Resilience to me means to keep persevering even when hitting hardships & obstacles. Even if it means taking a step back or break you're never fully giving up.

2. Why is it particularly important in the music industry & in your degree?

Resilience is important in the music industry & my degree because it's difficult, it's not easy & without resilience you won't keep going or trying to better yourself. Resilience keeps you pushing yourself & getting up. Resilience also helps within my degree with the need for planning and to keep you going through industry saturation.

3. What can we do to build our resilience?

To build resilience we should build our confidence in our skills before giving ourself space to fail. Not planning to fail but allowing ourselves room to learn & grow from mistakes & experience. We could also set goals & aspirations in from with SMART targets

A mindset is the way you frame things (e.g. Fixed or growth). I think this is determined by your own feelings & support system but also your surroundings, circumstances & beliefs

2. What are the 2 most common type of mindset?

Fixed & growth

3. What are the typical characteristics of these mindsets?

Fixed = Belief that skills & abilities are set & unchangeable

Growth = Belief that one has potential to change & develop talents & intelligence through perseverance & practice.

I feel this when thinking about making music & the stress of University learning or even thinking of the music industry.

I sometimes feel like I don't fit & that maybe that means I'm never going to so I shouldn't try.

Challenging

To change this perspective I need to allow myself to grow, to learn & not be held down by my feelings & anxieties. I need to work to learn.

To be more growth mindset I find it useful to think about what I'm saying as though I'm saying it about someone else. This allows me to give myself more grace & understanding.

I can improve with resilience & practice. The more I develop my skills the easier challenges & hurdles with be to overcome.

I will try to reframe with growth mindset, visualise, internalise, commitment & action.

I'm committed to working hard at school to get my skills & confidence better & not giving up because it's difficult.

For pre 2000s I chose Britney Spears. There's a lot of public information about her that I need to use for my study like revenue streams & collaborative relationships.

I struggled to pick my post 2000s artist originally going with Allie X as I have a lot of pre prepared information on her as I did a similar module in college but after looking into the brief I felt it would be difficult to find more detailed information on her career like team structure.

I then tried to decided between Charli XCX & Ariana Grande as they are both popular enough artists to have easy to access information.

• 80% of your results come from 20% of your inputs

• Prioritising the tasks (Input) that will give you the most results

• Strengthening skills & routines that will make you more productive

• Don't ignore the other 80% input just prioritise

• Benefits - Makes you more productive, know what is important to focus on, prioritise your productive work load lets you do the important/best resulting things (especially if you have a time crunch), can get better results by focusing on the most production based work

Others

• SWOT - Strengths, weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats

• Gantt Chart - Visual bar chart plan for work you need to get done

• Action/Personal Development Plan - Breaks down tasks & goals

• 'Eat The Frog' - Doing the hardest tasks first.

Emotional Prep:

• Sleep/resting

• Eating/drinking enough

• Planning/schedule - Also having flexibility/adaptability

• Having other outlets

• Mindfullness/hobbies

• Exersise

• Taking breaks

• Making sure you've done day to day tasks

Consider how we can prepare ourselves practically & emotionally For music production sessions

• Do we already have preparation regimes that we use? - I like producing at the end of the day when I've winded down & in a clear headspace, this is normally after a run - I like creating a comfortable environment (wearing comfy clothes, taking off jewellry & make-up) - When I'm just producing on my laptop I like doing it on the couch with a blanket - I also like setting myself a task for the session (Like finish the drums in this section etc.) & taking breaks

• What steps could we do to help us better prepare? - To better prepare I can make sure I'm well resting & work on other stress in my life bleeding into the stress of the creative space - I also need to think about being able to adapt my regime to be able to make me comfortable & productive in a studio an/or recording space - I feel like I could benefit from learning to be more adaptable, this would let me work better in the chaos of the constant change in the music industry

• What practical steps do you take to ensure you are prepared for a session, partially if you are working with someone else? - If working with others it's a good idea to prepare any work you need to do before, check your instruments & equipment are working & ready for what is happening (Tuning etc) - Reviewing demos & making a plan fr what you want to achieve in the session/what you need to get done (e.g. Mic set-up plans/schedule) - Also feeling comfortable with who you're working with/get friendly to create a better, more open environment - Set up a shared space like an google drive to open up goo communication/easy organisation & easy access to all people involved - Determine what equipment is needed & how/who is getting it - Think about budget (Using an orchestra Vs sample pack/synth use).

