Previous term positivity on the progress of my work

• The classes are quite hands on and that works best as I am a kinaesthetic + visual learner

• Structure in my life is the best it has ever been by far

• Opportunities

  - Drum Den

  - Small Pond Rehearsal Rooms

  - Waterbear HQ Studio

• Learning Support

  - Learning support 1-1s has been extremely beneficial for me, it helps me better structure myself and gives me valuable feedback.

• Development week spaces

  - Being able to come into WaterBear to work on my project and have assistance and feedback to ensure I am in the best state with my project.

• Clubs/Societies

  • WaterBear Zine

    - The Zine is like a magazine but usually directed on a specific theme consisting of a limited amount of pages more like a leaflet. My addition is an interview article which I am currently in the process of creating, I am also doing the photography which I am capturing on film and developing myself too.

• Waterbear Drama Society/Club

  - I joined the Drama club as I have always wanted to join a club however never had the confidence in myself to feel I would be able to express characters with people as even in the past people I know very well that has been extremely tough although I broke down that barrier and was pleasantly surprised when I was improvising with the rest of the group like it was no issue.

Negatives

• My own limits, anxiety, Social Anxiety, stress, burning out

  - I would like to participate in much more - socially I have been fairly limited for being quite burned out and most likely due to the social anxiety too i find it isn't so necessary as I fill my week with so much that also involves people.

  
  

• As for the uni negatives my only negative would be feedback however for the formative case study submission I submitted to the summative submission point and I didn't receive feedback - my music submission formative was extremely beneficial feedback.

Goals for this term:

Participating in an open mic night, in some way being apart of a performance.

Finding even better structure for myself to ensure I don't burn out and eliminate a large amount of my anxiety and boost my self esteem and morale.

Achieving a better standard of work and feeling I definitively involved every aspect of the term.

I went out into many charity shops and searched for a cassette recorder, I didn't find even one. I ended up in Cash Converters and found a large stereo setup but it was far to cumbersome for what I needed.

I ventured on to eBay and found a Sanyo portable cassette recorder for about £15 with a few tapes.

Utilising the pause button in playback causes the motors to slow to a stop relatively fast but causing the read head to play back that slow down ramp, the effect can be done very easily in post production however it is a lot easier but also more authentic to the sound of the tape to do it practically.

I am faced with utlising midi drums in addition to my already recorded part i used within my demo

live track drums - at minimum just single mic rather than midi

ideally non comped recordings/less comping in efforts to streamline the post production process.

technical application of instrumental or vocal parts - mastering

I am going to do a score for a movie trailer

Now I think I know where I am headed I am in a much better headspace.

I will reach out to a production tutor and or friend to hone my skill within this area as well as production itself.

I also intend on making it a garage band style recording and my desired sound is for it to sound like a demo tape live recording.

all parts I will play tracked individually and performed by myself

As seen in this video I use my duvet to produce a fabric ruffle sound using a generic condenser microphone

I have done this so that I can appropriately match the foley sounds from the Saw Trailer which I am pairing the shboom remix with along with isolating the dialogue from the trailer

The beginning starts off all tinny/low quality and expands into the main song potentially in a blend which is did using eq.

Specific

To achieve a clear and relatively concise presentation within my presented work.

Measurable

Make entries each week and contribute additions to the submittable work.

Achievable

at least 1 entry (weekly) and media that is relevant to progress on tracks

Relevant

So that I can make my best attempt at my submission work.

Timely

By the submission date

Technical:

Specific

Working with creative effect physical hardware within my tracks

Measurable

document progress when relevant to

Achievable

Remix to include multiple foley effects

Studio/DAW track to include physical creative EQ, e.g. low quality small speaker or recording onto a cassette.

Relevant

To add unique and creative additions to enhance the track

Timely

By the submission date

Performance:

Specific

Progress with my drumming ability.

Measurable

Have a practice session every week and a lesson every other week.

Achievable

Gradually progressing at a steady pace with techniques and rudiments and grooves and practicing elements of the track every week.

Relevant

To perform on my Studio/DAW track.

Timely

By the last week of the submission.

