The Type of Music I will be studying today will be Modern R&B. One Area in which this genre has its own identity is the audio sound of the music. R&B has a very distinct sound, the chord structures and progressions are mainly derrived from soul music. Most of these soul chords are played in the key of E flat major. Examples of famous artists who used these chords are Erykah Badu and D'angelo.
Modern R&B has a mix of these groovy jazzy soul/Neo soul chords alongside modern electronic drum kits. Examples of these modern R&B artists would be artists such as Bryson Tiller, Tory Lanez, Post Malone. Another main different in the sound of modern R&B is the use of samples in music. This is a modern technique used for a number of different reasons. i.e. to implicate complexity into the music or for atmosphere, or contrast perhaps.
Another area which Modern R&B has its own identity is the visuals used. For example the visuals for music videos. Music Videos for Modern R&B usually consist of a story being told, beautiful women an ideal location in the sun. This is because the song is being made to be as appealing as possible. An example of this is shown here in DJ Khaled's-"Wild thoughts"
The Use of equipment in Modern R&B play a key part to the identity of the genre because without the specific equipment, the so famous and loved sound wouldn't be achieved. key equipment that is used includes the DAW that was used to compose the track. Usually either FL studio's or Pro Tools or Ableton Live. these Daw's are typically used because they are able to produce the right level of clarity and complexity for sounds within Modern R&B for the professional industry. Many famous Modern R&B producers have also revealed that this is some of the technology that they use when they are producing. some examples of this are from producers such as "Teddy Walton" and "wondagurl".
There are many diferent ways that you can encounter Modern R&B. A few ways to consume this music include, Through Radio, TV streaming services such as spotify, soundcloud, apple music and you can also purchase modern R&B music from Itunes or even download it illegally from the internet. I believe that the increase of technology in terms of consuming has had a direct impact with the popularity of the Genre. I believe this because the advancement of technology and the internet has made it almost effortless to, not only find and stream songs of youre choice, but to also upload aswell. I also believe that this increase in technology has had a direct impact on the Way that Modern R&B sounds.
There are human elements incorporated into R&B as well, one of these human elements is the use of live sounds and instruments, the use of live instruments is effective because it adds more complexity to the music. In the video above, there is an example of the producer "Teddy Walton" adding lives sounds and successfully blending them in with his midi sounds on fl. He uses a sample that he recored of the forrest with birds singing and chirping in order to create a sense of ambience in his track.
R&B is a genre that allows artists to express themselves fully, the atmosphere is often focused on the emotion of love, however that does not mean that artists are restricted to making love songs, for example Bryson tiller has a song called 'Sorry not Sorry' which is a song about heartbreak, its important to make songs which can relate to your listeners everyday lives so they able to connect with you on a deeper more personal level.
I believe that modern R&B is a genre that will exist in time for a while. The birthchild of hip/hop and neo/soul, R&B is a genre that has managed to keep elements from its predecessors for example chord progression and instrumentation but has managed to incorporate lots of technology as well in order to achieve the best, complex and most developed sound. Not many genre's can offer the listener this unique listening experience which is why i believe R&B is a very versatile and successful genre.
Bibliography for Ethnography:
https://spinditty.com/learning/Cool-RB-chord-progressions
Thursday, 16 November 2017
Friday, 3 November 2017
Personal statement
My passion for music production stems from age 5 when I attended Barnet Music school for singing, recorder and Steel pans lessons. My interest expanded into keyboards and led to me attending keyboard classes at Finchley Music School when I was 8. Although I enjoyed playing instruments I was always more fascinated with the working of the actual keyboard and the sounds it could produce rather than playing the keyboards. I became more interested in the production side of making my own music when my uncle handed me down his old Yamaha PSR-295 keyboard when I was about 9. Discovering I could make my own music opened up a whole new world for me. I am lucky enough to have access to a small basic home studio set up as my dad had a historical interest in music technology having studied the subject at college and encouraged me to use his equipment.
Having successfully completed the Music Performance and Production Arts - UAL Level 2 Diploma last year, I am currently studying for the Music Performance and Production - UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma. I chose this course as I wanted to gain a sound all-round grounding and knowledge of all aspects of music production in both the practical and academic sense. I was looking for a course that could give me practical exposure to different music genres and allow me to apply what I learnt to my academic progression. I feel this two-year diploma course has done this and firmly sealed my interest in studying music production at degree level. Fast forward a few years and I am excited to finally be able to apply to university to continue my passion at degree level. I have chosen to study this discipline as I feel it will allow me to both expand and enhance my academic capacity within a field I intend to make a career out it, which is why I am applying for this course.
I enjoy going to music concerts and write a blog as part of my diploma reviewing gigs. My exposure to varied musical genres is fairly wide and ranges from gospel to R and B to classical music. I am a fairly Adaptable in terms of music and have found myself writing reviews for rock, metal and pop concerts as part of my course. My main aim is to keep on growing musically and expanding my production knowledge with long term goals of working as a professional music producer eventually. I produce my own music now and work with a vast array of artists including poets, rappers and vocalists. I am keen to collaborate with as many different genres of artists / producers and performers as possible and believe exposure to new things brings new knowledge. I regularly collaborate with other students at college to produce shows.
I am a fan of travel and always enjoy seeking out local music when I travel, recent trips to St Marten and Amsterdam have exposed me to Zouk music which mixes influences from Caribbean soca and calypso music with a basic disco beat and synthesized rhythms. Since studying Japanese GCSE at school, I am a huge fan of all things Japanese from their Culture, to Food and Animations and plan to visit Japan for the 2020 Olympics. I have played American football competitively since I was 10 years old and still train with a London based team. I enjoy meeting and making new friends and regularly meet up with friends I met through doing the national Citizens service a couple of years ago as well as friends from the performing Arts school Stomp I attended for 6 years at weekends. As you can see music plays a huge part in my life and forms the basis of many positive friendships and experiences I have had, my plan is to continue this positive association through this course.
Thursday, 2 November 2017
Portfolio Assignment
1) What are your career goals – where do you want to be? Be as specific as possible – identify people/record labels/companies/brands/venues that you want to work with.
I have many different career goals, a few of them to list consist of me: producing for films, producing for myself, recording artist/DJ.
2) Why have you identified this as your target? Talk about your skills as well as your aspirations.
Film Composition is one of my targets because I feel that it is appropriate for me. it all challenge me to think outside the box, allow me to learn and further my understanding of music on one of the highest levels in the industry. I also believe it will develop my production skills in areas such as mixing and mastering and sound design. Furthermore this occupation consists of lots of collaboration in the professional industry
Production for myself is also a target because production is my main area of interest. this is a target because i would have to reach a certain level of professionalism within my music to successfully produce for myself and make a living from that. i would also release my music on a Soundcloud page and use different forms of social media such as instagram and twitter to publicise my music
3) Who are your role models? What did these people do in order to get to their position? Choose at least one leading professional in your field and write a detailed account of their career, including a biography and history as well as their current position. In your opinion, what were the key moments in their ascension? How can you mimic their career path?
I would like to produce for films as I feel like it would push me to think outside of the box in terms of creating sound and just sound design as a whole. To do this i would Research successful people who are already established in that region of area of work. One person I began researching was Hans Zimmer who is probably the best/most notorious film composer/producer. Zimmer entered the world of film music in London during a long collaboration with famed composer and mentor Stanley Myers, which included the film "My Beautiful Laundrette". turning point in Zimmer's career came in 1988 when he was asked to score Rain Man for director Barry Levinson. The film went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture of the Year and earned Zimmer his first Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Score. The next year, Zimmer composed the score for another Best Picture Oscar recipient, Driving Miss Daisy (1989), starring Jessica Tandy, and Morgan Freeman.
I also conducted some research into Sam Gellaitry a young producer only aged 18 years old from Stirling, Scotland. I researched Gellaitry because he is successfully making a living from producing and DJing around the UK and Europe. Some of the steps he has made included learning Fl studio's from a young age of 12. This decision alone was key to Gallaitry's success nowadays. Aged 16 Gallaitry left school and decided to study music production at college. The summer after that his soundcloud gained a lot of attention and when he released his Soulection EP, he managed to get over 1Million views. He is now performing various DJ sets over the UK and in LA including the infamous boiler room and still producing. His music is also stremead often of youtube and soundcloud through well known streaming labels such as majestic casual.
4) What steps are you going to take to achieve your goals? Be specific, break it down into all the small steps that will get you to your targets. Justify your decisions based on research, explain in detail why you have identified these actions as being integral to your progress.
One step I need to take in order to achieve my goals would be to buy a set of DJ decks. This would allow me to effectively hone my DJ'ing craft. A step after that would then be for me to go out and network at various events and gain the opportunity to become a warm up DJ in a smaller venue. From there I'd have to stay consistent and keep networking until I get the opportunity to be the headline DJ at that venue or a warm up DJ at another venue.
