FMP - Research

Research

Go to the Bibliography for references.

In this video you can see one of the members of MGMT experimenting with guitar pedals and trying out different sounds. At first he seems to be using a flanger pedal from the sound of it. Which is quite a dominating sound and is cool but a bit much sometimes. The next shot is of him playing a guitar with a much more simple sound that makes the track more mellow. From this I can infer that you should experiment with effects as much as you like but pick the one that is best suited to the track.

This is a guitar pedal, more specifically it is a chorus pedals. This means when you push it down it will split the signal of a note detuning one and tuning another through modulation. This effect gives your tracks a certain richness too it. For me personally I think a smaller, less intense chorus sound can be much nicer than an overpowering.  

This guitar pedal is called a flanger. Similar to the chorus pedal the signal gets split and one gets delayed by milliseconds constantly changing speed. These effects' main thing in common with one another is the fact that they both get created through modulation.

How to get a good kick sound: https://www.doctormix.com/blog/how-to-make-my-kick-drum-sound-better

I've been researching how I can get good drum sounds in my track. I found this article that has 7 different steps. It goes into a fair amount of detail about how frequency can add a great deal to your kick as well as compression. It's good to remind yourself of these things. It also tells me to add saturation to my kick as this will add harmonics which will possibly make the kick more apparent if its being overshadowed by say a loud bass line.

This recording is of Ben Goldwesser and Andrew VanwynGarden talking about the creation of their hit song Time to Pretend. They explain how the song didn't really change much from going to a demo recording to a studio recording. They said that they used the standard synths you'd find in reason and essentially created the song off of that. You can hear that the majority of the music is just purely mono and poly synths, I find this interesting as, to me you get the impression that there is a lot going on on this track when in reality its actually quite simple. They also explained that they put the tempo up to the same as Abba's "Dancing Queen". MGMT were keen to take the mic out of themselves becoming "pop artists" so maybe this was the reason. They might've intended for it to be dancey and poppy.

Funky Junk - Evaluation

Development of My Skills

One set of the skills I have definitely improved in is when I use logic. Samples and using effects are examples of this improvement.  I started off at this college without any knowledge of the programme. But I'm now at a basic level where I understand how to get about the software and am a lot more comfortable using it.

I struggle most with DJing out of everything, this for me is largely due to my lack of interest in the actual practical side of being a DJ. I enjoy seeing hip hop DJs perform but just don't want to actually
partake in the act. I like researching and finding out new information behind the culture. It's just I've never really wanted to be a DJ.

I'm satisfied with the work I've produced throughout the whole contemporary project as I know what I was producing at the beginning has evolved massively in the short amount of time I've been at this college. Considering I came to the college without any solid knowledge of producing, I think I've progressed well. And I know that if this is how things are going to continue I'll have made even more progress by this time next year.

Technical Skills

This term I have been making a music video for one of the tracks I produced. This was definitely something new and meant I had to learn how to use a new programme (PremierPro). I now have a basic understanding of how to use this, whether it be being able to cut up footage, add visual effects to it or manipulate the colour to make the video a higher quality.

I am probably most proud of my ability to play guitar as this has proven useful for making music. I've always worked better with a live instrument. I'd much rather be playing music with actual instruments with other people rather than producing something on a midi keyboard. I prefer the atmosphere of playing music with other people and just enjoy it more. It's more comfortable for me than making music on Logic. I have more knowledge of the type of music I'll be playing on a guitar and can contribute more than other people when it comes down to a live environment. Every so often I do get the lazy with playing the guitar so I'd like to start booking the recording studios more so I can get other people in to make music and improve our skills.

Time Management/Working Methods
During term 1 I was struggling with getting used to Logic. As I mentioned earlier I have improved since then. Another thing I struggled with was using the correct terminology during studio time with Grant. This is still something I need to improve upon but I have a much stronger idea of what certain things mean and how they work.

Another thing I struggled with was managing my time. I left somethings too late before I started it and spent too much time on other pieces of work. One thing that helped with thus was using the production rooms which allowed me to get more work done after college and work on my music differently as to how I'd be able to do it at home.

Research

I needed to research mixing for the lessons I have with Grant and Farz throughout the week. I have definitely started to try to incorporate what I have learnt in these lessons into my work. Its important for your music to be mixed well and to make sure all the levels of each of the tracks fit and sound like they're apart of the same song.

I also done a lot of researching in my context classes learning about the different type of technology being used in music and how its evolving since its debut. Whether this be the use of pedals, sampling, or motion based music, I conducted a lot of research into these areas of music.

