Friday, 8 December 2017
Stereo
What is the definition of stereo
Sound that is taken through two or more speakers to make it cause the effect of surrounding the listener making it a more immersive.
Why do we use stereo
Makes music sound bigger, gives space to all the instruments.
Sound that is taken through two or more speakers to make it cause the effect of surrounding the listener making it a more immersive.
Why do we use stereo
Makes music sound bigger, gives space to all the instruments.
Decades Task - Workshop diary
Week 1
Week 2
This week i was off sick and I have asked my colleagues what they done during On Monday I had composing with Olly and we continued work on our James Brown samples as well as included 3 instruments that are reminiscent and included in Stevie Wonders music.
Lessons I wasn't in:
DJing - This week in DJing consisted of continuing practice on beat matching.
Studio - This week in the studio room consisted of learning about the pan meter which allows different mics to go to different speakers.
Logic - Audio and Midi files
Week 3
In composing this week we started using mics to record audio and then sample that into the EXS23 sampler to play the sample as a instrument. This is a useful tool as it allows you add more variation to your music.
In the studio this week, we learnt about the 3 different types of mics there are when it comes down to recording. Unidirectional mics only pick up sounds from a certain direction(generally where the mic is pointed). Cardioid mics are most sensitive from the front and also can pick up sound from all around the mic. And finally you have bi-directional mics which have a figure of 8 pattern, this allows the mic to pick up sound from opposite sides of the mic.
In DJing this week we recorded ourselves DJing a set of our own music. I realised during this set that I need to work my beat matching.
Week 4
This week I sampled two songs, and using the flex tool and by time stretching the two tracks I mixed them and changed the tempos to make it so they matched. This is a useful tool as it allows you to change the sound of the sample so it isn't recognisable making it original.
During my DJ class this week I continued working on my set and practicing beat matching as well as scratching.
Composing - In our composing class today, I learnt new chords and began looking into funk. Also I learnt how to sample music and use the samples in my own tracks. I sampled a drum break and put a bass line over it.
DJ - In my DJ class I learnt how to beat match which is a technique used in DJing that allows you to match the tempos of two different songs(this makes the two songs blend and sound good together) this keeps the energy of the audience flowing and builds up the music.
Studio - In my studio lesson this week, we went over what a bus is in terms of audio. They take one or multiple audio signals and route them to a destination.
Week 2
This week i was off sick and I have asked my colleagues what they done during On Monday I had composing with Olly and we continued work on our James Brown samples as well as included 3 instruments that are reminiscent and included in Stevie Wonders music.
Lessons I wasn't in:
DJing - This week in DJing consisted of continuing practice on beat matching.
Studio - This week in the studio room consisted of learning about the pan meter which allows different mics to go to different speakers.
Logic - Audio and Midi files
Week 3
In composing this week we started using mics to record audio and then sample that into the EXS23 sampler to play the sample as a instrument. This is a useful tool as it allows you add more variation to your music.
In the studio this week, we learnt about the 3 different types of mics there are when it comes down to recording. Unidirectional mics only pick up sounds from a certain direction(generally where the mic is pointed). Cardioid mics are most sensitive from the front and also can pick up sound from all around the mic. And finally you have bi-directional mics which have a figure of 8 pattern, this allows the mic to pick up sound from opposite sides of the mic.
In DJing this week we recorded ourselves DJing a set of our own music. I realised during this set that I need to work my beat matching.
Week 4
This week I sampled two songs, and using the flex tool and by time stretching the two tracks I mixed them and changed the tempos to make it so they matched. This is a useful tool as it allows you to change the sound of the sample so it isn't recognisable making it original.
During my DJ class this week I continued working on my set and practicing beat matching as well as scratching.
Decades - Compositions
https://soundcloud.com/user-619940874/attack
In this composition which was meant to derive production techniques from Massive Attacks Album Mezzanine and Kate Bush's album Hounds of Love.
I choose to have a piano riff playing pretty consistently throughout the song to make it become rememberable(the hook). Then I had drums coming in and out of the music, sometimes only having high hats playing and other it being the kick drum and snare. I liked the idea of swapping around the structure of the song allowing certain instruments to be used at different points. This meant you could start with something simple(like my piano riff) and then add to it never changing the notes used in a song or the chords, just gradually adding a wall of sound to your music similar to Teardrop by Massive Attack. I included a bassline which was very simple but made it sound better in my opinion. It followed the rhythm of the piano riff but only to the first 3 notes. It holds that third note until the piano riff starts again.
