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After careful consideration, and issues with the uploading process following the formative assignment, I decided to shift directions and start a different song all together.

When working on songs for assignments, I tend to make a collection of beats and choose which of them I feel sparks the most ideas. I never intend to use the songs I create for my work as I feel this adds more pressure to the creation process.

The concept for this track came when flicking through my library and finding a Cymatics guitar loop titled 'forgotten'. I don't tend to use samples without chopping or completely altering the sound, however, after trying everything I could, I thought the original sample was good enough on its own.

The drums came naturally with the guitar and I assembled a kit using some samples in my library to create a very basic 16 bar loop that I built on slowly to eventually create a more varied sound

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My target demographic would mainly be younger adults/late teenagers as I touch a lot of subjects related to issues faced a lot by the youth. I aim to create a wide discography that conveys the emotional range that comes along with trying to find your place in the world - from the moments of joy you get when laughing with friends or just having fun to the moments of despair when you can't find your place in the world or when you lose a loved one or battle addiction and mental health issues etc.

My art is a reflection of the minds of the youth embracing the fun that comes with reckless spending etc. but also embracing the daunting feeling of independence and the lonely journey of self identity

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Now that I had a drum beat and a key to work in, I found bass programming easy, opting for a Reese in the chorus, creating a smooth sound, making the chorus catchier. through the rest of the song until the beat switch, I use an 808 as it complements rap vocals nicely.

I started to work on the arrangement more and formulated the foundations of an intro, chorus and verse to build on. I made the intro fairly empty, as I wanted to convey the feeling of being lost, using reverb to create space without complete silence.

I felt starting with a chorus made the most sense, as it releases all the tension and fills the space left by introducing most of the core sounds immediately, making it more catchy as well.

The theme and concept of the song, came once the arrangement had started to take shape. I used space and rockets as a metaphor for using drugs to escape to space. The intro is the countdown to blastoff while the chorus is the rocket leaving.

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After the verse and 2nd chorus. I wasn't sure where to take the song so I browsed splice for some inspiration and found a loop I thought would sound incredible if it were worked into the song.

I tried to create a 2nd verse with the loop, but incorporating it into the beat I'd already made by this point didn't work, so I decided to try something I haven't done much in the past and make a beat switch and transition.

I decided the guitar had been used too much so I created some chords to complement the guitar.

The transition is my favourite part of the song as the tempo moves down from 125 to 83 BPM, slowing the chords and strummed guitar layer down.

The other instruments are introduced suddenly as the instrumental builds with arpeggios and big synth brass stabs. The strings then accompany the synths creating this big crescendo that leads to this very tense dark sounding loop that then drops into a more energetic and hopeful sounding rap beat as the protagonist of the song potentially overcomes everything and realises their worth.

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Mixing was difficult albeit quite fun. Working out how to get 3 separate basses to fit together with 3 different drums kits was very time consuming. The final mix is still very rough, again due to time constraints.

The guitar mix is very simple as loops tend to be premixed and mastered. It involves a filter that sweeps in the intro and cuts out enough low end to prevent problems with the bass. It then runs through 1176 compression to tighten the stems up and glue them together, EQ to boost some of the mids and finally a stereo imager to enhance the width of the guitars.

The reverb bus for the guitars is where the atmosphere and ambience comes from, running through a 5 second decay stock reverb, tape saturation to warm up the sound, Galaxy tape echo for some delay and extra more ambient sounding reverb, a band pass EQ allowing only the mids and high mids to pass, a compressor side chaining it all to the kick to create a breathing effect and finally a stereo imager for width.

The drums all have some level of compression individually, however the bus consists of an API bus compressor the tighten the drums, a saturation knob to warm the drums up, some EQ slightly boosting the lows and highs, another EQ with dynamics ducking some of the nasty frequencies and finally a transient shaper to sharpen everything up.

