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1.1 What is this module and what does it require?

1.2 Where do I fit in within the musical landscape?

1.3 My current SWOT analysis

1.4 Reflection on coursework and feedback from Level 4

1.5 My SMART Targets for this module

1.6 Gibbs reflective cycle for week 1

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1.1 What is this module and what does it require?:

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1.1 What is this module and what does it require?:

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The purpose of this module is to research two of my influences and analyse the techniques they use to compose and produce their tracks. From this, I aim to discover how their work impacts my own personal sound. Every artist has their own musical landscape, but the foundations of this landscape are often supported by the work we are inspired by.

This module requires me to create two tracks -or multiple tracks totalling 7 to 10mins-, accompanied by program notes detailing the where, how, and why behind my creative decisions. In addition, I have been tasked with creating a Padlet documenting my progress for this module. I must also produce a case study on two artists of my choosing, in which I will examine the production techniques used throughout two of their tracks. This will include a reflection on their importance as artists and how they influence my sound.

The purpose of this module is to research two of my influences and analyse the techniques they use to compose and produce their tracks. From this, I aim to discover how their work impacts my own personal sound. Every artist has their own musical landscape, but the foundations of this landscape are often supported by the work we are inspired by.

This module requires me to create two tracks, accompanied by program notes detailing the where, how, and why behind my creative decisions. In addition, I have been tasked with creating a Padlet documenting my progress for this module. I must also produce a case study on two artists of my choosing, in which I will examine the production techniques used throughout two of their tracks. This will include a reflection on their importance as artists and how they influence my sound.

The academic expectations that have changed from level four to level five are that I am now required to produce program notes to analyse my own tracks, these notes allow me to explain how culture and history have impacted the way I make music. Another change is that I have to analyse my influences more critically, delving into their performance and production techniques and how they influence my own music while evaluating how these artists were able to make it within the industry. This task is not as simple as making two tracks in the style of an influential artist's name, but celebrating how their work shows within my own music and where it does not impact my own productions.

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1.2 Where do I fit in within the musical landscape?:

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1.2 Where do I fit in within the musical landscape?:

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I believe that my role within the musical landscape as a media composer is to use music in conjunction with visual aids to enhance storytelling in a piece of media. From the taxonomy of my music, as shown within this post, I aim to fit in with many genres to be able to craft the tone required for the projects I will work on, however, at this current point in time I would say I fit within the Epic Orchestral genre and use elements of Cinematic and Ambient music to aid my Instrumental pieces.

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PDF displaying my SWOT analysis for last semester and this semseter

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My progress and changes from my previous level 4 SWOT analysis to now in level 5:

Improved understanding of transitions, with some room for improvement as to how to use production techniques to improve transition effectiveness.

Demonstration of dynamics within a piece regarding using MIDI CCs and note velocity, however, note velocity needs to be approached more carefully and I need to work on not just making the instruments dynamic but the whole track dynamic.

Improved understanding of mixing techniques, especially with enhancing the low end, something I previously struggled with.

Improved my confidence in putting myself out there as an artist and expanding my network.

Still some lack of confidence within my own ability, however, this has improved from last time and I am now more confident than I was last semester,

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Screenshot of the feedback I received last semester

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1.4 Reflection on coursework and feedback from Level 4:

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1.4 Reflection on coursework and feedback from Level 4:

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Receiving this feedback from level 4 has been both encouraging and constructive for my development as both a composer and producer. The praise I have received regarding my use of "strong melodic ideas and understanding of genre conventions" allowed me to realise how much I have improved during my time at WaterBear. I am particularly encouraged by the comments about my arrangements being "musically sensitive", as it affirms my focus on emotional connection and narrative through music, which is resonating.

However, I do take the points regarding the dynamic variation, more careful velocity programming, and contrast in mood and intensity seriously. I am now more aware that, while my arrangements may be musically sound, I need to focus more on these elements to make my pieces more emotionally engaging. As a result of this feedback I intend to adapt this feedback into SMART targets for this module and am already thinking as to how I can allow for my piece to be more dynamic as a whole to enable the piece to move forward rather than feeling stagnant, having music evolve is key to creating an emotionally engaging composition and I am glad to have this feedback now so I can work on solving this issue I have.

In addition to this, I am very pleased that my organisation and reflective work are "commendable". Using this knowledge I can see that I am on the right path to improving as a composer being able to reflect on the problems with my pieces and strive to find a solution to those issues while also being able to portray this growth effectively through documentation on a multi-media diary.

Overall, this feedback reassures me that I am capable of delivering work to a higher standard than I initially perceived myself capable of, and, with the highlighted areas I need to improve upon, I am now able to take this opportunity to grow as an artist and further hone my craft to take my compositions to the next level.

Being able to receive feedback is important to me as it enables me to apply the feedback and demonstrate a growth mindset when it comes to my work on this course, each element of feedback allows me to understand where I have improved and what I could be doing better which indicates to me that the feedback is helping as quite often I receive new feedback for each assignment rather than the same notes over and over again.

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1. To have dynamically evolving tracks

By June 30th, 2025, I will have the structure and arrangement of three tracks developed in order to include dynamically evolving elements, such as instrumental layering, changes in texture, changes in mood, or automation, ensuring each piece demonstrates at least two moments of clear progression.

2. To create tracks that celebrate my chosen influences and inspirations

By August 15th, 2025, I will complete at least two tracks that incorporate ideas that celebrate two of my key musical influences. I will document this through the use of Padlet where I will provide brief supporting notes explaining how their characteristics are represented in my work.

3. To achieve the assignment deadlines by completing creative and research components

I will have at least two draft tracks and progress on my case study research prepared for the formative assessment on June 30th, 2025. I will then refine, mix, and master those tracks, and complete the programme notes and case study for the final summative submission by August 15th, 2025.

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Description:

In week one I explored what the aims of this module are and how level 5 differs from level 4, I also explored where I may fit in within the musical landscape, revisited my previous SWOT analysis, and conducted a new SWOT analysis to compare the improvements and changes that have been made when moving from level 4 to level 5, I then reflected upon the feedback I received from level 4 and used this to create SMART targets for this module.

Feelings:

This week I felt inspired to get back into creating music for my assignments, energised and motivated to get to work on progressing my work for this module while being optimistic towards improving my work in line with the constructive feedback I received.

Evaluation:

This week allowed me to really think more in-depth about what is required of me for this assignment, and more in-depth about where I fit in as an artist which is helpful as I am still building up a portfolio and skillset to then transition into working within the music industry. I also found that being able to reflect upon how far I have come as a composer, producer, and student has allowed me to further understand that I am fully capable of achieving my goals for both this module and this course as a whole through the provided feedback I received displaying growth as a composer and student and my own SWOT analysis showing my evolution as an artist and person.

Analysis:

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse the feedback I received from last semesters submission and take both the positive and negative points to inform my SMART targets for this semester, I was also able to analyse how I have evolved as an artist throughout my time on this course when reflecting upon my previous SWOT analysis and comparing it to my SWOT analysis for level 5.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, week one as a whole went very well as it provided me with more insight into how I am improving overall as an artist while providing me with the necessary steps to take in order to further better myself as an artist and get even closer to my main goal of becoming a media composer.

Action plan:

Create a list of my inspirations and influences.

Highlight some potential artists to focus on for my case study.

Sketch out my ideas for my tracks for this module.

Continue weekly reflection to monitor my progress throughout this module.

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2.1 My Inspirations and Influences

2.2 My top 5 inspirations/influences with one artist in depth (LO8)

2.3 Ideas for Track one (LO2 + LO3)

2.4 Ideas for Track two (LO2 + LO3)

2.5 Ideas for Track three (LO2 + LO3)

2.6 Gibbs reflective cycle for week 2

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Image of my Inspirations and Influences mood board

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When looking into creating this list, I decided to research exactly what an influence and inspiration is;

"Inspiration sparks an emotional quickening. It uplifts, infuses us with hope, generates new ideas, and gives us the sense of possibility and faith." (Morris, 2016).

"Influence exerts a specific, directive force to provoke change on a sometimes daily or consistent basis. Influence makes things happen." (Morris, 2016).

After considering this description, I deduced that inspiration is a reaction to a particular subject that sparks an immediate idea or creative response, while an influence is something more long-term that shapes your core stylistic intentions, decision-making, and overall creative direction over time.

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My Inspirations and Influences Mood Board

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PDF containing my top 5 influences/inspirations for this module, with some references made in the bibliography that support some of my arguments and claims

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2.2 My top 5 inspirations/influences with one artist in depth (LO8):

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2.2 My top 5 inspirations/influences with one artist in depth (LO8):

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I have merged this task with the task to explore a chosen artist's influences, the artist I have chosen to do this for is Yoann Laulan. As I have referenced in the PDF attached to this post Laulan draws inspiration from Flamenco, Epic drums, and a sense of dread, however, in more detail "There’s some Woodkid in the epicness and the drums, some Rosa Crvx for the dark mood and drums. It was also influenced by other classical composers such as Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, and Antonin Dvorak." (Jarman & Laulan, 2020).

Taking this into account I can see the second-hand inspirations I have from being inspired by Laulan's work on the Dead Cells' soundtrack.

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1.1 References list using Harvard referencing:

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1.1 References list using Harvard referencing:

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Andersen, A., Lukas, A. and Everingham, J. (2022) Working in sound: An interview with Frozen Planet II co-composers Adam Lukas & James Everingham. Soundlister.com. Available at: https://soundlister.com/working-in-sound-frozen-planet-2-composers/ (Accessed: 26 June 2025).

Beek, M. (2022) Who has written the music for Frozen Planet II? Classical Music. Available at: https://www.classical-music.com/features/tv-and-film-music/who-wrote-music-for-frozen-planet-ii (Accessed: 18 July 2025).

BBC Earth (2022) Hans Zimmer Composes Frozen Planet II – Behind the Scenes. YouTube video, added by BBC Earth [Online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWIbW56lokM (Accessed: 18 July 2025).

Brennan, M., Zimmer, H. and Howard, J.N. (2008) Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard - Interview. Soundtrack.net. Available at: https://www.soundtrack.net/content/article/?id=256 (Accessed: 11 June 2025).

Cambridge Dictionary (n.d.a) Aesthetic | English meaning. Cambridge Dictionary. Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/aesthetic (Accessed: 16 July 2025).

Cambridge Dictionary (n.d.b) Aesthetics | English meaning. Cambridge Dictionary. Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/aesthetics (Accessed: 16 July 2025).

Chosic (2025) Top artists of orchestral soundtrack music genre. Chosic. Available at: https://www.chosic.com/genre-chart/orchestral-soundtrack/ (Accessed: 11 June 2025).

Hanna, W. (2024) Aural analysis - Romantic Flight. Scribd. Available at: https://www.scribd.com/document/707497853/Aural-Analysis-Romantic-Flight (Accessed: 17 June 2025).

Hancock, L. (n.d.) Six ways loss of Arctic ice impacts everyone. WWF. Available at: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/six-ways-loss-of-arctic-ice-impacts-everyone (Accessed: 18 July 2025).

Jarman, C. and Laulan, Y. (2020) High scores: Yoann Laulan’s ongoing, jam-centric ‘Dead Cells’ soundtrack. Bandcamp Daily. Available at: https://daily.bandcamp.com/high-scores/high-scores-yoann-laulan-interview (Accessed: 05 June 2025).

kingofthewilderwest (2016) How to train your dragon analyses. Tumblr. Available at: https://analyticaldragons.tumblr.com/post/147472813793/have-i-ever-mentioned-that-i-love-your-blog (Accessed: 26 June 2025).

László, K. and Powell, J. (2006) Different ways – Interview with John Powell. Filmzene.net. Available at: https://www.filmzene.net/interviews/477-different-ways-interview-with-john-powell (Accessed: 16 July 2025).

Lehman, F. (2015) Manufacturing the epic score - Hans Zimmer .... Franklehman.com. Available at: https://franklehman.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2016-Manufacturing-the-Epic-Score-Music-Epic-Film-Routledge-1.pdf (Accessed: 25 June 2025).

Master the Score (2024) Master the Score: How to write cinematic music. Music Composition Online | Master The Score. Available at: https://www.masterthescore.com/article/how-to-write-cinematic-music (Accessed: 16 July 2025).

