portfolio

Blind Man Driving Project

Reflection:

In this assignment, we were given the task of using Ableton to mix music from stems taken from Joey Stuckey. We basically used all the knowledge from the previous projects in this project, allowing us to create a final result that we are proud of and that sounds good. We met Joey Stuckey and learned a lot about him and his life and the track that he has created.

In this assignment, I learned how to use everything I have learned together in one project, completing a final project that I am proud of and can say represents a good use of music technology. I also learned how to adapt to the artist themselves and create music focused around them as the spotlight. Overall, I learned how to use Ableton to effectively mix and curate music for an artist.

De La Soul Project

Reflection:

In this assignment, we were given the task of using the push and Ableton to create music similar to that of De La Soul's methods in an effort to understand how De La Soul was innovative and successful and how more music methods could be achieved. This began with finding samples of sounds that were unique and worked together when stacked in order to replicate the actions of De La Soul, to which I found some instruments I have never heard of and some that I have heard of, mixing them together to sound cool in a way. After this I searched for movie clips, taking sounds from The Lego Movie and adding it to my project to create a different aspect than the other projects we have done. After this I added filters to the samples, making sure to find ones that added a level of uniqueness, but not too unique to the point where the music sounded bad. Lastly, I added two different instruments to the MIDI tracks, and recorded a small section which would be repeated for both instruments underneath the other samples and sounds. Overall, creating a project that could rival that of De La Soul.

In this assignment, I learned a variety of things that enable me to use Ableton and the push more efficiently towards music making. The start of the project was more stuff I had already learned and was just increasing my knowledge of, like using the session on the push and picking samples to play together. Then I learned how to go online and add music samples to my project, something that could add to the overall effect of my project, learning how to add downloaded content to Ableton and play it. I also learned how to use more audio effects and filters to alter how the main samples and sounds were played and worked together allowing for different sounds than the generic samples. I also learned how to use the note feature on the push along with the scales ordering as I used the MIDI tracks and instruments to make a small riff. I learned how to put this all together and edit different sections and record separately along with using all my other skills learned from previous projects such as volume and panning to create the final product.

Doctor Who Theme

Reflection:

In this assignment, we were given the task of using loops and sounds to re-create the doctor who theme song in our own way. First I moved the files into Ableton where I added the simpler and the MIDI tracks, which became the main theme. I found instruments and samples that I believed sounded nice and would contribute to a cool overall theme song and added them. Then I added the Tardis sounds to create the final sound effects that would contribute to the overall project. I then used pitch control, phasers, and flangers on the tracks in order to create a better overall environment which would become my final sound. Lastly, I recorded the audio, changing the pan of the tracks, as well as the volume till I reached a final project I was happy with.

In this assignment, I learned how to utilize the MIDI tracks and simpler tracks with Ableton live. I also learned how to look at the instruments and samples in Ableton and online and apply them to the software for my own version of the doctor who theme. I built my knowledge with the software through learning about flangers and phasers, as well as pitch control which allowed for a better overall sounding project. Lastly I learned how to record all of this together, which I already knew, but I used more pan control and volume control than previously.

Remix in Live

Reflection:

In this assignment, we were given the task of using a certain pack of loops and mixing them together using the pads on a new type of hardware. I chose the pack of sounds that I am most familiar with, as it was sort of like pop music, to which I just started recording immediately messing around with the buttons to see if I could hear something that was usable in the final submission. I did end up finding a lot of stuff I enjoyed hearing and used it together when recording for the final time for a final product I enjoyed. This was also a major project for learning more of Ableton Live and developing my knowledge of music software. I used all previous knowledge to do this assignment as well, messing with volume, pan, and more.

I learned how to use the push to its full potential, or at least I hope is it's full potential. I also learned how to use Ableton Live with the push in order to create a mix that I enjoyed without dragging loops around like I had done previously in another software. I was also able to edit around the timing and bpm to something that I thought sounded the best, learning the impact of bpm on the output of the song. I was then able to create a final product, something that I was proud of, something that came from all the knowledge I had gathered thus far.

