Dj Set review 2

Second DJ set review

During my second Dj set, a lot of my songs stopped playing, were clipping and chopped the audio. This made me panic a bit during my performance so getting onto the next song took a bit longer than i had hoped but after watching my set i feel my recovery wasn't as long as I thought. I liked the way i used some of the effects however next time i will want you use a wider range within reason. Furthermore next time i will ensure the songs i play will work beforehand to prevent and mistakes in the set. In addition i will take on the advise and practice switching between songs to keep the energy and make the transitions smooth.
In my DJ set I used effects such as the flanger, the reverb polar and beat slicer, throughout my set I mainly used the flanger, however i did use the reverb on certain songs. In addition I also used the high, low and mid filters, i think this worked well however i think should use less of this during my sets.

Playlist Plan

My Individual Plan

How will we present our music?

We will present our music by each of us presenting a minimum of 3 tracks to be placed in a playlist for our audience to listen to. We are going to use Youtube and Soundcloud to post our music online but rely more on Soundcloud. We're going to share our music on other social media websites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we can post short snippets of our music and post a link where people who are interested can access the playlist with ease. Further more we are going to have individual art work for each of our tracks but have a similar background, so that it's obvious each person created their own, but it is still part of the same playlist, however I think it would be more efficient to chose a logo we all agree on and just have our names on the artwork on our individual tracks.

How will we reach a bigger audience than the Decades Project?

We will reach a larger audience than the decades project by using hashtags and other sorts of tags available on social media, this will widen our audience by both making it easier to find music relevant to them and knowing what type of music they will hear. Further more we will reach a bigger audience by choosing a specific time and day to upload our music onto social media, this will help because we chose this specific time as this is the time most people who use social media will be online so this will maximise our views. Moreover we will also share our music onto other social media with links to the Soundcloud post or Youtube post to increase our audience. In addition we will also use different art work on our playlist, on the Decades project it was the college's logo "WKC" this time we have agreed on a logo and have our own names on our individual tracks. 

What Research has led us to this decision?  

The research that led us to this decision was research we individually found by posting on social media and seeing what time got the most views. In addition we also knew what time to upload by looking into youtube accounts and sound cloud accounts that upload at specific times to increase views. Further more it was a mutual agreement to upload at the specific time.

Provide Examples of Contemporary Musicians that have influenced our plans for the project.

Artists such as "Bonkaz", "Chris Brown", "Bryson Tiller" and many more contemporary artists use different social medias to promote their music, they choose a specific time that they know the majority of their followers and main audience will be online, so it gets more publicity. Furthermore almost all contemporary artists today use artwork when uploading their work or even on cd's and records.

Provide Details from Class meetings.

http://wkcmiles.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/playlist-plan-class-meetings.html

What is my role in the project?

In the playlist project we all had similar roles of adding input and ideas of how to make this project more successful than the Decades project. Furthermore i added the ideas of hashtags and different uses of tags to make it easier to find our music. Furthermore we agreed we will all share the playlist on our different social media websites for more views.

What technical equipment will we require?

As we are posting on social media we won't need too much technical equipment, we just need a computer to upload our playlist and our own devices so we can share the playlist to our individual accounts. 

Class Playlist - Running order

Class Playlist - Running Order 

I think the order of the playlist should be : Felipe, Lorenzo, Keanu,  Kit, Taylor, Nick, Miles, Josh, Ryan,  Jack, Jesse. I think this should be the order of the playlist because the first two tracks are the genre of what i think the majority of audience want to hear, then since Keanu, Kits and Jacks songs aren't main stream music fit them into the mix, in hope the audience not here for a different genre of music will listen to the different genres to get to the songs they will enjoy. However i don't think the current playlist is bad as the tracks are fairly jumbled.

Playlist Plan-class meetings

Week 1 Class Meeting

In this lesson we discussed the success of the decades playlist, for example how many views or likes we got. We discussed what went well in the playlist and what went bad, like whether we shared it as a collective. Further more we also discussed how we will improve on our contemporary playlist, for example I added that we should use tags so we reach our target audience. We also discussed how we will get more publicity on our playlist like leaflets or different social media we can use.

Week 2 Class Meeting

In this lesson we discussed what artwork we could include in our playlist and whether we ant individual art work or the same though out the whole playlist. Further more we discussed how we will share the playlist on social media, eg whether we'll have a specific social media team or not and whether we'll have a specific time and date we'll upload.

Week 3 Class Meeting

In this lesson we discussed what time we would upload our playlist, the final discussion for artwork and what would go on our playlist cover. In addition we discussed what platforms we would upload our playlist and that an email would be sent out to performing arts students letting them know once the playlist is up.

Success of the Decades Playlist

Reviewing the Success of the Decades Playlist

I don't think the way we presented the decades playlist was a success. There were very few views on the playlist, and i don't think we put our playlist on enough social media websites for people to see. I think for the Contemporary project, if we spread our music further throughout the internet, use more hashtags or links for people to be able to find our music easier and everyone should repost it onto their timeline. In addition if everyone was to let they're friends know they were dropping a playlist i think that could attract a lot of more views on the playlist.

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.

Dj-Performance Scratch Task

I chose Mix Master Mike as the DJ I will be researching as he seemed to enjoy the sound of scratching from young and he interests me.

Background Information

Mix Master Mikes real name is Michael Schwartz. He first got an urge to scratch whilst listening to his uncles’ extensive record collection in San Francisco where he grew up. A few years later he came across Grandmixer D.ST. alongside Herbie Hancock this probably played the most influential part to making Mike want to become a DJ and ultimately become a DJ who uses scratching in his performances. Michael was born on the 4^th of April 1970. He won the 1992 New Music Seminar/Supermen Inc. DJ Battle for World Supremacy in New York City, becoming the first West Coast DJ to win the award. In the same year he won the DMC World DJ Championships using his steady rock turntable style.

Favoured Music Style

Michael mostly played Hip-Hop, Rap and Rock followed by Turntablism. Turntablism refers to DJs who perform by utilizing the records, stylus and mixer to create music. Turntablism describes how he scratches the record to create his unique style.

Favoured Music Equipment

·      The software Michael preferred to use was Protools HD 10, Mashcine on a 15” loaded MacBook Pro

·      The audio interface Michael preferred was Alesis iO Dock and Propeller Head Balance

·      The controller Michael preferred was Akai MPK mini keyboard which is a multi purpose device used to control reason

That was all that was stated on his website and other reliable sources.

How Michael Uses Equipment To Make An Exciting Performance

Mix Master Mike uses the Tweak Scratch, which involves moving the record back and forth while the platter motor is stopped performs the scratch. The inactivity of the platter causes the sounds to slow and drop in pitch in an unusual manner. He is also recognised for the unorthodox technique of using a wah-wah pedal, a skill most guitarists are common with and use, with his turntables.

Although Michael tends to focus on the above genres I have embedded a video of dubstep fused with hip-hop being mixed by Mike.