Professional:

Specific

To network myself with performers by performing

Measurable

At least once within this term

Achievable

I would perform at least one song

Relevant

To contribute to my networking and performing ability

Timely

Before the end of term

Strengths - Streamlined plan for tracking within limited studio time

layout and highlighting which elements are necessary in a time plan.

Technical troubleshooting within software and system instability (limited system downtime)

Weaknesses - lack of proficiency within music theory

Vocal Proficiency

Compression Confidence

Lack of a network

Opportunities - Musician/Recording Tech

Free Studio/Rehearsal room time

Networking with musicians at uni

Mentoring for vocals at uni

Threats -

Wellbeing/Health/Anxiety/Stress

Confidence

Financial limits

Distracted easily

-STUDIO/DAW

-REMIX

1x Development Diary

1x Reflection

Have Tracks at end of mixing stage by last week and ready for master.

I am looking into how I will potentially amp my guitar parts

https://youtu.be/ZuVGqmqzvzU

Terrible timing I am aware of but it was mainly to serve as test for the tone.

It presented that perfect creepy horror vibe that I have bugun chopping up.

The song features lyrics like 'if you do what I want you to, baby you'll be alright.' and 'life could be a dream' it's incredibly satire but almost like the song is in on the antagonist's ill intentions. I figured it was extremely appropriate for the remix.

I am making music designed for a horror movie trailer.

I have paired the Saw trailer for my track due to it's limited use of musical elements within the trailer so I can subtract the dialogue and potentially the foley for use within my track.

I will be matching the audio to the visual content and matching to the rise in action climax, fall in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-1QgOMQ-ls

Academic:

Specific

To achieve a clear and relatively concise presentation within my presented work.

Measurable

Make entries each week and contribute additions to the submittable work.

Achievable

at least 1 entry (weekly) and media that is relevant to progress on tracks

Relevant

So that I can make my best attempt at my submission work.

Timely

By the submission date

I am quite satisfied with my progress and performance during this term, previously I have really struggled to understand the brief and gotten lost in the pressure, I have done similarly this term however I managed to progress through it.

Technical:

Specific

Working with creative effect physical hardware within my tracks

Measurable

document progress when relevant to

Achievable

Remix to include multiple foley effects

Studio/DAW track to include physical creative EQ, e.g. low quality small speaker or recording onto a cassette.

Relevant

To add unique and creative additions to enhance the track

Timely

By the submission date

I bought a portable cassette recorder which I utilised for creative EQ purposes within my STUDIO/DAW track and I am very satisfied with the result. The process was surprisingly simple and enjoyable.

Performance:

Specific

Progress with my drumming ability.

Measurable

Have a practice session every week and a lesson every other week.

Achievable

Gradually progressing at a steady pace with techniques and rudiments and grooves and practicing elements of the track every week.

Relevant

To perform on my Studio/DAW track.

Timely

By the last week of the submission.

Although I didn't perform the entirety of the drum parts I managed to make the punk beat groove work throughout my track. I am going to be working a lot on my progress and I WILL make sure I can perform it fully and without the need of sheet music in front of me as I am about 70% there. i intend on working on this over the summer.

Professional:

Specific

To network myself with performers by performing

Measurable

At least once within this term

Achievable

I would perform at least one song

Relevant

To contribute to my networking and performing ability

Timely

Before the end of term

I either wanted an open mic or a collaboration with a band and I did find two people, Joe Johnson (bassist) and Alex Voros (Drummer) who were up for a session and we are very likely going to be working together over the summer. The experience was interesting as I reached out to them and organised our session so it has been a comforting experience proving to myself that with networking you can get yourself places!

Practicing Drums for Dancing With Myself cover

I recorded on a Tascam 40x field recorder, although I had brought my laptop and standard interface I knew that by the time I had gotten it working and packed it up it would have taken about 15 minutes.

The field recorder allows me to connect my microphone and record. So I opted for that.

I used the sound brenner app for a metronome, I had my airpods in to hear the click and did my best to stay in time.

I think I was just about a couple sessions too early to be able to perform it confidently enough at 1/8 99bpm.

I used the sm57 clone mic as sm57s being dynamic and the world renowned instrument mics they are tried and tested. They also capture snares very well.