Each bass is mixed individually, however, the one I feel works best is the Reese throughout the chorus, using Ableton's Utility to mono everything under 200Hz, a pultec EQ boosting and attenuating 6db around 60Hz to warm the low end of the bass. I then used decapitator to distort and further warm the bass, EQ to soft cut everything under 60Hz and boost around 115, an LA-2A for some slow and heavy compression, another compressor to side chain to the kick opening space in the mix and finally a stereo imager to widen the higher frequencies of the Reese.

Despite there being no vocals, the draft for the chain is here, including lots of saturation and autotune to create the alternative harsh sounding pop rap vocals I usually make.

Similarly to the bass, the synths, keys and strings are all mixed completely separately, however, the synth that stands out to me is the Brassy sounding patch I made in Serum - recreating the synth used in the second half of Travis Scott's 'MY EYES'. The mix isn't as interesting as the patch itself though, as it's quite a complex one. It's a saw and sine wave that are filtered through a low pass. The note velocity changes the attack speed on an envelope, modulating the filter to open up faster or slower depending on the note velocities.

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due to me running out of time, the second version was a UKG remix of the first, altering some of the sounds and rearranging the song to get a very basic track.

I'm a little disappointed with how it turned out, however, I will be working on it in future

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This assignment has taught me a lot in terms of time management and troubleshooting as there was plenty that went wrong.

I loved the initial creation as it came with a lot of ideas for direction, however, I feel I could have done a lot more with the second version but due to time constraints, I had to make it simple.

The initial drafts for vocals were put in place, however, there were issues with the hardware and some troubleshooting that I didn't have time to sort amidst the chaos of December. Though I would have loved to have laid down vocals, I feel like it's something I can work on next time.

I will definitely be recycling the original beat for my own artist works and the album in development and I intend to work on and finalise the remix to sharpen my skills when working with other genres such as UKG.

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SPECIFIC

1. I want to work on my collaborative skills to improve my work rate with others

2. I want to learn a new DAW to become more fluid with my production

3. I want to focus on improving my production speed, efficiency and workflow within this assignment

MEASUREABLE

1. I want to get at least 1.5 minutes of 3 collaborative tracks done in any genre

2. I want to have created and mixed a project using a different DAW (Probably FL Studio or LUNA)

3. I want to work for 30 minutes a day on flash projects, to see how much I can get done in a short amount of time

ATTAINABLE

1. I feel if I organise myself correctly and approach collaborative projects with an open mind, I can achieve this in no time at all due to my fast workrate

2. I can achieve this goal if I organise my time and learn the DAW in stages, starting with the fundamentals and then moving onto more advanced processes

3. This is achievable as I have done this before for 6 months every day. This allowed me to build a good backlog of potential projects to finish and release, while also testing my out of the box thinking and promotes innovation to my overall production techniques

REALISTIC

I believe time wise, each target into 12 weeks on top of assignments may be tricky, but it could help develop my organisational skills and help me get used to being in so many different places in a short amount of time, allowing for me to acclimatise to what it's like as an industry producer and active performing artist.

TIME-BASED

1. I will give myself the full 12 weeks to do this, as it takes careful planning and flexibility to allot work time with someone else

2. I want to have achieved this in 6 weeks, as I feel that is a realistic time frame to grasp what I need to make a basic song.

3. I will continue to do this every day past the 12 week mark, documenting my progress every 6 weeks to see how quick I can get.

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My goals and initial ideas for this assignment are to create an original, fully vocal-ready instrumental composition, in accordance with my career aspirations of being a beat maker & studio/record producer.

The potential opportunities provided are:

Working with sessionists: I am looking at potentially adding a strings section. It would be incredible to work alongside violinists to record, produce and work them into my track.

Inviting an artist to perform on the instrumental: Providing I get the time, I could potentially get an artist to perform their own lyrics on the instrumental, this would be an incredible opportunity to test and develop my skills as a studio producer.

