Context Article - How I have been using technology in my work

How have I been using technology in music

Logic

I use the software Logic in my music, but there are many effects and inputs that originate from different technology. For example I use reverb, compression, equaliser and more. Since i'm not a performer It doesn't seem fit for me to use a looper, however we use pioneers for our Dj sets and I am very interested in drum pads and other sorts of pads and I wouldn't mind using that in my performance.

Dj'ing (Pioneers)

Whilst we are Dj'ing we use pioneers with a Mac, this allows us to load the songs of our choice onto the pioneers so we can mix them together. The Pioneers we use have effects so whilst we are mixing the decks we have the option to add different effects and sounds to our tracks that we added in. I have been influenced by different artists which change the way I perform my sets, I use some of the effects to make it sound like I'm using a drum pad. 

Drum Pads

I'm interested in the Alesis Samplepad Pro Percussion Pad. If there are any pads like this within the music department I would like to get my hands on them. I think there are multiple possibilities with drum pads

Context Article - Contrasting artists

Contrasting Artists

Diego Stocco

Diego Stocco is an artist that likes to make music from literally anything, you can see from the videos below. In the video "Music from a Tree" he smooths the branches of the tree and uses different parts almost like a drum kit. This is inventive as i'm sure there are barely any artists that do this at all, furthermore its music that sounds like music. he uses microphones to different parts of the branches and uses various objects including his hands to make different sounds from the tree.

The video "Music from a dry cleaner" proves my point further, out of all his videos from making music from non traditional methods this is my favourite as he uses almost everything as percussion and produces sounds similar to a bass guitar which I think is amazing. In addition you can tell he is passionate about music as he states "you can really make music from anything".

It's not hard to tell Diego Stocco is experimental, in almost every video on his Youtube channel he surprises you more with his creativity. In the video "Bassoforte" he produces a kind of rock song from one "instrument" he created. For him to have such an idea to create something completely unconventional is extraordinary. He calls this instrument the "Bassoforte" a mix between the bass and pianoforte.

Zoe Keating

Whilst searching for my second artist to research to find I stumbled across Zoe Keating and surprisingly I enjoyed her music. She uses a looper to sound like a "Cello Orchastra" to say shes able to do this by herself shows how well looping can be when use it to its full potential. Within her looping there are overdubs and some artists may not agree with overdubs even if they are live. Furthermore the reverb on her looper plays in her favour. 

Looping Pros and Cons

Contrasting Views on Looping

For Looping

Quite a few people have said that looping makes things a lot easier when you feel as if you need another you, whether it's that the group your with isn't up to standard, you have an idea that only you can express or that working in a band just isn't for you, looping makes things a lot easier once you've learnt how to loop. Many people like to use loops because its a lot cheaper than hiring people to fill in the gaps for you, just because you might not feel like working in a band doesn't mean you can't stimulate the feeling of one. They also show an artists skill to be able to sync to a rhythm and change instrument swiftly. Personally i am for looping as i think if you don't have the funds to hire people to play instruments, you're able to loop well and you're a solo artist, they can help out a lot. However i do think some looping competitions is done to show off rather than for the musical aspect which i don't agree with as i think music should sound good whenever it can.    

Against Looping

The majority of people that dislike looping often call it cheating or dislike that in certain cases some artists will keep one loop throughout the track, which i see no issue with however it can be seen as playing with a backup track which many musicians shun. Furthermore many musicians are against looping as they may be getting replaced by looping rather than hired to play a gig with an artist.