Needed/Wanted equipment:

DAW, Headphones, MIDI Controller, Audio Interface, Studio Monitors, Microphones (Dynamic & Condensers), Mixers, Computer, Synths, Amps, Compressors, Furniture (Chairs,Couch & Rugs), Cable Adaptors & Cables, Mic Stands, Sound Proofing/Acoustic Treatment, Control Room/Recording Booth, Piano/Keyboard, Drum Kit, Omnichord, Cable Tester, Internet, Mixing Desk, Shed Space, Pop Shield, Blankets.

I've decided to do a synth-pop track with an extended club mix as the alternative track.

Britney Spears = Oops...I Did It Again

Charli XCX = How I'm Feeling Now

• What label were they released under?

B = Jive Records on the 3rd of May, 2000 (Source Discogs)

XCX - Asylum Records on the 15th of May, 2020 (Source Discogs)

• Can you find any remixes/covers of these tracks?

B = In 2000s, Britney released an album of 'Oops...I Did It Again' remixes of the title track, including; club, radio, instrumental. In 2020 a remix vinyl was released for record store day which included 4 remixes of tracks from the albums and 4 'b-sides'.

XCX = Although Charli hasn't officially released any remixes from this album, many are easy to find on bandcamp or youtube. This is partially due to Charli releasing the stems from the album, encouring fans to 'be creative and send her remixes and edits' (Source Twitter)

• Who do they collaborate with & how?

B = Due to the succsess of her previous '...Baby One More Time' pressure was on. This leads to a wide range of collabrotations with producers (Max Martin, Rami Yecoub, Per Magnusson, David Kreguer, Kristian Lundin, Jake Schulze, Dark Child & Robert John Lange). Britney travelled to NY meeting with different producers to record the tracks for this albums quick quickly as there was lots of pressure to ride the fame wave.

XCX = 'How I'm Feeling Now' came of the back of an album leak for Charli, which was scrapped & reimagined into this record. Charli worked with A.G. Cook, Dylan Brady , BJ Burton & Laura Les was heavily involved in the lyric process. Throughout the process Charli often went live on instagram to show fans the process & even taking advice/input from fans. On these lives she would show demos & live production sessions. Charli ended up finishing mixing the album with Geoff Swam.

Then at them end (Similar to wikipedia) theres a bibliography

Last name, First letter of first name, (year). Name of article & Name of source in italics. Last updated date, month, year. Available at: Link [Accessed date month tear].

References should be put in alphabetical order

Examples;

Harvard is the main referencing style at colleges and universities in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is also very popular in other English-speaking countries such as South Africa, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. (MyBib Contributors, 2019)

Bibliography

MyBib Contributors (2019). Harvard Referencing Generator – FREE – (updated for 2019). [online] MyBib. Available at: https://www.mybib.com/tools/harvard-referencing-generator.

Publishing rights - writer

Cover =

Recording rights - cover singer

Publishing rights - writer

Publishing - music & lyrics/composition.

Remix - singer & writer - direct samples need permission from both recording & publishing sides.

Class example = Bittersweet symphony - The Verve

Last time orchestra sampled strings - (Orchestral version of last time) - Made before they got permission - You have to get permission

Last time orchestra also sampled/inspired by a song called 'Last Time' by the Rolling Stones

Alan owns last time recording rights - wants 50/50 split even through all other production (Bar the orchestral sample) & lyrics are original due to The Verve not getting prior permission

Original track (which Alan also owns) sues for 100% of the royalties (this includes money from shows & merch as they argued in court the song was the only reason people were going to The Verve shows & buying merch).

(Alan is mean)

Alan also let the track be used for tons of adverts for money (which The Verve didn't want as it was uncommon in rock at the time seeming like a 'sellout' move).

Surprise Surprise the Rolling Stones seemingly samples / stole from another song

Last time Staple Sisters - Last Time Rolling Stones - Last Time Orchestra - Bittersweet Symphony The Verve

Staples Sisters never get anything or any credit (very unfair)

2019 (Seemingly due to bad press) the Rolling Stones give some royalties to The Verve.

C - Currency (up to date?)