Morris, C. (2016) Influence vs. Inspiration vs. Motivation: Understanding Why Influence Wins in the End. Keller Institute. Available at: https://www.kellerinstitute.com/blog/influence-vs-inspiration-vs-motivation-understanding-why-influence-wins-end-0#:~:text=Inspiration%20sparks%20an%20emotional%20quickening,Influence%20makes%20things%20happen (Accessed: 04 June 2025).

Ouranio Recordings (n.d.) How Hans Zimmer’s sound design revolutionized epic music. Ouranio Recordings. Available at: https://ouraniorecordings.com/how-hans-zimmers-sound-design-revolutionized-epic-music/ (Accessed: 16 July 2025).

Paterson, J. (n.d.) John Powell - Bourne to compose. MFiles. Available at: https://www.mfiles.co.uk/composers/John-Powell.htm (Accessed: 16 July 2025).

Powell, J. (2019) Third date How to Train Your Dragon Inside the Track #31 - Videos. Mix with the Masters. Available at: https://mixwiththemasters.com/videos/john-powell-how-to-train-your-dragon-third-date/part/2 (Accessed: 05 June 2025).

Powell, J. (2025) Romantic Flight (Live Action Rendition) – How to Train Your Dragon. YouTube video, directed by DreamWorks. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imb7I9AzRZk (Accessed: 17 June 2025).

Price, A. and Zimmer, H. (2018) Hans Zimmer interview - The art of film scoring. MusicTech. Available at: https://musictech.com/features/hans-zimmer-interview/ (Accessed: 16 July 2025).

Screenedweb (2018) Summary of ‘Technology and aesthetics of film sound’. Screenedweb. Available at: https://screenedweb.wordpress.com/2018/04/16/summary-of-technology-and-aesthetics-of-film-sound/ (Accessed: 16 July 2025).

Smith, C.E. (2017) An analysis of film score production and composition traits implemented within the works of Hans Zimmer. Academia.edu. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/34999459/An_Analysis_of_Film_Score_Production_and_Composition_Traits_implemented_within_the_works_of_Hans_Zimmer (Accessed: 05 June 2025).

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3.1 Finding connections to between the music I like (LO8)

3.2 Narrowing down my artists for my case study

3.3.1 Progress towards Track one - MIDI (LO2 + LO3)

3.3.2 Progress towards Track one - Audio (LO3)

3.4.1 Progress towards Track three - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8)

3.4.2 Progress towards Track three - Audio (LO3)

3.5 Gibbs reflective cycle for week 3

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An image of a my notes for my idea for track one

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Above is a rough sketch of the direction I wish to take for my first track for this module. When referencing back to my feedback from last semester I wanted to think about how I could make a piece of music dynamic and I believe this is my answer. This track concept is a demonstration of a dynamic piece of music as it includes elements that evolve, with some elements leaving and some remaining but acting differently, for example where light percussion enters to build up the glacier melting and then a much harder percussion hit plays to signify the glacier melting, then being followed up by a choir section to shift the mood once again.

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An image of my notes for my idea for track two

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Here is a rough structure for my idea for track two. The concept of the track is to have a dread inducing mechanical feel. I have not worked out the transitions yet, however, I plan to use cymbals to accomplish one successful transition.

By structuring my track this way I believe I have allowed for my track to shift in dynamics and mood throughout its playtime as I have included changes in dynamics through not just the way an instrument is played but also to where it comes in and where the instruments may exit.

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An image of a my notes for my idea for track three

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Above is a rough concept for a song structure for a chase scene. I struggled with putting my ideas down within this format and I am not too sure whether I have displayed exactly what I intend to do with this track well through this medium.

However, I have demonstrated some semblance of a dynamic structure by detailing where to introduce elements and take elements away/dial them back, and with how aggressive the percussion is, which in the case of this track is the drive for the whole piece.

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4.1 My case study so far (LO8)

4.2 My risk assessment for this module

4.3 A change in direction for track two along with a new plan for how I will approach composing this track (LO2 + LO8)

4.4.1 Progress towards Track two - MIDI (LO2 + LO3)

4.4.2 Progress towards Track two - Audio (LO3)

4.5.1 Expanding on my previous idea and altering the motif for Track two - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8)

4.5.2 Expanding on my previous idea and altering the motif for Track two - Audio (LO3)

4.6.1 Introducing Horns and adding automation for Track two - MIDI (LO2 + LO3)

4.6.2 Introducing Horns and adding automation for Track two - Audio (LO3)

4.7.1 Track three adding some horn swells and altering the velocities slightly - MIDI (LO2 + LO3)

4.7.2 Track three adding some horn swells and altering the velocities slightly - Audio (LO3)

4.8 Gibbs reflective cycle for week 4

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5.1 My case study with the track breakdowns (LO8)

5.2 How does my work link with LO2, LO3 and LO8

5.3.1 Added string ensemble and violin ostinato Track three - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8)

5.3.2 Added string ensemble and violin ostinato Track three - Audio (LO3)

5.4.1 Programming automation and adding new elements to Track one - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8)

5.4.2 Programming automation and adding new elements to Track one - Audio (LO3)

5.5.1 - Reprogramming the dynamics and developing my ideas further Track two - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8)

5.5.2 Reprogramming the dynamics and developing my ideas further Track two - Audio (LO3)

5.6 Subtractive EQ and panning - Track one (LO2)

5.7 Panagement 2 settings - Track two (LO2)

5.8 Gibbs reflective cycle for week 5

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6.1 What are Value Propositions and USP's

6.2.1 Adding some more percussive elements Track three - MIDI (LO2 + LO3)

6.2.2 Adding some more percussive elements Track three - Audio (LO3)

6.3.1 Adding in elements I felt were missing in Track three - MIDI (LO2 + LO3)

6.3.2 Adding in elements I felt were missing in Track three - Audio (LO3)

6.4 Lining up the elements Track three - MIDI (LO2 + LO3)

6.5 Reductive EQ - Track three (LO2)

6.6 Panagement 2 settings - Track three (LO2)

6.7 Compression to glue my third track together (LO2)

6.8 My third track so far Demo (LO3)

6.9 My feedback from the summative

6.10 My Case Study so far (LO8)

6.11 Gibbs reflective cycle for week 6

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7.1 What is an aesthetic and why are they necessary? (LO8)

7.2.1 Hans Zimmer's aesthetic and aesthetics (LO8)

7.2.2 John Powell's aesthetic and aesthetics (LO8)

7.3 Reflecting on the aesthetics of my music

7.4 My demo Track one of Track One so far (LO3)

7.5.1 Expanding upon my creative ideas for Track one - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8)

7.5.2 Automating the panning of my earthquake drum (LO2)

7.6.1 Composing the mourning choir and the ending of Track one - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8)

7.6.2 Composing the mourning choir and the ending of Track one - Audio (LO3)

7.7 My final demo for Track one before mixing and a reflection on this track so far (LO3 + LO8)

7.8 Gibbs reflective cycle for week 7

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8.1 What are programme notes?

8.2 My programme notes so far (LO2)

8.3 My updated case study so far (LO8)

8.4 Decision as to whether I should focus on two tracks or three

8.5 What production techniques do I need to add to my tracks?

8.6 Gibbs reflective cycle for week 8

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9.1 What has this module been for?

9.2 My updated case study so far (LO8)

y updated case study so far (LO8)9.3.1 Adding a melody to the beginning of Track three - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8)

9.3.2 Adding a melody to the beginning of Track three - Audio (LO3)

9.4 Expanding the length of Track three - MIDI (LO2 + LO3)

9.5 My programme notes so far (LO2):

9.6 My final demo for Track three [Mixed] and a reflection on this track so far (LO3 + LO8)

9.7 Distance travelled throughout this module and What is MY SOUND?

9.8 Gibbs reflective cycle for week 9

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All of the underlined text in this Padlet is a clickable hyperlink that will direct you to whatever the text is referring to.

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10.1 Feedback I received from people I shared my tracks with

10.2.1 Mixing A Glacier's Lament (LO2)

10.2.2 Mixing Track one - A Glacier's Lament - Audio Demo (LO3)

10.3 Acting on my feedback for track one - MIDI (LO3)

10.4 My final demo for track one before mastering (LO3 + LO8)

10.5 Acting on my feedback for track three (LO3)

10.6 My final demo for track three before Mastering (LO3 + LO8)

10.7 Mastering 'The Relentless Engine' (LO2)

10.8 Mastering 'A Glacier's Lament' (LO2)

10.9 My finished Programme notes (LO2 + LO8)

10.10 My finished Case Study Research (LO8)

10.11 Making sure I have all of my documents ready for the assignment submission

10.12 Gibbs reflective cycle for week 10

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1.1 References list using Harvard referencing

1.2 References list using Harvard referencing

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Description:

In week two I created a mood board detailing my inspirations and influences and then narrowed this list down into a top 5. After that, I was able to choose one artist to explore their influences and inspirations. I then created rough track structure plans for the three tracks I desire to create for this module.

Feelings:

This week I still felt very inspired to create these tracks, however, somewhat doubtful of my ideas. Despite this doubt setting in I wish to persevere and start creating the tracks I have planned out, even if they do not go exactly according to plan.

Evaluation:

This week allowed me to focus more in-depth on how my inspirations and influences impact the work I have done in the past and how they can impact my work within this module and future works, being able to distinguish people that I once thought as influences to be inspirations and vice versa has improved my understanding even more as to what this module is about.

Analysis:

As part of the analysis, I was able to deeply analyse one of my chosen artist's own influences and inspirations which gave me some more insight into why they compose and produce music the way they do.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, week two as a whole went pretty well as it gave me some more insights into how my inspirations and influences affect my work. However, having some doubts has put a dampener on my mood approaching next week's work but I aim to not let it deter me.

Action plan:

Narrow down my inspirations and influences to at least two choices for my case study.

Create a template to write my case study.

Start to record my musical ideas.

Continue weekly reflection to monitor my progress throughout this module.

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Highlighted text are key words/events within a post that relate to my aims/SMART targets so I can keep track of when and where I am focussing on meeting the targets I have set myself.

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3.1 Finding connections to between the music I like (LO8):

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3.1 Finding connections to between the music I like (LO8):

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I found that for the music I like to create, the Music map was not very helpful, as there was no clear link for orchestral soundtracks other than classical music, which is rooted in many genres. I could not interact with these connections, so I have decided to conduct further research into this topic.

After looking at the sources available from Chosic.com I searched orchestral soundtrack where I found a graph showing that the popularity of the orchestral soundtrack was at its highest in the 2010s and then declined in popularity in the 2020s (Chosic, 2025). The links I have found for my chosen genre are that its parent genre is classical music which stems from its heavy use of classical orchestral instruments such as Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass.

To support this connection, I found a quote from Hans Zimmer discussing his work on the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack "And it's-- The music is really big. And he's in a little rowboat with a little sail, and you hear this huge orchestra. Because that's the music he hears in the-- in his head, because he's the greatest pirate that has ever lived in his imagination." (Zimmer & Stahl, 2023). From this, I can infer that Hans Zimmers use of a large and bombastic classical orchestra for such a small and insignificant site like Jack Sparrow being in a small row boat allowed him to portray the characters personality through the music alone.

I also found that there are many different stems of the orchestral soundtrack genre, originating from specific countries such as Japan and Canada, as well as various cultures, including Celtic and Nordic (Chosic, 2025). With this knowledge, I am able to see how many different variations of one genre can exist.

I also found out how highly ranked some of my favourite soundtrack composers are which demonstrated how impactful they are as artists within their respective genre. For example, based on Spotify rankings; Hans Zimmer is at rank number three with 4,560,644 followers, John Powell sits just below him at rank number four with 277,643 followers and for a final artist Nobuo Uematsu sits at rank nine with 346,862 followers (Chosic, 2025).

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3.2 Narrowing down my artists for my case study:

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3.2 Narrowing down my artists for my case study:

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After carefully thinking about my options for my case study research for this module I have landed on three potential artists to perform the case study on. These artists are Hans Zimmer, Yoann Laulan, and John Powell.

I have chosen these three artists to potentially conduct a case study on as they have either had a permanent impact on my work as an aritst or, in the case of Yoann Laulan, have been a more recent inspiration to me.

