Me and Miles experimented with different instruments as one of my ideas was to create a metal/rock song. In the end, we decided on a lofi song that can be used in a scene where the protagonist is pondering about something that just happened or that is forthcoming, a moment of somber and reflection that can express the emotion of calmness as well as sorrow. Me and Miles arenβt experienced much with guitar, so we had some struggles in playing and coming up with chords so we got some help from Henry and Sam (who are also on the performance course) to help us a little and get us on a steady path. I hope to use guitar in my track, but to manipulate it to a certain point where it is distorted and heavily reverbed.
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Drummer is βyour AI buddyβ and a βgenre-agnostic chameleonβ. It allows you to pick the style, performance and how loud, quiet, simple or complex you want the drums to be. It adapts to your settings and follows what you play. You can pick a certain drummer and genre, all posing different styles and sounds. The XY pad allows you to sort how loud and complex you want the drummer to perform, which is great with its simplicity that is easy to understand. As you change, the drum region changes which allows you to find the dynamic and vibe that fits best with your song. It also allows you to change the individual drums of the kit. I will be using Drummer in my Unit 8 as it will greatly improve my songs.
I dislike Ableton because I find the layout unappealing as we as finding it difficult to navigate. I found that not all of its features fully cater to my needs unlike Logic or ProTools, which means my work is greatly affected by this, lowering the quality I could achieve if I used Logic or ProTools. Even though I had little to no knowledge of ProTools when I started this course, I found it easier to understand than Ableton mainly because of how simple, to me, it looked, how easy it was to navigate around and how the features were effective and also simple to learn and understand. However, with Ableton I still find it hard to navigate and do not favor it to Logic and ProTools. So for Unit 8 I will not be using Ableton but instead will definitely be using Logic and ProTools primarily because I feel it will suit me better to Unit 8 however, in future units I aim to develop a further understanding of Ableton in order to increase my knowledge of DAWs and to experiment with other programs.
Positioning the mics inside a piano can help achieve a bright sound, it also provides good isolation, improved by lowering the piano lid. Position two AKG C414 condenser mics 11 inches above the strings, facing down. The AKG C414 is ideal for recording piano because of its consistent cardioid pickup pattern throughout the frequency system.
When using two mics it is important to observe the 3:1 rule which is to keep your mics at least three times farther from one another than each is from the piano strings (sound source). This allows you to maintain proper phase alignment which can be monitored at the console. Place one mic at the centre of each string group and take care to not get too close to the strings to prevent overemphasizing the strings closest to the microphone. To increase brightness, move the mic closer to the hammers or to decrease brightness, move further away.
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twenty one pilots' music video for 'Guns For Hands' from the full-length album, Vessel - available now on Fueled By Ramen. Visit http://twentyonepilots.com f...
Inspiration for track two - UNIT 8
βGuns For Handsβ by Twenty One Pilots form the albumΒ βVesselβ (2013) is very upbeat and happy but the lyrics are very dark, referencing depression and suicide. People will carelessly look over the lyrics and listen to the music; It requires deep thought, just like how familiarising yourself with depression allows you to help people who suffer from it.
The first verse starts off with Tyler singing about how the morning after a dark night, filled with depression, bad thoughts and bad decisions such as self harm and how they lie to their parents thatΒ βit will never happen againβ, meaning it may have happened before.Β When parents find out about depression, self-harm, or even a suicide attempt, they keep a close eye until they let you go and you it 'won't happen again'. Well Tyler knows what that means, youβre not fine, he's been through that.
The chorus is constant suicidal idealisation and going back and forth on the idea of suicide. Tyler is telling us he knows weβre all capable of hurting ourselves, depressed or not, hence the use ofΒ βThat you all have guns, And you never put the safety on, And you all have plans, To take it, don't take it. I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep, But I can't, but I can't when you all have, Guns for handsβ which tells us Tyler is always thinking about how he is aware that everyone can hurt themself and that keeps himself up at night knowing he is incapable of helping everyone. He is begging people to not hurt themselves which he screams in the song, showing his desperation to prevent it because he knows what itβs like; Heβs trying to empathise with the listeners
The second verse is taking things a little slower, reassuring that everything is okay and that there isΒ βhope out the windowβ which could either refer to getting help and not staying locked inside your room or that theΒ βhope out the windowβ is suicide. The vague ending to this verse could mean either, that Tyler and the listener both with die together or will both get help together and that the listener wonβt understand what itβs like to be happy and get help, or what itβs like to experience the bliss of not being alive.