R - Relevance (does it suit it's purpose?)

A - Accuracy (fact or opinion? reference)

A - Author (an expert? is bias evident?)

P - Purpose (to inform? to persuade? to sell?)

• How do you know what notes go with each other?

• what about adding chords to your music?

• What even are chords??

• A scale is a group of notes that work well with each other

• a major scale is a 7 note scale

• Things gets interesting when you start changing & removing notes (or a semi-tone)

• you get what is called the Natural Minor Scale (also called Aeolian)

• Chords are a group of notes played together

• They are often used under a main melody to give the track weight & more substance.

In this lesson we also briefly disused converting audio to MIDI in Ableton

• mic

• Position

• Proximity

• Environment

• Performance/Performer

What is proximity effect?

The closer we get to the sound source the more low end build up we get.

Further away sounds thinner (the proximity effect gone)

Near/close sound can sound too low end/muddy

Tracking techniques?

• Double tracking/multi tracking

• Builds dynamics

What do we mean by digital or tape mentality?

Tape - one take/full takes

Digital- comping, using best parts of takes, breaking down recording bit by bit.

One thing I learnt form my lessons last week was the difference between publishing & recording rights & how the affect the money people make.

1. One thing that provided an obstacle in your lessons or digital content in your last week - something you found difficult or want to improve.

One thing that was an obstacle for me in my lesson was time management/productivity. This became quite stressful as I then had this weeks & last weeks work to catch up on. There's been some tasks I wanted to complete this week that I've not been able to.

1. How this skill/idea/techniques can benefit you in the creation performance & recording for this module?

Improving on my time management will help my work flow and stress level, letting me be in a better headspace & produce better work. This will also make me a more reliable person & give me more time to work on other things to make my project better/ more detailed.

• the keys are in a sequence of perfect 5th intervals, as you travel clockwise around the circle

• Fifth notes of major scales

• This places the most closely related key signatures next to each other

• Every newly added sharp to a key signature is a semitone below the root of the key

• Every newly added feat to 2 key signatures is an anti-clockwise step further around the circle

• This also demonstrates new relative minor keys work

• C to A minor bottom

• The relative major & minor keys have the same key signatures

• The same key signatures = same notes in it

• Major = tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone

• Minor = tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone

• Sharps = Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

• Backwards it's flat

How can you hear if a song uses a relative or parallel key change?

• Same notes with new key = Relative

• Same key with different major/minor = Parallel

Root note = lowest note in key

Triad = three notes played at once

Contrapuntal = a style of music that includes multiple tunes/melodies that are played or sung at the same time.

The major triad = the 1st, 3rd & sth note in a major scale

The minor triad = instead of 1st, 3rd & 5th it's 1st minor, 3rd ( - 1 Semitone) & 5th

My SMART target for this week is to work on my alternative version of my track for my formative & to get it to a similar place as my other demo.

Feelings - What were you thinking/feeling?

Evaluation - What was good/bad about the experience?

Analysis - What sense can you make of the situation?

Conclusion - What else could you have done?

Action Plan - If it arose again what would you do?

• Many musicians emphasis being 'in the flow' as essential to their art especially when performing or writing

• While producers may view their work as more process oriented, flow is equally as important to us

• Achieving what us sometime referred to as your 'flow state'

What do we mean by 'flow state'?

• Completely focused on a single task or activity

• Directing all of your attention towards your task

• Not experiencing many thoughts about yourself or your performance

• 'In the zone'/'in the moment'

• This can be similar to mindfullness

Flow =

• Inspired

• When creating

• 'In the zone'

• Performing

• Improvising

• Practice

• Muscle Memory

• Switching work flow between creative/technical thinking can be disruptive, especially when collaborating with others

• Reducing technical tasks during session helps maintain artistic flow

• Developing an efficient work flow cn enhance both creating productivity, making sessions run more smoothly & allowing more time to develop & refine your tracks

Technical Prep

• Making DAW project templates for common tasks, such as song writing, mixing & recording

• Saving own instruments, effects & channel strip presets with commonly used settings that can be tweaked to fit the project we are working on

• If you have space, keep equipment permanently set up & have frequently used instruments & controllers within easy reach

How do you prepare yourself ahead of a session?

