My Skills - Progress Review

My Skills

Music Theory
At the start of the year since I had almost no abilities in music theory I was a bit confused as to what to do. I could just about read music and understood time signatures but I was yet to learn more skills. To date I know how to play a lot more scales, I know how to play majors and minors and I know a lot more about sharps and flats. In addition I also know how more about the alto clef. Although I was struggling at the beginning of the first term, I find now I'm doing a lot better and it's no longer a struggle to keep up. A lot of the chords I've learnt to play in music theory lessons I am able to add to my producing work in logic.

Composing

At the beginning of the first term I knew little about composing, I didn't know much about chords or a lot of the reverb we learnt in those lessons however, I was eager to learn. Now in composing I use a lot more chords, synthesizers and I usually leave the drumbeat until the first two are done. In addition I also use bass hits and bass guitar together which I didn't do before hand. In composing lessons using synthesizers we're very new to me whereas now I use them a lot more frequently.     

Logic

I knew most of the basics in logic when we first started, like quantizing, a few effects, a few short-cuts, and how to edit audio, however now I know a lot more about midi effects like transposing, how to thoroughly edit audio, more short-cuts and different ways to produce using logic. I apply this to my work by using the midi effects a lot more I find that it can be helpful if you have less knowledge about chords and other theory stuff.

Djing  

At the start of the year I had very little experience in Djing, I had a rough idea on what to do and I knew how to work the equipment but the skills to DJ I was yet to discover. To date I can use the Djing equipment a lot better and I have picked up skills from the Dj's we have researched over the time we've been here. I will apply this to my Djing work by adding more of the skills the Dj's we've researched use and learning when it's best to use them. 

Studio Techniques

At the beginning of the first term i had a rough idea about studio techniques as that was something i studied in school. I had learnt how to ensure a recording studio was safe, how to set up the equipment properly and how to ensure the sound was getting through the audio interface. I have learnt how to wrap cables up correctly, ensure sound is coming through multiple inputs/outputs and how to mix a project correctly. When i add audio from instruments and vocals the skills i learn in this lesson will come in handy.

Recording Vocals

At the start of the year I knew how to record vocals and which were the best type of microphones for the different scenarios of vocals to be recorded which for solo vocals is a dynamic microphone and for multiple vocals a condensing microphone. I knew how to set up the microphone stand and the microphone. I knew how make it possible so the artist could hear the music they were doing the vocals to through headphones and connect it to logic properly. I have learnt in depth the different types of microphones and how to wrap wires when finished with recording vocals, when i add vocals to my work this will be an important aspect.

Hardware (Equipment)

At the beginning of the first term my knowledge of equipment could have been better. I knew of the different types of equipment but not the names of individual ones in their category. Since joining i learnt about a lot more different types of microphones such as the "SM57" the "Titan" and the "Audix D6" in addition i have learnt about how the microphones work eg the diaphragm vibrating. In addition we learnt a lot more about the mixer we use in college and the piece of equipment used so the vocalist/ instrument player can hear the music.

Instruments

At the start of the year i couldn't play any instruments apart from guitar which i hadn't practiced in a fairly long time. Since joining i've become a lot better at playing keyboard, i'm not at a stage where i'm confident but i am a lot better than I was before. I will apply this to my work by adding chords and melodies to my pieces of music.

Attendance&Punctuality

My attendance from the start of the year has been fairly good and i plan to keep it that way, with my recent move it should be easier to make sure i stay on time to lesson.

 Organisation

In the first term my organisation wasn't as good as it should have been. If i had been better organised i wouldn't have missed the first deadline for the Decades Project. I have improved this by ensuring I complete my work is able to be published a week before the deadline is set and make any minor changes from then onwards.

Motivation

My motivation at the start of the year could have been better because then i would have booked rooms more in the first term, although now i'm booking rooms frequently and going to more of the access time we've been giving on Fridays and i will continue to do this.

Working Independently

At the start of the year working independently was not a problem and i plan to keep it that way, i'll just concentrate on my work and ensure i do well to make sure i keep this up.

Teamwork/Collaboration 

At the beginning of the year we didn't do much to show our teamwork however with the current project we're doing i think i will be able to portray my teamwork and see where i am at. However so far i would say my teamwork is going well so far as we are organising together quite well.

Music Business

At the beginning of the year i knew quite a bit about music industry, for example the different roles in the industry and what these individual roles do. In addition i feel i have learnt quite a bit more about the music industry, since I started in September.

Contemporary Project Evaluation

Decades Project - Evaluation 2

Overall Progress

After the first half term I was a bit disappointed  with myself as I missed the deadline date for the first piece of music we were supposed to hand in, therefore I was determined to do better on the next one, I booked rooms almost every week to work on my project and ensured the project was ready to be uploaded the week before the deadline. Although I think I could have put more detail on the 4 tracks that I finished before the Christmas term overall I am content with my work. 