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Screenshot of the MIDI data so far for my first track for this module

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3.3.1 Progress towards Track one - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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3.3.1 Progress towards Track one - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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For my idea for the first track of this module, I drew heavy inspiration from the Frozen Planet 2 original soundtrack as I recently rewatched it and found myself listening to Hans Zimmer's work very often. As a result of this, I wanted to try my hand at creating an atmospheric soundtrack based on a frozen climate and to do so I landed on exploring the idea telling the story of an iceberg melting through music.

I began with sparse instrumentation to emphasise the atmospheric qualities of a desolate icy landscape. I portrayed this through introducing soft icy string textures that slowly crescendoed and decrescendoed, which is demonstrated by the MIDI CC automation in the bottom left corner of the image attached to this post, as the piano comes in, in doing this I am able to maintain this sparcity within my composition.

When the piano enters I layered two different types of piano, both different presets from the Fracture sounds Glacier keys library, in layering these pianos together I am able to have a softer felt piano as the main sound with a more jangly and chimey sounding piano layered beneath it alongside the pads that come with the piano for a sense of atmospheric sound design.

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The audio for my my current progress towards my first track for this module

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3.3.2 Progress towards Track one - Audio (LO3):

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3.3.2 Progress towards Track one - Audio (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Screenshot of the MIDI data so far for my third track for this module

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3.4.1 Progress towards Track three - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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3.4.1 Progress towards Track three - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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For my third track for this module, I was heavily inspired by Hans Zimmer's work on the film Batman Begins, specifically the chase scene track titled Molossus. My vision for this track is to compose a dark and dread-inducing piece that features the same relentless drive and intensity present in Molossus, which has directly influenced my work for this track where I am focused more on rhythm and tension.

When reading an interview with Hans Zimmer about the Batman Begins ost I found his approach to The Dark Knight to shed some light on why he composed a darker-sounding track for the movie. Hans Zimmer stated: “We both know how to write heroic things, do all that conventional stuff. In this movie, from everybody’s point of view, there was a great intensity... I just thought it was enough of playing it safe. I think if this is not provocative if we aren’t fiercely provocative in this here summer blockbuster, we might as well not start." (Brennan et al., 2008). This quote highlights Hans Zimmer's rejection of heroic themes in favour of creating a soundtrack that reflects the intense situations present within the movie.

To reflect this idea within my track I used spiccato celli for my ostinato allowed me to produce a darker sound due to the celli's lower register then added more elements such as spiccato bass and percussion to provide some more forward motion and reinforce the sense of dread within the track after this I introduced some viola on the higher notes of the cello for a higher stabbing sound which is present in scores that support a stress-inducing situation, however, I am not sure if I will stick with this exact structure as it feels a little repetitive on the third repeat so I may look to changing the rhythm within that bar and utilise divisi to either create that same stab effect or to progress through a scale progressively by having each instrument play the same ostinato after the previous.

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The audio for my my current progress towards my third track for this module

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3.4.2 Progress towards Track three - Audio (LO3):

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3.4.2 Progress towards Track three - Audio (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Description:

In week three I found some connections between the music I like to listen to and explored some of the cultural impacts of the orchestral soundtrack genre, I narrowed down my potential artists to perform the case study on to three people, and I managed to put some of my musical ideas into my DAW and found some relevant sources to explain my approach which will also be useful for my case study.

Feelings:

This week I felt extremely stressed due to the Making Things Happen module and my job taking up a lot of my energy, this stress impacted my motivation for this weeks work but I still tried to persevere in order to make some progress where I could.

Evaluation:

This week allowed me to think critically about my usage of certain techniques in order to convey a certain emotion and narrative within the music I create. I was also able to learn more about Hans Zimmer's approach to composing which proved to be very insightful as I can take his process and apply some of it towards my own work moving forward.

Analysis:

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse how professional composers approach creating music for a motion picture, thinking deeply about the storyline, atmosphere, tonality, and characters present within the film.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, week three went alright but definitely could have gone better had I not have been in a negative mindset. Moving forward I would like to try and dedicate more time to this module where I can as composing and researching about artists that interest me boost my mood and productivity once I get into the rhythm of it.

Action plan:

Start working towards my my case study research.

Perform a risk assessment and record it within my Padlet.

Continue to record my musical ideas within my DAW.

Continue weekly reflection to monitor my progress throughout this module.

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Here is the progress I have made towards my Case study so far.

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Here is my completed Risk Assessment for this module.

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4.3 A change in direction for track two along with a new plan for how I will approach composing this track (LO2 + LO8):

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4.3 A change in direction for track two along with a new plan for how I will approach composing this track (LO2 + LO8):

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Initially, my plan for track two for this module was to create an industrial-themed ambient track similar to that of Yoann Laulan's work with the Dead Cells soundtrack, however, after recently watching the live-action How to Train Your Dragon film I felt a new wave of inspiration from John Powell's reimagining of his iconic soundtrack that originally inspired me to pursue a career as a media composer. This, coupled with my recent viewing of his track breakdown on Mix With The Masters (Powell, 2019), led me to want to celebrate his influence on my work by producing a track for this module, particularly the reimagined version of Romantic Flight (Powell, 2025).

As for the planning of this track, I wanted to try my hand at approaching the composition in the way John Powell does, by starting with a melodic idea or motif and then expanding and building around that core concept (Powell, 2019). In doing this I am not bound to a designated structure and can allow my creativity to flow within the piece, however, for the elements I have planned for I would like to write within the key of A Major with a tempo of 74 bpm using 6/8 timing, these selections, in particular the bpm and timing, are due to me wanting to start the piece off being slower and more intimate and then using double time after the lift and for the choice of 6/8 timing I chose it because of how a compound meter allows for a flowing lyrical expression (Troiano, 2020).

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Screenshot of the MIDI data so far for my second track for this module

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4.4.1 Progress towards Track two - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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4.4.1 Progress towards Track two - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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For my new idea for track two, I wanted to draw inspiration from the How to Train Your Dragon score composed by John Powell. After reading a deconstruction of the track Romantic Flight and listening to it I found Powell utilises a single motif that gets carried to different instruments for different timbres throughout the piece and utilised woodwinds to layer with those melodies and emphasise the melodic idea present within the track (Hanna, 2024).

With this knowledge, I wanted to start constructing my main melodic idea with violins and double it with some woodwinds, placed at a different register, to see how it can change the tonality of the piece. When programming the MIDI CC values for this I utilised the dynamic control to create a flowing melody and used the expression controller to alter the intensity, however, I found that using the expression in tandem with this makes the piece feel all over the place when compared to using the expression control sparingly.

As a result of this, I would like to approach this differently by subtly using the expression control.

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The audio for my my current progress towards my second track for this module

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4.4.2 Progress towards Track two - Audio (LO3):

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4.4.2 Progress towards Track two - Audio (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Screenshot of the MIDI data for my reconstructed motif for my second track

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4.5.1 Expanding on my previous idea and altering the motif for Track two - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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4.5.1 Expanding on my previous idea and altering the motif for Track two - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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For my return to track two, I decided to alter the melody slightly by incorporating some rises and falls for the areas where my instruments will be played with more intensity to make that specific section of the melody more impactful to the listener.

Similarly to the previous attempt I decided to layer woodwinds alongside the violin's main melody line, however, this time I chose to introduce these elements at the rise and fall of the main melody which allows me to emphasise the emotional impact of this section, I have not incorporated MIDI CC values just yet as I plan to do that next to ensure he piece flows well throughout.

My vision for what is next is to have this melody play through in its entirety starting within the piano dynamic range where it is softer and slowly building up to the point of mezzo-forte potentially for when the whole orchestra comes in. I also want to take inspiration from Powell's utilisation of the motif playing from each instrument I use to emphasise the melodic idea (Hanna, 2024) rather than using divisi to separate a chord over multiple instruments, this approach reinforces the melodic ideas present within a piece which in the case for this track drawing inspiration from an artists techniques allows me to see that sometimes layering the same part across multiple timbres can be equally as impactful as layering them amongst a chord.

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Audio for my reconstructed motif for my second track

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4.5.2 Expanding on my previous idea and altering the motif for Track two - Audio (LO3):

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4.5.2 Expanding on my previous idea and altering the motif for Track two - Audio (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Screenshot of the MIDI for my added horns and automation to Track two

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4.6.1 Introducing Horns and adding automation for Track two - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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4.6.1 Introducing Horns and adding automation for Track two - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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I reporgrammed the MIDI CCs for all of my instruments slightly to allow them to flow better into each other and added some horns to repeat the main melody line, the use of horns allows me to add some warmth to the sound, which for it being a romantic theme, allows me to convey the warmth associated with romance.

Moving forward I need to add a transition between this section and then also move away from the main melody to add a change for the listener, to do this I plan to have a drum roll for the transition and then in the descent of the main melody bring the whole orchestra in with a crescendo and then have an altered version of the main melody be played by woodwinds while the rest of the orchestra plays a supporting role using divisi to play chords beneath the woodwinds.

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Here is the audio for my added horns and automation for Track two

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4.6.2 Introducing Horns and adding automation for Track two - Audio (LO3):

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4.6.2 Introducing Horns and adding automation for Track two - Audio (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Screenshot of my DAW with my added horn swells for Track three

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4.7.1 Track three adding some horn swells and altering the velocities slightly - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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4.7.1 Track three adding some horn swells and altering the velocities slightly - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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Using the long swell articulation from Spitfire Audio's Abbey Road One grand brass I added a brass swell within the intro and ending of this section of my piece as I believe starting with this builds up the intensity quite quickly and ending with it allows me to use this swell as a transition for the next section of this piece.

As for the note velocity editing, I felt the piece was too intense too soon so I decided to edit the notes slightly to increase in velocity over time before the percussion elements get introduced. I also decided to alter the third repeat of the rhythm by moving the piece across different instruments and then having them come together in the final push before the brass swell, this allows me to utilise divisi to play chords across the orchestra as all of the elements have now been introduced and then have the rhythmic get moved to the brass and percussion elements only which allows my song to evolve dynamically as the piece progresses.

Moving forward I would like to incorporate the ideas I have mentioned above but use the whole orchestral divisi section as a bridge to a percussion and brass heavy section, maybe also introducing a pulsing synth bass for a hybrid orchestral approach seen within Hans Zimmers work.

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Here is the audio for my added horn swells and latered MIDI velocity for Track three

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4.7.2 Track three adding some horn swells and altering the velocities slightly - Audio (LO3):

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4.7.2 Track three adding some horn swells and altering the velocities slightly - Audio (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Description:

In week four I found started writing up my case study, started working on a new idea for my second track for this module, added some new elements in to my third track and performed a risk assessment.

Feelings:

This week I still felt extremely stressed due to the Making Things Happen module and my job taking up a lot of my energy, however, I am happy with the progress I have made so far, though I wish I was able to have time to address my first track as that has remained unchanged so far.

Evaluation:

This week allowed me to explore the artists that have influenced my work for this module and discern how their work has impacted my approach to writing music, for example, demonstrating emotional content within a piece of music similar to how John Powell does with A Romantic flight.

Analysis:

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse how my influences began their careers and approach writing music for films through listening to and reading interviews conducted for my case study.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, week four was definitely an improvement over week three, however, I still felt I could have done more work if I had the time to do so. Despite this, I am happy with the progress I have made so far, but I wish I could have made some more progress towards my compositions for this module.

Action plan:

Continue adding to my case study.

Continue to record my musical ideas within my DAW and specifically to add something to my first track for this module.

Experiment with applying reductive EQ to my tracks and panning the instruments for a simple mix for my formative assignment.

Continue weekly reflection to monitor my progress throughout this module.

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5.1 My case study with the track breakdowns (LO8):

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5.1 My case study with the track breakdowns (LO8):

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Here is my case study with a breakdown of two of the tracks I have selected for this module.

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5.2 How does my work link with LO2, LO3 and LO8:

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5.2 How does my work link with LO2, LO3 and LO8:

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I would say that my work links with LO2 through me demonstrating my techniques as a composer within my DAW through the use of screenshots of my studio sessions. These screenshots, accompanied by descriptions, allow me to discuss the performance and production techniques I have used and plan to use for my tracks.

I would say that my work links with LO3 by using screenshots and audio to show the progress of my tracks, these forms of media display my performance within my DAW by showing the chords I have utilised for a piece and any automation I have programmed such as expression and dynamics to breath life into a piece. However, in the future I plan to also record a video of myself as I am programming within my DAW.

