Did:
-Re chose a few instruments
-Added a line for the verses because of mismatch previously.
Here's the latest update!
Need to do:
Add more bass/double bass and make it more interesting.
So I have decided to use the Echo Lead even though it's a very staccato lead...
Problem: I wanted to do electronic music but I think it's far from it (ohno! hahaha)
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Week 6
See Draft 1 for latest updates as documented in the last post. Thanks!
The lead used here was Pharoah's Lead. But still deciding!
Drums
Base, Snare - accents (1 - 2 - 3 - 4)
Hi-hat - time feel and keeper
The lead used here was Pharoah's Lead. But still deciding!
Drums
Base, Snare - accents (1 - 2 - 3 - 4)
Hi-hat - time feel and keeper
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Week 5
Two notable things I did last week:
The first was to complete the pre-chorus and chorus. With this I have the intro | verse 1 | verse 2 | pre-chorus | chorus.
I now have a melody line in the pre-chorus/chorus but the choice of instrument still bugs me... At first I used the Echo Bass, and I rather like the sound, but it is kind of a inappropriate lead? However, I have not been able to find wind instruments (as discussed in class) that seem to fit the sound of the piece. I will report what instrument I've decided on on Thursday together with the upload of the latest song. (Sorry, I did not manage to save the file and will only be back in the lab Thursday!!!)
In the added sections, I have also tried out the call-and-response technique. At first I used the guitar and flute combination like in my reference song. But the flute sounded too full compared to my other instruments :( I switched to a Xylophone variation instead.
Secondly, I cut a few (quite many) things from the earlier parts. E.g. with the introduction of the ultrabeat drums, the introduction pad sounded extremely weird and mismatched. But I like the beats over the sustained pad, so I'm scrapping the pad!
I also cut one instrument in the second verse (the one that originally had clashes back in week 3).
However... because the method I wrote the verses vs the chorus was different, the two parts are extremely mismatched now. I need to do something about that for sure. Recap: the verses were random ideas while the chorus was done after I did the bass.
Working from bottom up was definitely the "right way" for a starter like me. I spent considerably less time creating a melody + rhythm in the right key than struggling to create everything else from the melody line alone. So perhaps it'll be better to just rewrite the verses in this "right way" that worked for me.
***
Finally, I changed the 3 4 time in the chorus back to 4 4 time.
I will be duplicating what I have based on my earlier proposed form. In the interest on time, the outro may be cut or kept very basic, and what I have will be the working file for production.
I also looked at this sound designer talking about music production and the creative aspect of music production (which was what I struggled with most). As he mentions in the video, most 'tutorials' are done after a song has been produced, so they skip discussing the creative process and making decisions, but focus on what to do to create x and y sounds. He also mentions not touching EQ (automation etc.) that should be left to the mixing stage.
These all overlap with what you have discussed in class/your advice to me.
After listening to his song, I concluded it has similarities to my reference song.
- Having a simple distinct /contrasting sound (water droplet / gun load sounds)
- Having breaks between verses/chorus
- A phrase repeated (the scale sound)
I would like (when I get to mixing) to try out 2 or all 3 techniques in my music to keep interest.
***
Class notes:
Mixing
Sub-bass: double the bass, not too loud
EQ: Volume control for frequencies
1. Graphic EQ: E.g. Room EQ
2. Parametric EQ:
- Center Frequency (Hz): The peak
- Gain ( + / - )
- Q (width): how many decibels (dB) to decrease/increase
-- lower it: width is wider (think plateau)
-- increase it: width is narrow (think sharp peak)
3. Shewing EQ
4. Filters
- Hi pass filter
- Lo pass filter
The first was to complete the pre-chorus and chorus. With this I have the intro | verse 1 | verse 2 | pre-chorus | chorus.
I now have a melody line in the pre-chorus/chorus but the choice of instrument still bugs me... At first I used the Echo Bass, and I rather like the sound, but it is kind of a inappropriate lead? However, I have not been able to find wind instruments (as discussed in class) that seem to fit the sound of the piece. I will report what instrument I've decided on on Thursday together with the upload of the latest song. (Sorry, I did not manage to save the file and will only be back in the lab Thursday!!!)
