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Remix track ready to be mastered

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Blue -> Media

Red -> Text

Green -> Document

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Live Performance setup: Novation Launchkey

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Live Performance setup: Novation Launchkey

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I created a custom key mode to suit my needs for the live set. This features a scale keyboard across 4 octaves in the top half of the pad. The rest are faders mapped to instrument effects and EQs.

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I found that the mastering was not a challenge this time due to more effort spent on mixing. I cleaned up the mids and highs while leaving the lows relatively uncompressed. I used Youlean loudness meter to monitor my avg. of -14 LUFS with a true peak max of -1.2 dB.

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I made significant changes to the hook because I no longer liked the flow of the song. This lead to many changes in other sections to better fit the flow of the song.

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Current progress of my remix track

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Mixing these guitars has been one of the greatest challenges in my remix track. Metal is widely known as one of the hardest genres to mix due to the number of distorted instruments that aim to create a "wall" of sound. I reiterated my mix countless times with the help of my mentors to create a wall of sound that works with a passing grade. There is still a lot of room for improvement, mainly due to all the reiterations that cause over-production in the sound.

Since this was my first time mixing quadruple-tracked distorted guitars, my next attempt will be more streamlined as I will know what to do.

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Considering the guitars needed heavy processing, my effects chain is fairly long. Next time I would like to find ways to shorted my effects chain, I believe that too much processing can overproduce a sound. The ideal method is to find a simple solution for a complicated problem which can be found through more mixing practice.

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I attenuated the highs while saturating the mids. This lead to a punchier bass overall which was then side-chained to the Kick. Next time I would like to spend more time processing the bass for a cleaner sound because I prefer when a bass stands out in the mix.

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This week was dedicated towards finishing the final parts of my arrangement: Hook 2 and the Outro.

I wanted to bring a different feel into the second part of the hook to make it more interesting to listen to. I did this by recording some Metal guitars in a different chord progression, which keeping most of the other elements the same in the second part of the hook. The way the guitars fill in the stereo field differently to the acoustic guitars in the first part of the hook is interesting, which solidifies a different feel in the 2nd part. I think that this is due to my use of 2 different reverb plugins which can drastically change the room of an instrument. The outro was simple to create as I used some unused musical ideas along with carrying some Hook 2 ideas over to make a smoother transition as well as thinning the texture and gradually fading the instruments out.

However, improvements still have to be made in terms of mixing and mastering. This will be done over the weekend to ensure better audio quality compared to what I have right now.

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Since the acapella is a stem-rip, I had to make sure to automate its frequencies and reverb to try as much as possible to compromise for lost frequencies.

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This week I continued to write my remix track. I focused on the sections after the 2nd verse. I actually had a different idea to my arrangement. However this would've made the track around 2 minutes instead of the required 3. This made my studio sessions quite off-putting as I felt that I was just losing the original feeling of my track. In the umbrella genre that I usually produce music in (Hyperpop), artists will mainly produce tracks that range from 1 minute 30 to 2 minute 30. On the other hand, Hyperpop is such a vague genre that every artist produces with their own values in mind which leads to 4 to 5 minute tracks at times.

I lengthened my song by copy-pasting my guitar tracks and running the acapella over it, adding and releasing tension through SFX and FX automation. I wanted the listener to take a break in Verse 2, since the first hook is pretty demanding on the ears. I kept this in mind and made a more minimal beat using wood-hit percussion, a clean 808 Subbass with portamento and the clean-tone double-track guitar melodies. I've found that pitching the subbass notes high up make an interesting melody that make the verse sound more engaging, so I will continue to use this discovery in the rest of the track.

I think I accomplished the more minimal feeling well as I physically felt calmer when listening back to the section in context with the track.

Next week I will continue to progress through the arrangement of my track, in which the break and build will be next.

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I’m able to label my diary entries as either Technique or Performance easily.
I would say that they aren’t too descriptive; they address the issue and then explain in further detail to make the situation clearer without adding too much detail.
I’m using Gibbs Reflective cycle to some of the posts but not all of them. My goal is to edit and keep in mind the format of my posts to Gibbs reflective cycle.