Echo at beginning = Teardrop intro slowed down.
https://soundcloud.com/user-619940874/mess
In this composition which was meant to derive production techniques from Stevie Wonders album Talking Book and James Browns album I got you(I feel good).
This out of the two tracks I made was my least favourite. I used a lot of different drum patterns, some sounded good together and others didn't. And my file didn't upload with the correct James Brown sample which is an issue I've been trying to fix. I included a bassline and attempted to make it as funky as I could.
In this composition which was meant to derive production techniques from Massive Attacks Album Mezzanine and Kate Bush's album Hounds of Love.
I choose to have a piano riff playing pretty consistently throughout the song to make it become rememberable(the hook). Then I had drums coming in and out of the music, sometimes only having high hats playing and other it being the kick drum and snare. I liked the idea of swapping around the structure of the song allowing certain instruments to be used at different points. This meant you could start with something simple(like my piano riff) and then add to it never changing the notes used in a song or the chords, just gradually adding a wall of sound to your music similar to Teardrop by Massive Attack. I included a bassline which was very simple but made it sound better in my opinion. It followed the rhythm of the piano riff but only to the first 3 notes. It holds that third note until the piano riff starts again.
Echo at beginning = Teardrop intro slowed down.
https://soundcloud.com/user-619940874/mess
In this composition which was meant to derive production techniques from Stevie Wonders album Talking Book and James Browns album I got you(I feel good).
This out of the two tracks I made was my least favourite. I used a lot of different drum patterns, some sounded good together and others didn't. And my file didn't upload with the correct James Brown sample which is an issue I've been trying to fix. I included a bassline and attempted to make it as funky as I could.
Thursday, 7 December 2017
Decades Task - Performers essay
Performers essay
DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow uses both Pinoneer CDJs and turntables (Technics SL-1210MK5G). The reason he still uses turntables may be due to the fact that he much like many other DJs started on turntables. He also uses a few different types of beat machines.http://equipboard.com/pros/dj-shadow. I feel like the fact that he uses turntables live adds a level of interaction with the audience as it makes the performance unique and old school.
DJ shadows style of music is primarily hip hop influenced DJing beats and hip hop instrumentals sometimes with vocals over them live. He presents this to the audience through allowing to be closer to the stage than the normal performance as seen in his boiler room performance and a few others. As I've already said the fact the audience can see the turntables adds a level of interaction you might not get with a more modern performance. He also talks to the audience and even explains what equipment he's using at the beginning which is good as it allows those who go to the performance for the sound and the technical side of the music to know that the person they are watching also has that same interest in music and is as enthusiastic about it.
The techniques used by DJ shadow include scratching, and sampling. His debut album Entroducing is known for being almost entirely composed of samples. He uses these techniques to interact with the audience as a lot of the audience are into hip hop as they wouldn't be there otherwise, which means they are probably aware of scratching as that was a fundamental part of building hip hop into what it is now. And samples can add familiarness to a song as many samples are taking from old and new songs which means more people are likely to recognise the songs which means the audience will feel comfortable with the music.
Oasis
Oasis use live instruments and amplifiers to present there music to the audience. The band is very generic in its set up given the fact that it consists of two guitarists, as frontman, a bass player and a drummer. But for the bigger concerts they do (like the video linked above) they'll have a string section and other musicians. Similar to DJ Shadow the fact that they are using instruments instead of a backing track adds a level of interaction with the audience and it feels more classic.
Oasis are a rock band and play arena filling songs that get crowds singing along. They talk to the audience in-between songs and by talk I mean either them swearing at them in their manc accents or them hyping the audience up for the next song. They get them to cheer for Manchester City as the Gallagher brothers are City fans. As I already mentioned they get the audience singing along to the performance and this may not be a thing they do intentionally but the style of music they make generally gets the audience to sing along anyway. These songs consist of
The fact that there music isn't technically complicated is a technique that allows the audience to get into the music easily. All Oasis songs generally consist of similar if not the same chords in each song meaning the music is similar and the audience know generally what the next song is going to sound like as Oasis have a very loud and when you hear an Oasis song you generally know it is by Oasis by the sound. With a combination of loud guitar solos and Liam's powerful vocals echoing through the arena, it is no wonder why the audience get into the songs.