I used one mic to gain a typical basic punk sound, blaring and hairy.

I was rushing most of the time. I am not too confident with drums and this is by far the most challenging drum parts I have ever played. Due to sheer punk nature it is relentless, to be consistent it is tough, especially for a beginner.

I hope to improve my skill to a state where I can perform confidently next term.

I kept the gain relatively loud although especially as it is a creative effect for making the audio sound more unique than audiophile I didn't worry about the quality control.

Signal Flow VERSIONS

-Direct input from my interface's headphone output to the cassette's mic input via a female to female 3.5mm cable.

-Cassette player Headphone out to interface line in

-recording from laptop speaker (mono) to internal cassette player microphone and recorded via line input.

I used this method of my many as it also helped degrade the sound some more but also be able to retain the waveform in a sort of compressed fashion rather than recording straight from a speaker than a di where the transients are mostly only coming through:

-Cassette Player speaker to condenser mic (to capture more delicate sounds of the cassette player specficially, buttons being pressed etc. but also the tinny internal speaker)

Foley recording process, I captured some foley which I will use along with some foley from a sound library

Feelings

The experience was fun, I was able to take time out of doing written work or working in depth on the tracks, sunny day too which was a bonus!

Evaluation

I had difficulty with my limitation on budget and time however I recorded a few samples of different things which I would use for my remix track, one being toilet tank lid sound, squeaky front door, duvet ruffle.

Analysis

I was intending on recording my door and duvet however as my flat is adjacent to the building's front door I happened to hear it close and simply had the notion that it was a much more characterful door, with a horrible oil deprived squeak that quivered as the door shivered and slammed shut of it's own accord. I inserted that straight into my mix and it is much better than the sound library sample.

Conclusion

I have learnt that the process of recording foley really is no hassle, i used my tascam field recorder and my desktop audio interface along with my generic condenser microphone, although I am sure I could have gotten away with using my phone microphone since most if not all of my effects will require some reverb due to the nature of where the foley sounds are set in the movie trailer.

Action Plan

I will see if I need to substitute a sound in my daw for a better one or potentially I may need to create a unique one that no sound library could possess.

For now I will go through the post processing stage of treating the audio and correcting it.

With songs like this they aren't super bass heavy so with some precence of the bass I do this process

I took some research out to see what maximum loudness would be for each platform before being compressed and here is what i found:

https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/mastering-for-streaming-platforms.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqfbiDPiHaALxQP6dvrFmFPoZbEuokzyt2HoqdaDvWsKiMOUk7h

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edr0uoCPM00

Research into double kick

I am fairly new to drumming and I really need to get into perfecting my double kick for punk beats and especially the track I am going to cover which will absolutely require dedicated attention to perfecting this as a core.

I will update via my personal practice diary.

I looked into the correlation of old songs used in horror trailers, to understand what it is that makes their fit so appropriate to the genre.

https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-strange-potency-of-old-songs-in-horror-movies/

i propped up by bed pillows on the top of my freestanding clothes rail for better acoustics when recording and set the lyrics at head height for ease of reading and comfort being able to sing and project through the process.

I sang both male parts

I used the sm57 clone which is a dynamic mic so that I would have a much better time due to not having a mic stand and hand noise on dynamic mics is typically not noticable.

they are considered very dark mics due to the top end roll off meaning the higher frequencies will not be captured so well making it not so preffarble as a vocal mic however I intend to heavily compress the vocals and make them very gritty sounding.

I utilised the Logic mastering tool to keep things relatively controlled while not having a multitude of options and getting lost. I opted for the clean mode and tweaked very slightly, loudness decrease, stereo spread and in my DAW/STUDIO TRACK altered the EQ slightly.

I need to keep an eye on my gain staging and ultimate loudness as there is a lot of variation in the dynamic range. For my remix this is fairly typical however most likely a stereo release vs a theatre release of the trailer would be much more compressed, I designed the theatre release with exception of surround sound mixing.

Garage band style punk

Critical Listening Analysis:

I looked into guitar tones and I picked a punky type song based on similarities to the track that I am covering.

It has clear vocals along with a fair wall of guitar tone, which I intend to bring into my mix for my STUDIO/DAW track.