Band Panning Project

Reflection:

For this project I looked through all the available loops, specifically searching for certain instruments to get an idea of what kind of sound I wanted. I then located which instruments I wanted to use, searched for those instruments directly and scrolled through the loops until I found ones that I thought sounded nice, having two different loops for each instrument which were alternated for 32 measures. I then mixed the audio thoroughly starting with the panning, letting some instruments be panned left or right to certain degrees, creating a different feel for the music. After that I altered the audio to add a front or back vibe. Finally I added the graphic EQ which allowed for changing of the highs lows and mids of the instruments so that I could have an effective song. All of this together created my band pan project.

I learned in this assignment how to effectively use loops that are not from a package and mix them with other loops of the same and different instruments to create a "band" like effect. Through finding different instruments I can create a different feeling for my music, and then separate those instruments, which I did, through learning how to pan them left or right at different degrees. This panning allows the music to elevate to new heights and sound less congested and on top of one another, which was used effectively in the Thriller song by Michael Jackson. I also learned how to control volume by increasing or lowering decibels in order to create the effect of moving instruments forward or backwards in order to avoid drowning out other instruments as well as the ears of the listeners. The graphic EQ is also something I learned how to use, as a way of controlling the different aspects of the audio, controlling the highs, mids, and lows of the audio in order to effectively create a bubble for the listeners. This controlling was also in conjunction with the audio changing and the panning to create an overall better feel for the music. Overall, I learned how to effectively use the beginning stages of mixing music that the average person would not know how to do.

Fix The Mix

Reflection:

I was given the task to "Fix The Mix" of a mix that was created by someone who was just fired from a company, as to basically make an entirely new mix with some of the same elements for a game that was coming out. I started off with listening to the entire thing, then listening to each part individually. I listened to the three major parts closely, as they would become the backbone of this mix, removing any tracks that I believed stood in their way and prohibited the mix from sounding decent. I then went through and edited each track so that there was some flow during the song, changing the effects, the midi editor, and the instrument for some of the tracks. Once I decided that the tracks sounded nicely I then used the power of panning to move the tracks left to right and back and forth, which allowed the tracks to work together formally, nothing overpowering other tracks. Some final touches were added through the incorporation of a few tracks and removing of certain parts which would in turn create the mix I have created. The feel I was going for was a space exploration/mystery game, which is eery and creepy however cool and space-feeling.

I learned many things during this project, even when overwhelmed at first with the vast amount of stuff given to me. Firstly I learned how to mix with instrument tracks that used MIDI mappings, which meant I learned how to change the instrument and the octave/pitch for those instruments, which I did do because the original was quite terrible. I then used other effects to control those instrument tracks as well as the other loop tracks I kept and added, which would allow for a space-like feel. I found that reverb was a great addition for the energy I was going for, especially the "space-maker" effect. I then used my previous knowledge of track location, panning, and volume to effectively make a strong mix in my opinion that would fit well with a space game. Overall, I learned how to deal with a terrible mix that has been left and convert it to something different with very little involvement and knowledge of skills.

First Project

Reflection:

We were given the task of creating music for the first time using an application called BandLab. I searched through the loop packs in an attempt to find music I resonate with, or at least somewhat enjoyed. I stumbled upon the Tropical House loop pack, which had house music loops that sounded like they were from Fortnite, but it wasn't terrible. I pulled different loops together to make something that I thought sounded nice, removing parts so that there were no sections that repeated the entire song, rather different mixations of loops and lengths to create a house music beat. I also messed with the beats per minute in order to create the optimal house music flow, which I decided was 128 bpm, a reference from the movie "We Are Your Friends" a very good music involved movie.

I learned how to mix music for the first time ever, using an application I was unfamiliar with at first. This included searching for loop packs, listening to loops, cutting those loops up, and searching for the optimal sound. I ended up developing some of the essential skills for learning how to deal with music technology, skills that would allow me to continue my path for more knowledge of the music world. I also learned how to use a new software that would aid me in learning how to use more of its features as well as features in other softwares made for mixing music.