Decades Playlist Reviews

D'ANGELO'S TRACK: D'angelo's piece starts with a nice sample from James Brown's song 'The Boss' which has been heavily modified by EQ adjustments where he has cut out low frequencies. This and the use of a bit crusher has given the sample a sweet lofi sound. For his drums he has used modern sounding trap drums which gives the track some edge. For his bass he has done the same using a heavy sub bass along with backing bells and vocals which complete the mix of the sample and the rest of the song

KRISHNA'S TRACK: Kush's track starts off with a sample from Teardrop, which seams untouched from effects giving it a nice clear sound. He then kicks off the real mood of his track with some bouncy trap drums which gives the song a groove to follow. The effects used in rhythm with the drums are also great features to the song. He has also placed his own in-key melodies in for parts of the song where the sample slows down and does not take up that much space in the mix.

JACOB'S TRACK: The Base melodies a nice high pitch sound which build up some easy tension along with the chords that go with it. This all creates a nice video-game like sound but the song overall doesn't progress as no other sounds/instruments are brought in over the track and a sense of not knowing where the track is going is created. The drums he brings in fit nice with bouncy mood of the sound but aren't loud enough and no bass/808 is brought in to support the kick drum which seems too quiet. I would recommend EQ adjustments to the drum kit

JOSH'S TRACK: Josh's track builds up very nicely with lots of elements coming in over time. These are spread out well and the build up arrangement gives the song a great structures. The sounds brought in let the listener catch the tune's vibe for just the right time until the snappy drums are introduced. The sounds itself give off an electronic dynamic as the scales used portray happy and joyful emotions. He has created many different sounds with complicated not placements which all seem to be in the right places as the sense of space in the track feels perfectly balanced

MAX'S TRACK: Unlike Josh's track, everything is brought in straight away after one bar of sound effects. The track features deep trap drums with it's hi-hats creatively panning left and right along with a very clean sounding 808. The melody features a catchy rhythm created from bird sounds which overlays compressed vocals with the same notes

Supersonics Self-Assessment

• How you have improved since Term 1? How have you learnt from your mistakes?
• What areas have you still struggled with?
• Are you happy with the work you created for the whole Contemporary project?

I think I have improved with my work flow, I think I completed things in better time than last term. I have struggled with areas of theory such as recording concepts, where I struggle to understand the science of the technology within a studio. I am Happy with the work I've created and have gained some good work to add to a creative portfolio

• What skills have you developed over the course of Term 2?
• What is the technical or musical skill you are most proud of?
• Logic skills: How developed are your skills? Where do you need to improve? Has this affected your work?
• Compositional skills: knowledge of melody, harmony, rhythm, chords, keys, arrangement

During Term 2, I performed my assessed DJ set (a review of this is under the label 'DJ') where I had to practice at home and out of session times. This practice led me to move from a complete DJ beginner to a more adept level where I can produce a basic but good sounding using FX and Hi/Low pass's. I am the most proud of this skill set as DJ class was the area where I wanted the most improvement in last terms self-assessment.

In terms of my progress within logic, I have gained a lot of very useful skills and tips in areas like mixing and levelling which has improved the general sound of my work. Despite this, I believe there is still a good deal of things I still need to learn to mix and master at a professional level. My Compositional Skills have only grown from external revision at home this term as the session that would normally be a composition class was replaced with my making a music video class.

• What problems did you experience in Term 1 (Decades)?
• What did you do differently this time around (SuperSonics)?
• Did you complete all of the work on time?
• Did you spend too much time on one piece, to the detriment of others?
• Did you make use of the access time that is available to you?
• Are you happy with the music you submitted?

I experienced problems within work load management last term but this term did improve in this area and got most of the base work on time. I didn't spend too much time one piece and tried to use bookable rooms as much as possible. I was happy with work submitted

• Did you improve your research methods in Term 2?
• What areas did you need to research as part of this project?
• Have you been able to bring these ideas into your work?
• What have you learnt that you can apply to your future projects?