Technical Skills

I have developed quite a few skills in logic since we started the course, such as editing audio regions in logic and detecting the tempo of them, different ways to fade midi in logic and how to use synthesizers in the editing options of logic. Furthermore I have improved my time management and how i go about my deadlines. In addition my skills with the piano are expanding, I now know the major and minor scales, I understand key signatures a lot better and can write music fluently. 

Time Management/Working Methods
During the first half term I completed all of my work apart from the first composing task which I missed the deadline, this time I ensured that my work was posted a week before the deadline then continued to update it until I was happy with it. I completed all my work on time however I felt if I had worked a bit harder i could have put more detail on the work.

Research

This half term I spent more time than I did in the first half term listening to the artists music however I felt I should have listened to more of their work, I listened to at least one album from each of the artists. In the future I will listen to more of the artists work, and try to add more changes to my work from the artist.

Group Project

I feel that the group project could have been more successful if more people had shared it and if we shared it on more music sites. I think if we had been more specific about what was in our music on the tags we may have reached our target audience, my idea of reaching our target audience is by releasing it through more social networking sites.

Performers Essay

                        Performers Essay

Calvin Harris

Calvin Harris mainly plays and creates pop and disco types of music, he interacts with the crowd through using his microphone, waving gestures to them and even dancing. He plays live as well as creating music for the charts.  When he is performing live a lot of the time there is confetti falling from the sky and even light shows, and as a response has the audience jumping with excitement.

Harris uses; a MOTU 896 Digital Audio interface, an API 1608 console, a Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor, a pioneer CDJ-1000MK3, a pioneer CDJ-2000 and a Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus Mixer for producing music and for his DJ sets.

A lot of the time Calvin Harris just lets hit music play without mixing it that much as he produced the songs however he is known to use the faders on high pitch low pitch and middle pitch.
Ed Sheeran
Being an artist Ed just by performing he is interacting with the audience, through singing, clapping his hands etc, although he does perform quite a bit a lot of his songs are released online in places like Itunes, soundcloud, music stores where it is available as copies as Cd's or possibly records. 

Ed mainly plays pop music but has featured in others artists songs who specialise in different genres. He performs fairly basic, using simply a microphone and an acoustic guitar, yet he still  captivates the audience.

In my DJ sets i plan to be a lot more interactive in my performance, for example i would like to clap my hands to the beat and get the audience to join in, possibly have a microphone so i can speak to the audience and dance with the audience.

Sequencing Demo

Sequencing Demo

• One of my ideas is to carry on working with the audio tracks from last term in the remixing classes to make a new and improved version.
• Another one of my ideas is to create a new RnB track from scratch
• Furthermore I plan to create a hip hop track from scratch
• Lastly if i have enough time i plan to create two more tracks either from taking one of last terms tracks and improving that or creating it from scratch. 

Music&Film term 2 key words

Keywords

Digetic Sounds - Sound where the sounds exists from in the film, it doesn't have to be recorded at that time.

Non Digetic Sound - Sound that doesn't exist in the film

Wild track - recording of background ambience in a particular scene.

Composite tracks - Digetic, Non Digetic, Wild track and Foley sounds bounced into one track.

Foley Sounds - Enhancing the sound in a film

Decades Project Reviewing 5 Tracks

Decades Project Reviewing 5 Tracks

Anton’s – Baduizm

I like how the songs first few seconds start very mellow with only one or two instruments then, other instruments are added at the same time and they all fall into place. The bass shadowing the synth is also very interesting. Then at the end almost how the song started the song ends with just a few chords.

Sonny’s Sunzism

At the beginning of the song it’s interesting how he incorporated a DJ scratch and after the scratch a few more instruments are added which begins to make you nod your head with the beat, it almost has a 90’s kind of hip hop feel with the back ground synth throughout the song.

Joshua’s Funk Track

Throughout the song the bass guitar keeps the rhythm of the song and all the other instruments are built around that which is what makes it a “funk track”.

Keanu’s Hounds and Chill

At the beginning of the song and throughout we’re introduced to the dogs barking and you could almost say that’s being used as a metronome. Once the bass comes in you start to understand the song better, its also interesting how he changed the vocals to sound like they’re saying something different.

Felipe’s Yesterday

At the start you’re tricked Into thinking its not much different from the original but then the synth and bass hits comes in and its completely different yet it still works.

Dj Set Review and Plan

Dj Set Review and Plan

Review

In my Dj set, if I didn’t over do some of the techniques I was using I think I would have done a a lot better, in addition if I didn’t play a lot of the songs out as long as I did I think I would have had more songs to manoeuvre with. Furthermore when I tried to switch to my second track I was using the wrong faders, so nothing was coming through. Moreover if I had chosen my songs prior to that set I think I would be more familiar with my songs and ultimately, had a better set.

Plan

To practice my DJ set I will research more techniques I can use whilst Dj’ing, ensure I have my songs and que points set before my set. I will incorporate different techniques into my set as throughout my set I repeated a lot of the techniques.