I would say that my work links with LO8 by using primary and secondary sources to support my arguments within my case study and to also support my creative decisions for the music I am making for this module, this research allows me to reinforce my ideas with knowledge I have gained from researching the artists that have influenced my work thus far.

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Screenshot of my current progress towards my third track for this module

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5.3.1 Added string ensemble and violin ostinato Track three - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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5.3.1 Added string ensemble and violin ostinato Track three - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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In this session, I added a violin ostinato using arpeggios to allow for more forward motion in this piece, as it draws influence from a rhythmic chase scene composed by Hans Zimmer and John Newton Howard. My choice for implementing this within my track came from me listening to the track Molossus while researching for my case study and noticing the arpeggiated ostinati present within the track and much of Zimmer's work, to support this I found a quote from Frank Lehman where he states “Cathartic ostinati may be found lending their power to climactic scenes in many films scored by Zimmer and his associates" (Lehman, 2015).

After implementing the violin ostinato, I wanted to incorporate the entire orchestra in some way to ensure that my piece evolves dynamically. To accomplish this I allowed for a section of the ostinato to play through before introducing the rest of the ensemble utilising the legato technique for long passages this, in tandem with incorporating divisi, allowed me to introduce new string elements within my piece to play a supporting role using chords that have been divided amongst the different ranges and then allowing the violin to transition from playing a short rhythmic role into playing a supporting role for the next section I plan to compose.

When the whole string section comes in using the legato articulation, I programmed a MIDI CC value to control the Vibrato amount to breath some more life and realism into the performance.

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The audio for my current progress towards my third track for this module

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5.3.2 Added string ensemble and violin ostinato Track three - Audio (LO3):

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5.3.2 Added string ensemble and violin ostinato Track three - Audio (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Screenshot of my new progress towards my first track for this module

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5.4.1 Programming automation and adding new elements to Track one - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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5.4.1 Programming automation and adding new elements to Track one - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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For the development of my Frozen Planet-inspired track I added some more piano elements to have a constant within the piece, acting as a tonal centre for the track, and then incorporated some low strings to invoke a sense of dread for the eventual glacier melting stage of my track which will feature an earthquake hit that pans across.

After adding the new piano I realised I needed to add in a transition before this section as the mood of the piece is about to shift from being empty and uncertain to dread with more emphasis on the uncertainty, to do this I decided to bring back the frozen high string elements I use to introduce, however, I used the tremolo articulation to emphasise the anxiety of the transition into my next section. In doing this I can maintain the icy landscape I am presenting through the reuse of frozen strings and the melting piano setting from Fracture Sound's glacier keys which have pads within it to reinforce the icy landscape I aim to create. My use of Spitfire's frozen strings for this piece comes from Spitfire creating a custom library specifically made for Hans Zimmer to use on the Frozen Planet II soundtrack (Andersen et al., 2022).

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The audio for my current progress for track one

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5.4.2 Programming automation and adding new elements to Track one - Audio (LO3):

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5.4.2 Programming automation and adding new elements to Track one - Audio (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Here is a screenshot of my current progress towards the development of my ideas for my second track for this module

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5.5.1 - Reprogramming the dynamics and developing my ideas further Track two - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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5.5.1 - Reprogramming the dynamics and developing my ideas further Track two - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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For the work I did within this session, I listened to the whole track so far before adding any new elements to ensure everything was playing through correctly. After playing everything back I noticed some notes were clashing with each other within Areia Lite, the string ensemble library I am using, so I needed to trim some of the notes down to avoid the clashing of inputs, after doing this I noticed that most of the MIDI CC1 inputs, that control the dynamics of my instruments, were not as fluid as I would like so I decided to reprogram each of them using the mod wheel on my MIDI keyboard in one take to ensure each section flowed into one another well. After ironing out those issues I was then able to start developing new ideas for this track.

As I mentioned in post 4.6.1 I wanted to introduce the whole string ensemble next, playing an altered version of the main melody for this track, I started doing this by structuring the altered melody on the violins so I could then reinforce this new melody with the rest of the strings I plan to use, similar to John Powell's use of layering the same melody across multiple instruments to reinforce the melodic content (kingofthewilderwest, 2016).

I knew I wanted to start with the same melodic line to allow for some familiarity for the listener before the alterations played through, so I played the same melodic line at the start of this new section and then decided to improvise using the same notes I have used in the first iteration of my melody to ensure I don't deviate far too much from the same melodic concept. For the altered melody, I employed the use of more drawn-out notes to allow for a buildup and a few shorter notes to ensure the melody feels fresh and differentiates not only in structure but also in its progression.

After having this melody written down I programmed the dynamics using MIDI CC1 and reused the same drum roll as a transition, however, this time using two drum hits after and then repeating these drum hits in the breath sections of the melody to allow for more forward momentum and to ensure my track evolves dynamically and in terms of mood.

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Here is the audi for my current progress towards the development of my ideas for my second track for this module

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5.5.2 Reprogramming the dynamics and developing my ideas further Track two - Audio (LO3):

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5.5.2 Reprogramming the dynamics and developing my ideas further Track two - Audio (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Screenshot of my subtractive EQ and panagement 2 settings for Track one

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5.6 Subtractive EQ and panning - Track one (LO2):

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5.6 Subtractive EQ and panning - Track one (LO2):

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Icy Plains Piano: For the EQ I used a high pass filter to remove some of the low-end rumble at the 10Hz mark by about 3 dB, I then applied a dip in the low-mids and mids at around the 600Hz range by roughly 1.5 dB in order to tame some of the harshness of the piano and then, finally, I applied a low pass filter at the 20kHz range by about 3dB to remove some of the unwanted high end frequencies that were too harsh. As for my panagement settings, I used a large hall reverb in order to fill a large space, similar to filling a large and desolate icy landscape, using the tilt control to add some more low end to contrast the other piano slightly and panning it very slightly to the left of the centre as the piano is the central instrument for this track.

Melting Keys Piano: For the EQ I used a high pass filter at around the 20Hz mark by about 3dB to remove some of the lower end frequencies to reduce rumble, but not all of them as this piano plays in a lower octave later on in the piece, I then implemented a dip in the low-mids and some of the mids just before the 500Hz mark by about 2dB to tame some of the mid-ranged frequencies and reduce the harshness, finally, I implemented a low pass filter at the 10kHz range by about 3dB to remove some of the unwanted high-end frequencies. As for my panagement settings I applied the same width as the previous piano as they fit within the same space, used the tilt knob to add some more EQ to the higher end to contrast the previous piano and then panned it very slightly to the right of the centre so the two pianos are separate spatially and don't clash with eachother.

Frozen strings: For the EQ I added a high pass filter at around the 30Hz range by about 3dB to remove the unwanted low frequencies as these strings are played within a higher register, I also used a low pass filter at the 10kHz range by about 3dB to remove the really high frequencies that tame the harshness within those ranges while still maintaining the shrill and fragile tonality of the icy strings, I applied these settings to both the flautando and tremolo strings. As for my panagement settings I used a similar width to the piano settings as this ensures they are present enough but not overpowering, I then applied a tilt slightly to the left in order to cut some of the high frequencies that came forward after adding the reverb I then added the same reverb settings as the pianos as they sit within a similar register and serve a similar purpose from an atmospheric point of view, finally I panned them slightly to the left as this is roughly where violins that play a supporting role would sit within an orchstra.

Cello: For the EQ I used a high pass filter at around 50Hz by about 3dB in order to remove the unwanted low-end rumbling of the celli and then used a low pass filter at around 5kHz by 3dB to remove the unwanted high-end frequencies as the cello does not occupy this frequency range. As for the panagement settings for the celli, I maximised the width to amplify the roar of the cello within the space I am trying to fill which gives it some more presence within the mix and placed it to the right as that is typically where a cellist would be placed within an orchestra setting.

Bass: For the EQ I used a high pass filter at around the 20Hz range by about 3dB to remove some of the unwanted rumble from the bass but still maintaining the lower frequencies in which the bass occupies as an instrument, I then used a low pass filter at around 2kHz by roughly 3dB in order to remove the unwanted high end frequencies that are unnecessary for a bass. For my panagement settings I, like the celli, maxed out the width to fill the whole space with the boom of the bass, I then panned it slightly behind the cellists as that is where double bassists would sit within an orchestra setting.

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Here is a screenshot of my settings in Panagement 2 for my second track for this module

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5.7 Panagement 2 settings - Track two (LO2):

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5.7 Panagement 2 settings - Track two (LO2):

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Violin: For these settings I used a concert hall reverb with a small width as the Violins will be panned quite closely to the centre, being panned slightly to the left.

Viola: For these settings I used the same concert hall reverb with a small width as the Violas will be panned quite closely to the centre, being panned slightly to the right.

Cello: For these settings I used the same concert hall reverb with a medium width as the Celli will be panned further back from the centre, being panned slightly to the right of where the Violas are panned.

Flutes: For these settings I used the same concert hall reverb with a small width as the Flutes will be panned quite closely to the centre, similar to the Violins, however, they are panned slightly more centrally compared to the Violins as they are used to reinforce the Violin melodies.

ContraBass: For these settings I used the same concert hall reverb with a small width as the Flutes will be panned quite closely to the centre, similar to the Violas, however, they are panned slightly more to the right compared to the Violas as they are used to add some more air and low-end to the Horn melodies.

Horns: For these settings I used the same concert hall reverb with the maximum width to make them more present within the mix, I panned them further back from the other instruments so they do not completely over power the strings and woodwinds, but I panned them centrally so they can be the focus when they enter as they add more warmth to the piece which is important for a Romantic theme.

Drums: For the drums I used the max width so they can fill the whole space of the concert hall I am using the reverb from, and they are panned quite far back as percussion is usually at the back of the orchestra, however, this meant that they were very quiet so I applied a gain boost within Panagement to give the percussion some more presence.

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Description:

In week five I was able to continue working on my music tracks, especially wanting to make progress towards my first track as I have not done any work on that in a while, I analysed two of the four tracks I wish to deconstruct for my case study and finally I applied some reductive EQ and panning through Panagement to the instrument tracks I have used for my tracks.

Feelings:

This week I felt like I was stuck in limbo between stress and relief as, on one hand, I was stressed about wanting to get as much work done as possible in time for my formative assignment and realising that my track deconstructions take up a large amount of the word count and will take up almost all of it if I continue in the same amount of detail as I have currently, but, on the other hand, I feel relieved at the amount of progress I have made over this week towards my tracks, even if I made quite a few changes to my original plans, but that is to be expected as the plans were a rough guideline to follow if I got stuck.

Evaluation:

This week allowed me to perform a deep-dive on specific tracks that have both influenced and inspired my music which proved to be very useful information for me to reference my own work with in terms of structure and production. Sadly, I did not have the time to start EQing track two and track three or panning track three as I had to ensure I stayed on top of the work I had to do for the other module as well, therefore I was only able to complete most of my goals that I set myself last week which I am relieved about and am now ready to submit for the formative assignment on next Monday.

Analysis:

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse certain techniques used by the artists I am inspired by and also perform an analysis on the tracks they created that have directly influenced my tracks for this module. In addition to this, I was able to analyse my own work a little bit by paying attention to how the tracks sound and where they sound too thin and need some extra elements to make specific sections sound fuller.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, week five was quite stressful, but over all a large step in the right direction as I have now made a large amount of progress towards my three tracks and my case study, I am perfectly happy with the work I have done and look forward to receiving my feedback from the formative assignment next week.

Action plan:

Continue adding to my case study.

Continue to record my musical ideas within my DAW and specifically to add something to my first track for this module.

Continue to work on the EQ, panning and reverb for my tracks.

Review the feedback from the formative assignment and act upon it, if I receive it before my next entry.

Continue weekly reflection to monitor my progress throughout this module.

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6.1 What are Value Propositions and USP's:

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6.1 What are Value Propositions and USP's:

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A Value Preposition is sort of an over all business model that defines who an artist is musically and therefore defines what specifically makes you valuable to your target audience. For example, I would say a Value Proposition for myself is that I make cinematic music that is driven by emotion.

A USP [Unique Selling Point] is a specific factor about your work that allows you to stand out from others. For example, a USP for myself is that I aim to create emerssive soundscapes through my compositions to enhance emotional storytelling.