My research methods I believe did not need to improve as they were already at a good enough level. I needed to research trends within artist promotion and was able to note down these in order to further my own work through these devices. I learnt common promotion trends and patterns that could be helpful in promoting music for my FMP

• Do you feel that the group project (SuperSonics Project playlist presented online) was successful?
• Do you think we reached our target audience?
• How we can improve in the future/what should we do differently?
• What is your idea of the perfect way to present your individual music in Term 3

I feel like the group project was semi-successful, reaching out to a good general audience as there was versatility within the playlist but I feel some tracks were out of place. I think to improve in the future, there should be more communication between classmates so that the work we produce will all sit nicely with one another in the playlist

I think the perfect way to present individual music is to keep a recurring theme within the songs but with uniqe aspects involved that express the individuality of the tracks. This will need to involve talks and group chats to ensure the songs contain that theme

Trap Production

TRAP PRODUCTION TRENDS:

Tempo tends to vary from 130-160 bpm, however on some occassions the producer may set a tempo of 60-90 bpm so that the rapper can then rap twice the speed


Melody's, Chords and Driving sounds varies within the trap genre, sometimes producers will use samples while some will take advantage of MIDI and create their sounds from there using plug ins and internal vsts.

In terms of the sound itself, this will also vary massively and does not have a specific set sound. A trap melody could anything from be an oriental sounding piece to a classical piano piece. The Key and harmonic content of these sounds vary as well, a trap beat may lock to a happier sounding major key or a darker sounding minor key

Meek Mill - Trauma - Uses a sample for its driving sound while Roody Rich - Die Young uses internal MIDI plug-ins for the melody

Drums in trap music do not vary as much and follow certain patterns. Hi-hats follow a pattern of constant playing, creating a pulse for the drums either on every beat or every other beat. These hats will also contain rolls and open hi hat hits. snares can come in sometimes half way through the bar and then just after creating a skippy like groove. Sometimes producers will add extra percussion to supplement the snare.

Kicks mainly come in on the first beats of every bar while also playing along side the bass. The relationship between the kick and bass/808 has become essential in mastering the sound in trap music. The Dynamics and general sounding of the kick must fit well with the same properties of the bass for them to play alongside each other.

All of the drum sounds are sourced from online drum kits instead of live drums.

Future - Hate in your soul contains a good example of the drum patterns we see regularly in trap music. This song was produced by 'Metro Boomin who is known to set trends in trap production, especially drums

Bass sounds in trap are mostly heavy 808's. On some occassions the bass will act as a kickdrum playing one note at a time with some resonance, while other times there could more of a sub-bass that

Effects in trap have a big influence on the sound. Effects like autotune are used heavily on the vocals in some trap tracks. Auto Drive and other forms of distortion are also used on bass sounds

YNW Melly - Mixed Personalities contains a lot of autotune

How My Production Follows These Trends - Within my production, some of these trends can be identified, however when producing I aim to bring unique layers over these sounds. My melodies and chords don't follow specific patterns as I like to switch between keys frequently making my sound more versatile. Sampling older records from different genres is something I use for sourcing material which can do good in inserting some texture into my beat. Although sampling I enjoy, I regularly take advantage of the midi presets and instruments supplied within Logic Pro X. Using MIDI I feel sometimes is better as I find the flexibility of note customisation is very helpful in creating a trap beat


Areas like drums and bass are where trends come in to my music. My Drums are sourced from kits and follow popular drum patterns as mentioned. My 808s can vary however while I enjoy using single hit 808s, I will sometimes use a longing sub-bass, depending on the theme I am aiming for.

MUSIC VIDEO MIDTERM

MIDTERM PROGRESS ANALYSIS - This friday's lesson marked the midterm point of this term's music video project. Overall I feel happy with my progress so far and am satisfied with the themes i've developed at this stage. My collection of footage right now I think sits nicely with the piece of music I chose for this task. I have also made sure my transitions run alongside the music by matching the transient markers of the video and audio.

To complete my video I still need to insert contrasting footage in order to tell the narrative I was looking for. For this I am going to add footage of riots and public disorder which I have already sourced. I think I will also want to add more scenes of London maybe from different angels and of different places within the city

Dj Set Review

REVIEW: On Tuesday 12th March I performed my 30 min DJ assessment. Overall I am satisfied with my set but feel I did not reach the potential I could've got to. In general I feel my song selection was good and progression between genres was smooth. On the effects side I made good use of the FX for transitions, using the Hi pass and low pass filters. Despite this I feel I could've added some more effects into my set during the preparation stage, such as some reverb, possibly some scratching, delays, hotcues and more. This I believe would've made some of the mixing more interesting to a potential audience. Preparing for this set was very enjoyable so I wanted to reach my full potential

Class Playlist Reviews

J-Jai - The Driving melody is very catchy and the steel pan sound creates a nice vibe. In terms of drums, the slow skippy beat is perfect for the mood of the beat while the 808 fits very well with the pans. I would suggest a little less distortion on the bass and slight EQ and noise level adjustments to the steel pans as
 

Ayisha - The wobbly piano in this track I really like as it is unpredictable and the panning creates an atmosphere. The way she has layered and introduced new sounds I like as well. I would suggest a fair amount of EQ work and also some noise levelling with the piano