• When starting a track I normally start with drums - this helps me with having some starting structure that I can build around

• If i have a pre emptive idea I'll start with the synths

• Especially if i want an intro

• I've been loving the childhood piano instrument from Ableton recently, using it with some slight adjustments & reverb (It would be smart of me to save a template of this!)

What would you do to improve your workflow?

• To improve my work flow I go running to be in a more calm state

• I also set up some inspirations & goals to help me when I feel lost or stuck

Templates

• You can set up tracks to use as templates

• This is time saving when starting

• Specifically for multiple recordings

• For Ableton it's under templates - you can also use plugin

• Can use this to set up tracks, effects, instruments & anything else you need/want

• Look at Little plate & echoboy

To create a template in Ableton you first need to set up the tracks, effect, instruments & routing as needed. Go to 'file' in the menu bar & select 'save live set as template'. Give it a name (eg. Mixing) & choose where you want to save it. If you want Ableton to automatically load this set every time you open a new project, go to 'file' - 'save current set as default set'

Master Recordings are the version that went to a mastering studio & were released (Does not include demos)

• In this lecture we talked about Tiktok viral songs 'To The Moon'

• 3 Players = Same - vocals, Parked Up - producer, JNR Choi - rap

• Then comes in 'Talking To The Moon' by Bruno Mars

• Producers are seen like songwriter so get publishing rights

• 'To The Moon' didn't get permission from Bruno/who owns the masters/publishers

• song sort of vanishes off streaming/Tiktok - Brunos teams realises it's making a lot of money

• They threaten to sue but it's a making a bunch of money & gaining a young/relevant audience

• They decided to tell the group they can rerelease the song but they'd have to do it with Brunos vocals (Cutting Sam out)

• JNR & Parked don't like the song with Brunos vocals on it (Saying it doesn't fit their originally vision)

• They go back to Brunos team who say no if you want to release it without Brunos vocals then they want 100% of the recording rights

What would you do in this situation?

• I would try to work out the first option but then chose going ahead with ownership to Bruno

• This still gives you publicity & doesn't destroy your image/relationships with others (who could help later on in your career) involved

• Also this can help avoid you getting sued for money you made from previous streaming etc.\

• The group (JNR, Parked, Sam) say yes & used it as a spring board for other work

• This sadly means they didn't make any moment from the viral track or any of its numerous remixes

• But did help get their name/work out there

PRS = money paid to songwriters & composers when their songs are played in public

Rights in the UK of public performance mean even if you don't have PPL you should get paid (Reality can me more complex)

• How do you know what notes go with each other?

• What about adding chords to your music?

• Wha are chords?

• A scale is a group of notes that work well with each other

• A major scale is a 7 note scale

• Things get interesting when you start changing & removing notes

• If you move the 3rd, 6th & 7 note in the scale one note lower (called a semitone) you get what is called the natural minor scale, also called Aeolian

• Chords are a group of notes played together

• They are often used under a main melody to give a track weight & more substance

1. I fully understand how to record electric guitars

5/10 - 7/10

2. I am confident about recording guitars in a range of scenarios

5/10 - 6/10

3. I'm interesting in learning more about recording guitars

8/10 - 8/10

1. 1 pro & 1 con of working with MIDI

Pro - Gives you more options

Con - Can sound robotic

2. What relationship do we need to consider when using more than one microphone?

Phase relationships

3. What is proximity effect?

Closer to the sound the more low end we can hear

1. Which microphone has top end roll off?

A ribbon microphone

2. Which track can pass audio but cannot be recorded onto?

Aux

3. True or false: a dynamic mic can only handle low SPL

False

Amp vs Sim

Amp:

• More natural/Preferred sound

• Expensive

• Hard to travel with

• Time consuming to set up

• Authentic

• Movement/Space

• Noise to sound

• Needs lots of extra equipment

Sim

• Cheaper

• Can sound fake/ tone

• Customisable

• Easier to adjust

• Nosie gate

• Automate parameters

• Work flow

• Reliable

• Second option/versatilely

• Effects

• Good foundations for reamping

• More intimate

• Use to line up/edit (Easier to read)

Mic placements on speakers

Centre - less low end, overtone, brightness, the more you move out the darker it gets

Edge - mids & low ends, muddy & undefined, dark

Could use our sonic PH scale to help find what mic placement we want

Dynamic mic is good on the middle

Ribbon mic is good on centre

& condenser is good on the edge

Lots of speakers have glue spots - can use as a good reference for centre mic placements

• When mixing/blending check phase relationships

• Can check phase by hearing the flip (seeing if it sounds thinner/warmer etc.)

