Proposal

Candidate name: Jacob Anniss

Candidate number: 429223

Progression route: Musician and producer

Rationale

I am doing this project to experiment with lots of different genres, and to combine them as well. I want to do this to broaden my skillset across genres for when I start making my own music in the future, and also producing for others. I have noticed this year I have only really kept to 4 genres, those being House, Ambient, R&B, and hip-hop. So I want to widen my genres that I can work in so I don't just keep going back to those 4. My strength is definitely sampling, so I will be using that throughout these projects. However I would also like to mix and master all of these projects too, which is one of my weaknesses. To improve on this I can do some research on mixing and mastering techniques and use them within my projects. 

What I have learnt this year in college -  Over the course of this college year, I have studied synthesis and sampling, as well as mixing and mastering. In my synthesis, I learnt how to create a pluck sound, a pad sound, and a bass sound. These sounds will all be useful for future projects as they can give me more original and interesting ideas to use in my tracks. In my sampling, I have learnt how to use the multi and quick sampler, as well as using audio chops to sample which gives me different ways to sample stuff for my tracks. And by learning mixing and mastering, I can use it to mix and master my own tracks well and make them sound the best that they can.

Strengths:

• Sampling - Sampling is one of my biggest strengths in my music, I am able to create loads of different feelings with different samples within my tracks, whether its to add ambience and feeling to a track, or using it as a groove.

• Time management - In my actual life my time management is very bad, but when it comes to music my time management is one of my biggest strengths, I can give myself a deadline to complete a composition by, and I can complete it by then without rushing anything. 

• Use of Logic - In year 11 music BTEC, I used a software called Mixcraft, which is like logic for Windows devices. It is a very similar DAW to Logic so the transition to using Logic was fairly easy.

• Use of Effects - I can used effects on instruments within my tracks very well, these add a new sense of dynamics to the sounds I use. Instead of just using the stock sounds and leaving them how they sound, I can add effects like reverb, delay, distortion, and flangers to make it sound completely different.

Weaknesses: 

• Mixing and Mastering - I would like to mix and master at least some of my tracks in this project, but if there are any projects that I end up struggling with I might have to use the Logic mastering analyzer. Mixing and Mastering is currently a weakness of mine as it is something that I have never really done before, so I have a video saved that I will keep going back to to help me.

• Lack of Instrument skills - I currently cannot play any instruments too well, but I have a good knowledge of the piano and I am currently learning to play the guitar which I hope to use in my music in the future. But for now my lack of instrument skills might hold me back in some of my compositions, but to overcome this I can get others to collaborate with me on my tracks, or I can use MIDI or some samples.

Concept

I am a big fan of Crystal Palace F.C, so my concept is to make a song each week for different players from the squad. I will be taking into account their different nationalities and ethnicities to create a unique song for each player. For example, Jean-Philippe Mateta was born in France but his dad is from the Democratic Republic of The Congo, so for him I might combine some traditional French accordion music with some Congolese elements, like some drums. Another example is Ebere Eze, who was born in Greenwich to Nigerian parents, he is very close to his roots so for him I might make a Nigerian Afro-Beat song with elements of some UK genres as well. I will also be mixing and mastering these tracks myself, making sure they sound the best they can. I want each player that I make a song for to have their own unique sound, these different sounds can hopefully help me pick out my own sound with what I want to do with my own music in the future. Wikipedia will help me with this a lot, It usually has information about where the players are from, where their parents are from, and what their ethnicities are. With my own research I am going to be creating a survey for people to answer, it will include questions on the genres of music that will be used to make these tracks, and what people should expect from these genres. For this project, I hope to be able to create 8 unique tracks for 8 different players. Each week will come separately, but some weeks I may need to record some guitar someone is playing in the studio, and others I can make by myself within the mac suites. 

I will only be releasing these tracks on soundcloud, as it is not the type of music that I would like to make in the future. And for collaboration it will be very limited as I would like to do my tracks independently, so for it I will be helping out others in the studio instead of really others collaborating on my tracks.

Evaluation

Evaluations are important so you can be self critical of yourself if you believe that something you have done isn't up to your standards so you can improve on it. I will need to evaluate after each week to see where I did good and not so good for that week within my projects. I can also get someone to listen to the songs and I would ask them what player they think of for each song that will play, if they don't get the player correct then I can ask them what I could add to make it more like that player. For evaluating someone else's work I can gather an understanding of what they have done by working with them, and evaluate on how well or not so well they did this. Come the end of my FMP, I can evaluate what I have done over the weeks, what I did with other people and how we did together, and also if all of it was a success, some of it was a success, or if actually most of it was a bit of a struggle instead. I am going to have to be self critical of myself if I think something hasn't gone to plan, and I am also going to have to be critical of others that I collab with if I think what they have done hasn't gone to plan. I am also going to be taking into account what I possibly could've done different too, and how the track could potentially sound different if I were to do it again.

Reflecting on my work quality will help me improve as I will be self critical on myself if I don't think my work is good. With this in my mind when I make tracks in the future I can avoid the mistakes that I made originally so that my work is the best that it can possibly be. 

Proposed research

Research is important so that I can gather information on these different players, secondary research like wikipedia can help me in finding the ethnicities of the players, where they were born, and what country they represent.

Jean-Philippe Mateta (2025) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Philippe_Mateta#:~:text=Jean%2DPhilippe%20Mateta%20(born%2028,Premier%20League%20club%20Crystal%20Palace  (Accessed: 18 March 2025).

Here is the citation for Jean-Philippe Mateta, it shows his ethnic background and where he was born.

I have never made an Afro-Beat track before too, so I have found this video here that explains how to make one very well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7iu5jpnrEY - I will be using this video as a reference for my track. (No date a) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7iu5jpnrEY (Accessed: 29 April 2025).

I will also be using this video here to learn off and improve on my mixing and mastering skills and utilise them in my tracks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Up6C2j1ggo - (No date a) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Up6C2j1ggo (Accessed: 29 April 2025).

For primary research I can have a survey for people to fill out about what they would expect for these genres that I will be covering, asking what instruments they would expect, what drum pattern to expect and how it should sound overall. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-M2TfIulceK4a1XdQB_YN-g0NAitDEKcSI5qJa6Yf2HjMjA/viewform?usp=dialog Here is the link for the survey. Music FMP (no date) Google. Available at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-M2TfIulceK4a1XdQB_YN-g0NAitDEKcSI5qJa6Yf2HjMjA/viewform?usp=dialog (Accessed: 29 April 2025).

Here is what I have gathered from looking over the answers:

• From Brazil, people mainly expect Samba and Funk music.

• From France, people mainly expect Jazz and Accordion music.

• From the DRC, people mainly expect Bongo drum music.

• From Nigeria, people mainly expect Afro-beat music.

• From Colombia, people mainly expect Latin Reggaeton music.

•  From Jamaica, people mainly expect Reggae and Jungle music.

• From England, people answered with a variety of genres like Rap, House, Britpop, and D&B music.

• For a calming person, people mainly expect Ambient and Relaxing music.

• For an aggressive person, people mainly expect Heavy Metal and Classical music.

Research is important so that my tracks can have a reference to be based off of, research can also help me with genres that I may not be too familiar within and it can help me learn stuff about these genres that I can go back to for if I ever make a song in that genre for any future projects. 

Video Presentation

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