The potential timelines I could work to:

I would usually time myself using stages, separated into days/weeks corresponding with certain tasks and checklists along the creative process

The potential resources available to me are:

There are plenty of resources at my disposal as I have an extensive studio I share with my dad at home, as well as local studios such as Tesla. I have my Mac with Ableton Live 12 and my hardware like my speakers and interface

The potential research I can do:

The potential research I can do would involve mainly YouTube videos but also lecturers/peers, software manuals etc.

The potential challenges I might face are:

I often lose motivation to do tasks at regular intervals

I'm very picky with my creative direction

I get distracted easily

I'm constantly developing and always wanting to put my best foot forward

Skillsets to develop:

Production wise, I could develop my live recording and production. I could also focus on honing my mixing process and competence

In terms of overall assignment performance, I should look towards developing a better mindset and work on staying focused

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My initial ideas definitely involve recording and producing authentic and original material, as I don't find covering a song beneficial or appealing to me personally.

I would like to broaden my horizons to work with others, however, it's likely this will be an independent project, as I need to develop my collaborative skills more outside of an assignment setting, to a point where I feel confident enough to do so.

I may get a chance to gain skills collaboratively, even if it's minor involvement, I want to build myself up to work with others seamlessly. I might also develop a more rigid process in terms of my production as I'm working to a deadline and a brief. I will also get the opportunity to envision my songs in different versions and styles

The main key skillset I will develop is the ability to put my process into words and communicate it effectively.

The challenges I'm likely to face are becoming unmotivated and being distracted. I can avoid this problem by allowing my work to become synonymous with my creative process.

I don't believe there are gaps in my knowledge that will affect me in any meaningful capacity.

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SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths: My strengths are my very established production skills, in terms of my practical work, I feel the only things I can work on are impossible to master such as my individual sound and mixing competence which are things that everyone can always develop even if you're amongst the best in the world. This strength allows me to always already be steps ahead as I can get straight to honing a track ready for submission sooner without the practice and testing stages of certain topics.

Weaknesses: My biggest weakness is my mindset and motivational issues, I have a habit of developing a negative mindset and being unable to motivate myself. This hinders and slows down mainly the documentation process

Opportunities: Some examples of opportunities I could capitalise on are the new updates to live, allowing me to explore new ways to refine my workflow and sound. I also have an opportunity to develop formatting and documenting my process, an ability that, as a producer, will help me to communicate my ideas and processes more directly with clients.

Threats: Some threats I could face would be the motivation issues mainly. Other threats might include, the need to be at home limiting my work time, time management skills and balancing work, education and social lives together that I've never been particularly good at.

As of now, I don't think there are any techniques or teachings introduced to me in lessons that would change or benefit my production as I'm already very confident with my practical skills

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GIBBS REFLECTIVE CYCLE

DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED

After lessons on synth designs this week, I looked at enhancing my understanding of advanced sound design techniques I can use to tailor sounds to a track, specifically using serum and wavetable synthesis. I wanted to incorporate this into my music to demonstrate a full understanding of the capabilities of programs like serum, vital and massive

Specifically, I wanted to learn how to use the velocity modulator, in tandem with an envelope, to affect the timbre of a synth patch. I did some research and in my downtime came across a video* addressing exactly what I wanted to create but not going into too much detail, allowing me to understand how it works - without directly telling me how to achieve it, challenging me to work to figure it out.

*VIDEO LINK FROM TIMESTAMP: https://youtu.be/ZW27RQ9sDuk?t=876

WHAT WERE YOUR FEELINGS?

After some time working to figure out a technique, I was getting frustrated due to it not working as intended.

I managed to recreate the synth nearly identically, teaching me a technique to utilise in the future to create dynamic and varied instruments and sounds which was really liberating and a big achievement which would impact the way I produced in future.

WHAT WENT WELL? AND WHAT DIDN'T?

I managed to achieve the goal I set out for myself which meant the practice paid off.