In the added sections, I have also tried out the call-and-response technique. At first I used the guitar and flute combination like in my reference song. But the flute sounded too full compared to my other instruments :( I switched to a Xylophone variation instead.
Secondly, I cut a few (quite many) things from the earlier parts. E.g. with the introduction of the ultrabeat drums, the introduction pad sounded extremely weird and mismatched. But I like the beats over the sustained pad, so I'm scrapping the pad!
I also cut one instrument in the second verse (the one that originally had clashes back in week 3).
However... because the method I wrote the verses vs the chorus was different, the two parts are extremely mismatched now. I need to do something about that for sure. Recap: the verses were random ideas while the chorus was done after I did the bass.
Working from bottom up was definitely the "right way" for a starter like me. I spent considerably less time creating a melody + rhythm in the right key than struggling to create everything else from the melody line alone. So perhaps it'll be better to just rewrite the verses in this "right way" that worked for me.
***
Finally, I changed the 3 4 time in the chorus back to 4 4 time.
I will be duplicating what I have based on my earlier proposed form. In the interest on time, the outro may be cut or kept very basic, and what I have will be the working file for production.
I also looked at this sound designer talking about music production and the creative aspect of music production (which was what I struggled with most). As he mentions in the video, most 'tutorials' are done after a song has been produced, so they skip discussing the creative process and making decisions, but focus on what to do to create x and y sounds. He also mentions not touching EQ (automation etc.) that should be left to the mixing stage.
These all overlap with what you have discussed in class/your advice to me.
After listening to his song, I concluded it has similarities to my reference song.
- Having a simple distinct /contrasting sound (water droplet / gun load sounds)
- Having breaks between verses/chorus
- A phrase repeated (the scale sound)
I would like (when I get to mixing) to try out 2 or all 3 techniques in my music to keep interest.
***
Class notes:
Mixing
Sub-bass: double the bass, not too loud
EQ: Volume control for frequencies
1. Graphic EQ: E.g. Room EQ
2. Parametric EQ:
- Center Frequency (Hz): The peak
- Gain ( + / - )
- Q (width): how many decibels (dB) to decrease/increase
-- lower it: width is wider (think plateau)
-- increase it: width is narrow (think sharp peak)
3. Shewing EQ
4. Filters
- Hi pass filter
- Lo pass filter
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Week 4
Last week, I have been adding a bass line as recommended.
The main chord progression I've chosen to work with is one I've encountered before: doowop progression/50s progression (I vi VI V)
I've chosen it as it's really famous and I've also watched some videos about how so many tons of music use this chord progression, so I want to experiment with it and see how I can work with this progression to create music. I want to find out for myself why people keep using this over and over again -it is easy for composers? Does it just sound nice naturally, like the pentatonic we heard last week? While it may be a bad choice if I don't have melodic ideas to make my song sound unique, I hope I will be able to work it well too.
I was also interested in Pachelbel's Canon chord progression as the Canon in D is personally one of my favourite classic of all time. I'll see if I can find any segments to use both, or is that not advisable?
Back to my bass line:
- I chose a bass guitar
- Not the whole song uses the doowop progression. I've used it in the pre-chorus and chorus so far. The first part, since I've written a melody, I've added the bass line as such: E-D-C transposed into my song's key. Not sure if there is a name for this?
I've re-enabled the drum beats I made with ultrabeat as recommended to add a pulse to the intro. I modified it to make it less noisy and random (last week, I was just testing it out and not serious about using it in the song). I like how it fits in now that my direction of the song is changing as I progress. However, I can't figure out if I can actually turn the ultrabeat drums off at some parts of the song?
Other things to look at next week:
The main chord progression I've chosen to work with is one I've encountered before: doowop progression/50s progression (I vi VI V)
By Hyacinth at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10298735
I've chosen it as it's really famous and I've also watched some videos about how so many tons of music use this chord progression, so I want to experiment with it and see how I can work with this progression to create music. I want to find out for myself why people keep using this over and over again -it is easy for composers? Does it just sound nice naturally, like the pentatonic we heard last week? While it may be a bad choice if I don't have melodic ideas to make my song sound unique, I hope I will be able to work it well too.