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Screenshot of my new section for my third track for this module

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6.2.1 Adding some more percussive elements Track three - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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6.2.1 Adding some more percussive elements Track three - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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For my new added section for my third track I wanted to kick up the action for the final push so this section remains very percussion heavy to emphasise drive and forward motion, the velocities programmed for this section are very intense but human as I have played these percussion parts using my MIDI keyboard, as for the brass I wanted stabs to accompany the rhythm with some shorter swells to up the intensity compared to my longer swells used earlier in the track.

After adding this section I felt like I was missing something where the shortest swell is positioned, so I aim to potentially add a solo percussion part within this space as this section is aimed to be the ending but with little resolution to maintain the stress and anxiety factor.

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Audio for my new section for my third track for this module

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6.2.2 Adding some more percussive elements Track three - Audio (LO3): 

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6.2.2 Adding some more percussive elements Track three - Audio (LO3): 

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Screenshot of the alterations I made to the ending of track three

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6.3.1 Adding in elements I felt were missing in Track three - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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6.3.1 Adding in elements I felt were missing in Track three - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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When going to make the additions I mentioned in post 6.2.1 I added some lower percussion elements in the space after the shorter horn swell and then added another swell after this section to bring the listener back into the action. I also then added some earthquake hits after the violin legato to shift the mood to a more dread inducing tonality, in order to aid this I used the double bass to play shorter blockier notes in between the earthquake hits to emphasise the unrelenting force this track exudes. In adding this section I maintain the evolution of the dynamics for the piece as elements get pulled in and pulled out, this is shown by building up from just a bass and drum, to faster percussion with horns and then finally having strings come in to finish the track off.

I found myself struggling with the timing of this new added section, certain elements always felt like they came in slightly too early or slightly too late so I aim to fix this when I go to mix the project.

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Audio for the alterations I made to the ending of track three

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6.3.2 Adding in elements I felt were missing in Track three - Audio (LO3):

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6.3.2 Adding in elements I felt were missing in Track three - Audio (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Screenshot of the final composition for this track 

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6.4 Lining up the elements Track three - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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6.4 Lining up the elements Track three - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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After listening to my track as a whole I felt there were a few issues to fix, these being the timing of my new percussion elements, the velocities that felt more static, and wanting the extend the eartquake hit section by an extra bar for added suspense.

In my session I was able to achieve all of these by moving elements about very slightly and manually drawing in new velocities for my static sounding string ostinatos.

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Screenshot of my reductive EQ settings for track three

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Violin - For the EQ for my Violins I used a high pass filter at around the 200Hz mark decreased by about 3dB to remove low-end rumble and unwanted frequencies then I used a low pass filter at around the 20kHz mark being decreased by about 3dB to remove the unwanted high frequencies.

Viola - For the EQ for my Violas I used a high pass filter at around the 100Hz mark decreased by about 3dB to remove low-end rumble and unwanted frequencies then I added a small cut by 1dB at around 350Hz to tame some of the harsher mids that were more present in the mix, finally, I used a low pass filter at around the 10kHz mark being decreased by about 3dB to remove the unwanted high frequencies.

Cello - For the EQ for my Celli I used a high pass filter at around the 50Hz mark decreased by about 3dB to remove low-end rumble without losing low-end presence then I used a low pass filter at around the 10kHz mark being decreased by about 3dB to remove the unwanted high frequencies but retain some of the frequencies that are present as if I applied any more the instrument would have sounded very muffled.

Bass - For the EQ for my Bass I used a high pass filter at around the 10Hz mark decreased by about 3dB to remove low-end rumble without losing low-end presence then I used a low pass filter at around the 10kHz mark being decreased by about 3dB to remove the unwanted high frequencies but retain some of the frequencies that are present as if I applied any more the instrument would have sounded very muffled.

Low percussion - For the EQ for my Low Percussion I used a high pass filter at around the 20Hz mark decreased by about 3dB to remove the unwanted low-end rumble but not too much of the rumble, then I applied a small cut at 100Hz by 2dB and just past the 1kHz range by about 1dB to tame the aggressiveness of the drums, finally, used a low pass filter at around the 20kHz mark being decreased by about 3dB to remove the unwanted high frequencies.

Earthquake hit - For the EQ for my Earthquake Hit I applied a high pass filter at around the 20Hz mark by 3dB to tame the low end rumble but not remove it completely and then I used a low pass filter at 2kHz, decreasing by about 3dB to remove the unwanted higher frequencies.

Brass - For the EQ for my Brass I used a high pass filter at 20Hz, decreasing it by about 3dB to remove the unwanted low-end rumble and then I used a low pass filter at around 20kHz, decreasing it by 3dB to remove the unwanted high-end harshness present.

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Screenshot of my Panagement 2 settings for track three

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6.6 Panagement 2 settings - Track three (LO2):

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6.6 Panagement 2 settings - Track three (LO2):

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Reverb settings - For the reverb I used a concert hall reverb with medium room size and a small amount of tail and predelay, I then also had the decay set to 50% to allow the reverb to linger slightly.

Violin - I had a small width with the maximum amount of reverb as the violins are quite closely panned, being panned far left.

Viola - I had the width set to the middle to keep the width neutral as the violas are panned more closely and centrally.

Cello - I had a small width with the maximum amount of reverb as the violins are quite closely panned, being panned far right.

Bass - I had a wider setting for the width as the bass were panned further back slightly to right of the centre.

Low percussion - I used the maximum width for this to the drums filled the whole space of the room, even by being placed at the back of the mix and I panned them more centrally as the percussion is the main focus for this track.

Earthquake hit - I used slightly less width compared to the low percussion as the earthquake hits are more dominant due to their larger sound despite being panned far back, as I mentioned within the low percussion section, the percussion elements are tonal centre of this track so I also panned them more centrally as the percussion is the main focus for this track.

Brass - I panned the brass slightly further back from the violins and violas, but slightly to the left of the centre as this is typically where brass would sit, however, they are situated closer than they normally would be as I do not have a woodwinds section. I used slightly less than max width as I don't want the brass to completely over power the strings.

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Screenshot of my compression used as glue for track three

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6.7 Compression to glue my third track together (LO2):

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6.7 Compression to glue my third track together (LO2):

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In order to glue my track together, I added some light compression to the Stereo Out Master Bus within my DAW, in doing this I was able to ensure the elements all fit together well within the mix.

As show above, I set a slow attack time in order to allow for the transient signal to pass through before the compressor is engaged, I then set a slow release time to allow for the recovery from the compression to happen gradually. I set the threshold to 0dB so that the compressor only kicks in if my audio peaks, in setting it up this way I do not lose any of the dynamic quality of the instrument performances throughout the track's duration.

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Here is a DEMO of my third track for this module so far. Moving forward I wish to add a melody line to this track earlier on to deviate from the blocky ostinato that remains constant as mentioned within my feedback from my formative which is shown in the next post.

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After reading the feedback I received for my work for this module, I found it to be very insightful as it showed me how I can improve upon my work, and what I did well. However, I found that the export glitches present in my initial hand in were a result of Microsoft Sharepoint causing problems as my personal copies of these tracks and the Dropbox versions that I have used to share to others do not have these issues present, so to reflect on this problem I plan to use Dropbox to share my tracks in future as this is a repeating issue I come across.

Another thing to mention regarding the feedback is that the examiner informed me to hand in two tracks, however, the brief states that I am able to hand in more than this as long as the tracks total to at least 7 minutes in length, which is my aim for this module.

The feedback in particular that I found to be most helpful moving forward, regarding my tracks and case study are; that I lack low-end in my second track, the velocities within my second and third track feel a bit static, my strings in track one "build tension tastefully but end abruptly", track three should have a melody line early on to deviate from the blocky ostinato and to look into using a template for my case study to include elements I may be missing.

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Here is my updated Case Study so far, I have not updated the word count yet.

My current additions are adding the paragraph for Hans Zimmer in context and John Powell's production techniques.

My next addition I will make to this is to complete the USP's for each artists and write a paragraph about how each of them haave influenced my sound, then after completing this I will attempt to shorten down my essay as I fear it will go over the word count after adding these new elements.

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Description:

In week six I was able to continue finalise my musical ideas for my third track, mix my third track, review my feedback from my formative assignment and make some progress towards my Case Study for this module.

Feelings:

This week I felt relieved and confident in my ability to complete my work for this module as I have managed to make a large amount of progress towards my third track for this module. I also am appreciative of the feedback I have received for this module as it allows me to approach my work with a growth mindset as to how I can improve for the summative assignment coming up in a few weeks. I also got a lot of enjoyment out of learning about my inspirations back story when conducting more research into Hans Zimmer for my In Context paragraph.

Evaluation:

This week allowed me to reflect upon the feedback I received regarding my formative submission and use this information to inform my future work for this module. From the feedback I was able to see what each of my tracks accomplished and what they were lacking which I will now be able to refer to when I am working on each of my tracks and tick each recommendation off once I have completed them.

Analysis:

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse the feedback I received from my formative assignment and I was also able to analyse some more sources for my case study, particularly writing the in context and production styles sections where I learned far more than I knew about Hans Zimmer's early career.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, week six was very insightful and I found that it went very well as my third track is very nearly complete, although I did not manage to make any additions to my first track for this module, I did make much needed progress towards completing my third track. Being able to review the feedback on my work I submitted for the formative also enabled me to see what I am missing and the areas I am making improvements in compared to the work I did for level 4.

Action plan:

Continue to record my musical ideas within my DAW and specifically to add something to my first track for this module.

Continue to work on the EQ, panning and reverb for my tracks.

Act upon my feedback I received this week.

Continue weekly reflection to monitor my progress throughout this module.

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7.1 What is an aesthetic and why are they necessary? (LO8):

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7.1 What is an aesthetic and why are they necessary? (LO8):

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First off I believe it would be important for me to state that aesthetics and an aesthetic are different things. I will distinguish these below:

Aesthetic -  "A set of principles used in a particular artistic movement (= a group of artists with the same ideas or style):" (Cambridge dictionary, n.d.a)

Aesthetics - "The formal study of the principles of art and beauty" (Cambridge dictionary, n.d.b)

With these two definitions I can now distinguish that an aesthetic on its own, in the context of music, is the over all style of the artist's music that are identifiable -if the genre is LoFi then it will portray a specific vibe related to other LoFi tracks- and the aesthetics are more focused on the philosophy of the music -whether it sounds good and how, if it is expressive etc.-, with this knowledge I am now able to create my own description of an aesthetic and aesthetics in music.

Aesthetic and Aesthetics in my own words:

Aesthetic - I would say an aesthetic in music is the identifiable aspects related to something within the music itself, whether it is the genre or the style of a piece of music. To relate this to my own work the aesthetic of a cinematic soundtrack would be lush strings to evoke emotion, big booming brass for drama and intensity, cinematic or epic percussion to provide rhythm and impact, and atmospheric layers of sound design to enhance world building through relevant textures (Master the Score, 2024).

Aesthetics - I would say aesthetics are the philosophical and artistic principles behind the music an artist creates, for example; what does this track mean to the artist, what does it mean to the listeners, how does it make you feel, how is expression shown through this track. To relate this to my own work the aesthetics of a cinematic soundtrack could be how the music enhances the viewer's experience watching the film, how it uses emotion to enhance story telling aspects -if something sad happens on screen, the music will normally enhance this by becoming more sombre and slowed down to reflect the character's own emotions- (Screenedweb, 2018).

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7.2.1 Hans Zimmer's aesthetic and aesthetics (LO8):

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7.2.1 Hans Zimmer's aesthetic and aesthetics (LO8):

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Based on my own definitions of both aesthetic and aesthetics as seen in post 7.1 -the above post- I will now research and share my findings relating the aesthetic and aesthetics of Hans Zimmer's work.

Aesthetic (Ouranio Recordings, n.d.):

The birth of hybrid-orchestral soundtracks by blending synthetic instruments with classical instruments.

Minimalistic approach to writing music and motifs for music.

Huge "Zimmer wall of sound" for percussive elements.

Aesthetics (Ouranio Recordings, n.d.):

Minimalistic motifs to strip down music to its emotional core, for example "Zimmer’s use of a simple church organ to represent the vastness of space is a masterclass in minimalist storytelling through music.".