I feel that at first, I objected to researching out of stubbornness and it took me longer than necessary to achieve my goal. This could be an example of what didn't go so well.

ANALYSIS

I feel that my individualism can be a double edged sword as it allows me to push myself to learn from my own mistakes and effectively challenge my own abilities, but it can also lead to me getting sidetracked or taking longer than necessary to complete a task, rejecting help when it's beneficial.

CONCLUSION

I feel I need to start to work with other people to understand and acknowledge different ways to learn. I need to allow myself to reflect on my own process when it comes to learning, understanding that no style or techniques are inherently better, just different and the benefits to taking those in, could be opportunities to develop in certain areas.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS

I will push myself to work with others and streamline my ability to reflect on those experiences. I will also try various music production methods and workflows to adapt to situations that may require a different process or technique

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

WHAT DEVELOPMENTS DO I WANT TO EXPAND ON

I want to continue to develop my efficiency and workflow when it comes to composing, arranging and mixing my own original material to improve my performance as a client-based producer and beat maker.

Next semester I also want to try to broaden my horizons to other DAWs and production methods to refine and streamline my work anywhere with any equipment.

WHAT I'M DOING NOW THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THESE DEVELOPMENTS

I work a lot on original compositions in my own time. I've been working towards putting together an album and experimenting with blending genres together.

HOW CAN I MEASURE MY DEVELOPMENTS

I can apply challenges and restrictions to my creative process and use regular written analysis after every creative session, to critically assess what I've done differently to my usual workflow and determine how well it worked and document any effective techniques I've used or come up with.

WHAT WORKED AND WHAT HASNT

I've always worked incredibly quickly, usually completing industry level pre-masters in 10-12 hours. Using this model and workflow, I have managed to develop the amount I can do within that timeframe significantly (for example) 'Knife Tricks' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I4WQzulIYM was the first song I published under my 'CodeNameCloud' moniker. I composed, arranged, recorded and mixed the song in 11 hours, however, the mix is very rough around the edges and quite simple in terms of composition. comparing that to a more recent track such as 'Franz Ferdinand' which was made in a similar timeframe, there is a clear improvement on my skills with efficiency and quality when producing to a short deadline and timeframe.

An example of something that hasn't worked is forcing myself to work outside of the creative mind state. This is a common problem within this line of work, that the best of the best even struggle with. However, what separates the best from everyone else, is the ability to toggle that mind state and create something from nothing at any time. I want to develop this skill and learn methods to pick up my DAW and work whenever I need to force myself to create.

SONG LINKS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I4WQzulIYM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Kq55_ozm8&pp=ygUdZnJhbnogZmVyZGluYW5kIGNvZGVuYW1lY2xvdWQ%3D

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RISK ASSESSMENT

RISKS & HAZARDS

Cables & Trip Hazards -

When loose equipment and cables are scattered around the floor, it can create trip hazards and potential dangerous situations for me (as the producer), the client, and members of family who use the room (being as it's a home studio)

The risk here can be mitigated by ensuring cables are appropriately routed and covered if necessary, all equipment is packed away after usage or put in a secure usable location while in use.

People should be made aware of the risks present upon entering the room if no control measures can be put in place due to needing usage of the equipment in a specific place.

Noise & Volume Hazards -

In environments such as studios, there is an ever-present risk of high volumes and feedback. In this case, a producer/engineer should be checking volumes regularly and utilising safe monitor isolation procedures to ensure no dangerously loud bangs, pops or crackles happen when plugging in/unplugging equipment

Electricity & Fire Hazards -

Big concentrations of electrical equipment using mains electric poses a significant fire hazard. Equipment should be appropriately checked and PAT tested (Portable Appliance Test) as per the regulations and requirements at the intervals stated by the person testing. Racks and cabinets require adequate ventilation and airways should not be obstructed

Manual Handling & Storage Management -

Studios often house equipment that can exceed a safe weight to lift without proper form and training. It's important to make sure to use adequate form and lifting safety protocol when manual handling, if the equipment exceeds safe lifting standards for an individual - get assistance from someone to help lift with you.