I was also interested in Pachelbel's Canon chord progression as the Canon in D is personally one of my favourite classic of all time. I'll see if I can find any segments to use both, or is that not advisable?
"Almost the godfather of pop music because we've all used that in our own ways for the past 30 years". -Pop music producer Pete Waterman (2002) speaking about Pachelbel's Canon in D
Back to my bass line:
- I chose a bass guitar
- Not the whole song uses the doowop progression. I've used it in the pre-chorus and chorus so far. The first part, since I've written a melody, I've added the bass line as such: E-D-C transposed into my song's key. Not sure if there is a name for this?
I've re-enabled the drum beats I made with ultrabeat as recommended to add a pulse to the intro. I modified it to make it less noisy and random (last week, I was just testing it out and not serious about using it in the song). I like how it fits in now that my direction of the song is changing as I progress. However, I can't figure out if I can actually turn the ultrabeat drums off at some parts of the song?
Other things to look at next week:
- Quantize: playing in time
- Groove quantize: drummer and bass to play in same time
- Strength
- Range
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Week 3 Progress
An interesting fact I learnt last Thursday: I unknowingly used a minor pentatonic to connect the intro to the verse (just learnt the term in class)! I used to randomly play the piano using only black keys as I also noticed it almost always sounded great and you can never go "wrong" or create disjointed, horribly-sounding melodies. I never knew this was an actual technique with a name to it.
You can hear the intro and the minor pentatonic at the end of it on my Soundcloud playlist embed below.
I have also created two short verses which ended up sounding very much the same, just building up to the pre-chorus (instead of A-B pattern I envisioned).
Problem I have with the verse: not all the sounds are perfectly synced like I anticipated. Even though I duplicated the tune I played, different instruments put off the tempo slightly. I have spent much time adjusting the notes individually, a very useful function I must admit. I thought some of the instruments I chose went well together but hearing it again after a short break from editing, I think they clash and don't like them anymore. I might change out the guitar for a more subtle instrument like the piano.
Last Thursday, I also learnt about some other features like automation which allows me to edit the instrument channels. Basically, I needed it most for adjusting volume and doing fade-in/outs.
Actually I also created my own drums/foundation using the Drum Kit. But I don't really like what I created so far. I can't seem to turn it off or select portions to keep (the channel is empty but I can hear the drums playing when I press play?), so I just mute it completely. I'll stick to using the preset drums until I get more of the melody down. (I'll post up the drums sounds I created if it's necessary?).
Finally, I experimented with the knobs but I forgot the names, I'll post it up next week in class so I can get screenshots.
Stuck with progressing: So I also came up with melody for the pre-chorus. Unfortunately I realized my music was in 4-4 and this melody I came up with is in 3-4... No wonder it didn't fit the drums!!! It perplexed me until I realized the problem. Now I don't know if there is any way to extend this melody to 4-4 or start from scratch, but as I've mentioned in previous posts, it's so difficult to come up with a melody!!!
Other Notes:
Steps in music production:
Songwriting
Recording
Production
Final Mix
----------------
Mastering
You can hear the intro and the minor pentatonic at the end of it on my Soundcloud playlist embed below.
I have also created two short verses which ended up sounding very much the same, just building up to the pre-chorus (instead of A-B pattern I envisioned).
Problem I have with the verse: not all the sounds are perfectly synced like I anticipated. Even though I duplicated the tune I played, different instruments put off the tempo slightly. I have spent much time adjusting the notes individually, a very useful function I must admit. I thought some of the instruments I chose went well together but hearing it again after a short break from editing, I think they clash and don't like them anymore. I might change out the guitar for a more subtle instrument like the piano.
Last Thursday, I also learnt about some other features like automation which allows me to edit the instrument channels. Basically, I needed it most for adjusting volume and doing fade-in/outs.