His music focuses not only on what is heard but what is felt, for example "Zimmer’s score for The Dark Knight redefined superhero music by removing traditional heroic themes and instead using distorted electronic pulses, deep bass synths, and minimalist tension-building motifs.", this reflects the intensity of the situations Batman goes through throughout the films duration and allows Zimmer to enhance narrative storytelling through his music within a scene of a film.

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7.2.2 John Powell's aesthetic and aesthetics (LO8):

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7.2.2 John Powell's aesthetic and aesthetics (LO8):

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Based on my own definitions of both aesthetic and aesthetics as seen in post 7.1. I will now research and share my findings relating the aesthetic and aesthetics of John Powell's work.

Aesthetic (Paterson, n.d.):

Percussive minimalism.

Fusing cultural instruments with classical orchestral instruments, for example using many cultural themes when composing for Happy Feet by "incorporating Flamenco vibes with African soundscapes".

Utilising a playful and quirky tone - “His works remain playful at all times, no matter how mature or quirky the subject.”.

Incorporating textural complexity within the layers of his soundtracks.

Aesthetics (László & Powell, 2006):

In I Am Sam, Powell demonstrates emotional universality by blending cultural sounds and themes to express human as music is able to "speak to emotions across all cultures".

John Powell discusses how he utilised layered textures and rhythms in order to reflect character's mental states as Bourne required “non-traditional emotional storytelling” through music to support the character's disorientation and emotions on screen.

Powell tries to avoid big themes where he can, allowing silence to carry emotional weight within a scene.

I would also say his playful and quirky tones also suit being under the aesthetics category as Powell mentions enjoying “humour and character” in scoring and describes emotional contrast allows him to stray from the music feeling manipulative. The reason why this is under both categories is because, while Powell does tend to incorporate this in many compositions, the way he approaches incorporating a playful tonality are different with each score as they reflect different situations.

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7.3 Reflecting on the aesthetics of my music:

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7.3 Reflecting on the aesthetics of my music:

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Using my own description of what an aesthetic is and what aesthetics are in music, I can now reflect on each of these within my own music.

Aesthetic:

Cinematic and Atmospheric compositions focusing on lush textures and cinematic instrumentation to create rich sound design.

Use of dynamics alongside textural layers to create emotionally drive soundscapes.

Minimalism with purpose to allow for lines and melodies to emphasise mood instead of creating massively complex pieces.

Strong use of low percussion and lower register instruments which echoes my enjoyment of hearing the low-end in music.

Nature inspired textures and textures inspired by things in the outside world.

Aesthetics:

Storytelling through emotions by allowing my compositions to be informed by emotional intent, typically I think about what emotions I aim to convey before writing.

Crafting immersive soundscapes to transport listeners into vivid and cinematic worlds.

Balancing simplicity with complexity in compositions.

Introducing contrasting elements to demonstrate emotional shifts/shifts in moods.

Emphasising physical sensations to encourage a visceral reaction in a listener.

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7.4 My demo Track one of Track One so far (LO3):

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7.4 My demo Track one of Track One so far (LO3):

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Here is the demo version I have of my first track for this module.

The feedback I received for this track:

"Glaciers (Track 1) - Intriguing sound design in the synths and pads creates strong immersion. Export glitches (clicks and pops) are present and should be addressed. Strings build tension tastefully but exit abruptly. Water-inspired sounds are effective, and velocity attention adds realism. The track feels early in development but shows interesting ideas."

My aims for this week are to be able to use this feedback to aid me in further developing this track, as for the export glitches I found that they were only present within the Microsoft Sharepoint version of this file so I plan to use Dropbox to fix this issue.

Now as for the content within the piece I aim to either extend the duration of my tremolo strings or soften them as suggested by the examiner and with the rest of the feedback being positive I then aim to try and fully finish the development of this track.

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Screenshot of my DAW session from today where I expanded upon my idea for track one

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7.5.1 Expanding upon my creative ideas for Track one - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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7.5.1 Expanding upon my creative ideas for Track one - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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In order to further develop my track I listened to my demo track once more and then looked at my initial plan for this track featured in post 2.3, but planned to only use it as a reference and slight visual aid for the structure of my song and less on how the track will sound in the end, the reason I planned to do this is because I drew inspiration from John Powell's approach to composing for film where he works with one simple idea and builds around it (Powell, 2019), I plan to do the same where I will try and feel what the track needs rather than following a guide exactly.

For the development of my track I felt that as I had introduced low-end instruments in the ending of my demo, as displayed in the image above with the first set of bass and cello lines, I should then reinforce this dread created by the lower register instruments and thus bring in some more low-end and add some forward movement to my track.

In order to accomplish this, I drew inspiration from the work I had done previously with track three and utilise percussion elements for some forward motion, similar to Hans Zimmer (Price & Zimmer, 2018) where he asks “How do we move air…?” which reinstates his use of percussion for forward momentum. In doing this I am also able to use the percussion to lead up to the earthquake hit that is to come which allows my song to dynamically evolve due to introducing new elements in this section that also serves as a forewarning for the much larger percussion element after this particular section. The structure of this section consists of the same repeating cello and bass lines as I believe they were very effective at creating dread and uncertainty within my track, but this time altering the pacing of the lines slightly by adding a gap in between some of the notes to allow that space to be filled by the percussion elements.

Finally, I added the earthquake hit and I plan to automate the panning on this track, which will be seen in the following post.

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Screen recording of my automation for the panning of my earthquake hit through panagement 2 

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7.5.2 Automating the panning of my earthquake drum (LO2):

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7.5.2 Automating the panning of my earthquake drum (LO2):

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Sadly I could not manage to record the plugin interface but it did record the new lanes for the automation so I provided a before and after screenshot within the video.

As shown in the video I was not happy with my first attempt at the panning so I removed the automation and started again.

My idea for this is that the earthquake hit acts as the cue for an iceberg melting and crashing into the ocean, so to further reflect this I chose to automate the panning from far left to slightly right of the centre in order to reflect the movement of the iceberg when it melts.

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Screenshot demonstrating my DAW session for my now composed track one for this module

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7.6.1 Composing the mourning choir and the ending of Track one - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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7.6.1 Composing the mourning choir and the ending of Track one - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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For this addition to my icy landscape themed track, after my earthquake hit played through I wanted to emphasise the sadness that comes with an iceberg melting as an event such as this has a very large impact on the climate of our planet as well as the eco systems that stem from the area of the initial ice berg melting and across the globe (Hancock, n.d.).

In order to emphasise the impact that this phenomenon has on our whole planet I drew inspiration from the tonality of AURORA's vocals within the Frozen Planet II soundtrack as her "ethereal vocals" (Beek, 2022) have a very sombre tonality and to my ears sounded very mournful within the tracks featuring her voice, in order to utilise this inspiration I wanted to utilise a female choir to recreate a mournful atmosphere after the impact of my earthquake hit acting as the collapse of an ice berg, after using a simple and sombre chord progression I felt there needed to be some form of humming underneath within a lower register so I duplicated the chords down an octave on some mmm's from my choir.

After the mourning choir plays through I needed a way to maintain the same mood but bring it back to where my track started -with strings and piano- so to do this I doubled the choir with some strings and used them to crescendo into the piano section where I repeated the same chord progressions as the choir while varying when the chords are played, in doing this I am able to ensure that my piece remains dynamic in its structure, however, as I wanted to keep the sombre emotion I added a bassline playing underneath the chords which provided some more low-end to the mix, enabling a more sombre quality to this particular section of my track.

To finish this off I wanted my track to fade out slightly to resolve this piece.

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7.6.2 Composing the mourning choir and the ending of Track one - Audio (LO3):

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7.6.2 Composing the mourning choir and the ending of Track one - Audio (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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7.7 My final demo for Track one before mixing and a reflection on this track so far (LO3 + LO8):

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7.7 My final demo for Track one before mixing and a reflection on this track so far (LO3 + LO8):

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Here is my final demo for this track before I move on to the mixing stage.

To reflect on this track so far, I believe I have accomplished what I originally set out to do, which was to make an atmospheric track set in an icy landscape while drawing inspirations from Hans Zimmer's work on the Frozen Planet II soundtrack. The areas I believe I utilised this inspiration well are utilising the ethereal vocals in the form of my choir section, the female vocals performed by AURORA (Beek, 2022) drew me into the atmosphere of the soundtrack as a whole, her soft melancholy vocals emphasised to me the sombre moments present within this docuseries, I also implemented Zimmer's want to emphasise the fragility of a frozen landscape with icy sounding textures (BBC Earth, 2022) and focusing on the sound design aspects rather than the musicality of the piece, where I employed this process was through the particular instruments I used within this track, my use of icy strings specifically and a frozen piano equipped with watery-textured pads allowed me to successfully recreate the sound design approach of Zimmer's work for Frozen Planet II. Other than Zimmer's direct influences on this piece I also was continuously inspired by John Powell's approach to composing for film where he builds around a core concept and listens to what the song needs to develop further (Powell, 2019).

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Description:

In week seven I was able to research what aesthetics are in music and why they're important, distinguish the aesthetics of both my chosen artists for my case study, reflect upon the feedback I received for track one and talk about how I can act upon the feedback, utilised my feedback to start posting Demos of tracks when a DAW session is complete for the day, further develop my first track and finish the composition of it.

Feelings:

This week I felt a mix of relief and stress due to both my mental and physical health recently, I have had quite a rough week and with me feeling rough I struggled a lot to work throughout this week, however, seeing the work I have accomplished filled me with a sense of accomplishment and relief as it did not affect the progress of my work as much as I predicted it would.

Evaluation:

This week allowed me to reflect upon my feedback for track one, using it to inform my progress towards track one and enabling me to finish composing it completely. I felt like I had quite an uphill battle ahead of me going into this week but my perseverance allowed me to push on through and finish this track.

Analysis:

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse the influences I have included within my tracks so far, how well I think my tracks are coming together -especially since the Summative assignment is coming up soon. I was also able to analyse each of my influences' Aesthetics in music and use this information to find out what I think my own personal Aesthetics are as an artist.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, week seven went really well, even with the many struggles I was having, however, as a result of these struggles, part of me feels like it might be best to only create two tracks for this module as the deadline is getting closer and closer and I still have a fair amount of work to complete.

Action plan:

Work on adding to my case study.

Create a list of production techniques I need to include on the two tracks I have finished so far so I can act upon them in week 9.

Decide whether I should only use two track for the summative or all three.

Continue weekly reflection to monitor my progress throughout this module.

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In my own words programme notes are a group of notes written for a specific target audience to describe key events within a track's run time, acting as a guide for the listener so they can understand the musicians intentions with each section of the track.

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Here are my programme notes I have written for this assignment so far.

I managed to complete the programme notes for Track One "A Glacier's Lament" and now have a good idea as to how to write Programme notes moving forward thanks to the helpful example write ups provided within the the module page.

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Here is my updated progress towards my case study so far.

What I have to do next:

Perform a track analysis on Kingdoms of Ice.

Find a second track to analyse for John Powell and perform an analysis on that track.

Write the USP paragraph for John Powell.

Write the Influence on my Sound paragraph for John Powell.

Refine my paragraphs to fit within the word count.

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8.4 Decision as to whether I should focus on two tracks or three:

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8.4 Decision as to whether I should focus on two tracks or three:

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I believe that going forward it would be more beneficial for me to only submit two tracks for this module as I have a finite amount of time left to submit all of my work and due to many different happenings in my personal life I think it would be best if I lightened the work load slightly for this module.

This decision does mean that I will now have to find a way to extend the duration of my chase track as it comes under the 3 minute requirement for a track submission, however, I believe that this would be far less work than attempting to finish a third track that is less than halfway complete.

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8.5 What production techniques do I need to add to my tracks? :

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8.5 What production techniques do I need to add to my tracks? :

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For the Production techniques, I need to include moving forward; I need to:

Make sure both of my tracks are mixed correctly.

Apply some light compression to my mixes.

Add some slight echoing delay to my earthquake hit in Track one.

Perform some additive EQ on the elements that I feel need it within both tracks.

Master both tracks with some small EQ edits if I feel they need them and with some light compression if I feel it needs it after the reductive EQ.

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Description:

In week eight I was able to continue working on my case study, learn what programme notes are, start writing my own programme notes, make a decision as to whether I am going to continue working on three tracks for my summative hand in or just hand two in after extending the length of track three.

