conventional musical concepts or rules. Eno's 4 track project features chunks of instruments and atmospheric sounds playing in no particular order, excluding key musical aspects such as melodies and chords (6).
THE MODERN AMBIENT SOUND
While researching through Ambient Music and listening to older and modern Ambient tracks, it is clear for me to see that the concepts and experimentation of artists such as Erik Satie and Brian Eno have had a big impact on the Ambient Genre. Their ideas of using and enhancing the atmosphere with dynamic sounds can be found frequently among Ambient Music. The genre has evolved into a style that retains the use of lots of sound design elements. In Ambient Tracks, textural pads and instruments combined with atmospherical effects are used to create longing soundscapes that drive through the song. The Timbre and harmonic qualities of these sounds are emphasised more than their harmony and melodic characteristics and are sculpted for long time-scales within the track. With the exclusion of melodies and chords, envelopes and flutters within the frequencies are used to create movement and replace the use of rhythm evident in other genres.
THESE POINTS ARE EVIDENT IN THE EXAMPLE TRACK BELOW
Layering these sounds is also essential in Ambient music. In comparison to genres such as hip-hop or rock where layers of instruments and sounds are used in contrast and vary in tone, the layers used in ambient music share many of the same qualities and work together to create a more monochromatic sound. For example, in a modern trap track, an 808 bass will stand out and create an underlying bassline for the song. In an ambient track, a darker toned synth may take its place in creating a low pitched layer.
Effects are also used in all aspects of Ambient Music. One of these effects is reverb, which when used emulates the space a sound is in and the atmospherical qualities that would come with that space. Implementing a large and longing reverb into the sounds used is key to creating a track with Ambience.
REFLECTION
In this case study, I have researched the origins and production of the ambient genre. Through doing so I have developed a thorough understanding of the genre and have applied this knowledge to my work within the project.
Learning the origins of the genre has been essential in my understanding of Ambient music as a whole. I feel like I have a good understanding of the concepts that the architects of this genre applied to their productions and the values that they upheld within the music, in turn, this has inspired my own Ambient production and this project.
In terms of production, my knowledge regarding the techniques and methods used to create Ambient music has massively expanded. Before starting this project, my understanding of the production of Ambience was limited in scope. I now feel fully confident in producing this genre.
Below is a loop I created within Logic Pro X using presets found within the 'OX-BD' VST. The sound shows a good example of the dynamics within Ambience and the heavy use of reverb, however, I have tried to implement less experimental techniques and emphasise more stereotypical musical aspects. This is because our goal within the project is to create an 'Ambient Trap' EP rather than a fully Ambient EP.
Ongoing, I am confident my research within the Ambient genre will reflect within many of my future productions. Although my personal production genres of choice differ from the 'standard Ambient genre', the energy and emotion that the Ambient sound creates is a powerful tool to add to my production toolbox, and I will most likely use these skills and concepts in future projects to come
166772https://modeaudio.com/magazine/ambient-5-production-essentials#.XRHwkJNKg0o
https://www.izotope.com/en/blog/music-production/understanding-atmosphere-in-music-and-how-to-create-it.html
Friday 5 April 2019
DJ Diary - Week 1
DIARY ENTRY - Week 1
This week I was messing around with the traktor, trying to beat match and get a very basic mix together. I did not have my own tracks to mix yet but I was able to use some of Blaine's house tracks so I got to play around with some different music that I wasn't used to
After this session, I have assessed that Beat matching is the area I really need to work on If I want my final set to sound good. For next week I plan to keep looking through songs that I could put into my set, seeing if they fit the genre and mood I am looking for
This week I was messing around with the traktor, trying to beat match and get a very basic mix together. I did not have my own tracks to mix yet but I was able to use some of Blaine's house tracks so I got to play around with some different music that I wasn't used to
After this session, I have assessed that Beat matching is the area I really need to work on If I want my final set to sound good. For next week I plan to keep looking through songs that I could put into my set, seeing if they fit the genre and mood I am looking for
Tuesday 2 April 2019
CP Proposal
PROPOSAL
For our Collaborative Project, I will be creating a 4 track EP with fellow producers and classmates D'Angelo and Blaine. Our main aim is to produce the songs on the EP at a professional studio standard and for them to be correctly sounded to our chosen theme. Genre-Wise we are looking at a Trap/Hip-Hop EP with deep themes related to Ambience.
