This composition is meant to serve as a background soundtrack for the sand art video. The goal was to take a four-chord progression and create three distinct sections of music to accompany the three developmental phases of the sand art. Examining the hypnotic, steadily developing state of the sand, I aimed to compose something that sounded repetitive but subtly evolving. Each section's tempo, melody, number of instruments, and other elements are designed to match the energy of each phase. 

This composition was made by experimenting with the features of Logic Studio. I built a four-chord progression with the basic piano track and developed my composition from there. This assignment was a creative challenge that taught me to improvise many variations of the same chord sequence within a short period of time. I also continued building my skills programming the Equalizer and editing the MIDI notes.

In the process of this composition, my objective was to replicate the mixing and arrangement styles of J Dilla, De La Soul, and various other artists of the Native Tongues collective. These composers are renowned for extensively borrowing and sampling parts of many other songwriters' works, and mixing them into original compositions in an art collage format. Therefore, I spent lots of effort browsing the loops and instrumentals Logic had to offer, analyzing which pieces would fit together at what time frame, to deliver what specific effect. 

This composition is special in the sense that I learned to organize and mix an extensive number of loops and instrumentals without becoming overwhelmed. Drawing from all of the loops I liked, I created three channel folders and sorted every loop into one of those channels, according to how upbeat or exotic they sounded, until each channel represented a distinct mood. I then faced the challenge of piecing different aspects of all the loops into a coherent and logical composition. 

The goal of this assignment was to create a remix of "Blind Man Driving" by Joey Stuckey, using the separated tracks we were given in Ableton Live. Here, I had the opportunity to customize the instrumentals to my own interpretation of the story told in the music and lyrics. I tailored the tracks using pan pots and volume sliders, applied compression to highlight the brightness in the bass and drums, and experimented with the Multiband and Limiter Plugin. Lastly, I added several sound effects so that the song resembles the live experience of chaotic driving. 

It was a fun challenge arranging the panning and general volume setup of each track (left/right, backward/forward) to represent the audio distribution of the various instrument sources on an actual stage. This was the first time I experimented with the Generic Compressor audio effect, which would provide each track a brighter, more pronounced sound without the manual labor of tweaking the volume automation. I also introduced a limiter to each track for a variety of other audio effects, including the pronounciation of bass vs high pitches, gain, dry/wet, etc. 

I created a Lofi sample by mixing a selection of various synths into a repetitive tune.  The point of Lofi music is to serve as background music for studying or relaxing, so my objective was to create a tune that would flow naturally and not catch listeners' attention. The typical Lofi song involves a slow, smooth-flowing synth and gentle percussion. Using the samples offered in Ableton Live, I did my best to fill those requirements.  

I continued my experimental learning with the various features of the synth pad. This time, I learned to program the synth pad to play only the notes of a specific key when I hit it, which made the recording process much easier. I also further familiarized myself with the setup of the MIDI notes' volume and intensity, which I relied on to create my percussion sample. 

I created a remix by choosing a set of digital tracks to mix a combination of varying instruments into a song. This was my first time working with a synth pad, and it was a fun challenge playing with the tracks and experimenting with different instrument combinations. I sampled each track until I could decide which ones would produce the mood and flow that I wanted, then recorded my remix.  

I  learned to experiment with the various features on the synth pad, such as track volume, the master track, and the feature that could gradually decelerate the tempo. I found it especially fascinating how the synth pad automatically kept track of the tempo and rhythm, which meant I didn't have to worry about whether my tracks would sound disorderly against one another. Overall, I spent my time getting used to the nature of the synth pad, but its design made it quite intuitive to use.

With this project, I assessed and remixed a sample from a video game soundtrack so that the ten tracks would harmonize to produce a more balanced sound. Additionally, I aimed to give the soundtrack a more interesting and personal touch. When I first started mixing the tracks, I knew that I wanted to make the composition sound dreamy and ethereal. Ultimately, I made the soundtrack fit more under the fantasy genre by using nature sound effects such as water rushing, wind howling, wolf sounds, etc. and incorporating orchestral and world instruments.

Through editing this soundtrack, I developed my experience mixing with panning and EQs. I strove to give the tracks a perfect 50-50 proportion of Left-Right sounds. I thought it would be interesting to make the melody track alternate between the left and right panning. Then, I used the EQs to give each track a brighter, more noticeable feel depending on the track's range of pitches. I made sure not to make the EQ intensity equal for every track, so that some tracks stood out more than others. 

I created a remix of a popular song that originally involved 5 instruments: Lead guitar, rhythm guitar, arpeggio guitar, bass, and drum kit. I expanded the song by incorporating a few more sets of drums, strings, and other synths scattered throughout the progression of the melody. I played with mood of the song by letting different instruments switch between taking center focus. 

I learned to experiment with panning, EQ, reverb, and other effects when I worked on mixing this song. It was important that each instrument sounded like it was coming from a distinct direction. Throughout the song, I made the rhythm guitar pan towards the left while the bass paned towards the right to balance the sounds out, since they sounded similar. I also learned a lot using the EQ effects, training my ears to pick up where each instrument sounds the brightest.