The last verse, which he raps, is sort of confusing. The first half is Tyler specifically aiming at non-depressed people and explaining to them whatΒ βthe dealβ is with depression while in the other half he is saying his lyrics areΒ trying to turn the guns (suicidal thoughts) into fists (to fight their disorder).Β
I love the idea of a more techno/alternative/indie based song, heavily relying on synths, piano and drums with possible use of vocals and hopefully in D flat Major key and using this chord progression: Gm, Gm7, Dm, Dm7, FD7, FM, Cm.Β
I hope to work with Miles on this song because of his extensive knowledge of music theory as well as his ability to play the piano. We will work well together since I know how to use and navigate Logic Pro and other DAWs more efficiently than him while he can help me with correcting my chord progression and improving parts of the song
Buy this album on itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/twenty-one-pilots/id349736310 "Before You Start Your Day" Open the slits in your face and start y...
Inspiration for Track one - UNIT 8
The songΒ βBefore You Start Your Dayβ by Twenty One Pilots features minimal instruments such as piano, vocals, strings, and at the climax of the song, a mixture of synth and self oscillation. The lyrics, accompanied with the music, are implying that the person whom is singing has a friend or is singing about themselves hiding the fact they are depressed to others. During the time of this song and album being recorded (in Tyler Josephβs basement) in 2009, Tyler Joseph was exploring the ideas and representations of mental illness from his own experience and translating that into the songs he created, which he all wrote himself.Β
The lyricΒ "You don't have much time to make your slits look just right" means we all have, once in our life, hidden how we truly feel and a happy public faΓ§ade that masks private despair.Β If we, for example, fake a smile, we have to make it look believable enough, which would be how you 'make your slits seem just right.' Since both hiding true feelings and faking smiles tie along with people suffering from depression, he might've used the word 'slits,' as it's also believed that most people with depression self harm in ways such as cutting themselves. Tyler singing,Β βIβm in your mindβ could be in reference to Tyler, himself, being inside of his friendβs mind and reassuring the friend that Tyler is always there, or that the depression is the one singing about hiding slits and being inside someoneβs head in order to take it from a different perspective and torment the inhabitant of this mind. Does the depression want to be there? Is it malicious or is it trying to help? The lyricΒ βThe clouds above will singβ can be taken as if the depression is saying God/Heaven will save them, or that itβs taunting them as if theyβre going to die and either go to Heaven or Hell; Heaven either rejoicing that they have joined them or rejoicing that they were sent to Hell.Β "And in your mind you're singing" could mean that you are the one person who can prevent your/their suicide, and end your/their depression. You/they are the one who's ultimately responsible.
In my song, I want to come up with some improvised piano throughout the whole song to translate the emotion as it flows like a story. I want some accompaniment like percussion or vocals, as well as the formulate a story that can be played through the piano like beginning soft and slowly transforming into loud and harsh, a mellow to sadder/angry progression. I also want to include some technological influence by possibly adding some synthesisers towards the climax of my piece and maybe incorporating some violin to parts of the song however, I do not know anyone who can play violin so this may be a problem. I want to work in G minor such likeΒ βBefore You Start Your Dayβ,Β βCreepβ by Radiohead andΒ βCome As You Areβ by Nirvana.
I aim to work on this song with Miles as he can play piano and is very good at improvising. I want to work together as Miles also has extensive knowledge on music theory and can help me with applying that to my piece in order to improve it. To give Miles something to work off of, I came up with basic chords such as Gm7, Gm and B flat M7 so he can get a starting point off of that
http://www.youtube.com/user/PanoramicGreen It's him who make this video, go to his channel :) An other of his video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eff6Yl4Vj...
In the ending scene of βFight Clubβ, when The Narrator just killed Tyler Durden, whom is revealed to just be another personality of The Narratorβs and doesnβt exist and that placed bombs on many buildings in a bid to restart civilisation, he stands at the top floor of a skyscraper with Marla to watch as the other buildings blow up.