In order to become a successful producer I would have to complete certain amount of steps also.
The first step which I need to take is to regularly and consistently produce and upload content.
To do this I would first need to conduct research into the most effective method of releasing, uploading and promoting new music. Ive already conducted research into Sam Gallaitry who started uploading his music to Soundcloud. So I will also use soundcloud as the platform to release my material.
Another reason why I decided to use soundcloud as the streaming platform for my music is because its quite a supportive music community, you receive criticism and opinions from other Artists, Producers and listeners. Soundcloud also offers the opportunity for collaboration which also opens up various doors to other possibilities and opportunities. I would also begin to make an EP and start promoting this.
I conducted research into how Sam Gellaitry would promote his music. He would use social media. Twitter and Instagram are the most practical platforms of social media for me. Twitter is practical because it encourages short regular messages(Tweets). I can use tweets to keep my followers updated with progress for my project, whats happening and how I feel. This is also effective because it creates a relationship between me and my followers. Instagram is the most popular form of social media currently. Its effective because unlike just writing about whats happening to my followers, I can show them through photo's and pictures. This will also make my followers feel more involved and included with my progress through the project, because they can see for themselves. A very useful feature that instagram also has is live streaming. So I would be able to stream studio session's allowing my followers to feel as if they are in the studio with me. this is effective because it helps build the relationship between producer and listener.
I would then conduct research into how I can get my music published on some other streaming services, for example Spotify or Apple Music.
5) What will be the content of your Portfolio? What are you going to create? And where/how will it be displayed? Justify your decisions based on what you have learnt in your research.
My portfolio will consist of an EP of about 3 or 4 tracks which demonstrate my ability as a producer. I would like the EP to have a theme and some artwork created to suit. I will promote it through social media and release it on soundcloud. I also have the idea of creating a music video for one of the tracks, but i haven't fully reached a discision about that yet. my portfolio will also contain an artist statement. My portfolio will be uploaded to an accessible through my blog.
I have many different career goals, a few of them to list consist of me: producing for films, producing for myself, recording artist/DJ.
2) Why have you identified this as your target? Talk about your skills as well as your aspirations.
Film Composition is one of my targets because I feel that it is appropriate for me. it all challenge me to think outside the box, allow me to learn and further my understanding of music on one of the highest levels in the industry. I also believe it will develop my production skills in areas such as mixing and mastering and sound design. Furthermore this occupation consists of lots of collaboration in the professional industry
Production for myself is also a target because production is my main area of interest. this is a target because i would have to reach a certain level of professionalism within my music to successfully produce for myself and make a living from that. i would also release my music on a Soundcloud page and use different forms of social media such as instagram and twitter to publicise my music
3) Who are your role models? What did these people do in order to get to their position? Choose at least one leading professional in your field and write a detailed account of their career, including a biography and history as well as their current position. In your opinion, what were the key moments in their ascension? How can you mimic their career path?
I would like to produce for films as I feel like it would push me to think outside of the box in terms of creating sound and just sound design as a whole. To do this i would Research successful people who are already established in that region of area of work. One person I began researching was Hans Zimmer who is probably the best/most notorious film composer/producer. Zimmer entered the world of film music in London during a long collaboration with famed composer and mentor Stanley Myers, which included the film "My Beautiful Laundrette". turning point in Zimmer's career came in 1988 when he was asked to score Rain Man for director Barry Levinson. The film went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture of the Year and earned Zimmer his first Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Score. The next year, Zimmer composed the score for another Best Picture Oscar recipient, Driving Miss Daisy (1989), starring Jessica Tandy, and Morgan Freeman.
I also conducted some research into Sam Gellaitry a young producer only aged 18 years old from Stirling, Scotland. I researched Gellaitry because he is successfully making a living from producing and DJing around the UK and Europe. Some of the steps he has made included learning Fl studio's from a young age of 12. This decision alone was key to Gallaitry's success nowadays. Aged 16 Gallaitry left school and decided to study music production at college. The summer after that his soundcloud gained a lot of attention and when he released his Soulection EP, he managed to get over 1Million views. He is now performing various DJ sets over the UK and in LA including the infamous boiler room and still producing. His music is also stremead often of youtube and soundcloud through well known streaming labels such as majestic casual.
One step I need to take in order to achieve my goals would be to buy a set of DJ decks. This would allow me to effectively hone my DJ'ing craft. A step after that would then be for me to go out and network at various events and gain the opportunity to become a warm up DJ in a smaller venue. From there I'd have to stay consistent and keep networking until I get the opportunity to be the headline DJ at that venue or a warm up DJ at another venue.
In order to become a successful producer I would have to complete certain amount of steps also.
The first step which I need to take is to regularly and consistently produce and upload content.
To do this I would first need to conduct research into the most effective method of releasing, uploading and promoting new music. Ive already conducted research into Sam Gallaitry who started uploading his music to Soundcloud. So I will also use soundcloud as the platform to release my material.
Another reason why I decided to use soundcloud as the streaming platform for my music is because its quite a supportive music community, you receive criticism and opinions from other Artists, Producers and listeners. Soundcloud also offers the opportunity for collaboration which also opens up various doors to other possibilities and opportunities. I would also begin to make an EP and start promoting this.
I conducted research into how Sam Gellaitry would promote his music. He would use social media. Twitter and Instagram are the most practical platforms of social media for me. Twitter is practical because it encourages short regular messages(Tweets). I can use tweets to keep my followers updated with progress for my project, whats happening and how I feel. This is also effective because it creates a relationship between me and my followers. Instagram is the most popular form of social media currently. Its effective because unlike just writing about whats happening to my followers, I can show them through photo's and pictures. This will also make my followers feel more involved and included with my progress through the project, because they can see for themselves. A very useful feature that instagram also has is live streaming. So I would be able to stream studio session's allowing my followers to feel as if they are in the studio with me. this is effective because it helps build the relationship between producer and listener.
I would then conduct research into how I can get my music published on some other streaming services, for example Spotify or Apple Music.
5) What will be the content of your Portfolio? What are you going to create? And where/how will it be displayed? Justify your decisions based on what you have learnt in your research.
My portfolio will consist of an EP of about 3 or 4 tracks which demonstrate my ability as a producer. I would like the EP to have a theme and some artwork created to suit. I will promote it through social media and release it on soundcloud. I also have the idea of creating a music video for one of the tracks, but i haven't fully reached a discision about that yet. my portfolio will also contain an artist statement. My portfolio will be uploaded to an accessible through my blog.
Thursday, 14 September 2017
Portfolio Week One
technical skills-
performance skills-
POTENTIAL JOBS-
DJ
Producer
manager
music teacher
sound engineer
recording artist
session player
composer
songwriter
stage manager
lighting operator
sound designer(music for film)
sports
-American Football
Metro BOmmin contact-https://www.codaagency.com/artist/1731-metro-boomin
one skill which I have is that I can play the drums. A way in which I could use this skill in a professional environment would be if I were a session player. In order to do this is would need to present my work to a relevant audience. I would do this a few ways. One way I would do this is by setting up a youtube channel of me doing covers and demo's in order to demonstrate my ability so that whoever needs to hire me will know that I'm capable. I would market my business through networking. I will set up social media accounts on multiple different networks which will link back to my youtube channel as well to help with promotion. my prices per session will also be displayed and my media will also inform that my prices can be negotiated. I would also look to promote myself through a website which would also be linked to everything else. however i would have the website because it enables me to have total control over what is shown. Lastly I would also look to join a music agency in order to get more jobs, which is important because my popularity would positively correlate with the amount of jobs I receive.
Another skill which I have is my production skill. I could use these skill in a professional environment by producing for somebody. In Order to do this I would need to present my work to a number of people including other artists and producers. I would present my work on youtube, band camp and finally soundcloud, because it is full of a lot of upcoming artists who are fresh and want to collaborate as well. I would also try and showcase my various styles to show that i am a versatile producer and I would work with other producers which is important because then aspects of collaboration are involved and we can both learn from each other. Collaboration is also a great from of networking in order to get to know more people in the industry. You can also find out who you work well with and develop you're sound further by learning from people with experience. I would also look at joining an agency in order to get more work, and i would reach out to other artists through social media such as instagram and twitter. I will also use social media to interact with other artists and my followers by sharing my opinions on various events and trends that happen. I will also have a website to showcase new music and give information regarding any events or projects that are new and upcoming which I'm involved in
Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Sound Design Theory
WEEK ONE:
Today was our first lesson. We were introduced to ADSR envelopes. which is a future which allows you to manipulate a sound in relativity to the time the sound takes to reach full volume, to decay from full volume and how long the sound takes to completely diminish. I was experimenting with the super fat moog, here is a picture of how I decided to manipulate it and create a trademark sound using the ADSR envelopes
WEEK TWO:
in todays lesson we covered four of the basic sound design waves, these consisted of: sine, triangle, square and saw. each of the waves contained different textures. for example the sine wave gave a nice smooth, warm, round sound on contrary to the saw and square waves which were a lot more rough, buzzing and crunchy. this is important because you can then go into more variation of sounds with texture to add more complexity to you're music, which is also important because that complexity from the texture will allow you to define you're sound and add trademark. we also learnt that the texture of these waves are different due to the frequencies which they contain. for example, if you play a note on the sine wave, the wave only allows the one main frequency in the mid range to flow through. However if you play that same note, but through a square or saw wave, the sound will emerge with a lot of colour and harmonic frequencies also.