FMP - Proposal

Proposal

FMP started 19/03/2018
Introduction: In my FMP I would like to create an Ep with songs that are a mix of acoustic and digital instruments .  I would like to make 4 different songs, that sound like they're a similar style and flow together nicely. I'd like to have a live sound for the first 2 songs preferably focusing around an acoustic guitar. They might have lyrics on them and they might not. I haven't decided this yet. The next songs I want to include an electric guitar in them and the rest of the music is digitally created with samples and logic.


Context : As a guitarist, having a guitar in my music allows me to show off my main talents and interests. It means I can give the song my own flavour and style. Most of the music I've made by myself has been on guitar whether it be chord sequences or riffs I've came up with.  But I would also like to start getting to know how to use the digital instruments in logic so my primary goal is to work with Dean on getting a nice digital sound.

Outline Research: My research is going to fall into 3 primary categories(I will probably go outside of these limits but this is the general idea of it) 1) I will watch a lot of interviews of my influences and find out what makes them come up with their sound(effects) and how they work in a studio as this is going to be my primary focus in future projects. 2) Song structure is another focus of mine as that adds to a lot of the emotion of the music as a song builds and builds. Its important for the sort of music I'm going to make. 3) I will look heavily into sampling as out of the two genres I enjoy one of them relies very heavily on sampling(old school hip hop). So I intend to see how different artists use sampling to they're benefit and do the same in my music.


Case Studies: The album Oracular Spectacular is going to play a big part in inspiring my music. This is because of the use of effects in all their songs. This video of the group recording "Electric Feel" shows you the different roots of the song and how they all end up coming together.



I will also be doing a case study on sampling. As I've already mentioned old school hip hop is one of my most listened to genres so sampling plays a big part in my music experience. This video shows you an early picture of what sampling was like before laws and regulations got implemented into the world of music.

My final case study will be on Noel Gallagher and how he can convert one of his original songs into an acoustic song and give it a completely different feel. He is also very good at using very basic chords and turning them into anthems and this is also something that I'd like to look into whilst researching him. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get around to turning my songs into acoustic versions of themselves but it is definitely something I'd like to attempt. This video of Noel doing MTV unplugged is a perfect example of how he can take his songs and make it feel completely new again.
Methodology: In order to achieve all of this I need to be able to use the studios consistently and efficiently. Booking the production studios out with Dean is my primary focus as the majority of my music is going to be made on logic. Then booking the recording studios out to put any drums(played by Joseph) and other instruments over the tracks. So a lot of my work is going to evolve around being organised and clear with people. I need to make sure people are free when I need them.

Timeline:
Week 1: Proposal
Week 2: Get 5 bits of research done and get an idea of the sound of my tracks through said research
Week 3: Do 1 case study
Week 4: Start to record guitars and drums for my one of my tracks
Spring break: Make a song with Zeff
Week 5: Do a cover
Week 6: Do another case study
Week 7: Make my last 2 songs in this week
Week 8: Refine all my music for the deadline.
Week 9 Hand in all my work on time and begin to look over all my written work.
Week 10: Similar to week 8 this week should be spent refining everything.

Funky Junky - Song Error Analysis

Lil Peep - Star Shopping

Star Shopping is a simple track with an acoustic guitar playing throughout the majority of the song. I feel like the mixing of the drums should be more focused on making the drums stand out as they need to be carrying the song.The hi-hats should definitely stand out. In this sort of genre (emo rap) it is important for the drums to be present. They're minimal which matches the vibe more, but as a music student I'd like to be able to hear what I'm listening to.  The song could also do with more bass in it as from what i can hear it is just vocals, vocal effects, drums and guitar. Maybe some form of synthesiser.

MGMT - Time to Pretend

This track consists of a lot of different sounds, samples and instruments. This means some of the more important parts of the song can get overshadowed. I feel like the main thing that should be improved is the fact that the bass line is too loud and the drums need to be brought to the forefront of the song more. This will add more punch to the song. But even though I've said this I feel like the song sounds equal in frequency due to the amount of high pitched synths used in it.

Funky Junk - Context Essay - Comparing 2 different types of tech used by Musicians

Essay on technology in music

Loopers - Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran uses loop pedals during most of his live performances. Without this his live sets definitely wouldn’t sound the same nor would the concert progress the same. During his performances you see the progression of making the song a live version (generally he does this with just his guitar and vocals). This adds a level of intimacy with the audience, allowing them to see the basic elements behind his music and seeing how it evolves. It’s like letting them in on how the song progresses and became what it is you here on the albums which often isn’t always documented.

Loop pedals are used in a lot of different types of music and have been around for a couple decades now. In Ed Sheerans case the pedal pedal essentially allows you to record and repeat for example a four bar loop of a guitar riff which you can save if satisfied with the timing of the notes, and then add another layer of music to it using the same instrument. This allows you to get creative with your music letting you loop vocals and instruments, you can essentially become a one man band with only one instrument.

