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I created stacks to put the different instruments under to help with mixing. After doing this I added a bit crunch to the drums to give them the 16-bit sound i am trying to achieve. as well as this i colour coordinated all the stems to increase my workflow.

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During this week I have unfortunately had to undergo a minor surgery. Because of this my ability to move around has been greatly impacted and because of this my mental state hasn't been the best. Having to miss the last two weeks of uni and my last two weeks of being in Brighton due to moving home has been a very sad affair. This is evident when listening to my remix.

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Overall, I am happy with how this song turned out. I feel like this assignment has allowed me to understand what I want to do in my career and help me break out of my creative block. I have already started creating more songs that fit within games. Im very happy to have my emotional connection to music reunited and feel excited to create again. My one issue with this song is that I can't for the life of me get the kick to sit right in the mix. This is something I plan to practice and rectify.

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I have completed my Remix. I did this in one day due to being bed bound. The recovery has not been kind and has led to a multitude of stresses and pains, because of this the song has turned into a very dark and disjointed piece. I have sampled the snare from Thats What I get and have made it into a kick drum by playing it down a few octaves. I have also created somewhat of a high tom using the same sample. I use both of these to create a hard, reverb rich rhythm. I then added some drab sounding chords for texture. On top of this I have placed a monophonic synth to play the bass notes of the song. This helps give it more identity and bring it more towards a remix then just drum samples. As well as this I ripped the vocal stem using Moises and have heavily processed it using a vocal transformer, Distortion, Echo and finally a vocal transformer. I enjoy that you can sometimes make out the words yet that isnt always the case. I feel it really adds texture and makes the piece feel very unsettling. Finally i Sampled the synth from Sanctified to slowly fade in and out to create a somewhat overwhelming feeling.

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I have gone public with my song and been seeking constructive criticism. This was a very scary thing for me to do due to me struggling with my personal image and self worth however I feel that it was very important that i took the training wheels off and went for it.

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after some deliberation I have decided to create a remix of That's What I Get by Nine Inch Nails. I chose this song due to its vocal line and topic. I plan on creating a stripped-back atmospheric piece that focuses more on the art of sound and different textures. I have done this because it mirrors my earlier work and allows me to use my past work as a benchmark for what i want to achieve.

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I have started to carve out more of a visible identity for the song. Recently I have been thinking about the seasons and what they mean to me. With this in mind, I have been focusing on giving the song a more spring/summer feeling. I've done this by using major chords and making sure that even the low-end sounds light.

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This year my most listened album has been "I Let It In And It Took Everything" by British metal newcomers LOATHE. This album sounds like nothing i've ever heard before, the way they blend dream pop/shoegaze with Metal is something I hope we see much more of in the future. This song specifically inspired my use of chugs for the second set of chords within my song.

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During this week I have begun the process of refining my original. To do this i have focused on adding more instruments and adding more rhythm to the song. to do this i have added backing chords that are inspired by metal guitars. I enjoy the chug sound that is so often found in modern metal and I think that adding this technique into something that is so far from metal allows for me to really express myself and allow my inspiration to show. I plan on using metal techniques more within games composition because of this.

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Due to having my original set out and making fast progress, I have started to plan out my remix. I have decided on a remix from Nine Inch Nails due to hearing their remix album "Further Down The Spiral" As for what song, I feel like working from their first album "Pretty Hate Machine"
I have picked this album due to it having more of a dance feel to it. I would like to make it feel much more atmospheric and dark feeling like their second album "The Downward Spiral"

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I picked Pretty Hate Machine due to it already having a good dance sound, I feel like the synths in this song are really interesting and the overall sinister sound is very intriguing.

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I have now added to the song and started reasoning for its existence. Something that I don't hide about myself is that I am extremely into playing games. So when I started to make this song I realized that the song fits very well into a game I am currently playing, Stardew Valley. Stardew is a game about living on a farm. Not only is it extremely fun the soundtrack is super catchy. I plan on working towards rescoring the game and in the future, I plan on aiming my career toward scoring for games. As someone who already plays a lot and is currently creating their own game, I think that moving towards scoring games is the best choice for me

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Stardew Valley - Full Original High Quality Soundtrack

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During this week on our Monday lesson we learned how to make drums using synths. Something about this clicked with me. As a drummer the drums are always my favorite and most important part of my tracks. During this lesson i made a drum kit much quicker than i expected and so i built on this by adding some chords and a melody. I did almost all of this without even realizing. By creating songs in a 8-bit style I wasn't able to compare myself because it just felt like fun. It was extremely liberating to make music again and not hyperfixate and worry about its quality. Due to this I think I have ended up making one of if not my favorite songs. above you will find the original version of the song.