WEEK THREE:
In todays lesson we learnt how to modulate filters within our ADSL Envelopes, we did this by manipulating the LFO's
Today was our first lesson. We were introduced to ADSR envelopes. which is a future which allows you to manipulate a sound in relativity to the time the sound takes to reach full volume, to decay from full volume and how long the sound takes to completely diminish. I was experimenting with the super fat moog, here is a picture of how I decided to manipulate it and create a trademark sound using the ADSR envelopes
WEEK TWO:
in todays lesson we covered four of the basic sound design waves, these consisted of: sine, triangle, square and saw. each of the waves contained different textures. for example the sine wave gave a nice smooth, warm, round sound on contrary to the saw and square waves which were a lot more rough, buzzing and crunchy. this is important because you can then go into more variation of sounds with texture to add more complexity to you're music, which is also important because that complexity from the texture will allow you to define you're sound and add trademark. we also learnt that the texture of these waves are different due to the frequencies which they contain. for example, if you play a note on the sine wave, the wave only allows the one main frequency in the mid range to flow through. However if you play that same note, but through a square or saw wave, the sound will emerge with a lot of colour and harmonic frequencies also.
In todays lesson we learnt how to modulate filters within our ADSL Envelopes, we did this by manipulating the LFO's
Friday, 16 June 2017
Progression
I am looking to progress onto higher education after this course. In order to do this i will have to look over different universities in order to find the course thats right for me. I will be looking over places such as ICMP, ACM and BIMM. I will be looking thoroughly because it is important that i find the course which is right for me.
Friday, 9 June 2017
FMP Evaluation
If I compared the work that I have produced during this project with professional work in the same area, then i'd say that i was satisfied with my work. However I'm still not where I want to be in terms of development. Although I feel like my work was at a good standard I believe I can still get it better.
One area which i have struggled in was being able to produce three songs. I struggled with this because I misjudged how long it would take to me to produce each song to a standard where I liked it.
I also struggled with writing lyrics, I think this is due to the fact that i spent too much time on the production side of the EP rather than the recording. The lyrics are just as important as the music, in my project I did plan to do research into modern writing techniques but i didn't manage my time in order to be able to conduct the research. I realised that as I was doing a lot a of collaboration, the time I had to invest in my own project became less and less as the final performance came closer. In the future I will now put in a lot more time into developing and research different writing techniques, concepts and flows to add more depth and complexity to my music which will allow it to fit in with the music industry.
One of my key areas of research was Travis Scotts use of his voice in his production. It was key in my research because I wanted to implement complexity into my music through using the voice.
Another one of my key areas of research was Metro Boomin's modern sound It was key because I had to carry out research in order for my music to have the modern Hiphop/trap/R&B sound that I needed.
One research method I applied in my work was case studies. I applied this method of research because it allowed me to focus specifically in one area of research and allowed me to go into depth so I fully understood and comprehended what I was learning. If I didn't apply case studies in my project then my research would be too broad and I probably wouldn't of found the specific area's of key research which I was looking for. Another research method I applied in my work was a weekly diary of updates. This method was applied to my project in order to keep me organised so I know what I've done and they helped me plan what I would do next.
Although I feel like I have completed sufficient research for this project, I still believe that more research could have been carried out. This is due to my opinion which is that you can't do too much research. meaning that doing as much research as you can would be ideal. In hindsight, one particular area of research that I intended to carry out was the Modern Production Interviews in my project. This research consisted of me playing some music from the producers to some professionals. Through expert opinion I was going to dissect some information regarding how they achieved their distinct sound and how I could implement this in my project. However due to my time management between my project and other peoples projects which required collaboration I was unable to carry out this particular piece of research.
One thing I've learnt that I can apply to my future projects is Weekly progress updates. I feel as if these are essential if you have a specific time period that you have to work during. It also keeps you organised which will allow you to focus elsewhere and work more efficiently.
My research has informed my practical work. examples of this are enlisted throughout my project. For example if you look at my case study of the flute. The flute is an instrument which recently in the past couple of months, has become a key instrument in the genre of modern production which I am focusing on. I researched different ways how modern producers used the flute and from this I learnt to implement it into my on work. Another way of how my research has informed my practical work can be seen in my song 'The City'. A lot of the information which I obtained from my research on Travis Scotts vocals, were used on my vocals to create a more modern and complex sound.
I feel like in this project one skill of mine that has developed and help me finish this project is my use of EQ. EQ(which stands for Equaliser) is a tool in logic which helps me manipulate the different amplitudes of the different frequencies present. I feel like without my use of EQ my music would sound a lot less complex and dull. EQ is also a tool used frequently by many modern producers.
Another skill that I feel has developed in order to complete this project has been my ability to play piano. I feel like my melodies are becoming more and more complex which is adding more layers and textures to my music.
I definitely feel as if my practical skills have developed sufficiently during the course of the project. This is because while completing this project I could see the gap between the level I was at and the professional music industry standard. Looking back I can see the development and how my music is not that far from the music industry standard, However I'm still not there yet.
One Problem which i encountered during the FMP was not changing idea's. I found this difficult because in the beginning I was not sure wether I wanted to carry out that idea for the project, but once I got into it I realised I quite enjoyed it. Another Problem which i encountered was songwriting. This was a problem for me because I focused a lot more of my research and time into the production side and i had little time to write lyrics. Lyric writing is also an area which I struggle so it took me a while to get some lyrics for my music. I also used some Profanity in my music, I felt like it was necessary because it allowed me to express myself to the most full extent. My music is an extension of myself and profanity is implemented in modern hiphop/R&B/Trap music and case studied in my proposal all had examples of profanity in them.
I definitely felt like I tried to do too much work over the course of one term because I did not have the opportunity to fully explore all of my different areas of research. luckily this did not directly impact my work too much because the other areas of research still went into enough depth. In order to effectively complete my work I had to scale down a lot of things. For example I was going to do songwriting research and case studies into 3 or 4 different modern artists but I didn't have enough time.
During the access time that was available to me, I was using the production rooms on my own project and rehearsal rooms for all the band rehearsal also. I felt like this access time that was allocated was very productive especially for band rehearsal because this is where we were able to practice and work in order to bring our performances to a high standard. which was very important because at the halfway point, we had to audition our performances and if they were not up to a certain level they would be removed from the final performance.
During this project i have worked with multiple people. More specifically, on my project I've worked with two other artists. RCMD and ZAKH. I chose to work with these two individuals because I knew that they we're reliable and efficient. Another reason I chose them was also because I had previously worked with them, and I knew their stye would compliment my production. They were both features and added another layer to my music so the listener can understand the contrast between me as an artist and what the music felt to me, and how it felt to them.
I personally enjoy collaborative projects, this is because I believe the best work is made when everyone works and puts their idea's together. However I felt like their were definitely some problems which I encountered. One problem was that because I was in quite a few different bands, the rehearsal time wasn't spread out equally amoungst the different groups. Another problem was organising rehearsal time though it is the band leader's responsibility to book the rehearsal times and I felt like some band leaders were more organised than others. This was quite obvious to see at the auditioning stage of the FMP.
As a band we would overcome problems by making sure everyone is organised. For example one of the bands I was in made a group chat to make sure that everyone was aware of what was happening and we could discuss things that we think are going well and not going well in order to have the most polished performance in the end. I felt like this was a very useful method because as a band people became closer as well. I also feel like despite the fact that there were some problems in terms of organisation in some bands, all the band members are still competent players. This allowed us as a band to overcome a lot of obstacles and still have a successful performance.
One area which i have struggled in was being able to produce three songs. I struggled with this because I misjudged how long it would take to me to produce each song to a standard where I liked it.
I also struggled with writing lyrics, I think this is due to the fact that i spent too much time on the production side of the EP rather than the recording. The lyrics are just as important as the music, in my project I did plan to do research into modern writing techniques but i didn't manage my time in order to be able to conduct the research. I realised that as I was doing a lot a of collaboration, the time I had to invest in my own project became less and less as the final performance came closer. In the future I will now put in a lot more time into developing and research different writing techniques, concepts and flows to add more depth and complexity to my music which will allow it to fit in with the music industry.
One of my key areas of research was Travis Scotts use of his voice in his production. It was key in my research because I wanted to implement complexity into my music through using the voice.