This can be an inconvenience at a concert as if you are the artist performing the music you could mess it up often which throws off the energy of the show. Yet again if you are an audience member of an Ed Sheehan concert you might not want to here a 7 minute long version of what was once a 3 minute long song. 

Imogen Heap uses gloves to make music. She has designed the gloves herself and they use a technology that allows her to move her hands and arms to create sounds and make music. This is unique, making her live performance an experience and interesting. These gloves are capable of making any sound if she was to programme that specific noise to a specific movement.. She sings, plays percussion and keyboards and uses looping similar to Ed Sheeran.

These gloves aren’t common. They’re a developing technology that isn’t being given to the public yet. That adds a level of mystery as to what they can do making a concert of Heaps more appealing. The performances she does with the gloves don't come across as particularly energetic so this is the sort of performance for those who want to go for a relaxed vibe. It is also the sort of performance where someone who is interested in music technology or just technology in general could go to and experience.

Similar to Ed Sheeran it is generally just her on stage. She creates all her live songs herself without any help. Yet again creating a sort of mystery to this technology. But this could be a bad thing for music taking away the whole band aspect of live performances. The same applies to Sheeran. Music for me is all about creating music together and contributing ideas to create a diverse project. When its just one person the ideas become the same and doesn't evolve.

I would like to start using loops more in my music. This is due to the fact that when I'm playing guitar I'm always by myself so its harder to be creative. But this way I can layer stuff and actually create a piece of music instead of just creating riff after riff.

Funky Junk - Playlist plan and Research

Conduct Research into current trends in music promotion


Right now it is a trend in the music industry to upload your videos to soundcloud. This is a good trend as it is accessible to everyone meaning everyone can put there music on the internet for other people to hear. Cloud Rap has become popular due to well known artists who are on the website using social media. This means a lot of interaction with your audience which increases your popularity and lets the audience know your listening to what they're saying and creates a bridge between the artist and the consumer of the music.

Soundcloud is used by younger people meaning the people are generally targeting there music to a younger audience. Rap is one of the genres that has definitely benefitted from Soundcloud. The charts currently includes a lot of Cloud rappers and they're causing controversy in the media regularly which creates more awareness as to these rappers. Lo-Fi has made a comeback in modern music, and makes up a lot of the music you hear on Soundcloud.

Conduct Research into current trends in music production techniques

FL Studios is a commonly used software in trap music. This is probably due to the simplicity of it. Even though it has generally been looked down upon in the past , in recent years it has been used to produce music for some of the biggest trap artists. If the audience finds out about the programme the producer is using, they could easily get inspired by said producer and decide to start using fruity Loops and as it is a DAW that is generally used by beginners this could cause a lot of amateur songs to get produced. This could be responsible for the negative attitude a lot of professionals have towards FL Studios.





      

Funky Junk - Music Video Mid-way analysis

At this point I have mainly been taking the footage I ripped rearranging it into a more energetic and interesting sequence. I ripped this from a fight scene in an anime and i done this because you get a lot of vibrant colours in these shows making it stand out more. This is from one show called Tokyo Ghoul.

The main effect I've been using is the strobe lighting one and this makes the frames of the video flash white or another colour of you're choosing. This for me goes well in the video as I tried to match the flashes with the hi-hats the best I could. 

One thing I plan on adding to this by the time I'm finished with this project is making the colours pop in certain frames where particularly violent scenes are happening. 

Mixing - Keywords

Level - Viewed on the meters in logic. Volume, make sure levels are appropriate.

dBFS -   Decibels Full Scale. Type of measurement, used to measure the levels. The maximum level the channel can handle before distortion.

Clipping - Digital Distortion, it is generally not wanted in the digital world.

Dynamics - How loud or quiet a sound is.

Headroom - The space between the loudest noise and the point of clipping.

Mixing - drums

Label each channel for the specific sound.
Put Multimeter on Master Output to show frequencies and help determine what sound is what.
Overdrive and harmonic distortion will make the track sound fuller and have a better sound in general

Funky Junk - Music Video Analysis

This music video is animated, making it differ from other music videos as well as creates a lot more freedom in the story of the music.

The Video follows the animated versions of the band going what I'm assuming is Manchester. The style is dull and grey but when the song begins to build up during the chorus the video uses a more vibrant colour scheme whilst the animated band members are performing the song.

The video during some parts of the video follow the lyrics and give a visual representation of the song. For example when he sings "four and twenty million doors, Our lifes endless corridor" is literally a endless corridor in the video.

 The video fits the song as the song isn't an upbeat pop song, its a very metaphorical and meaningful song that deserved something better than the Gallagher brothers sitting about pretending to play there music for a video. Them making it animated meant they could create a video that may not have much meaning but as its over such a powerful sounding song it creates an atmosphere that audiences can enjoy.