Another risk related to storage and handling is falling objects and shelving, as studios tend to have lots of storage units such as shelves. You can make sure the shelf is secure and safe by checking it regularly. Check the unit's load capacity and ensure nothing exceeds the unit's limits

Ergonomics & Comfort -

A studio used daily can pose health risks such as back problems, neck problems, hand and tendon issues and eye strain etc. if the office space and occupational health standards aren't met. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-government-workplace-design-guide

Ensure the desk is at a suitable height for you and, the chair provides optimal back support. Take regular breaks from a seated position to mitigate eye strain and use any additional supports to minimise potential health risks.

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This Government Workplace Design Guide is one of a suite of guidance documents and standards setting out the aspirations for our workspaces.

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FORMATIVE REFLECTION

DID THE FORMATIVE GO ACCORDING TO PLAN? IF NOT, WHY NOT

Unfortunately due to procrastination, I didn't end up handing my tracks in, as I couldn't decide whether the one I was working on originally was the one I wanted to go forwards with.

My padlet, however, looked good and demonstrated some positive development with feedback comments complimenting my 'thoughtful approach'

I think I could have handled the formative much better by organising myself and having a plan and procedure to follow.

ARE YOU ON TRACK ACCORDING TO YOUR ORIGINAL SCHEDULE

I would say I was on track to finish everything in a timely manner but in the end, I failed to submit both the formative and summative due to disorganisation throughout the entire semester.

DO PRIORITIES NEED TO CHANGE IN ORDER TO MEET DEADLINES

Yes, with hindsight after finishing the entire year, I realise need(ed) to focus on my attention on really nailing in what needs to be done in terms of the development diary and written work.

I need(ed) to stop procrastinating and develop a habit of non-stop logging to ensure I don't miss anything out of my padlet, ensuring top marks.

DO MINI-DEADLINES NEED TO MOVE (FORWARDS OR BACKWARDS) FROM THOSE ORIGINALLY PREDICTED?

I don't work too strictly to mini-deadlines, more so using them as a guide to see what needs doing, from there I'll organise and implement based on how I feel and what makes sense to do at that point.

In this case though, I would say yes, some of the mixing and creative process could have been left to do in the last couple of weeks instead of rushing the practical to completion.

HAVE ANY UNFORESEEN CHALLENGES COME UP SINCE THE START OF THIS MODULE?

I had a lot of challenges come up in the first semester that were completely out of my control. I had a lot of issues at home requiring me to divert my attention away from work and travel to and from home more.

I had a lot of issues with understanding the briefs and requirements for the work and motivating myself to just get it done.

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES?

Since then, to combat this as best as possible, I invested in a Mac that allows me to work from anywhere, instead of using my desktop for everything.

As per understanding the work, I will make sure to book in 1-1s with the staff at waterbear, namely Dan and Carmel, to ensure I'm always on the right lines and on track for top marks.

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The decision to submit this track was simply based on what I think was my best foot to put forward as a demonstration of my art. Normally, I would scan my hard drive and select an idea I already have laid out, from a pre-prepared batch, to work on and develop and - after a lot of deliberation - I chose this song because from the pool of starting points, it gave me the most coherent idea for an end point.

My goal was to create an original piece of music, composed as an intro to a concept album, about a journey to finding oneself expressed through a metaphorical 'journey through space'. I figured the instrumental needed to be a powerful and emotionally driven epic, while remaining catchy and digestible, to fit the target audience of troubled young people. At some point during the production stage, I decided to incorporate a beat switch as this is something I had never attempted before but I felt would also fit the tone and purpose of what I had planned - breaking expectations and delivering a surprise to keep the listener engaged and ready for what's to come. Most importantly, I saw this as an opportunity to develop my skills in working to a brief and delivering a high quality and well-thought-out product.