Another one of my key areas of research was Metro Boomin's modern sound It was key because I had to carry out research in order for my music to have the modern Hiphop/trap/R&B sound that I needed.
One research method I applied in my work was case studies. I applied this method of research because it allowed me to focus specifically in one area of research and allowed me to go into depth so I fully understood and comprehended what I was learning. If I didn't apply case studies in my project then my research would be too broad and I probably wouldn't of found the specific area's of key research which I was looking for. Another research method I applied in my work was a weekly diary of updates. This method was applied to my project in order to keep me organised so I know what I've done and they helped me plan what I would do next.
Although I feel like I have completed sufficient research for this project, I still believe that more research could have been carried out. This is due to my opinion which is that you can't do too much research. meaning that doing as much research as you can would be ideal. In hindsight, one particular area of research that I intended to carry out was the Modern Production Interviews in my project. This research consisted of me playing some music from the producers to some professionals. Through expert opinion I was going to dissect some information regarding how they achieved their distinct sound and how I could implement this in my project. However due to my time management between my project and other peoples projects which required collaboration I was unable to carry out this particular piece of research.
One thing I've learnt that I can apply to my future projects is Weekly progress updates. I feel as if these are essential if you have a specific time period that you have to work during. It also keeps you organised which will allow you to focus elsewhere and work more efficiently.
My research has informed my practical work. examples of this are enlisted throughout my project. For example if you look at my case study of the flute. The flute is an instrument which recently in the past couple of months, has become a key instrument in the genre of modern production which I am focusing on. I researched different ways how modern producers used the flute and from this I learnt to implement it into my on work. Another way of how my research has informed my practical work can be seen in my song 'The City'. A lot of the information which I obtained from my research on Travis Scotts vocals, were used on my vocals to create a more modern and complex sound.
I feel like in this project one skill of mine that has developed and help me finish this project is my use of EQ. EQ(which stands for Equaliser) is a tool in logic which helps me manipulate the different amplitudes of the different frequencies present. I feel like without my use of EQ my music would sound a lot less complex and dull. EQ is also a tool used frequently by many modern producers.
Another skill that I feel has developed in order to complete this project has been my ability to play piano. I feel like my melodies are becoming more and more complex which is adding more layers and textures to my music.
I definitely feel as if my practical skills have developed sufficiently during the course of the project. This is because while completing this project I could see the gap between the level I was at and the professional music industry standard. Looking back I can see the development and how my music is not that far from the music industry standard, However I'm still not there yet.
One Problem which i encountered during the FMP was not changing idea's. I found this difficult because in the beginning I was not sure wether I wanted to carry out that idea for the project, but once I got into it I realised I quite enjoyed it. Another Problem which i encountered was songwriting. This was a problem for me because I focused a lot more of my research and time into the production side and i had little time to write lyrics. Lyric writing is also an area which I struggle so it took me a while to get some lyrics for my music. I also used some Profanity in my music, I felt like it was necessary because it allowed me to express myself to the most full extent. My music is an extension of myself and profanity is implemented in modern hiphop/R&B/Trap music and case studied in my proposal all had examples of profanity in them.
I definitely felt like I tried to do too much work over the course of one term because I did not have the opportunity to fully explore all of my different areas of research. luckily this did not directly impact my work too much because the other areas of research still went into enough depth. In order to effectively complete my work I had to scale down a lot of things. For example I was going to do songwriting research and case studies into 3 or 4 different modern artists but I didn't have enough time.
During the access time that was available to me, I was using the production rooms on my own project and rehearsal rooms for all the band rehearsal also. I felt like this access time that was allocated was very productive especially for band rehearsal because this is where we were able to practice and work in order to bring our performances to a high standard. which was very important because at the halfway point, we had to audition our performances and if they were not up to a certain level they would be removed from the final performance.
During this project i have worked with multiple people. More specifically, on my project I've worked with two other artists. RCMD and ZAKH. I chose to work with these two individuals because I knew that they we're reliable and efficient. Another reason I chose them was also because I had previously worked with them, and I knew their stye would compliment my production. They were both features and added another layer to my music so the listener can understand the contrast between me as an artist and what the music felt to me, and how it felt to them.
I personally enjoy collaborative projects, this is because I believe the best work is made when everyone works and puts their idea's together. However I felt like their were definitely some problems which I encountered. One problem was that because I was in quite a few different bands, the rehearsal time wasn't spread out equally amoungst the different groups. Another problem was organising rehearsal time though it is the band leader's responsibility to book the rehearsal times and I felt like some band leaders were more organised than others. This was quite obvious to see at the auditioning stage of the FMP.
As a band we would overcome problems by making sure everyone is organised. For example one of the bands I was in made a group chat to make sure that everyone was aware of what was happening and we could discuss things that we think are going well and not going well in order to have the most polished performance in the end. I felt like this was a very useful method because as a band people became closer as well. I also feel like despite the fact that there were some problems in terms of organisation in some bands, all the band members are still competent players. This allowed us as a band to overcome a lot of obstacles and still have a successful performance.
Friday, 2 June 2017
FMP Week 5
This week is the final performance. most of my time is gonna be spent everyday in Rehearsal rooms with the different bands I am collaborating with. I Also still have not been able to complete my interview because of prioritising other people's work over my own. Because now I have not finished my interview which was a key part in my research. I have also done recording for my tracks and spent a while mixing and mastering them as well.
Thursday, 25 May 2017
FMP Week 4
This week i haven't been able to add a lot more research or conduct the interview. This has been due to the fact that i was needed by several of my peers as a band member for their final performance and so all of my time has been taken up for Rehearsals, I have some recordings from some sessions as well. In all of the different bands i'm playing the drums, however the bands are all different genres so my musicality skills will be tested.
I was also playing in logic and i made a melody using three different instruments. A synth pad, synth bass and synth mallet. All sounds that Leland Wayne uses. I then Bounced the Melody so it was an Audio file and placed the file in logic. I decided to use the Flex Tool, which we learnt how to use earlier on int he year in our logic sequencing class. I used the flex tool time setting and tie stretched the sample so that it was 8 bars long. The sample sounded completely different but i liked it so i decided to keep it. Im going to EQ it and try and add a metro-Boomin inspired beat to it as well.
I was also playing in logic and i made a melody using three different instruments. A synth pad, synth bass and synth mallet. All sounds that Leland Wayne uses. I then Bounced the Melody so it was an Audio file and placed the file in logic. I decided to use the Flex Tool, which we learnt how to use earlier on int he year in our logic sequencing class. I used the flex tool time setting and tie stretched the sample so that it was 8 bars long. The sample sounded completely different but i liked it so i decided to keep it. Im going to EQ it and try and add a metro-Boomin inspired beat to it as well.
Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Loud Silence-EP
THE CITY-
this song was a collaboration with artist/Producer 'RCMD' it talks about some of the everyday struggles and challenges that people face though their day to day life. I was trying to achieve a vocal effect similar to Travis Scott discussed in my research.
TOKYO TOKING-
This was an extra song which I made influenced by modern production techniques. I started off with a sample which I managed to manipulate and built the track around that with the Metro-Boomin drum kit I put together. the song has an eerie vibe and its more contemporary than my other songs.
SLUMPED-
This song was a modern production inspired piece containing elements of influence from producers such as metro-booming and Travis Scott. I was trying to achieve the Hiphop/Trap sound but have my own sound in there as well with a Uk influence.
NOT ME-
This Track was a more party focused with the modern production sound and an upbeat catchy melody. I also too influence from the Future Mask Off tune and used a flute to add an effective texture to the overall song
Friday, 19 May 2017
secondary research
Metro-Boomin-
Metro-Boomin Formely known as Layland Wayne is currently one of HipHop/Trap's most influenetial and iconic Producers.
Today I'm going to be conducting some research into MetroBoomin and his production techniques. what separates MetroBoomin from other producers is his ability to not only produce intricate and complex tracks, but to adapt to the artist which he's producing for.
Usually a producer would have a certain sound but metro is flexible enough to implicate his sound in the style of a specific artist. This flexibility and versatility as a producer is what has allowed him to quickly and effectively take over the Atlanta trap scene and made his name synonymous in modern hip hop production today.
Wayne started producing music at age 13(he's 21 now) on FruityLoopsStudio. He initially started out as an artist but then fell in love with the production side of music. His first serious project consisted of working with "Bricksquad Monopoly" rapper Tay Don. This then led him to collaborate with "Bricksquad" label artists such as "OJ Da Juiceman", "Gucci Mane", and eventually his frequent collaborator "Future" who Wayne still works with closely till this day.
Wayne has become so successful that revealing his techniques could potentially jeopardise his career, this could happen becaue everybody would then be able to reproduce his sound and he would no longer be significant. As a result i will start conducting research in order to discest and try and produce a similar sound with my sound incrporated as a result. I am going to conduct an interview. I will be asking some experts for their opinions on some of metro's most significant tracks and see if they can break down any of his production techniques. The Experts are music Teachers who are also producers and engineer's from my college. The people who I will be interviewing are
I found the agents emails of the various modern producers of which im researching and have sent them an email howver i have not heard back from them so i have decided to conduct this interview instead.