JACOB - The melody has a nice sound to it and has a cool reverb on it that makes it sound retro. This is paired with a similar chord groove giving the track some nice texture. I would really like to see more

MAX - The driving melodies and chords are detailed, giving it more complexion . The occasional de-tuning of it also makes the sound unpredictable. I think the kick and 808 is sitting too high in the mix and is slightly overpowering the other sounds

HESKEY - The track contains a lot of nice piano layers that sit well together and the quality of sound within the drums and bass is of a high standard. The FX is also catchy and the panning work creates a dark atmosphere to the track

D'ANGELO - I really like the lo-fi base sound and enjoy the bit-crush on it as well as subtle keys a long side it. The contrast of this and the trap drums sounds nice also. One thing I would change is the length of the intro as I believe it is too long.

Research: Portfolio

AUDIENCE PROMOTION - Audience promotion involves mainly linking your audience with your social media, along with merchandise. From what I found, using social media is vital in gaining an audience. Promoting your work and upcoming gigs around social media will allow others to re-share your work to their follower base. In regards to merchandise, creating your own personalised clothes with your name/logo can be great at giving you an image as an artist. Furthermore, potential fans seeing other people wear this can massively boost your visibility in your selected scene let alone the economic boost selling merchandise would give you

Here, Dave has created limited edition merch, giving the normal benefits of merchandise but also creating hype over the clothing and in turn hype over the project

MUSIC INDUSTRY RESEARCH - Promotion within the music industry contains huge involvement from labels. If an upcoming artist was to sign with a label, that label would assist with promotion via their social media and sharing around with their certain industry contacts they may have. Promoting their artists is a win-win situation for record labels as an artists success will lead to more label success. Signing to a label may also allow fans to take you more serious and view you as a professional musician

Here, Dave's record label has promoted the same promotional pictures on their Instagram

SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION:  For artists to become successful, using a professional social media page is essential in doing so. Being active on these pages is also just as important as having them. Posting regularly, keeping followers updated of your work is directly linked to better sales, streams and gig attendance. Taking advantage of stories on apps such as snapchat and instagram can have a massive impact on the promotion of you. Updating fans on what your'e doing day by day will boost fan engagement and will help in showing fans your personality

Here, Dave is sharing snippets of his personal life, engaging with his audience

TRAP PRODUCTION TRENDS:

MUSIC VIDEO

MY MUSIC VIDEO:

MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

A$AP Rocky - Praise the Lord (da shine) - ft. Skepta
Released June 5th 2018

TYPE OF MUSIC VIDEO - The video entails a performance video, featuring 'A$AP Rocky' and 'Skepta' both lip-syncing their verses around their respective cities. This is complemented with a comparison like montage of scenes and shots that capture the cultures of both London and New York City, pushing the video further than just a performance video. 

CAMERA ANGELS/SHOTS

This video includes a lot of different shots and a lot of different shots going at a very fast speed, even at sometimes pacing at 1 shot per second. Personally I think doing so emphasises the complexity of the setting and does well at showing a bit of everything they used to work with.

SHOTS OF SETTING 

The Video's drive is centred around split-screen visuals, contrasting and comparing both cities. The director includes medium and log-shots of the blocks and towers around the cities that give a gritty outlook on life of the residential areas of both cities.



PEOPLE
Within the video, we are presented with many different faces. Such shots include some medium close-ups of these faces, highlighting their contemporary fashion and style. The split screen also comes into play here where we see these mainly young faces compared accordingly to their city, displaying the hard similarities but also the slight differences between the youth of both these cities

COLOUR
Colour has a huge role in the connotations of this video. The split screen shot's are differentiated massively by colour, NYC follows a warm pallet while London contrasts with a colder set of colours.
There is also a big lack of bright colours within most shots, instead there is a large presence of grey/black colours, highlighting the grit of the video and where the video was shot

AUDIO TASK

1. WHEN SHOULD WE START MIXING OUR MUSIC AND WHY - You should begin to gain-stage straight away by lowering the levels of most of your tracks trying to not to increase over -6db. Doing this will allow you to boost levels where necessary towards the end of the production process.

2. WHAT TOOL SHOULD WE USE FOR THIS PROCESS - the cross-faders

3. NAME THE TECHNIQUE BY WHICH WE MOVE SOUND FROM LEFT TO RIGHT - Panning

4. GIVE THE MAIN PLUG-IN WE USE FOR TREATING DYNAMICS OF SOUND - Equaliser (EQ)