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I practiced my current demo set for my live performance. I would like to add more controllable elements to my set such as MIDI controllers.

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SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths:

I am quick at creating new ideas, and once the idea is interesting I am more confident in being able to finish it. I have improved my idea to think from different perspectives once I hit a writers block, which usually created unexpected turns in my music and makes them more interesting.

Weaknesses:

My improvisation on guitar is weakening, because I am complacent with the limited number of notes that I use on the fretboard currently. I find myself wanting to create an interesting melody yet I keep on falling back to the same stuff on the guitar. I’m not sure how to tackle this but I guess I’ll improve my overall ability to write a balance of catchy but complex melodies on the piano roll, which I hope will help with my improvisation on guitar.

Opportunities:

There’s a tech job at Revenge that I really want to take, as I want to get out on the field and learn new skills, because that process never fails to change my perspective on things.

I want to get back into daily vocal exercises using online material.

Threats:

My mental health is slowly recovering but new things always happen in my life every week and threatens my mental stability every time. As a result I have become stronger and more adaptable but I don’t know how much more I can take. At some point I am going to have to resolve my current personal problems or else it will keep building up and affect my functional life badly again. This is paired with my current sleep schedule which I need to fix.

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I started out by writing creative riffs on the guitar, panning each take to the left and right respectively. Going on, I wrote sequenced drums with a bootleg acapella to bring a better vision to the song.

From there, I wrote a rhythm guitar part to support the lead guitars.

My guitar writing skills are improving in terms of rhythm, melodic content and playing ability. I would say that what's limiting me is interesting sound design. I rely mostly on my guitar and basic Ableton instrument packs, so making one sound a week from scratch would get me on track with building my original sound.

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I created the hook after the breakdown. I was inspired by multiple hyperpop songs by making a pumping hook characteristics by guitar riffs that are bitcrushed.

The kick rhythm is inspired by jersey club beats which fit well with the acapella.

The arrangement of the track is improving and I feel like its not boring to listen to. I definitely prefer when a lot of elements are erraticall chaning and then switch over something more calming. It makes my music sound more dynamic and therefore more emotional. This is because emotions are never static or purely one quality. This can be emulated in my music by constantly experimenting with my arrangement. I like changing up my arrangements because I think many people (especially in EDM) stick to arrangement formulas so I like breaking out of that routine. I usually do this by making instrument sections and then tastefully placing them somewhere within my initial arrangement structure. If I feel that something would work better in a different part of the song, I would relocate it. this also jogs my creative brain and keeps things new!

I would like to try use the Ableton Live mode to create arrangements next week, because you're not limited to a linear arrangement style on Ableton's main arrangement page. This may lead to some new discoveries and less of a chance of entering a writer's block.

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Upon suggestion from some friends, I managed to completely change the flow of the track, meaning I have 2 different versions of the same track. This allows me to keep an open mind to my creative direction. I would say that this is my favourite version of the track. A problem with the track is its overall flow, as the samples I implemented are very patchwork and have no transitional risers to make the transition to the hook smoother. Furthermore, the hook itself doesn’t have enough variation to it, which can be improved by taking chops off the current guitar samples and altering them via effects and sample editing such as pitch shifting and time altering. Alternatively I can create new guitar parts however in my experience this tends to lead the creative direction askew. My goal is to create a memorable melody and not an overly complicated one.

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Unfortunately, due to me having a fever for the entire week, I didn't manage to make any meaningful changes to my track which impacted my progress. Next week I will start creating my 2nd track, which will be a remix. While the genres may be similar, I will make changes to the remix that will contrast with the 1st track. For example, Hyperpop has seen many influences from various genres, such as Pop Punk, Indie Rock, Electronica, Math Rock, Glitch-core, Dubstep, Country and Midwest Emo. If I centre each track around 2 different genres, they will turn out contrasting.

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I usually don't process the acoustic guitars too much as my guitar has a high quality of tone. Paired with my Audio Technica AT2020, this makes for a great acoustic guitar sound. However in this case, many other elements play at the same time which is why I had less space for the guitars to squeeze into, resulting in more processing than usual. I would like to improve my acoustic guitar mixing in the future as I don't usually practice this.