Metro-Boomin Formely known as Layland Wayne is currently one of HipHop/Trap's most influenetial and iconic Producers.
Today I'm going to be conducting some research into MetroBoomin and his production techniques. what separates MetroBoomin from other producers is his ability to not only produce intricate and complex tracks, but to adapt to the artist which he's producing for.
Usually a producer would have a certain sound but metro is flexible enough to implicate his sound in the style of a specific artist. This flexibility and versatility as a producer is what has allowed him to quickly and effectively take over the Atlanta trap scene and made his name synonymous in modern hip hop production today.
Wayne started producing music at age 13(he's 21 now) on FruityLoopsStudio. He initially started out as an artist but then fell in love with the production side of music. His first serious project consisted of working with "Bricksquad Monopoly" rapper Tay Don. This then led him to collaborate with "Bricksquad" label artists such as "OJ Da Juiceman", "Gucci Mane", and eventually his frequent collaborator "Future" who Wayne still works with closely till this day.
Wayne has become so successful that revealing his techniques could potentially jeopardise his career, this could happen becaue everybody would then be able to reproduce his sound and he would no longer be significant. As a result i will start conducting research in order to discest and try and produce a similar sound with my sound incrporated as a result. I am going to conduct an interview. I will be asking some experts for their opinions on some of metro's most significant tracks and see if they can break down any of his production techniques. The Experts are music Teachers who are also producers and engineer's from my college. The people who I will be interviewing are
I found the agents emails of the various modern producers of which im researching and have sent them an email howver i have not heard back from them so i have decided to conduct this interview instead.
Bibliography
http://www.dummymag.com/features/a-dummy-guide-to-the-definitive-metroboomin-productions:
publication Date:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Boomin:
Publication Date:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avFq9errZCk:
Publicaton Date:
http://uk.complex.com/music/2016/10/best-metro-boomin-beats/:
Publication Date:
http://uk.complex.com/music/2016/12/best-songs-of-2016:
Complex's Best Songs of 2016. 2017. Complex's Best Songs of 2016. [ONLINE] Available at: . [Accessed 27 may 2017].
http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.37925/title.noah-40-shebib-details-creating-signature-sound-with-drake:
HipHopDX. 2017. Noah "40" Shebib Details Creating Signature Sound With Drake | HipHopDX. [ONLINE] Available at: . [Accessed 22 may 2017].
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/rap-hip-hop-engineering-production/1100990-autotune-vs-melodyne.html:Autotune Vs. Melodyne - Gearslutz Pro Audio Community. 2017. Autotune Vs. Melodyne - Gearslutz Pro Audio Community. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 18 may 2017].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nY50v2_m1o:YouTube. 2017. Tuning Vocals in Melodyne - PB16 (Producing Vocals Part 1) - YouTube . [Accessed 19 may 2017]
http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/creating-using-custom-delay-effects:
Creating & Using Custom Delay Effects |. 2017. Creating & Using Custom Delay Effects |. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/creating-using-custom-delay-effects. [Accessed 15 may 2017].
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/03/flutes-hip-hop/521013/:
. 2017. Drake, Future, and Migos: What’s Behind Hip-Hop’s Flutes Fad? - The Atlantic. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/03/flutes-hip-hop/521013/. [Accessed 30 may 2017].
| Author | Dummy Staff |
| Article title: | A Dummy guide to MetroBoomin productions |
| Website title: | Dummymag.com |
| URL: | http://www.dummymag.com/features/a-dummy-guide-to-the-definitive-metroboomin-productions |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Boomin:
| Article title: | Metro Boomin |
| Website title: | En.wikipedia.org |
| URL: | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Boomin |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avFq9errZCk:
Publicaton Date:
http://uk.complex.com/music/2016/10/best-metro-boomin-beats/:
| Author | Paul Thompson |
| Article title: | The 25 Best Metro Boomin Beats |
| Website title: | Complex UK |
| URL: | http://uk.complex.com/music/2016/10/best-metro-boomin-beats/ |
http://uk.complex.com/music/2016/12/best-songs-of-2016:
Complex's Best Songs of 2016. 2017. Complex's Best Songs of 2016. [ONLINE] Available at: . [Accessed 27 may 2017].
http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.37925/title.noah-40-shebib-details-creating-signature-sound-with-drake:
HipHopDX. 2017. Noah "40" Shebib Details Creating Signature Sound With Drake | HipHopDX. [ONLINE] Available at: . [Accessed 22 may 2017].
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/rap-hip-hop-engineering-production/1100990-autotune-vs-melodyne.html:Autotune Vs. Melodyne - Gearslutz Pro Audio Community. 2017. Autotune Vs. Melodyne - Gearslutz Pro Audio Community. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 18 may 2017].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nY50v2_m1o:YouTube. 2017. Tuning Vocals in Melodyne - PB16 (Producing Vocals Part 1) - YouTube . [Accessed 19 may 2017]
http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/creating-using-custom-delay-effects:
Creating & Using Custom Delay Effects |. 2017. Creating & Using Custom Delay Effects |. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/creating-using-custom-delay-effects. [Accessed 15 may 2017].
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/03/flutes-hip-hop/521013/:
. 2017. Drake, Future, and Migos: What’s Behind Hip-Hop’s Flutes Fad? - The Atlantic. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/03/flutes-hip-hop/521013/. [Accessed 30 may 2017].
Proposal
introduction-
For my final major project I will be producing a collaborative 5 track EP taking influence from modern production techniques and implementing these techniques throughout.
Context-
I am a new artist/producer/songwriter However most of my work has been producer focused so this project will allow me to develop as an artist and as a songwriter because it will demand me to use these skills.
Outline Research-
in this project I am going to be investigating modern production techniques and song writing techniques and how they can be achieved. To do this I will study and research into modern producers "Metro-Boomin","Noah'40' Shebib" and Travis Scott I will be presenting my research in the form of a short EP along with weekly updates and case studies. I will also be collaborating on the project featuring a couple other artists on the EP. I will Also be studying songwriters such as Kendrick Lamar and J.cole and study their use of concept and how they effectively tell a story in their music.
Methodology-
I will need to improve my production skills to create a more modern sound in my EP. one way I will do this is by finding Metro-Boomin's drum kits and using them in my music instead of the logic stock sounds. I will Also Improve my production techniques by looking at specific production techniques from people trying to make music in the style of Metro-Boomin
Case Study-
For my final major project I will be producing a collaborative 5 track EP taking influence from modern production techniques and implementing these techniques throughout.
Context-
I am a new artist/producer/songwriter However most of my work has been producer focused so this project will allow me to develop as an artist and as a songwriter because it will demand me to use these skills.
Outline Research-
in this project I am going to be investigating modern production techniques and song writing techniques and how they can be achieved. To do this I will study and research into modern producers "Metro-Boomin","Noah'40' Shebib" and Travis Scott I will be presenting my research in the form of a short EP along with weekly updates and case studies. I will also be collaborating on the project featuring a couple other artists on the EP. I will Also be studying songwriters such as Kendrick Lamar and J.cole and study their use of concept and how they effectively tell a story in their music.
Methodology-
I will need to improve my production skills to create a more modern sound in my EP. one way I will do this is by finding Metro-Boomin's drum kits and using them in my music instead of the logic stock sounds. I will Also Improve my production techniques by looking at specific production techniques from people trying to make music in the style of Metro-Boomin
Case Study-
These songs are some examples of the type of sound that i am going for in my music. I chose these examples becaus they are at the top i the genre that i am focusing on recreating, therefore they are the highest examples of modern production.
Wednesday, 17 May 2017
Case Study-Travis Scott Producion(vocals)
The way that Travis Scott uses his vocals in a piece is unlike any other artist. After doing some extensive research into how Travis Scott manages to piece together his audio. I believe he starts off with Auto-Tune. Travis uses two different types of Auto-Tune. First he uses Antares Auto-Tune to create the almost robotic sounding effect made known by artist T-Pain. Also like T-Pain used Auto-Tune, Travis sets it so that the response is immediate. Travis Scott also uses a second type of auto-tune called Melodyne. Scott uses this in a different way, he uses Melodyne as more of a correction tool for the finer details for smoother transitions in his vocals and to make sure he can hit the high notes as well. Although Melodyne also offers the more robotic sounding auto-tune, its vast depth of cleaning and tidying up vocals is what differs it to Antares Auto-tune.
I found this research helpful because I was able to learn a detailed account of how travis Scott uses auto-tune, which applies to my project because I would like to portray this style in at least one of the songs from my EP. Although I do not have this software I will use this knowledge from the research carried out to use the logic stock auto-tune to the full extent and I know have the knowledge so that in the future when I purchase this software I will be comfortable using it.