Feelings:

This week I felt a heavy amount of stress due to many things happening in my personal life that have been very overwhelming while I have the summative deadline looming over me, though I am quite happy with my progress within this module, but less so with the Making Things Happen module which I have been trying to get done as soon as I possibly can.

Evaluation:

This week allowed me to re-evaluate my choices as to whether I should focus on two tracks for the summative or the three that I initially started making, however, considering the circumstances I am under and how much time I have left to hand in all of my assignments I came to the conclusion that it would be best to just focus on two tracks rather than overwhelm myself even more with three.

Analysis:

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse how Hans Zimmer as an artist has impacted my over all sound for this module and am looking forward to conducting the same level of analysis on John Powell's influence on my sound next week, I was also able to analyse what production techniques my tracks will require moving forward which I believe has helped me form a rough plan in my head as to what I should do next.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, week eight went relatively well, however, not without its downsides as I did not manage to get as much work as I hoped to get done due to many problems coming up within my personal life this week, however, in order to stick with the growth mindset being promoted throughout my time on this course I would like to take this as an opportunity to grow as a student and not focus on the negatives of me getting less work done but instead focus on the positives that it gives me more information to reflect on throughout this module and use these reflections towards the next Semester's module coming up.

Action plan:

Continue to add to my case study.

Continue to add to my programme notes.

Extend track three to at least 3 mins long.

Do some further mixing on my tracks for the summative.

Continue weekly reflection to monitor my progress throughout this module.

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1.2 References list using Harvard referencing:

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1.2 References list using Harvard referencing:

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Troiano, W. (2020) What is 6/8 Time Signature? Liberty Park Music. Available at: https://www.libertyparkmusic.com/what-is-6-8-time-signature/ (Accessed: 17 June 2025).

Yellowbrick (2023) John Powell Composer: Exploring the life and notable achievements. Yellowbrick. Available at: https://www.yellowbrick.co/blog/music/john-powell-composer-exploring-the-life-and-notable-achievements (Accessed: 09 August 2025).

Zimmer, H. (2016) Hans Zimmer - Facebook post about MasterClass. Facebook. Available at: http://www.facebook.com/hanszimmer/posts/music-is-my-language-my-form-of-communicating-pre-enrollment-for-my-masterclass-/10155442186744128/ (Accessed: 31 July 2025).

Zimmer, H. and Stahl, L. (2023) Hans Zimmer: 40 Years of music for movies. CBS News. Available at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hans-zimmer-60-minutes-transcript-2023-06-25/ (Accessed: 11 June 2025).

Zimmer, H. and Stevelindsay (2012) Hans Zimmer on how to sound like him. Gearspace. Available at: https://gearspace.com/board/music-for-picture/704868-hans-zimmer-how-sound-like-him.html (Accessed: 02 August 2025).

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I would say that this module aims to allow students, like myself, to really delve deep into their inspirations and influences to distinguish the difference between the two and then, using this difference, work out how our inspirations and influences allow us to discover our Sound.

Many artists find what they like about artists that inspire them and use these inspirations within their work. For example, I am heavily inspired by Hans Zimmer and John Powell; however, while many people are inspired by others, we do not incorporate every element of our inspirations into our own. In being able to distinguish this, we can work out how we use our inspirations and influences to inspire our sound, for example, Hans Zimmer uses large bombastic percussion which I have taken as an inspiration, however I have made it my own by listening to the drum sounds I like instead of comparing them directly to what he uses.

Therefore, through participating in this module students, such as myself, are able to acknowledge their inspirations and influences and see that they are not exactly copying another artist's sound or style, but in fact using it to allow them to forge their own.

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After writing this case study so far, here is my current progress.

In order to write the case study I started writing up some of the segments I was missing.

After writing up each of those sections my word count was 1,994 including the headings and words while excluding quotes, in-text references, and bibliography as listed under the assignment details.

This filled me with some anxiety as I was far over the 1,500 words word count event with the 10% increase that we are allowed, however, I took this as an opportunity to use my growth mindset by allowing my to further analyse the content I have written and break some paragraphs down into the key relevant information I need, in doing this I was then able to take my essay down to 1,684 words, while this is still above the limit for this case study, that was only me shortening about 4 paragraphs to their core points and I aim to further analyse my case study next time to lower the word count.

I am still missing two tracks that I have to analyse for this case study, however, I felt shortening the word count down slightly after writing some more sections was more important as it allowed me to gauge how many words I have left to write with roughly, I estimate that I can lower the total word count by about 300 words roughly which will give me a fair amount more to write about for the track breakdown sections I have to do next.

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Screenshot of the MIDI data for my added Brass Legato to track three

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9.3.1 Adding a melody to the beginning of Track three - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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9.3.1 Adding a melody to the beginning of Track three - MIDI (LO2, LO3 + LO8):

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From my feedback for this track, the examiner stated that "Introducing a lead string instrument earlier could help maintain momentum, as reliance on octave-based parts feels blocky. The transition is strong, but the low end drops out, affecting continuity".

I agree with this statement so I decided to start by thinking what the purpose of this track is and that is to be a chase track inspired by Molossus by Hans Zimmer and John Newton Howard. With this aim in my head, I knew I wanted to add a heroic theme to this track when approaching the melody that will play over the blocky sections of the intro, however, I wanted to keep the first instance of the cellos blocky as the track symbolises a relenting engine so having it begin as a mechanical sounding piece sticks within this theme.

In order to create a heroic sounding melody, within the same key as my piece, I wanted to utilise Horns as they have a heroic sound and keeps with the dynamic development of my track as I already have incorporated horns within the piece both before and after the melody, next I started playing the notes I had already used within the rhythmic section and took those notes and moved some of them around in order to come up with this lead line. This simple melody was inspired by the horn melody from Molossus (Zimmer, 2016) as Zimmer only uses two notes, but it is effective for that heroic yet dread inducing intensity the track conveys.

Finally I duplicated the lead line once and extended the 2nd to last note as it blends well with the brass swell due to it using the same note within the chord, after this I merged the melodies together and programmed in the dynamics to improve the expressiveness of the instrument.

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Here is my added melody to track three relating to the feedback I received stating that I needed a melody to prevent the track from feeling too blocky.

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9.3.2 Adding a melody to the beginning of Track three - Audio (LO3):

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9.3.2 Adding a melody to the beginning of Track three - Audio (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Here is the screenshot of my extended version of Track Three, now with a new outro in order to comply with the requirements for this assignment

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9.4 Expanding the length of Track three - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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9.4 Expanding the length of Track three - MIDI (LO2 + LO3):

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Due to me making the decision to only hand in two tracks for this assignment now, I needed to extend the duration of this track by at least 50 seconds in order for it to be over 3 minutes long as the submission requires.

In order to extend this track, I thought it would be good to bring the intro section back in to push the momentum forward slightly again, along with the lead melody played on the horns. I feel that this was a good approach for this as it recalls elements played previously and allows the track to evolve dynamically once more due to my whole orchestra previously playing in my original outro and instead provides them with different roles once again, except the percussion.

After adding the intro section, I added an earthquake hit to act as a transition to the outro segment which constists if strings -using divisi- to play chords slowly, signifying the loss in energy and resolution of the track. In doing this I have changed the dynamic structure of my track once more and shifted the mood from an intense and urgent sound to a far calmer sound.

My plan in the mastering stage of this track, in terms of the song, is to add a fade out to the outro of the track as when I tried doing it within the project, it didn't sound quite right so I feel that doing this on the mixed audio will make this process smoother for me.

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Here are my updated Programme notes so far.

I have now added a paragraph about John Powell's influence on my creative process for track three and the backstory behind the track, I just need to add a paragraph about Powell's influence on my work within track one and perform the track breakdown on track three.

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Here is my final demo of track three before mastering

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9.6 My final demo for Track three [Mixed] and a reflection on this track so far (LO3 + LO8):

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9.6 My final demo for Track three [Mixed] and a reflection on this track so far (LO3 + LO8):

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Here is my mixed demo for Track three before I go onto the mastering stage.

To reflect on this track so far, I believe I have accomplished what I set out to do originally with this track -to create a chase theme with inspiration from the track Molossus from Batman Begins- as I have managed to pay homage to Hans Zimmer's work while creating my own track the way I want it to sound.

The areas I believe I have utilised my inspiration well are; my use of horns for heroic thematicism along with a simple melody, not a two-note melody as featured in Molossus but simplicity in the lead melody directly inspired this motif (Zimmer, 2016), my extensive use of percussion for forward momentum, drive and power behind the track -being played heavily for intensity unlinke Hans Zimmer who prefers to play softly and crank the volume up to make percussion sound bigger- in doing this I could take Zimmer's percussion as inspiration and alter it to my own taste as I prefered the sound of heavier played percussion (Zimmer & stevelindsay, 2012) -sadly the original source of this has disappered but this source is a repost of the original, my use of pulsing bass for rhythmic intensity was similar to that of Hans Zimmer -and similarly there is some semblance of a mechanical feel behind these rhythms (Ouranio Recordings, n.d.).

All of these aided me in the development of this track and helped me discover my own sound as I used what I liked about Zimmer's work and altered those practices to my own ear.

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9.7 Distance travelled throughout this module and What is MY SOUND? :

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9.7 Distance travelled throughout this module and What is MY SOUND? :

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Distance travelled:

Throughout this module I have come a long way compared to how I started. I entered this module with the interpretation that all of the work I have done up to this point was just by listening to my influences and inspirations and incorporating their work into my own, however, I am now able to see that, while I have been using my inspirations to guide my own work, they have also allowed me to find My Sound as an artist, I am able to view the elements I draw inspiration from and now see how I have implemented my own ideas into them.

I also used this module as an opportunity to try new things within my compositions -reflecting my growth mindset-, such as incorporating a focus on percussion-driven sections for forward motion and using a conceptualised character, a glacier, in order to inform my composition and tell a story with my music rather than to portray one emotion with one track. By doing these things, this module has helped me improve as a composer and widen my skillset.

What is MY SOUND?

I would say my sound is creating music that is rooted in emotional storytelling through the use of orchestral instruments blended with synthetic elements in order to enhance the atmosphere of a piece. I often draw inspiration from nature, emotions, and visual media to inform my approach when composing. I include shifts in texture, mood, dynamics, and expression within my music to ensure that my tracks evolve dynamically and develop throughout the track's run time.

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Description:

In week nine I was able to discuss what the purpose of this module was in my own words, act upon my feedback for track three and extend it to reach at least the 3 minute mark as required by the assignment, I was able to make a start on the programme notes for the third track for this module, edit some more of my Case Study work, reflect upon my work done for track three, discuss the distance I have travelled within this module and define what my own Sound truly is.

Feelings:

This week I felt stressed and somewhat relieved as I am nearly finished with all of the work I have to do for this module, however, I am also still stressed about the work as I have had many issues come up in my personal life which has added to the weight I feel on my shoulders. I am still positive that I will be able to finish all of my work in time for the deadline, but I do feel mentally drained from doing so. I sadly did not have time to mix and master my tracks as I planned to do this week, so I plan on doing that next week.

Evaluation:

This week allowed me to evaluate how each of my artists from my case study have impacted my sound as an artist and distinguish what my sound actually is. I have also been able to evaluate my own work by reflecting upon my third track for this module and write up programme notes for that track.

Analysis:

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse my own track during my reflection and see how my inspirations and influences have impacted my third track for this module, I was also able to further analyse my own track for the purpose of writing programme notes about track three. In addition to this, I have performed an analysis on how my chosen artists for my case study have impacted my over all sound for this module.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, week nine went relatively well but extremely stressful for me, I have made a lot of good progress towards my work for this module and am almost in a position where I can hand all of my work in for the deadline.

Action plan:

Ensure my tracks are both mixed and mastered.

Finalise the writing of my Case Study and work on shortening some paragraphs down to ensure I remain within the word count.

Finalise the writing of my Programme notes and include a word count on the document.

Export all of my finished documents to the required format and put them within a document ready for the assignment hand in.

Continue weekly reflection to monitor my progress throughout this module.

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Here are screenshots of me sharing my tracks with three of my friends for feedback

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10.1 Feedback I received from people I shared my tracks with:

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10.1 Feedback I received from people I shared my tracks with:

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As required for this week's task, I have sent my tracks to three people I trust, each with different skill sets, requesting feedback on what I have done well within my tracks and what they felt I was lacking.