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Extract of screen-recorded session time (Remix Track)

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Extract of screen-recorded session time (Remix Track)

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This extract shows examples of guitar and vocals editing, as well as mixing in mono to find balance in the mix.

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This week I focused solely on rewriting my original track. This involved a simple writing process of playing guitar with my friend. We managed to make a song every 5 minutes which helped churn out ideas. I finally created an idea that sounded good enough for the production stage, which went through simple audio processing (eq, compression and reverb). I focused on writing the entire arrangement of the track, which has been 85% completed in 3 days. The only issue is the lack of excitement and texture, which is something I anticipated due to my priorities. This can be easily changed by adding many more instruments and paying attention to detail with processing and automation. This can be a goal set for Week 8, where hopefully I will reach a stage with my song where I can get my other friend to make lyrics and create vocals for the song. A priority in mind is not to complicate the song too much because I’m going to have to keep it at a level where I can perform it live through the Ableton Push controller and possibly keyboard and guitar.

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My current practice routine is working for me to an extent. I still practice the guitar every week and force myself out of the comfort zone with my production process including regular track reverse engineers/ recreations. However I have stopped engaging in ear training and vocal exercises, which I can definitely start again. I am definitely seeing an improvement to my sound overall, which is mostly because of the track recreations that have let me improve in guitar mixing which plays a big part in most of my productions.

My new practice routine should involve stage performance with the Ableton Push controller and my Launchkey so I can be prepared for the final performance. In addition I’ll undergo ear training and vocal exercises again, as well as more guitar practice.

My practice content and structure are still very relevant to  the current areas I need to improve, so I only have to add more exercises to the routine I already have.

The routine is still motivating enough, in which I need to focus more on discipline rather than motivation.

I will be creating and evidencing a Practice Routine 2.0 for myself. This week will be a trial run and I will document my process.

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I created track 2 this week, which is a remix of Glaive and ericdoa’s track “Mental anguish”. I chose this track because of its rich harmonic quality in the vocals.

I like my idea with the metal guitars in the hook. It isn't something I've really done before in this way so it brings a new perspective to what kind of music I like making.

The mix in the track isn't ideal currently, which I will be fixing later down the line in my project. This is because nothing good has ever happened from heavily mixing as I create the arrangement, as my final mix is dependent on the final arrangement. If I add new instruments or elements it will lead my current mix astray and leave a bigger mess for me to clean up.

For next week, I will keep on progressing with the arrangement and create new ideas. Preferably I would be done with 40% of my track by the end of next week. This would be the intro, verse, hook and verse 2.

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This involves multiple synths following the 808 bassline. Next time I make a synth stack, I may want to add more automation to the synths to make the track sound more organic and dynamic.

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Created a project proposal to organise my aims and contingencies for obstacles with my Study Block 2 creative project.

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I found a website that collates all known music genres in the world. I spent a portion of time listening to 170+ music genres to find inspiration, which ended successfully. I have found many new artists to listen to for inspiration.

everynoise.com. (n.d.). Every Noise at Once. [online] Available at: https://everynoise.com.

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I believe that my aim in my music is to always try something new, no matter what genre/ mix of genre I am producing. This can range between all 7 fundamental musical elements. This mostly because it is the most enjoyable for me when writing music. As I experiment with more elements, I will know what works and what doesn't, building the field of knowledge I have that will serve as my unique sound. This aligns with what I am currently working on, as I have to make 2 contrasting tracks, something I have a strength in doing. I am more proficient in using specific elements that make my music recognisable while still being able to produce various genres.

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After listening to my track, I believe I still have mix problems regarding my metal oriented guitars. I need them to fill the frequency spectrum but it tends to then make the mix muddy. I reduce the mids but then the mix feels empty so I have to find a way of making the mix full without directly enhancing the volume of the guitars. For example, my best bet is playing around with reverb on the guitar stacks. They could sit in the mix well and not sound muddy.