I have also found two videos on youtube. One that shows you how to use Antares to get the T-Pain auto-tune effect and I have also found a YouTube video that briefly shows you how to finely tune you're vocals using the Melodyne software. Travis Scott doesn't just use auto-tune on his voice. From listening to a few of his songs I can hear that he uses a range of different Audio FX, For example Distortion. You can find examples of distortion in a lot of travis Scotts songs for example 'The Prayer'. In this song, there are three clear different examples of distortion used. The first is from 0:25-0:30 and you can hear part of the sample in the background with distortion added to it. The next type of Distortion used is more subtle, on Travis's main vocals which start at 0:28. The distortion is used differently here as opposed to the way it was used on the sample. A small part of distortion is used producing the effect to the listener of cleaner sounding vocals because there is less diction to hear any extra frequencies in the voice. To produce this effect you need to set the drive(intensity of distortion) so its at a moderate level and set the mix(the balance between the unaffected and effected Audio/Midi) low so that you can quite clearly hear the vocals but the distortion is almost not heard. Finally at 2:08 there is a mix of auto-tune and distortion, I found this very helpful because it helped open up my eyes to blending Audio FX to create different and more complex sounds which will definitely help me with my EP. I like the distortion sound because I feel that it offers a wide variety of use for example you could use it on you're voice to help express emotion, or you could add it to a sample that sounded too repetitive to give it more complexity. The fact that this plug-in is so versatile is just another reason why I'm implicating it into my music, and its also simple to use.
I also found a straight forward video instruction how to use one of the distortion plug-ins in logic named Clip Distortion.
I found this research helpful because I was able to learn a detailed account of how travis Scott uses auto-tune, which applies to my project because I would like to portray this style in at least one of the songs from my EP. Although I do not have this software I will use this knowledge from the research carried out to use the logic stock auto-tune to the full extent and I know have the knowledge so that in the future when I purchase this software I will be comfortable using it.
I have also found two videos on youtube. One that shows you how to use Antares to get the T-Pain auto-tune effect and I have also found a YouTube video that briefly shows you how to finely tune you're vocals using the Melodyne software. Travis Scott doesn't just use auto-tune on his voice. From listening to a few of his songs I can hear that he uses a range of different Audio FX, For example Distortion. You can find examples of distortion in a lot of travis Scotts songs for example 'The Prayer'. In this song, there are three clear different examples of distortion used. The first is from 0:25-0:30 and you can hear part of the sample in the background with distortion added to it. The next type of Distortion used is more subtle, on Travis's main vocals which start at 0:28. The distortion is used differently here as opposed to the way it was used on the sample. A small part of distortion is used producing the effect to the listener of cleaner sounding vocals because there is less diction to hear any extra frequencies in the voice. To produce this effect you need to set the drive(intensity of distortion) so its at a moderate level and set the mix(the balance between the unaffected and effected Audio/Midi) low so that you can quite clearly hear the vocals but the distortion is almost not heard. Finally at 2:08 there is a mix of auto-tune and distortion, I found this very helpful because it helped open up my eyes to blending Audio FX to create different and more complex sounds which will definitely help me with my EP. I like the distortion sound because I feel that it offers a wide variety of use for example you could use it on you're voice to help express emotion, or you could add it to a sample that sounded too repetitive to give it more complexity. The fact that this plug-in is so versatile is just another reason why I'm implicating it into my music, and its also simple to use.
I also found a straight forward video instruction how to use one of the distortion plug-ins in logic named Clip Distortion.
Case Study-Flute
After studying recent Trap/HipHop tracks, i've noticed that the flute has become one of the most important and influential instruments of 2017. The signiture sound also became so popular that their was a challenge based off the signiture flute riff that loops in the hook of future's mask off. Several modern producers have implemented the flute in their songs, for example: Metro Boomin, Southside, CuBeatz and MurdaBeatz. In songs such as 'Mask Off', 'Tunnel Vision', 'Portland' and 'Get Right Witcha' the flutes presence is clear and has a very effective sound that compliments the songs.
The Genre's of jazz is also very closely linked with HipHop which is one of the reasons why the transition of the flute instrument was so clean and effective. Ive used the flute in all three of my tracks to try and add some more depth and complexity to my tracks . However the flute that I have used is midi rather than a sample. I decided to use midi because I found it easier to work with and midi flutes are still used in popular modern HipHop/Trap songs.
Here are some examples of the flute being used effectively in some popular HipHop/Trap music and in some of my tracks. The flute in "Future's" Mask Off is a sample taken from Tommy Butler's 'Prison Song'
The Genre's of jazz is also very closely linked with HipHop which is one of the reasons why the transition of the flute instrument was so clean and effective. Ive used the flute in all three of my tracks to try and add some more depth and complexity to my tracks . However the flute that I have used is midi rather than a sample. I decided to use midi because I found it easier to work with and midi flutes are still used in popular modern HipHop/Trap songs.
Here are some examples of the flute being used effectively in some popular HipHop/Trap music and in some of my tracks. The flute in "Future's" Mask Off is a sample taken from Tommy Butler's 'Prison Song'
Friday, 12 May 2017
Case study-Noah'40' Shebib
I tried to find the best source of research to describe how Drake's Producer creates the infamous underwater sound that has had lots of influence in the Hip/Hop and R&B industry. Examples of this sound can be found in quite a few different songs by Drake. A great example is in the song 'Days In The East', you can hear a trademark "40" sound that I can describe only as some sort of EQ'd siren(EQ is a music production feature that allows you to freely increase and decrease different frequencies within the music). If you listen from 2:30 onwards you can hear the full transition and influence of 40 implicated into the song. The best source that I could find was a youtube video of '40' describing how he does it himself.
Within one of my song I am going to try and recreate this sound for a small portion. I feel that using this technique will grab the listeners attention because they will be able to focus a lot more on my voice.
This production technique will also change the mood and atmosphere of my song because the lack of frequencies will change the overall sound of the piece and add more clarity and dexterity to my vocals, because they will be the only high frequencies being let through.
Within one of my song I am going to try and recreate this sound for a small portion. I feel that using this technique will grab the listeners attention because they will be able to focus a lot more on my voice.
This production technique will also change the mood and atmosphere of my song because the lack of frequencies will change the overall sound of the piece and add more clarity and dexterity to my vocals, because they will be the only high frequencies being let through.
Monday, 8 May 2017
FMP Diary Week 3
This week I am going to conduct the interview on modern production techniques and begin to conduct some primary and secondary research into songwriting techniques from modern Artists in the genre of HipHop/R&B. I havent fully decided on the artists of which i will be studying but i know i will be Studying Kendrick Lamar and Cousin stizz.
I have also produced a Metro-Boomin influened track in Logic consisting of piano, a flute like synth and an electronic drum kit including a clap, snare, kick, high hat and pitched high-hat and an electronic bass called an 808 which is sampled from the Roland-808 hip hop synth
I have also produced a Metro-Boomin influened track in Logic consisting of piano, a flute like synth and an electronic drum kit including a clap, snare, kick, high hat and pitched high-hat and an electronic bass called an 808 which is sampled from the Roland-808 hip hop synth
Friday, 5 May 2017
Wednesday, 3 May 2017
Literature Review
http://www.dummymag.com/features/a-dummy-guide-to-the-definitive-metroboomin-productions
This article is about how metro boomin is so innotive by demonstrating his ability to adapt to several different artists. It also shows the extent of his collaborations. which without, he wouldn't be where he is now. It Also talks about the relationship between Metro-Boomin and Future and you can see Metro's development from his older production projects compared to his newest.
http://uk.complex.com/music/2016/10/best-metro-boomin-beats/:
This article gives a little background into Metro-Boomin's life and it shows off his versatility in terms of working with different artists. There is also a list of his top 25 best voted track which show this trait of the producer.
http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.37925/title.noah-40-shebib-details-creating-signature-sound-with-drake:
This article tells the reader about the producer Noah '40' Shebib, more specifically how he creates his underwater sound by degrading the sample rate. There is also a video of him explaining it himself and talk about some future projects which he's working on.
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/rap-hip-hop-engineering-production/1100990-autotune-vs-melodyne.html:
This website contains and allowed me to find the information about the auto-tune travis scott uses. It is different to other sources because loads of different people can put their input into the blog and obtain lots of different information together. you can also create and account and give information o which ever topic you would like to.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Boomin:
This article goes into extensive detail into the life of the producer commonly known as Metro-Booming. it is useful because it shows his progression and how he got to where he is know and also the moves he made to get where he is. this website also gives information on all the EP's, Mixtape's, Albums and Singles that he was involved in.