We will all be working collaboratively as co-producers to create, release and publish the EP. In addition to this, we will all be working on side-projects related to the EP.
Blaine will be performing a DJ set containing the songs on the EP as well as other songs of the same genre.
D'Angelo will be mixing and mastering the tracks using his skills in that area.
I will be designing some artwork for the project using my skills in photoshop.
Blaine will be performing a DJ set containing the songs on the EP as well as other songs of the same genre.
D'Angelo will be mixing and mastering the tracks using his skills in that area.
I will be designing some artwork for the project using my skills in photoshop.
CONTEXT
Prior to this project, my background in music was 'Production' and 'Song Writing', so most of my work on the EP will be centred around producing the tracks. I will be using the skills and techniques I've learnt within my own personal projects as well as the entire skill set I've learnt this year within my college projects.
Ongoing, I am extremely excited to learn new skills and production approaches that I am eager to gain through the upcoming sessions and experience in the project.
TRAVIS SCOTT - YOSEMITE: This track holds a good example of the type of ambient sounds we are trying to create. The tone is uplifting and has an 'out of this world' type of sound to it while the drums and bass within the track display the stereotypical patterns and sounds we are looking to emulate.
LANCEY FOUX - MIA: This track features more experimental vocals, while still holding the typical ambient sound to it. These vocal techniques and the fairly minimalist drums I feel are good for inspiration for creating a more unique sound on some of the tracks
METHODOLOGY
In order to achieve these goals I will need to do the following:
Week 1 - Find sounds and samples that fit the overall sound style of the EP we are trying to create. Creating a sound-bank for me to use for a lot of the beats for the EP. I will then source out samples that match the style of this sound-bank that I could possibly use. After this, I will start creating ideas for beats for the EP sending them to my collaborators for evaluation.
Week 2 - Use these sounds from the sound bank to create a loop kit that my collaborators and I can use for the duration of the project, this will consist of melody loops. We will experiment before creating these, possibly with slide notes (glide function) and using automation with a phaser or flanger or even EQ to add depth to these melodies.
Week 3 - After this, we can use these melody loops to create some beats collaboratively. We will make 4 beats initially to test the waters and generally hone in on the sound we want, receiving feedback and improving this sound.
Week 4 - Start writing lyrics for the new beats. Basing the content on London youth culture. Also, prepare to make more loops by finding more sounds on Omnisphere and doing more experimentation before creating the actual loops.
Week 5 - Talk to my collaborators and plan what the subject matter of the songs will be, in context to lyrics and what we will be talking about. Making our lyrics consistent and unique. Also, do some experimentation with auto-tune on how it works and what settings we like.
Week 6 - Use past experimentation and sound bank to create 4 more melody loops that we can work with for the final beats for the project.
Week 7 - Record songs over beats we already like. Furthermore finalising and tweaking the rest of the beats making sure they have a balanced mix.
Week 8 - Finish recording over the last few songs in the EP making sure vocal takes are clear and articulate.
Week 9 - Start mixing the vocals for the songs, could also experiment with the use of gated reverb on some songs
Week 10 - Send mixes out to my collaborators making final adjustments so they are ready to be mastered.
Week 11 - Master songs making sure all drums are hitting and we are satisfied with all of our work. Any last tweaks to be done. Send songs to be released on sound cloud.
I will aim to reflect on my work through progress updates, logging the research and practice done that week. This will involve noting and expanding on the research and productions that I have done, relevant to the project. These updates will also involve the collaborative process's our group took to make decisions and the reasoning behind actions towards our production.
I will also be completing my overall evaluation towards the end of the project. This will help me evaluate what I did well and bad as an individual as well as a group and how I could do better in future projects. From this, I can expand on the skills learnt and the research that has helped me develop as a musician.
Prior to this project, my background in music was 'Production' and 'Song Writing', so most of my work on the EP will be centred around producing the tracks. I will be using the skills and techniques I've learnt within my own personal projects as well as the entire skill set I've learnt this year within my college projects.
Ongoing, I am extremely excited to learn new skills and production approaches that I am eager to gain through the upcoming sessions and experience in the project.
MY RESEARCH
My research will fall into three main categories.