The fact that there music isn't technically complicated is a technique that allows the audience to get into the music easily. All Oasis songs generally consist of similar if not the same chords in each song meaning the music is similar and the audience know generally what the next song is going to sound like as Oasis have a very loud and when you hear an Oasis song you generally know it is by Oasis by the sound. With a combination of loud guitar solos and Liam's powerful vocals echoing through the arena, it is no wonder why the audience get into the songs.
Tuesday, 5 December 2017
Employability - Case Study on Post Malone
Bio : Born as Austin Richard Post, rapper/singer/songwriter/record producer Post Malone is one of the brightest new talents in hip-hop industry. Malone was born on July 4, 1995 in Syracuse, New York and moved to Grapevine, Texas at the age of 10. He started playing guitar at the age of 14 because of popular video game "Guitar Hero". He later auditioned for band Crowd the Empire in 2010 but was rejected after his guitar string broke during the audition.
Malone began learning how to produce music through FL Studio. He started recording his own mixtape on Audacity when he was 16 years old and earned positive feedback from his classmates. "I was like, 'This s**t is so hard', and everybody at school was like, 'Yeah bro, this s**t is hard,' " Malone recalled. After leaving college, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he met 1st and Raye Rich from FKi Music.
Malone started to write his debut song "White Iverson" with the help from Rex Kudo. The song's name was inspired by professional basketball player Allen Iverson, after the rapper got braids in his hair. Upon its completion, the song was uploaded to Malone's SoundCloud account in February 2015. On July 19, 2015, he released the song's accompanying music video, which has received over 240 million views since its release. The song has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
After the song hit one million views within a month of its release, Malone garnered attention from record labels. In August 2015, he signed a deal with Republic Major, which simultaneously led to "White Iverson" re-release on August 14. The song debuted at No. 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at No. 14. After the hype of "White Iverson", Malone released several other popular songs through SoundCloud, including "Holyfield" and "What's Up".
Since his breakthrough hit song, Malone has worked with some prominent rappers including Kanye West, Young Thug and 50 Cent. He was featured on West's "Fade", which also includes contribution from Ty Dolla $ign. Malone also began his friendship with Justin Bieber, which led the rapper to become an opening act for Bieber's "Purpose World Tour".
On April 21, 2016, Malone released new single "Go Flex", which was produced by Charlie Handsome and Rex Kudo. The song's accompanying music video, which was premiered on April 28, 2016, features a cameo appearance by Lia Marie Johnson.
Line up;
Post Malone is supported by multiple session musicians. They play guitar, bass , keyboard and drums. (Random session musicians)
- Tuesday 05 December 2017
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Pier 36, New York, NY, US
Monday, 4 December 2017
Decades Project - Context Essay - Music in the 1970s
The 1970s
The political and musical situation in the 1970s mirrored each other with bands like The Sex Pistols emerging in the later years of the decade who represented rebellion against the monarchy and government and proved that normal people who came from poor backgrounds could become something that makes an impact on music and society, and other genres like disco which allowed people who felt segregated from society like homosexuals and black people to feel apart of something and connecting with other people.
Another important genre in the 70s to touch upon would be funk which combined soul, jazz and rhythm and blues. James Brown is considered an icon in soul music and was one of people leading funk to its popularity. Funk consists of drums with a lot of swing and syncopated bass lines and a couple chords sometimes even one that plays throughout the whole song
Feminism was on the rise in the 70s meaning more women were taking up jobs and people like Margaret Thatcher were coming into power. Even though feminism was a positive thing people like Margaret Thatcher being in power led to discomfort for a lot of the north of England. Being the first female Prime Minister was a good moment in English history representing change in society and attitudes towards stereotypes. But despite this idea, Margaret Thatcher wasn't as determined to change society for the better. Her idea was to take benefits for the poor and essentially cut them back. She believed that spending money on the public was the reason England was struggling at the time economically. To put it simply she made the rich richer and the poor poorer by cutting things like pensions, health services and education. A country without a good education system is a country that is set up to fail.