This article is about how metro boomin is so innotive by demonstrating his ability to adapt to several different artists. It also shows the extent of his collaborations. which without, he wouldn't be where he is now. It Also talks about the relationship between Metro-Boomin and Future and you can see Metro's development from his older production projects compared to his newest.
http://uk.complex.com/music/2016/10/best-metro-boomin-beats/:
This article gives a little background into Metro-Boomin's life and it shows off his versatility in terms of working with different artists. There is also a list of his top 25 best voted track which show this trait of the producer.
http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.37925/title.noah-40-shebib-details-creating-signature-sound-with-drake:
This article tells the reader about the producer Noah '40' Shebib, more specifically how he creates his underwater sound by degrading the sample rate. There is also a video of him explaining it himself and talk about some future projects which he's working on.
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/rap-hip-hop-engineering-production/1100990-autotune-vs-melodyne.html:
This website contains and allowed me to find the information about the auto-tune travis scott uses. It is different to other sources because loads of different people can put their input into the blog and obtain lots of different information together. you can also create and account and give information o which ever topic you would like to.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Boomin:
This article goes into extensive detail into the life of the producer commonly known as Metro-Booming. it is useful because it shows his progression and how he got to where he is know and also the moves he made to get where he is. this website also gives information on all the EP's, Mixtape's, Albums and Singles that he was involved in.
Friday, 28 April 2017
Primary Research(Interview Draft)
I have decided to Conduct several interviews to attain some expert opinions on some of the producers and artists that I am researching. The interviews will all be recorded and uploaded as a separate blog post.
Metro boomin-
I will be asking the experts the following questions:
What kind of production techniques can you hear within the music?
How many sounds distinct to this producer can you hear implicated through his music?
How might you be able to construct any of these sounds?
Which song was you're favourite and why?
Noah'40'Shebib-
I will be asking the experts the following questions:
What kind of production techniques can you hear within the music?
How many sounds distinct to this producer can you hear implicated through his music?
How might you be able to construct any of these sounds?
Which song was you're favourite and why?
Travis Scott-
I will be asking the experts the following questions:
What kind of production techniques can you hear within the music?
How many sounds distinct to this producer can you hear implicated through his music?
How might you be able to construct any of these sounds?
Which song was you're favourite and why?
Metro boomin-
I will be asking the experts the following questions:
What kind of production techniques can you hear within the music?
How many sounds distinct to this producer can you hear implicated through his music?
How might you be able to construct any of these sounds?
Which song was you're favourite and why?
Noah'40'Shebib-
I will be asking the experts the following questions:
What kind of production techniques can you hear within the music?
How many sounds distinct to this producer can you hear implicated through his music?
How might you be able to construct any of these sounds?
Which song was you're favourite and why?
Travis Scott-
I will be asking the experts the following questions:
What kind of production techniques can you hear within the music?
How many sounds distinct to this producer can you hear implicated through his music?
How might you be able to construct any of these sounds?
Which song was you're favourite and why?
Monday, 24 April 2017
Tuesday, 18 April 2017
Composition commentary
Songwriting 1
This was very difficult to mix because i had lots of different samples. i was influenced by Haitus Kayote and Flying Lotus. The first sample I Used was from the Haitus Kayote song Breathing underwater. i wanted to create a very atmospheric vibe so i used lots of EQ,Reverb and filters to get the desired sound i was looking for. I took influence from flying lotus and implemented it in my music by trying to replicate the way how he blends from one section of a song to another subtley yet effectively. I found this also tricky because there were a lot of different frequencies happening in this one song. I had a filter on some of the drums which added to the overall atmospheric vibe and i also used EQ to do low pass sweeps. Sade recorded vocals which had some swing allowing the listener to fall into a nice groove like in the 'Breathing Underwater'
Songwriting 2
This song was an interlude and just like the Hoizer song i use lots of repetition and layered different phrasing with my ad-libs on top. this makes the overall piece more effective and grabs the listeners attention because the music becomes more complex and catchy. I also tried to recreate the use of lyrics becoming used more as sounds rather than meaning like Haitus Kayote did. I made a complex high hat sequence because i had two different types of high hat. the first is a regular high hat which follows a complex rhythm. The second are different pitched high hats which also follow a complex rhythm. Artists which we studied such as Kendrick Lamar also implicate these complex high hat sequences in their music also.
This was very difficult to mix because i had lots of different samples. i was influenced by Haitus Kayote and Flying Lotus. The first sample I Used was from the Haitus Kayote song Breathing underwater. i wanted to create a very atmospheric vibe so i used lots of EQ,Reverb and filters to get the desired sound i was looking for. I took influence from flying lotus and implemented it in my music by trying to replicate the way how he blends from one section of a song to another subtley yet effectively. I found this also tricky because there were a lot of different frequencies happening in this one song. I had a filter on some of the drums which added to the overall atmospheric vibe and i also used EQ to do low pass sweeps. Sade recorded vocals which had some swing allowing the listener to fall into a nice groove like in the 'Breathing Underwater'
Songwriting 2
This song was an interlude and just like the Hoizer song i use lots of repetition and layered different phrasing with my ad-libs on top. this makes the overall piece more effective and grabs the listeners attention because the music becomes more complex and catchy. I also tried to recreate the use of lyrics becoming used more as sounds rather than meaning like Haitus Kayote did. I made a complex high hat sequence because i had two different types of high hat. the first is a regular high hat which follows a complex rhythm. The second are different pitched high hats which also follow a complex rhythm. Artists which we studied such as Kendrick Lamar also implicate these complex high hat sequences in their music also.
Analysis Of Artist Work
Haitus Kayote-
we studied two songs from Hiatus Kayote, 'Breathing underwater' and 'nakamarra'. in the breathing underwater song the significance is the phrasing. The lyric phrasing follows the drum pattern and the strumming of the guitar, this allows the listener to focus more on the words and creates a strong groove throughout the piece. the phrasing is also very rhythmic so it blends in with the music and her lyrics almost seem like an instrument.
'nakamarra' is similar to breathing underwater because in the hook the phrasing also follows the drum pattern, however its slightly different because the drum kit is driving the song by slightly being in ahead. The song also has a nice groove because of the time signature which makes it more unique to the listener.
Hozier-
we looked at the song 'From Eden' this song was interesting because it didn't have an orthodox 4/4 time signature it used a 5/5. this created a nice groove for the listener to explore. i feel like the song was also more successful because the time signature was different for a pop song. Usually most pop songs sound similar because they use the same format and structure however because this one was different it was a lot more refreshing to hear and i think that was also on of the causes of the tracks sucess
we studied two songs from Hiatus Kayote, 'Breathing underwater' and 'nakamarra'. in the breathing underwater song the significance is the phrasing. The lyric phrasing follows the drum pattern and the strumming of the guitar, this allows the listener to focus more on the words and creates a strong groove throughout the piece. the phrasing is also very rhythmic so it blends in with the music and her lyrics almost seem like an instrument.
'nakamarra' is similar to breathing underwater because in the hook the phrasing also follows the drum pattern, however its slightly different because the drum kit is driving the song by slightly being in ahead. The song also has a nice groove because of the time signature which makes it more unique to the listener.
Hozier-
we looked at the song 'From Eden' this song was interesting because it didn't have an orthodox 4/4 time signature it used a 5/5. this created a nice groove for the listener to explore. i feel like the song was also more successful because the time signature was different for a pop song. Usually most pop songs sound similar because they use the same format and structure however because this one was different it was a lot more refreshing to hear and i think that was also on of the causes of the tracks sucess
Funky Junk Evaluation
I feel like i have improved in many ways since term 1. From my confidenece playing instruments to my concepts within my music. I was able to learn from my mistakes by repetition like trial and error which has helped me because i have been able to start to develop my sound. Im happy with the work i have created in this contemporary project because i feel like it has pushed me to become more creative and explore my music so it isn't basic and boring.
A technical skill that i have developed over the course of term 2 is learning how to properly and effectively use compression, which we learn about in our sound engineering class, I also managed to incorporate what I learnt and implicate that in my music. Im proud of my timing i feel like it has significantly improved since last term, this is due to the extra rehearsals in the band workshop class and also instrument lessons. my timing has not only helped me develop for playing instruments but in my production as well. For example if i played something out of time and i quantised it also, but there are still some notes that are out of time, I would be able to manually place the notes back in the right place more effectively than beforehand. My compositional skills have also improved I've noticed it in my production because i am now able to create more complex melody's and baselines and harmony in my music.
one of the problems I experienced in Term1 was finding the right sounds to use, for example the type of kick to use in a certain song. something I did differently this term was researching into modern production techniques from various producers that I like I just try to incorporate some of the things I like into my music. I didn't complete all my work on time, learning from this experience in my final major project i will make a plan so i can use all of my time effectively. in the Funky Junk project i spent a lot of time on one of my compositional pieces. this is because i found the track extremely difficult to mix however now that its finished i am happy with the piece.
Im not really sure if i improved my research methods or not, this is because i felt like my research ability was already quite competent, so I'm not entirely sure wether it increased or not. i had to research various different things such as how different modern production techniques influenced myself as an artist, also how to build exposure through social media and even how to plan a Tour.