Beginning with a bounding intro of drums, and the low rumble of guitar, slightly roomy drums and

guitar - overdriven

bass - distorted overdriven

vocals - angsty aggressive

nice stereo mix/balance

tone - punk garage band tone, raw and true

https://soundcloud.com/asoundreaction/pretty-vicious-are-you-ready-for-me

For my remix I am going to be using the saw trailer to match foley and dialogue to. The antagonist character uses a speech scrambler, the scambled voice is featured in the movie trailer and for my remix I have replicated the effect.

I have previously done this before, as a fan of the movie franchise, to play around with the effect. I followed a tutorial years ago which I was unable to find but it was a tutorial of how to do it within audacity so I intend to bounce the audio out and back into Logic.

here is an example tutorial of how to replicate the effect within Logic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKLh0KOfe98

The process involved overdubbing where required and recording to click rather than my reference track to better stay accurately in time, as the cover is a live recording meaning there are multi intrumentalists in the same room being recorded at once they are very likely not recording to a click and drifting very slightly.

I took a lot of my foley sounds from here however I intend on recording some of my own foley soon for my remix track.

I side chained my dialogue to my SFX/foley so that I would not have any issues with clarity and the dialogue getting lost in the mix. The compression I used also helped bring down the dynamics of the foley.

I often opted for increasing the wet level over the dry and the size of the effect to really let it ring out.

Some vocals also have it for a creepy effect typical to the horror genre.

asoundreaction (2015). Pretty Vicious - Are You Ready For Me. [online] SoundCloud. Available at: https://soundcloud.com/asoundreaction/pretty-vicious-are-you-ready-for-me [Accessed 30 Apr. 2025].

BiteSize Learning (n.d.-c). The Gibbs Reflective Cycle, Explained. [online] BiteSize Learning. Available at: https://www.bitesizelearning.co.uk/resources/gibbs-reflective-cycle-explained-diagram-examples [Accessed 30 Apr. 2025].

Bitesize Learning (n.d.-b). How to Do a SWOT Analysis [with Examples & templates]. [online] BiteSize Learning. Available at: https://www.bitesizelearning.co.uk/resources/swot-analysis-explained-examples-templates.

Bitesize Learning (n.d.-a). SMART goals: the meaning of this goal-setting framework, with examples. [online] BiteSize Learning. Available at: https://www.bitesizelearning.co.uk/resources/smart-goals-meaning-examples.

CrabLord (2021). How to Sound Like JIGSAW - ‘Saw’ Vocal Effect. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKLh0KOfe98 [Accessed 30 Apr. 2025].

Drum Beats Online (2023). The Secret To INSANE Double Kick Speed. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edr0uoCPM00 [Accessed 30 Apr. 2025].

Mathias, K. (n.d.). Gain Staging Secrets Every Great Audio Engineer Understands – Audio University. [online] audiouniversityonline.com. Available at: https://audiouniversityonline.com/gain-staging/ [Accessed 30 Apr. 2025].

Movieclips Classic Trailers (2013). Saw (2004) Official Trailer #1 - James Wan Movie. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-1QgOMQ-ls.

Oldies Zone (2021). The Crew Cuts - Sh-Boom (Life Could Be A Dream). [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjl7xtoFp0U [Accessed 30 Apr. 2025].

Sommerlad, J. (2015). The Strange Potency of Old Songs in Horror Movies. [online] Den of Geek. Available at: https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-strange-potency-of-old-songs-in-horror-movies/ [Accessed 30 Apr. 2025].

Stewart, I. (2024). How to master for streaming platforms: normalization, LUFS, and loudness. [online] Izotope.com. Available at: https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/mastering-for-streaming-platforms.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqfbiDPiHaALxQP6dvrFmFPoZbEuokzyt2HoqdaDvWsKiMOUk7h [Accessed 30 Apr. 2025].

Vogl, P. (2024). How to Record and Double Big Crunchy Guitars In Logic Pro Or Any DAW. (14 Tips). [online] Youtu.be. Available at: https://youtu.be/ZuVGqmqzvzU [Accessed 30 Apr. 2025].