I took a look at my mix with Joe and I realised that I never used a gate on my guitars, which will cut out unwanted noise and saves a lot of time. I also took a look at one of my previous mixes and realised that I may have over-produced my guitars to the point that they now don’t sit well in the mix. I’m going to have to find a way to bring back that guitar mix so I can move on with producing the rest of the song.

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This week was supposed to be dedicated to only the break and build, however I managed to finish them faster than I thought and progressed through to the final hook.

The break consists of repeating a section of the acapella, as the acapella is less than 3 minutes long so I had to innovate with what I had. I mixed the repeated acapella with a call-and-response extract I took from the acapella. This portrays both ericdoa and Glaive talking one after the other which makes the section more dynamic and continues to engage the listener.

The build consists of many different pads swelling in size and energy through exciter and reverb automation. I reintroduced the hook drums to foreshadow the next section and tie all the elements together. This is a new strength of mine where I feel like even though many elements are constantly changing, I can manage to tie them together by using suggestive audio and energy-building to keep the listener on track. This gives me a better balance between an interesting arrangement and a song that one would enjoy listening to.

The break inbetween the build and the second hook was an accidental idea after leaving some MIDI ideas open in the arrangement page. It features twinkly synth melodies surrounding full-sounding double-tracked acoustic guitars and the drums taken from the 1st hook. I then bounced this section into audio and processed it with heavy subtractive EQ and one of Ableton's experimental Audio effect racks; Tapestry of Gems. This is one of my favourite effect racks as it makes sounds bitcrushed and delayed in different octaves. I wanted to make a break section that had a telephone filter-equivalent, so putting my own spin on that using bitcrush makes the track more authentic to the Hyperpop genre. I slowly automated the Wet/dry on most audio effects on the Chain so that energy built up quickly and the full frequency spectrum is introduced again.

I wanted to follow the idea from the break to make the track more cohesive, so the first part features a revamped 808 subbass line, hook drums, bitcrushed synths that partially follow the bassline melody, and the double-tracked acoustic guitars that served as the baseline for Horn-synth chords.

I think that the second hook sounds really engaging mostly due to the large number of musical elements that have good cohesion, because I realise that the more instruments you have, you have to make compromises to other elements such as melody or harmony to keep the track from being overcomplicated. I did this by making the synth melodies similar to the 808 bassline to really homogenise the main harmonic idea.

Next week I will finish the 2nd part of the hook and Outro. Some improvements I can make is the mix quality of the track, as I have reached a substantial progress to start making changes to the mix.

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Arrangement: My remix track vs The original track (A B Comparison)

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Arrangement: My remix track vs The original track (A B Comparison)

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The original track “Mental Anguish” has an arrangement of:

Intro - Verse 1 - Hook - Verse 2 - Hook 2 - Hook 3

My remix track of “Mental Anguish” has an arrangement of:

Into - Verse 1 - Hook - Verse 2 - Breakdown - Build - Break - Hook - Hook 2 - Outro

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Creatine a practice routine to set myself habits in improving some of my weaknesses.

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1. I used to have a problem where every track I made would have to be as sonically perfect as possible, which would cost me months of precious time. This slowed my progression in writing interesting tracks because a tracks would be produced very slowly. In addition to this I did too much mixing in the writing process which often messed up the sound of the song.

1. Don’t focus too much on mixing during the writing process. To focus on writing, try using your gut instinct because the first idea that you come up with is usually the best, of course not all the time. When using references for mixing or mastering, try not to copy the sound of the reference too much as the mix of the song is dependent on the writing and instruments used. If needed, give yourself a deadline or total time limit on the track in order to work within limits and accept that once the time is up that you have done your best.

