Creative Project #1 Plan: Micro Sample Beat
As mentioned in my goals post, this week I'm determined to spend some time writing some sort of music. I've spent the week thinking about what my first piece should be, and how I can accomplish it.
While right music still seems to scare me to bits, and I always feeling like I'm putting it off for a later day, sitting down here and reflecting on what it is I'm actually going to create made be realize this week was different...
Sure it is Saturday and don't have anything tangible to show, I do have something that I never had before - a plan!
It is going to be a 90 second to 3 minute piece of music with a single theme plus a breakdown
It is simple in harmony (Em C G/B A) and will use "microsamples" to create interest
Pro Tools will be used as the primary arranging tool. Maschine will be used for all the microsample editing and performance
"The Finger"- a Reaktor ensemble - will be used on a Master track to create real-time, MIDI controlled, edits and musical fills
I'm a strong believer that every piece of music needs a strong foundation. It needs to be fundamentally sound, before you add all of the glitter and polish. Otherwise you may find that you have a technically interesting work, but fails to engage the listener for any substancial amount of time.
As such, phase 1 is merely writing the song without the benefit of the microsample. This will give me an opportunity to set the tempo and feel for the piece. I will also give me an oppertunity to do some basic arranging.
where and how do the drums enter
what is happening during the breakdown
what is the placement and rhythm of fills
Will is sound awesome? Probably not. It will be a great rough draft of the piece, though. It will have all of the required components, and give me a great sense of whether I should continue or draft up another version before moving on (because who wants to spend time polishing a piece that is fundamental flawed?). Assuming all goes well, I'll move on.
This phase is all about sound design. Here are the things that need to happen:
Finding the correct micro samples
Creating the proper patterns of these samples
Finding and creating the appropriate patches for the drums, bass, and breakdown
Create the stutter edits and fills with The Finger.
At this point the piece is pretty close to done. All of the sounds are in place and it "feels" right, but there is still something missing...
This phase is all about automation and mixing. Here is what will happen:
Creative filter automation will be applied to many patches to add interest and enhance the track
Each sound will be eq'd and potentially compressed to make sure there is no "fighting" between the tracks
I'm not a super experienced engineer but even basic automation and eq can really bring out the detail in a track!
This is as far as I take it. I could potentially get this track mastered by someone, but I'll wait until it is done before making that decision...
This project will be complete by: Thursday, May 17th!
My students will finishing their music projects on that day, so I would like to have something to share with them as well.
So, I have another 90 minutes to work on this project for this week. I'm hoping to get through most of phase 1 today.
Tomorrow, I'm planning on spending the day going through patches and finding samples. The goal would be to finish Phase 2 by Tuesday evening
That leaves Phase 3 to be finished on Wednesday evening.
Now, I'm all pumped up! I can't wait to get to it!