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I have been struggling with writing music. I believe my standards are way too high and so no matter what i make it feels like its no good because its not as great as my favorite albums. This is a big problem for me as it makes it frustrating to make music. Id say its almost ridiculous for me to compare myself to someone like Prince yet i cant help but do so. To make sure this assessment gets handed in I will be falling back on a reserve by doing a cover of First taste by Fiona Apple. I intend to hand in an original however I believe this contingency plan will aid me greatly.

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Using Moises i ripped the vocal to use as a reference track. I plan on having the vocals recorded however am trying to lay down foundations.

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I then used Chordify to understand the chord progression and so that i can begin to put the chords behind the vocals.

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So far I have got the chords in however feel like this is not a project that I will be interested in finishing. whilst recording this I became increasingly agitated with the song and so have started to just make ideas whilst trying my best to not compare or really think too much about that I'm doing.

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These 4 albums have not only been pivotal to my growth as a person but as a musician. I attribute my decision to join this course to these 5 records.

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Fiona Apple is a recent discovery for me. The level of her candid storytelling, instrumentation, and the work Fiona and her producer put in to make an album of this level is astounding. Every single song is extremely well put together and perfectly conveys this sorta moodiness that her early work permitted. Specifically her most popular song "Paper Bag" gives off a vibrant image of New York and i think the ability to make a listener identify your music with something so heavily is an extremely important skill.

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Fiona Apple - Fast As You Can - 1999-11-19

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This album was my introduction to a more upbeat dance style after a long mental struggle. I attribute this album as a partial reason as to why my mental state improved. The creativity and uptempo yet beautifully full tracks on this album really started to push me into learning about production in the hopes of one day being able to make something similar.

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The Cure is the single most important band in my life. I found them about 4 years ago and ever since that day, they have been a constant friend to me. no matter if you're dancing or crying or maybe even a mix of both, there is a Cure song out there for you. They are commonly referred to as a happy/sad band and I think this an extremely accurate. I really want to be able to make music that fits into the sounding happy yet also feeling sad genre of music. some good examples of other bands that do this well are Grandaddy, The Cardigans, and Sixpence None The Richer.

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I still remember exactly where i was when i first heard this album. It has stuck with me massively due to there not really being anything out there that sounds like it. It is now 11 years old yet still sounds extremely modern. To me this album exemplifies exactly what music is about, expression, creativity and constantly pushing the boundaries. The use of samples and the wild beats have been a huge inspiration for me to always try and defy the conventions of standard music to create an experience that will not be forgotten.

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My favorite song on the album. I thing there is potential here for a remix however I am not completely sold.

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For this assessment i am planning on trying to overcome my creative block. to do this I am going to be experimenting with a multitude of styles and shopping around with style and trying to find something that feels authentic and mine.

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In conclusion, I have mixed feelings about this term. I have really been struggling with the uni life and the lack of friends and family in the local area. It is with a heavy heart that I have made the decision to move back home and switch courses to the WaterBear online Production course. I feel that my level and quantity of work will be raised this way and I will be able to work on myself in a better way. I am very happy with how my original has come out, It allowed me to really delve into something I care about and find my area of music that I feel would be most applicable. However I found the remix difficult due to typically avoiding remixes in my own listening habits. I find the distinction between samples and remixes a blurred line and don't think I will be remixing in the future.

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within this project, I want to focus on the more human side of music and myself. I feel that ever since I started to focus on studying music I have started to lose those roots that drew me to music. I blame this largely on my anxiety, Whilst studying I feel like an alien and that I shouldn't be in the class due to being mainly a drummer who has only started production a year ago. however, I know this is just in my head and so I will be using this assessment to prove to myself that I am good enough and I am in the right place.

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Down In It was Trent's attempt to write a rap-esque EBM song. I think the outcome is great and lends very well to a remix due to the uptempo vocals.