- I will look at the work of other Ambient Trap/Ambient Artists that I follow and analyse the different elements and dynamics in their production, by doing so I believe this will help me in the production of my own ambient sounds. This I feel is the most important task for me as Ambience is a new genre of music that I have not specifically worked on before so referencing to similar artists will be essential in getting started.
- I will look at different production techniques and methods for making trap sounds. Researching things like this will help us fully incorporate the hip-hop/trap aspect into our tracks.
- I will research different ways to prepare a recording and subsequent setting up of a studio to do so. The instrumentals to our track will all be produced using a DAW, but to include some vocal recordings, we will have to set up some audio sessions and source a place to record. Doing this is essential to the whole recording process as recording vocals is something I have not done without the guidance of a teacher/engineer before now.
RELATED WORKS
TRAVIS SCOTT - YOSEMITE: This track holds a good example of the type of ambient sounds we are trying to create. The tone is uplifting and has an 'out of this world' type of sound to it while the drums and bass within the track display the stereotypical patterns and sounds we are looking to emulate.
LANCEY FOUX - MIA: This track features more experimental vocals, while still holding the typical ambient sound to it. These vocal techniques and the fairly minimalist drums I feel are good for inspiration for creating a more unique sound on some of the tracks
METHODOLOGY
In order to achieve these goals I will need to do the following:
- Establish a communication line between my peers, this will most likely be via whats-app group chat.
- Be active on this group-chat and communicate within lessons so that we can effectively organise sessions and update one another on progress.
- Reference to other artists in my research.
- Develop my production skills and expand my knowledge and ability in production techniques, this will be done through research, online tutorials and through experience in sessions with my peers.
- Create regular demo tracks and sounds that I can share with my group and assess/re-assess regularly.
TIMELINE
Week 1 - Find sounds and samples that fit the overall sound style of the EP we are trying to create. Creating a sound-bank for me to use for a lot of the beats for the EP. I will then source out samples that match the style of this sound-bank that I could possibly use. After this, I will start creating ideas for beats for the EP sending them to my collaborators for evaluation.
Week 2 - Use these sounds from the sound bank to create a loop kit that my collaborators and I can use for the duration of the project, this will consist of melody loops. We will experiment before creating these, possibly with slide notes (glide function) and using automation with a phaser or flanger or even EQ to add depth to these melodies.
Week 3 - After this, we can use these melody loops to create some beats collaboratively. We will make 4 beats initially to test the waters and generally hone in on the sound we want, receiving feedback and improving this sound.
Week 4 - Start writing lyrics for the new beats. Basing the content on London youth culture. Also, prepare to make more loops by finding more sounds on Omnisphere and doing more experimentation before creating the actual loops.
Week 5 - Talk to my collaborators and plan what the subject matter of the songs will be, in context to lyrics and what we will be talking about. Making our lyrics consistent and unique. Also, do some experimentation with auto-tune on how it works and what settings we like.
Week 6 - Use past experimentation and sound bank to create 4 more melody loops that we can work with for the final beats for the project.
Week 7 - Record songs over beats we already like. Furthermore finalising and tweaking the rest of the beats making sure they have a balanced mix.
Week 8 - Finish recording over the last few songs in the EP making sure vocal takes are clear and articulate.
Week 9 - Start mixing the vocals for the songs, could also experiment with the use of gated reverb on some songs
Week 10 - Send mixes out to my collaborators making final adjustments so they are ready to be mastered.
Week 11 - Master songs making sure all drums are hitting and we are satisfied with all of our work. Any last tweaks to be done. Send songs to be released on sound cloud.
EVALUATION
I will aim to reflect on my work through progress updates, logging the research and practice done that week. This will involve noting and expanding on the research and productions that I have done, relevant to the project. These updates will also involve the collaborative process's our group took to make decisions and the reasoning behind actions towards our production.
I will also be completing my overall evaluation towards the end of the project. This will help me evaluate what I did well and bad as an individual as well as a group and how I could do better in future projects. From this, I can expand on the skills learnt and the research that has helped me develop as a musician.
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MIDTERM PROGRESS ANALYSIS - This friday's lesson marked the midterm point of this term's music video project. Overall I feel happy w...
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LITERATURE REVIEWS 1. 'A Conversation With Brian Eno About Ambient Music' https://pitchfork.com/features/interview/10023-a-conve...