The use of PixiesβΒ βWhere Is My Mindβ is perfect for this scene because itβs the final realisation that The Narrator, throughout the whole movie, had lost his mind as he canon-ly imagined Tyler Durden into a physical manifestation of the type of person The Narrator desired to be (It is theorised that The Narrator also imagined Marla and Bob)
The songβs lyrics are apt in reflecting the events that happen in the movie, such when The Narrator shoots himself in the head to blow/βkillβ Tyler Durden:Β βYour head will collapse\But thereβs nothing in it\And youβll ask yourself\Where is my mind?β The song may have been written about diving in the ocean but it was destined for the movie.Β
The song parallels the frustrations of Edward Nortonβs character (The Narrator) attempt to figure out his dilemma and echo those that we, as viewers of the film or readers of the novel, also undergo as we try to put the story together and form a somewhat coherent narrative. The song is a tremendous addition to the film and has been used in many movies trying to portray the same feeling invoked inΒ βFight Clubβ however, to less success that it had inΒ βFight Clubβ.
There are many songs that reflect on someone struggling with mental illness, aka losing their mind such as SealβsΒ βCrazyβ or the RamonesβΒ βI Wanna Be Sedatedβ and many other songs butΒ βWhere Is My Mind?β far surpasses any song connoting mental illness. The song accomplishes rock sound with upbeat, major chord changes that imply things are good, until the quiet refrain, minimal instrumentation, whispered title question which then imply that things arenβt actually okay and that the loss of mental control is shameful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm51ihfi1p4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fc67yQsPqQ
Frank Black (Singer/Songwriter) cites the songβs influence as an experience he had snorkeling in the Caribbean. The lyrics are probably about the sea and how itβs a completely different world than it is on land and how he fell out of place - in his mind - and not about mental illnesses. But thatβs the beauty of music: It can be interpreted any way you want it to be and any way it needs to be to evoke emotion or narrative in a story.
Featured in 28 days later and eddsworld hello hellhole. I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THIS I JUST UPLOAD FOR FANS EDIT: 1,000 veiws already. Thanks guys ;)
RESEARCH - UNIT 8
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GRANDADDY
InΒ β28 days laterβ, there is a scene where our protagonists are raiding an abandoned supermarket because of the zombie apocalypse. In this scene, they are all enjoying themselves and grabbing wine and other food items as they ride around the store, which is a juxtaposition on the impending doom of zombies taking over the world. For the scene they useΒ βA.M. 180β² by Grandaddy from the albumΒ βUnder the Western Freewayβ which they adapted into the movie. The song is effective in creating the feeling of the foreboding dread that will come later in the movie.
Over all the seven units I have completed I have developed an understanding of how to use Pro Tools, Ableton and Logic pro. I also learnt the physics of music including sound waves, how sound is made etc. Before joining this course and going through the seven units I was unaware of how to work and use mixing desks which now after learning in depth about it all allows me to create higher quality music in professional studios. Learning pro tools has been a benefit of the course to me because it is industry standard software in most studios around the world.
For this project I aim to create a song or songs that sound like they belong in a movie, I will need to research popular movies and the popular songs behind them in order to capture the feeling of a movie in the genre of the songs I make. I want to make emotion-conveying songs and intend to make at least one instrumental song to explore. I plan to explore examples of songs in movies such as βStayinβ aliveβ, βBorn to be wildβ, etc. I will most likely need softwareΒ such as Safari and Logic Pro X, Safari for research and Logic Pro for the completion of the songs.
I will use journal entries and blogs in order to document the process of the task, at the end I will provide a piece of music that fits the brief I have set myself. My overall aim is to create a song that sounds like a movie tune in Logic Pro using all I will research.
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We decided to record vocal samples for our live performance instead of doing them live so we created small samples to be played out throughout the performance. We midi mapped recordings of my voice saying things and making random noises to the Novation launchpad mini so Jess could use it live.Β
We wanted to experiment with ways we can manipulate the sounds, so we put them into a Sampler and added effects to make it mix with the tracks better. In order to do this, we applied a range of reverb and flanger until we made some interesting samples.
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MOOG
We had to use Pro Tools instead of Ableton because the Moog is in a studio where Ableton isnβt available. We adjusted the parameters on the Moog until we found something that we liked. This was using a sine and a saw wave with heavy modulation in the form of a square wave, with a fast attack, fairly long sustain and a slow release. While the basic sound was fairly smooth, the modulation gave it almost a bubbly effect that we liked.