Most of the main track was built around 3 main loops from a Cymatics library, putting emphasis on my mixing and creative direction, rather than my compositional skills. I programmed the drums and composed everything other than the guitars, though, with hindsight, I wish I'd have recorded my own guitars in.

I didn't do much research, besides a couple of tidbits from videos, helping me grasp more advanced techniques on XFER's Serum, as this was something I saw I could develop on. I'm already a fairly well-versed producer and feel I have enough of a grasp on creating & mixing music without needing to research much.

My project planning and time management could have been much better, as this would have allowed me to have more clear and concise ideas for both my padlet entries and second version of my song. After completing my first submission, I struggled for ideas for my comparable alternate version, ultimately opting for a very simple garage remix of the original, though it turned out better than I originally thought after reviewing my work at the end of the year. My planning was brief and my preparation was minimalistic, using the method of music production that works best for me as I like to go in with no expectations or plans and work based on feelings and decisions. I faced huge issues with motivation and learned a lesson on time management with my final submission, as I just missed the deadline by a couple of minutes due to exporting taking longer than expected.

I was really happy with the result of the first track. As previously stated, it started with a basic idea, that became a concept. I started with 3 guitar loops and a couple ideas for direction, but chose to do a mellow alternative pop track as this suited the kind of album I would release as an artist. I started chopping the guitar samples into smaller sections that I could arrange into an ABAC structure starting with the chorus following the intro, Layering each section according to what I felt sounded the closest to what I had in mind. The drums were programmed according to what I could hear in my head at the time and the bass was simply following the melody and chords.

Knowing I wanted to eventually arrive at a beat switch, it took a few days of listening back to what I had to understand where I wanted to go, arriving at the idea to create a huge orchestral break. Using violin VST's and various serum patches, I began arranging various chord layers and counter melodies into a crescendoing transition, including a synth I liked the sound of from 'MY EYES' by Travis Scott, which I recreated to the best of my ability using a video by Aiden Kenway, titled 'How Travis Scott's 'MY EYES' Was Made' and automated the tempo to drop from 125 to 80.

The second beat I made double timed to the tempo of 80bpm so it picks the pace up while the melody plays repetitive suspenseful phrases. This is meant to create the feeling of running out of time which, paired with lyrics, would be a great way to convey the intended message, however, I ran out of time and ideas to write lyrics and record vocals and the logistics were difficult, as I was back and forth between Sheffield and home. The mixing was quite simple and nothing really stands out as special or different and I would have loved to potentially get someone else involved to see what it could have sounded like, as initially I mixed on bad monitors which ended up sabotaging me later down the line, causing a couple weeks of adjustments.

The second track I felt could have done with more attention and work, as it was a stripped back version of the original with some extra elements and different drums. Though at the time, I wasn't keen on the end result, I've recently gone back to listen and feel as though I was way too critical at first. I liked what I did with the lead synth and drums and I like the sections of half time.

I did a lot of working aside from the assignment, though nothing much aside from creating plenty of ideas and a couple of release ready tracks. I would really like to get more active with my exterior development, especially with collaborative work and live performance and I would also like to step up my time management and organisational skills to effectively complete my assignments to the highest possible standard. I've learned that I am an incredibly capable student and producer, though I need to apply myself much more and maintain my focus to achieve better results next time

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Kenway, A. (2024). How Travis Scott’s ‘MY EYES’ Was Made. [online] Youtu.be. Available at: https://youtu.be/ZW27RQ9sDuk?t=876 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].

CodeNameCloud and Farrall, L. (2024). FRANZ FERDINAND - CodeNameCloud. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Kq55_ozm8 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].

CodeNameCloud and Farrall, L. (2023). Knife Tricks. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I4WQzulIYM [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].

TravisScottVEVO (2023). Travis Scott - MY EYES (Official Audio). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pildU9lK6vM.

GOV.UK (n.d.). The Government Workplace Design Guide. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-government-workplace-design-guide.