Actually I also created my own drums/foundation using the Drum Kit. But I don't really like what I created so far. I can't seem to turn it off or select portions to keep (the channel is empty but I can hear the drums playing when I press play?), so I just mute it completely. I'll stick to using the preset drums until I get more of the melody down. (I'll post up the drums sounds I created if it's necessary?).
Finally, I experimented with the knobs but I forgot the names, I'll post it up next week in class so I can get screenshots.
Stuck with progressing: So I also came up with melody for the pre-chorus. Unfortunately I realized my music was in 4-4 and this melody I came up with is in 3-4... No wonder it didn't fit the drums!!! It perplexed me until I realized the problem. Now I don't know if there is any way to extend this melody to 4-4 or start from scratch, but as I've mentioned in previous posts, it's so difficult to come up with a melody!!!
Other Notes:
Steps in music production:
Songwriting
Recording
Production
Final Mix
----------------
Mastering
Week 2 / Model
Model Construction
I will borrow the form from Sing Me To Sleep, but probably come in with a longer introduction. I'll standardize each part to be 8 bars long for starters.
Intro | Verse 1 | Verse 2 | Pre-Chorus | Chorus | Verse 1 | Pre-Chorus | Chorus | Bridge | Outro
Here is the preview of the arrangement set up in Logic:
Instrumentation:
Drums, Percussion, Bass - Foundation
Keyboard Synth 1 - Rhythm
Guitar - Fills
Keyboard Synth 2 - Lead
More synths/flute/piano - Fills
Since this is an electronic music piece, I would be using the synths to do the lead and rhythms. Sing Me To Sleep also included piano, guitars, flutes, soul lead etc. which I think would be nice additions if I have the capability. For now, I would try to add in at least one filler, the guitar.
Harmony:
This is where I am a little bit lost. I know there are common chord progressions we can follow but I don't know how to identify the harmony in the short melody I have started working on. For me, I started thinking about a melody first since I would not know how to create a melody based on given chord progressions?
What I do know is that my music will be in the minor key, the progressions will be simple: 1-1-1-1 | 1-1-1-1
I will borrow the form from Sing Me To Sleep, but probably come in with a longer introduction. I'll standardize each part to be 8 bars long for starters.
Intro | Verse 1 | Verse 2 | Pre-Chorus | Chorus | Verse 1 | Pre-Chorus | Chorus | Bridge | Outro
Here is the preview of the arrangement set up in Logic:
Instrumentation:
Drums, Percussion, Bass - Foundation
Keyboard Synth 1 - Rhythm
Guitar - Fills
Keyboard Synth 2 - Lead
More synths/flute/piano - Fills
Since this is an electronic music piece, I would be using the synths to do the lead and rhythms. Sing Me To Sleep also included piano, guitars, flutes, soul lead etc. which I think would be nice additions if I have the capability. For now, I would try to add in at least one filler, the guitar.
Harmony:
This is where I am a little bit lost. I know there are common chord progressions we can follow but I don't know how to identify the harmony in the short melody I have started working on. For me, I started thinking about a melody first since I would not know how to create a melody based on given chord progressions?
What I do know is that my music will be in the minor key, the progressions will be simple: 1-1-1-1 | 1-1-1-1
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Week 1
Last week, I was mainly focused on testing out Logic. I looked through the instruments list and recorded a few random tunes to hear how they sound like, and layered a couple of instruments together to hear if they sound good together.
I'm quite sure I want to have a piano in my song too, so I tried the piano instrument out a little more: shifting notes, cutting notes, elongating notes, changing sound of piano.
This week, I will need to test out other features. EQ, Auxiliary tracks? Excited to find out what else is in store. I will also try to think of a concept/basic tune to work on by experimenting and playing more random tunes.
I'm quite sure I want to have a piano in my song too, so I tried the piano instrument out a little more: shifting notes, cutting notes, elongating notes, changing sound of piano.
This week, I will need to test out other features. EQ, Auxiliary tracks? Excited to find out what else is in store. I will also try to think of a concept/basic tune to work on by experimenting and playing more random tunes.
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