When we heard what the bass sounded like with the mix, we realised that there was way too much modulation that was too heavy when mixed with other tracks and took away from other instruments which were the focal point.Β
To fix this, we had to go re-record the Moog again, keeping everything the same apart from the modulation which we toned down a lot. We repeated the same process,which worked better than last time and everything felt balanced between all the tracks.
Coming up with the song wasnβt difficult as we perceived, as we decided on the genre of indie psychedelic rock which is a very broad genre with lots of sub-genres. We agreed on using electric guitar, bass, drums and piano, although some of these would end up being played using tech rather than the instrument itself. The process was simple, we started off choosing a key we were going to work in, which was F sharp major. We experimented with different chords to see which ones worked well together and decided on the progression of: F#M, D#m, G#m7th, F#M7th. We played this into Ableton with an electric piano. The piano was also used to play a simple melody of notes from the F sharp scale, which we made up simply by improvising and improving an idea. This followed the chord changes and would be used for the end of the song. Next, we added in a simple bass line which consisted of the root notes of each chord as well as a couple notes to transition for the last chord. Jess made up a drum beat which she played using the Launchpad and then set as a loop to carry on playing. We made some adaptations to this later on to make it more complex and add variation to the track. Emilia recorded the chord progression with an electric guitar. She also used the pentatonic scale to add in a basic melody that would sit back a little in the mix and which She would loop over the top of the chords using Ableton's looper during our live performance. Gradually, we kept adding layers, with some parts being played by more than one instrument, as well as percussion that we could record and loop live.
The Akai APC40 is specifically designed for Ableton Live, which means we didnβt need to map its controls to talk to the software. This allowed us to easily work with the APC40 without complications because its easy to get around. The controls are customisable, so we could map the knobs, button and faders for what we wanted it to do. The bidirectional communication makes the APC40 an advanced controller in that it can receive feedback from the software and display it on its clip matrix. The clip matrix gives you an instant view of all clip statuses: what's loaded, what's playing, and what's being recorded. We are going to use this to control effects and mixing live, as the controls are easier and more continuous to use than those of the Launchpad for these purposes.
The launchpad has similar functions to the APC40 as it allows you to launch and stop clips as well as control panning, sends, record arm and soloing tracks. This can be done using the 64 pads, which control 8 tracks at a time and can also be used in a 'mix' view to control track volumes. However, there is also the option to play instruments using the 'session' view, with different notes on each pad.
We are going to use this to play in drums live and also to midi-map controls including the looper record button for guitar and bass.
The Korg KP2 Kaoss allows you to choose between filter, modulation, delay, reverb, SFX, BPM FX/PTN, synth, vocoder and sample/play settings to manipulate a variety of sounds for example by connecting a microphone or guitar. The pad in the middle can be used to control (mainly) the pitch and one other parameter of these effects in real time. There are also controls for the BPM, FX depth and pad motion, which records your motions on the pad. In addition to this, there are 2 six-second sample memories which can be recorded and triggered from within any effects patch.
We are going to connect a microphone to the Kaoss pad and use it to manipulate the vocals, likely using the vocoder settings.
βThe 13th Floor Elevatorβ was said to be the first band to define their contents as βPsychedelicβ in their debut album (The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators) in October 1966. In a year, the genre exploded in popularity as changed the music, art and fashion scene.Β
Psychedelic music is described as βmusic, culture or art based on the experiences produced by psychedelic drugsβ by the Oxford Dictionary, the effects of LSD might have been the original inspiration, but it doesnβt explain why psychedelic music is still being produced and enjoyed by people who havenβt touched any psychedelic drugs in their life. Psychedelia is appealingly vague and open-ended - a medley of philosophies, colours and styles. Itβs about opening your mind to possibilities of this world and beyond. Itβs exciting, but also a little bit scary.Β
Pink Floyd, led by Syd Barrett, played spaced-out deconstructions of rhythmΒ βnβ blues, with whimsical lyrics about dandelions and gingerbread men. Pink Floydβs unsettling musical vision was to prove equally influential to The BeatlesβΒ βSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Bandβ - recorded in an adjacent Abbey Road studio at the same time as Pink Floydβs debutΒ βPiper at the Gates of Dawnβ - which defined the sound of English Psychedelia as something vibrant and jolly. However, Pink Floydβs frontman, Syd Barrett, was unable to cope with fame and struggled with mental illness, magnified by large amounts of LSD. Roger Waters and David Gilmour took control after Syd, changing from psychedelia to prog rock, producing an albumΒ (1973βs The Dark Side of the Moon) that outsold Sgt. Pepper.