I think the social media research that i conducted will prove the most useful because it will help me become established and currently social media is heavily used by my target audience so it will be the most effective form of exposure.
I don't really feel like the group project was presented successful because it didn't get a lot of exposure. i feel like this was due to the lack of organisation from the whole class including myself. in the future if we were to do this again we would need to create a plan with specific deadlines for specific things to be done. i will be presenting my music for term 3 through soundcloud/youtube and i will give it the exposure through social media
playlist research part 2
I have researched into lots of different production techniques and I've been influenced by artists such as "Noah '40' shabib" and travis scott and kanye west. '40' has influenced me because he is completely unique in his production skills and he sees music as more of a science than an art. His sound became so notorious because he worked with artists like drake and helped drake establish his sound. '40' created underwater sound by perfecting how to use EQ and blending different frequencies together. his sound influenced me because i want to be able to create very atmospheric and sometimes mellow vibes in my music which can be achieved through EQ. '40' also uses his sound to create contrast within a song. An example of his sound is in the drake song "Days In The East"
Kanye West has heavily influenced me with his production techniques and more specifically the way he uses the human voice. Kanye uses the Human voice as an instrument. For example in the song 'Jesus Walks' from his College Dropout album, there is a choir however they are blended into the music filling the baseline the percussion and the melody. This is then layered over more samples and Kanye managed to turn a john legend sample into a flute like sound which becomes apparent to the listener towards the end of the video. I try to also incorporate some of these vocal complexities within my own music for example percussive adlibs.
Travis Scott and his production techniques have influenced me because when I listen to his music I feel like its the perfect example of listening to a song and being transported to another world. His sound is quite eerie yet exciting and energetic and i try to incorporate some of thee elements into my music as well. But what Travis Scott does that really separates him from everyone else is the way he records his vocals.
Kanye West has heavily influenced me with his production techniques and more specifically the way he uses the human voice. Kanye uses the Human voice as an instrument. For example in the song 'Jesus Walks' from his College Dropout album, there is a choir however they are blended into the music filling the baseline the percussion and the melody. This is then layered over more samples and Kanye managed to turn a john legend sample into a flute like sound which becomes apparent to the listener towards the end of the video. I try to also incorporate some of these vocal complexities within my own music for example percussive adlibs.
Travis Scott and his production techniques have influenced me because when I listen to his music I feel like its the perfect example of listening to a song and being transported to another world. His sound is quite eerie yet exciting and energetic and i try to incorporate some of thee elements into my music as well. But what Travis Scott does that really separates him from everyone else is the way he records his vocals.
Wednesday, 5 April 2017
Playlist Research Part 1
for the class playlist, as a class we decided to split our research into different area's. The research i conducted was how we can engage the widest audience for our music on social media. More specifically on Twitter. Twitter is a great place for our class playlist because it comes with a lot of exposure. you can talk directly to other users through tweets which gives you complete freedom within 140 characters. this is also great because you as an artist are able to connect with you're followers because you can be yourself and show you're personality. twitter also allows you to share and reply to other people's posts and tweets. this is great because you can give you're opinion on certain topics which will help you engage with you're audience or you could be showing you're audience something important or something that they could relate to. All of these things are very important when it comes down to exposure because if you become more consistently active doing these things then you gain more and more followers and you're content is more likely to be shared around which will build yore fanbase and allow you to receive exposure.
I also did some more research and found a great article on how to get started when you're trying to promote you're music on Twitter
Music Promotion For Twitter
I found this article very helpful because it gave me a wide variety of different ways in which I can improve my effectiveness of promotion on twitter. most of the points relate to the fact that you have to be consistent and keep you're account active, which is the main thing i'm going to focus on. when I promote my music on twitter I will focus on tips 1, 5 and 12. I have also learnt that social media currently heavily influences my target audience so using social media is the most effective way for me to promote
I also did some more research and found a great article on how to get started when you're trying to promote you're music on Twitter
Music Promotion For Twitter
I found this article very helpful because it gave me a wide variety of different ways in which I can improve my effectiveness of promotion on twitter. most of the points relate to the fact that you have to be consistent and keep you're account active, which is the main thing i'm going to focus on. when I promote my music on twitter I will focus on tips 1, 5 and 12. I have also learnt that social media currently heavily influences my target audience so using social media is the most effective way for me to promote
Thursday, 30 March 2017
Listening Analysis
The error which i found in this song is very subtle but once you realise it, you wont be able to listen to the song without hearing it. At the beginning of each chorus there is a slight clicking/popping noise. This is a production error and for some reason the song was still released with it. in order to correct this Error you wold have to go back into the D.A.W which was used to produce the track. For example logic, and you would have to put a small audio fade just to clean up the song whilst transitioning from one section to the next. something like this is really subtle yet really effective
M.I.A-Paper Planes
phillips blog Bad Version-
pitching issues
phrasing was rushed
voice was not loud enough compared to the rest of the song
too many sounds that are clashing(more in the higher frequency)
barely hear the kick drum needs some compression
singer wasn't singing?(properly)
not really sure what happened at 0:20 seconds
some parts the backing vocals overpower the lead and the whole song sounds messy
M.I.A-Paper Planes
phillips blog Bad Version-
pitching issues
phrasing was rushed
voice was not loud enough compared to the rest of the song
too many sounds that are clashing(more in the higher frequency)
barely hear the kick drum needs some compression
singer wasn't singing?(properly)
not really sure what happened at 0:20 seconds
some parts the backing vocals overpower the lead and the whole song sounds messy
Tuesday, 28 March 2017
class playlist
Sade-
the click in the intro was a little bit sharp to my ears, perhaps a subtle filter or EQ just to take the edge off. i like the chords used in this song and the use pitching up vocals to give an eerie yet warm harmonic vibe. Really strong use of wordplay for example "They're living in disguise, are you really dead if you die".
Niamh(ft Morgan Lundy)
i liked the contrast of the vocals to the song. the harsh distortion was used just enough for an effective clash against the more dynamic and underground feel that the beat has. Also liked the use of another artist so it was a duet. she also used a bridge effectively so her song didn't become too repetetive
amina-
like the interesting sounds of the baseline. along with the effects use on her vocals( reverb, Delay) the build up before the drop was nice. could use some more lyrics, the piano breakdown added a nice energetic section to the music which was refreshing to the listener
jacob-
very atmospheric nice sample used. the baseline was nice, because it was very heavy but not overwhelming i think the baseline w paned a bit to the right swell. the synth pad/lead came in nicely as well to create another element. maybe take less reverb off of the drums. overall it sounded like a nice chill step song
tenika-
sounds almost like sound design for a children's game. lots of major chords used has a nice positive atmospheric vibe. the guitar created another element of the piece. I liked the chord progression used. perhaps more development on the structure like some kind of bridge to prevent it from being too repetitive
the click in the intro was a little bit sharp to my ears, perhaps a subtle filter or EQ just to take the edge off. i like the chords used in this song and the use pitching up vocals to give an eerie yet warm harmonic vibe. Really strong use of wordplay for example "They're living in disguise, are you really dead if you die".
Niamh(ft Morgan Lundy)
i liked the contrast of the vocals to the song. the harsh distortion was used just enough for an effective clash against the more dynamic and underground feel that the beat has. Also liked the use of another artist so it was a duet. she also used a bridge effectively so her song didn't become too repetetive
amina-
like the interesting sounds of the baseline. along with the effects use on her vocals( reverb, Delay) the build up before the drop was nice. could use some more lyrics, the piano breakdown added a nice energetic section to the music which was refreshing to the listener
jacob-
very atmospheric nice sample used. the baseline was nice, because it was very heavy but not overwhelming i think the baseline w paned a bit to the right swell. the synth pad/lead came in nicely as well to create another element. maybe take less reverb off of the drums. overall it sounded like a nice chill step song
tenika-
sounds almost like sound design for a children's game. lots of major chords used has a nice positive atmospheric vibe. the guitar created another element of the piece. I liked the chord progression used. perhaps more development on the structure like some kind of bridge to prevent it from being too repetitive
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Employability-Royalty Case study
case study:
The band members are:
Stella Stinkwave – vocals
Skunk Anansi – lead guitar
Acrid Axe – rhythm guitar
Boris the Bad – bass
Johnny ‘pit stop’ Thomas – drums
All songs except tracks 3 and 6 were written by Stella Stinkwave. Track 3 was written by the whole band and track 6 is a cover song.
Discuss and decide who would receive royalties, from which collection society and why.
Stink have a record deal where the label owns the copyright of the songs for 10 years.
Who would get MCPS?
Stella wrote the lyrics for all songs except track 2 and 6.
The band contributed to the writing of tracks 1-5 equally except track 4, which the chords and structure were written by Skunk Anansi. The others added their own parts.
How would you work out the splits for PRS?
1stella
2stella
3stink
4stella
5stella
6original band
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