Margaret Thatcher didn't just have an impact on society but she also had an impact on music which in turn affected society again. Musicians generally wanting to play there music to large audiences weren't the sort of people to discriminate against the poor, many of them probably coming from working class households anyway. So this disregard for the poor, expecting them to be able to help themselves instead of relying on money from the government, caused a creative spark of many of the artists during the late 70s and 80s. Bands from working class backgrounds were beginning to become popular as listeners could understand what they were saying in there music and felt similarly to them. Bands like The Sex Pistols and Joy Division were proof that normal people who had been put down by societies capitalist outlook could pick up a guitar and become rockstars essentially and become social figures who's opinions carry a lot of weight.
Some of the technological developments of the 70s include floppy disks, portable cassette players, VCR, Pong(the first video game) and the digital wristwatch.
Margaret Thatcher didn't just have an impact on society but she also had an impact on music which in turn affected society again. Musicians generally wanting to play there music to large audiences weren't the sort of people to discriminate against the poor, many of them probably coming from working class households anyway. So this disregard for the poor, expecting them to be able to help themselves instead of relying on money from the government, caused a creative spark of many of the artists during the late 70s and 80s. Bands from working class backgrounds were beginning to become popular as listeners could understand what they were saying in there music and felt similarly to them. Bands like The Sex Pistols and Joy Division were proof that normal people who had been put down by societies capitalist outlook could pick up a guitar and become rockstars essentially and become social figures who's opinions carry a lot of weight.
Some of the technological developments of the 70s include floppy disks, portable cassette players, VCR, Pong(the first video game) and the digital wristwatch.
Decades Task - Professional Gig review
Professional Gig Review
The first act consisted of live instruments and vocals. I believe they done a mixture of covers and original songs, all were performed well and the singer was very good. My only complaint about the performance was the fact that the singer always seemed to be faced away from the audience diminishing any connection she had to the listeners. Its hard for the audience to connect with the performers if they cant see them properly. But vocally and instrumentally the performance was great.
The main presence on stage during this act was the singer as she had a good voice and just needed to work on her stage awareness a bit
The main presence on stage during this act was the singer as she had a good voice and just needed to work on her stage awareness a bit
The second act consisted of a group of 6 (all singing and a couple playing instruments). The main thing I liked about this performance was the fact that it was very simple when it came down to the instruments. No backing track, just a guitar, drums and keyboard. Sometimes only a guitar. The fact that there were more singers in the group than there were musicians during each song meant it contrasted the simplicity of the instrumental. Adding harmonies and having different people singing different lyrics added a unique element to the performance. All of them faced the audience and sang confidently. The main presence on stage during this act was the vocals done between all the members.
The third act was in my opinion the standout performance. This is largely due to the standout performer who was the drummer in this Act. Turning the beats you hear in hip hop into actual drum patterns. Using the high hats mainly, added a unique sound to the music. All songs were covers and had the vocals of the songs playing with live instruments. This in my opinion is a good idea as it allows the band to play music to anything. Singers and rappers cant sing and rap to every song. But you can play along with an instrument to almost every genre of music. Another point to add would be the fact that it allows the audience to be somewhat comfortable in knowing whats coming next. If the band is playing well known hip hop songs to an audience of teenagers the majority of the listeners will enjoy what they are hearing. By this performance the audience was into the show but this is definitely the act that caused the most excitement.
To conclude I enjoyed all the performances and felt like all of them were done professionally and got the audience involved with the music.
The third act was in my opinion the standout performance. This is largely due to the standout performer who was the drummer in this Act. Turning the beats you hear in hip hop into actual drum patterns. Using the high hats mainly, added a unique sound to the music. All songs were covers and had the vocals of the songs playing with live instruments. This in my opinion is a good idea as it allows the band to play music to anything. Singers and rappers cant sing and rap to every song. But you can play along with an instrument to almost every genre of music. Another point to add would be the fact that it allows the audience to be somewhat comfortable in knowing whats coming next. If the band is playing well known hip hop songs to an audience of teenagers the majority of the listeners will enjoy what they are hearing. By this performance the audience was into the show but this is definitely the act that caused the most excitement.
To conclude I enjoyed all the performances and felt like all of them were done professionally and got the audience involved with the music.
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