Jacob Collier is a one-man band and force of nature. In a dynamic, colorful performance, he recreates the magical room at his home in London where he produce...
Unit 6 - Live performance inspiration
In our Unit 6 project, our group looked at live performances for inspiration to input into our performance. We looked at Jacob Collier, who is a multi-instrumentalist and utilises his wide range of voices. He primarily creates songs in the genre of neo-classical jazz. His live performances heavily rely on looping instruments and his voice, of which he uses to create multi-layered performances to create busy songs. I like how he uses vocoder on his voice, which allows him to manipulate the pitch and also add dreamy effects on top of it. I also like how he does a lot of calling and responding with the audience, which engages them with his performance, so the experience feels like the audience is also helping him create his music. He integrates many different instruments into his songs, such as guitar, bass, and piano so he can create lots of harmonies which allows his songs to sound perfectly mixed.
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In the group, my role was the keyboardist. This role meant that I was responsible for creating chord progressions and melody lines through improvisation. Moving onto the main composition of the piece, Emilia, who was a member of my group, took the initiative to compose melodies that she played live on both the electric and bass guitar; she also created a bass line with the Moog Voyager. Jess pre recorded drum parts using the launchpad as well as recording live tambourine. Together we worked effectively and efficiently to create our song and develop our understanding of live looping/recording as well as Abeltonβs features. We all originally decided on writing the song in the genre of indie rock, but later decided to allow the song to change and adapt as we went along making it, which ultimately ended up shifting the genre to a more relaxed indie pop sound.
As for technology we were using a Roland Electric Keyboard, which was connected to the Macbook with a midi cable to record the keyboard chord loops at the beginning of the song, and improvisation at the end. I liked the Roland because it had more keys than the common midi controller, as well as me finding it easier to navigate than others of a similar nature. We also used a Novation Launchpad Mini mk2 and an Akai APC40 MKII. The Novation mini was used to record the drum loops and for playing voice samples live, both of which Jess controlled. I liked the Novation mini more than the Akai APC40 because it was more simple and easier to understand, I found the APC40 to have too many controls which we struggled with during the making of the song. The Macbook acted as the main hub where the session was being played on, in addition to live loop recording the instruments. We were using Ableton 10, which is ideal for live performances.
In reference to the processes and actions used, we first had to midi map the drum sounds on to the Novation Launchpad to pre-record drum loops. For the voice samples, we took a recording of my voice while I was talking and making noises, manipulating it to have lots of delay and then we midi mapped the voice samples on the Akai to use live, they added atmosphere to the song which is why we added them in. On the bass and electric we used Ableton Amp Simulators to create a clean and full sound. For the keyboard sounds, we used two preset Ableton piano and key sounds that both had a dreamy effect to them because we wanted a spaced out and tranquil feeling.
Overall, I believe the performance wasn't as successful as we hoped it would be. Our downfall was lack of practice and preparation and my main problem was getting stage fright, not allowing me to perform the main part of the song (singing) and therefore compromised that part of the performance. As there was no singing in the end we missed out a vital use of the vocoder which if used would have increased the amount of technology used. On the other hand, all the technical factors and playing factors went fairly smoothly and there were no technical interruptions. Emilia was aware of her parts and performed them well, Jess being in control of Ableton managed to carry out her role with no mistakes.
Personally I would choose another genre to work with rather than indie, as indie can be too broad, which is good, but it's too vast of a genre to have enough guiding lines to stay within to deem it indie. Another important factor to our performance not carrying out as successfully as planned was lack of efficient practice, so next time we should discuss and create a plan of when we should practice and what we should practice in that time so we can use it effectively. We should have also been more communicative with each other to avoid confusion amongst the three of us.
Within this module, I learnt how technology is used in live performances as well as how to set up and use the instruments and equipment we incorporated into our performance. One of the most important things I found was learning Ableton and how to use it, which was also a big part of our performance. Referring to the show, I learnt how to perform live and I learnt through trial and error that practice for performance is key.