2. I currently believe in quantity over quality during the beginner and advanced stage of a producer. This is because one has to get used to consistently finishing and releasing tracks because no visual artist would ever release unfinished art. This has been one of my biggest priorities in music (if not the biggest) due to how much time and effort has been wasted, along with how much farther I could have been if I had been consistent with releasing tracks. I think that the action of actually releasing or finishing a track in advantageous in the mental game because you can’t accurately judge unfinished artwork, but you can when it’s finished. This will make it actually effective to look back on your tracks and remember what techniques felt amazing to use and what problems were faced and how you’ve implemented contingencies for them. However I think that once one has established one’s own sound and has a commercial sonic quality to their music, more time can be spent on each track because at that point you are more used to envisioning a song in your head and understanding it’s message. That way when you spend longer time on a track you aren’t losing the original purpose of the song along the way. Furthermore you will have built up a longer list of favourite techniques, flows and rhythms that you can experiment more with that may take time but can create something interesting but also clear and concise for the listener.

3. Currently the way I’m implementing quality over quantity is not worrying about the mix so much as the writing, arrangement and sample selection of the song. I have also learned to relax more during the writing process and let the brain create new things and go along with it. Listening to hundreds of other genres can reset and inspire you once you come back to your track and definitely improves the chances of a breakthrough in your track, which will be audibly noticeable. Not being too content or comfortable in your track is key

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Quantitative data:

(No date) Booking agent salary in England - indeed. Available at: https://uk.indeed.com/career/booking-agent/salaries/England (Accessed: 26 February 2024).

Götting, M.C. (2023) Most famous music artists in the UK 2023, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1234778/famous-music-artists-united-kingdom/ (Accessed: 26 February 2024).

Qualitative data:

Staff, B. (2019) 20 questions with illenium: The producer discusses his success, Sadboi Status & New Album ‘ascend’, Billboard. Available at: https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/illenium-interview-20-questions-ascend-8527452/amp/

(Accessed: 26 February 2024).

Ways, C. (2023) Inside lost village ’23: The UK’s Strangest Woodland Festival, HUNGER TV. Available at: https://www.hungertv.com/editorial/inside-lost-village-23-the-uks-strangest-woodland-festival/#:~:text=A%20truly%20singular%20festival%20experience,to%20indulge%20your%20hedonistic%20side. (Accessed: 26 February 2024).

Using the research I did on career profiles, I will present a budget on income, outgoings and profit vs losses, as well as provide context and justify my financial forecast. I will describe how my budget may evolve of over time due to changes in circumstances in my career.

Financial forecast:

Income per month: £200 a week - £800 a month (part time job)

If long term investing - possible outcome ranges from £200 - £1000 within 2 months.

Outgoings: Rent + Utility bill + Cost of living = 555 + 85 + 160 = £800

Investing into music =

Music software updates (Ableton 12 Live Suite = £199)

New plugins (Most range from £50 - £200)

Instruments (Can range from £15 - £600)

Midi hardware (Can range from £25 - £300)

Mixers

Vocal lessons (Prices will vary between the medium of £10/hr)

Music project budget such as music videos, live releases, live performances (£30 - £1000)

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Techniques to combat the feeling of stagnation:

1. Accountability

2. Act as if the deadline is today

3. Change your environment

4. Make a vision board

5. Surround yourself with people who think the way they want to think

6. Be kind to yourself

7. Find/ Remember your why

8. Challenge yourself (Learn new skills, set new goals)

9. Celebrate and track your successes

10. Taking breaks

11. Eat that frog

I am a warrior procrastinator, therefore the techniques I have shown above will be useful in trying to avoid as much procrastination as possible.

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My remix track employs some new techniques, such as:

Vocal parallel processing

Inter-instrumental sidechaining

Synth Design

Sample-to-synth design

Mixing in the context of the Metal genre

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BPM: 190

Key: Bb minor

Moody to upbeat feel

Guitar recording and acapella processing

Hyperpop - Metal fusion

Large dynamic range

Large texture range

Lyrics found here: Glaive & ericdoa – ​mental anguish (no date) Genius. Available at: https://genius.com/Glaive-and-ericdoa-mental-anguish-lyrics (Accessed: 02 April 2024).

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Track BPM: 125

Key: B# major

Dreamy and calming atmosphere

Realtime faders, SFX, multitracking guitars and FX automation on synths

Moderate dynamic range

Moderate texture range

Arrangement:

Intro, Verse 1, Build, Verse 2, Build, Chorus, Outro

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My reflection for the Creative music Project management module