The people I have chosen for the feedback is my friend Jon, who introduced me to Cubase and composing within a DAW as I feel his 3 years experience with making orchestral mock-ups would provide me with some helpful feedback, my friend Connor who does not have any experience with music but acts as a general audience feedback providing less technical feedback and more generalised as would be seen by a Film's audience, and finally my friend Harry who has experience in working within the Film industry and even writes and directs his own films.

Jon:

Jon provided me with feedback stating that he feels my track 'The Relentless Engine' requires no changes whatsoever and my track 'A Glacier's Lament' is "really nice and includes lots of variation", however, he stated it would benefit from more rhythm to "spice things up", he recommended either adding a few more transitional chords or adding a melody over the top at around 1:18.

Connor:

Connor provided me with some great generalised feedback, stating that he commends how my skills have improved from my earlier compositions. As far as feedback goes, Connor stated that in 'A Glacier's Lament' "at around 2:18 he could hear a slight looping sound", I'm not sure what he means by that at the moment but I shall investigate this further when I go to make the final edits to my tracks as a result of the feedback. Connor also felt that the silence at around 2:30 within 'A Glacier's Lament' could benefit from being shorter, "about 2 seconds maximum." This has proven to be very beneficial feedback for me.

As for 'The Relentless Engine', Connor describes this as "his favourite piece I have ever done" and says that there is not much I could do to improve it except maybe allowing the percussion at 2:48 to be "carried on" for a little longer.

Harry:

Harry was one of the most important people I wanted feedback from as I wanted to see if my tracks were able to meet the expectations of a Film director due to me wishing to become a media composer myself and as expected, Harry's feedback was filled with a large array of technical language talking about my tracks potential to be used within a score.

For 'A Glacier's Lament', Harry states that the track "expertly establishes atmosphere, making you truly feel as though you are amongst icy glaciers', this feedback provides me with confidence that I have met my aims for this track which was to transport the listener to an icy environment, he also enjoyed how a clear narrative is present within the piece starting off as a soothing atmospheric piece and evolving into a more emotional story of how glaciers lives end in tragedy. In addition to this, Harry felt that this track "wouldn't be out of place in a Planet Earth-esque documentary," which proves to me that I have successfully demonstrated my inspirations for this particular track.

As for 'The Relentless Engine', Harry instantly recognised the inspirations of The Dark Knight trilogy's score commenting on "Zimmer's big booming drums" being present within the track, however, also noted how there are potentially other heroic soundtrack influences, particulary within the high strings reminding him of Danny Elfman's Spiderman score which after thinking about it, definitely was in the back of my mind when writing the Violin ostinato. When looking at the track as a whole, Harry felt it expressed "the dycotomy of good and evil, telling a narrative of good fighting evil - and good prevailing" this in combination with the "dark undertones" I portray within this track allows me to understand that I managed to successfully create a superhero score inspired by Zimmer's work on the Batman Begins soundtrack.

Furthermore, Harry ended his feedback by stating he is "eyeing me up for a mini-series" and suggests I could maybe score some episodes for his work. This comment made me feel like the work I have done has proven my worth as a composer. This comment is not just a friend complimenting my work, but a potential employer recognising my skill sets and deeming them good enough to be utilised within the Film industry.

What I have taken from this feedback:

From the feedback I have received, I now understand what I can do to potentially improve upon my work and what I have already done well. By receiving a potential job offer, I have proven that my musical abilities would allow me to work within my desired industry and prove my ability to create music based on a conceptual idea.

As for the feedback in particular I now realise I need to look back at my tracks and make appropriate edits to improve the tracks further, I will do this by; potentially adding some more variation within 'A Glacier's Lament' -maybe in the form of a melody, investigating the "looping sound" within this track and shortening down the silence to about 2 seconds long. As for 'The Relentless Engine', I will look into how I may be able to extend the drum sound Connor mentioned, maybe by adding a delay to it or something like that, allowing it to "carry on" for a little longer.

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Here is a screenshot of the EQ settings and Panagement 2 settings I used in the mix for track one

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Here are the EQ and Panagement settings I used for the track 'A Glacier's Lament':

Icy Plains Piano: For the EQ I used a high pass filter to remove some of the low-end rumble at the 10Hz mark by about 3 dB, I then applied a dip in the low-mids and mids at around the 600Hz range by roughly 1.5 dB in order to tame some of the harshness of the piano and then, finally, I applied a low pass filter at the 20kHz range by about 3dB to remove some of the unwanted high end frequencies that were too harsh. As for my panagement settings, I used a large hall reverb in order to fill a large space, similar to filling a large and desolate icy landscape, using the tilt control to add some more low end to contrast the other piano slightly and panning it very slightly to the left of the centre as the piano is the central instrument for this track.

Melting Keys Piano: For the EQ I used a high pass filter at around the 20Hz mark by about 3dB to remove some of the lower end frequencies to reduce rumble, but not all of them as this piano plays in a lower octave later on in the piece, I then implemented a dip in the low-mids and some of the mids just before the 500Hz mark by about 2dB to tame some of the mid-ranged frequencies and reduce the harshness, finally, I implemented a low pass filter at the 10kHz range by about 3dB to remove some of the unwanted high-end frequencies. As for my panagement settings I applied the same width as the previous piano as they fit within the same space, used the tilt knob to add some more EQ to the higher end to contrast the previous piano and then panned it very slightly to the right of the centre so the two pianos are separate spatially and don't clash with eachother.

Frozen strings Tremolo: For the EQ I added a high pass filter at around the 30Hz range by about 3dB to remove the unwanted low frequencies as these strings are played within a higher register, I also used a low pass filter at the 10kHz range by about 3dB to remove the really high frequencies that tame the harshness within those ranges while still maintaining the shrill and fragile tonality of the icy strings. As for my panagement settings I used a similar width to the piano settings as this ensures they are present enough but not overpowering, I then applied a tilt slightly to the left in order to cut some of the high frequencies that came forward after adding the reverb I then added the same reverb settings as the pianos as they sit within a similar register and serve a similar purpose from an atmospheric point of view, finally I panned them slightly to the left as this is roughly where violins that play a supporting role would sit within an orchestra.

Frozen strings Flautondo: For the EQ I added a high pass filter at around the 30Hz range by about 3dB to remove the unwanted low frequencies as these strings are played within a higher register, I also used a low pass filter at the 10kHz range by about 3dB to remove the really high frequencies that tame the harshness within those ranges while still maintaining the shrill and fragile tonality of the icy strings. As for my panagement settings I used a similar width to the piano settings as this ensures they are present enough but not overpowering, I then applied a tilt slightly to the left in order to cut some of the high frequencies that came forward after adding the reverb I then added the same reverb settings as the pianos as they sit within a similar register and serve a similar purpose from an atmospheric point of view, finally I panned them slightly to the left as this is roughly where violins that play a supporting role would sit within an orchestra, however, I also panned this further back compared to the tremolo strings as I wanted them to act slightly more as a backdrop than being at the forefront.

Cello: For the EQ I used a high pass filter at around 50Hz by about 3dB in order to remove the unwanted low-end rumbling of the celli and then used a low pass filter at around 5kHz by 3dB to remove the unwanted high-end frequencies as the cello does not occupy this frequency range. As for the panagement settings for the celli, I maximised the width to amplify the roar of the cello within the space I am trying to fill which gives it some more presence within the mix and placed it to the right as that is typically where a cellist would be placed within an orchestra setting.

Bass: For the EQ I used a high pass filter at around the 20Hz range by about 3dB to remove some of the unwanted rumble from the bass but still maintaining the lower frequencies in which the bass occupies as an instrument, I then used a low pass filter at around 2kHz by roughly 3dB in order to remove the unwanted high end frequencies that are unnecessary for a bass. For my panagement settings I, like the celli, maxed out the width to fill the whole space with the boom of the bass, I then panned it slightly behind the cellists as that is where double bassists would sit within an orchestra setting.

Glacier Keys Pads: For the EQ I applied a high pass filter just past the 50Hz mark by about 3dB to remove the unwanted low end rumble as this made the pads more dominant within the mix before the EQ reduction, I then applied a low pass filter at around the 5kHz range to remove some of the high squealing sounds present within the pads and tame the high end to control the pads dominance within the mix. For my panagement settings I maxed out the width so that the pads would fill the whole space, I applied a slight tail to the reverb to allow the sound of the pads to be carried into eachother slightly -improving the atmospheric depth of the track- and panned it to be central but in the middle of the room, allowing the sound of the pads to be spread equally throughout the room and the mix.

Earthquake Hit: For the EQ I applied a high pass filter with a small slope at around the 10kHz range by about 2dB to tame a small amount of low end rumble, however, keep some of it as I want this hit to feel large and out of control, I then applied a low pass filter with a slightly steep slope at around the 2kHz mark by 3dB to remove the unheard higher frequencies beyond this point and draw focus on the lower end boom of the drum. As for the panagement settings, I set the width to the maximum to allow the drum to fully fill the space, maxed out the tail to allow the percussive hit to hang on for longer, as for the panning itself, I started it with being panned far left - being relatively close to the centre so that the hit is more dominant within the mix - and then programmed some automation with the panning to have it progressively pan from the left to the centre, reflecting the movement of a glacier crashing down.

Low Percussion: For the EQ I used a high pass filter to apply a slight cut to the low end at around 10Hz by about 2.5dB to reduce some of the low end rumble that was present, but not completely wash out the low end, I then applied a low pass filter at around 2kHz by 3dB, using a deep cut with a steep slope to remove the unnecessary high end from the percussion so that I can focus on the low end quality of the percussion, enhancing the low end of the track. As for the panagement settings, I set the width to the maximum to allow the drum to fully fill the space, applied a small tail to allow the percussive hit to linger slightly, as for the panning itself, I had it panned in the same space as the pads to allow them to be central to the track, but hang back so they aren't too dominant.

Choir Aaa's: For the EQ I applied a high pass filter at around 100Hz by about 3dB to reduce the low end of the vocals as these vocals are female and I wanted to focus on the higher register as that is where the sombre emotion sits, I then applied a low pass filter at around 10kHz, with a 3dB reduction to tame the high end of the vocals slightly, however, I used automation to alter the slope, allowing for more of the higher frequencies to be heard in the 'final push' from the vocals, detailed in the image attached to this post. As for the panagement settings, I maxed out the width to increase the presence of the choir within the mix as this section is supposed to be quite impactful, I added a slight reverb tail to the track, allowing for the notes to linger slightly before leading into each other, as for the panning itself, the Aaa's are situated centrally to the space I have designed, offset slightly to the right of the centre.

Choir Mmm's: For the EQ I applied a high pass filter at around 100Hz by about 3dB to reduce the low end of the vocals as these vocals are female and I wanted to focus on the higher register as that is where the sombre emotion sits, I then applied a low pass filter at around the 3.5kHz mark by about 3dB to tame the higher frequencies and remove the unheard higher frequencies. As for the panagement settings, I maxed out the width to increase the presence of the choir within the mix as this section is supposed to be quite impactful, I added a slight reverb tail to the track, allowing for the notes to linger slightly before leading into each other, as for the panning itself, the Mmm's are situated centrally to the space I have designed, offset slightly to the left of the centre, mirroring the Aaa's.

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Here is the audio for my mix for track one

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10.2.2 Mixing Track one - A Glacier's Lament - Audio Demo (LO3):

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10.2.2 Mixing Track one - A Glacier's Lament - Audio Demo (LO3):

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Here is the audio related to the post above.

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Here is a screenshot of my Cubase session where I used my feedback to make some final edits to my track

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10.3 Acting on my feedback for track one - MIDI (LO3):

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10.3 Acting on my feedback for track one - MIDI (LO3):

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When looking to act upon the feedback I received for this track, I first shortened the pause after the earthquake hit by two seconds as suggested by Connor, I feel this is appropriate for this as the emptiness felt too long. Next I looked into this "looping sound at 2:18" and discovered it was just the warblyness of the pads so I decided to keep that as it was.

As for the final piece of advice I received for this track, Jon stated that I should add some form of melody over the piano at around 1:18, I felt that this idea defeated the point of that section as the piece is designed to be sparse with an emphasis on atmosphere, however, I did apply his advice to some extent by doubling the bass and cello with pads to add some extra character to the notes, starting just after 1:20.