Approaches to tracking - What can we do to make a track sound bigger?

• Panning

• Double tracking (Not duplicating but re-recording w/ something different)

• LCR - Left, Centre, Right

• Ten & Two

• Knowing which mic to use with what guitar/positions

Struggling with Bass in mix?

• Panning

• Try low end & high end

• Amp Simulation

• Bring in distortion for low/high end (Specially low end)

• This adds grit

• Blend this techniques to taste

• When deciding on what to do think about the genre and the sound your going for

Where do I summit work?

Your music production module in canvas - module chapters - formative (If you want to summit more than one things click new attempt) - Must be summited before 5 PM

Saftey working practice - Health & safety in the music industry

Risks

Mental risks & physical risks

• Burnout

• Cable/ Tripping

• Electrocution

• Hearing damage

• Hit with equipment

• Equipment blowing up

• Stress

• Losing your voice

• Pyro issues

• Callous from guitar playing

• Falling off the stage

• Pulling muscles lift heavy equipment

• Hitting/getting hit with a mic

• Dropping equipment on toes

• Trip hazards

• Things falling/not being set up properly

• Things getting thrown on stage

• Electrical hazards

• Sleep depravation

• Treating yourself well, especially on tour

• Tinnitus

• Epileptic triggers

• Dehydration

• Covid

• Slippery surfaces

How can we use control measures for these?

• Hearing damage - wear hearing protection, taking breaks

• Pulls/Strains (heavy lifting) - get help, have someone else life it, exercise/training, use lifting equipment, lift using your knees

• Epileptic triggers - Don't have strobe lights or use different lights, talk to doctor/medical professional for advice

• Tripping/Falling - good footwear, put tape/something noticeable on the edge of stage, keep cables clean & tidy

• Fire - don't play with fire on stage (especially around flammable things), have fire health & safety staff/ get advice from professionals

Mental hazards

• Depression

• Stress

• Impact from lack of sleep

• Anxiety

• Loneliness/isolation

• Impact from drugs/alcohol misuse

• Depression/stress - facetiming family/friends, therapy, meditation/midfullness, discovering whats causing the stress/depression and getting rid of it if possible, medication, words of affirmation, taking away triggers, finding a support person/group, listen to music

• Drugs - plenty of rest, vitamins, prescription withdrawal

• Loneliness - touring in manageable chunks

• Lack of sleep - don't have too much caffeine, comfortable place to sleep, sticking to schedule

• Charli also used live performance to build her audience, starting at illegal raves

• She also went on a collaborative tour in 024 with Troye Sivan using the momentum from her recent vitality

• This helps both the artists gain new audiences & also save on touring costs as they get split

• Britney = Tommy Hilfiger was a sponser of the tour & on the 12th of May, 1999 to help promote the tour she was featured in the 'allstars' campaign launched by the company

• From 1998-2000 Britney set out doing numerus promotional performances for her hit single '...Baby One More Time' & then album

• This ranged from Singapore jazz festival, The Howie Mandel show, Pop Jam, Kids Choice Awards of 1999, Walt Disney Summer Jam Concert, Top Of The Pops Germany & Wango Tango

• Another way Britney used live performace as a promotional tool was with her performance with Pop legend Michael Jackson on the 6th of September, 2001 where they dueted 'The Way You Make Me Feel'

• Detecting things that could be improved

• Identifying mistakes & imperfections

• Determine production techniques that will help balance the various elements of the mix

• Notice changes in emphasis, emotion & feel then find ways to highlight & enhance them

• This is particularly important when listening through takes or listening to our own mixes, but it is useful to apply when listening to other peoples music as-well

Why is it important to reference your work?

• To show you know what you're talking about/to back up what your work

• Receive academic credit

• Acknowledge other peoples opinions/work

• Avoid plagiarism

Title: "Popular Music: The Key Concepts"

Author: Roy Shuker

Year: 2021

Publisher: Routledge

'Shuker, R. (2012) 'Popular Music: The Key Concepts'. Routledge'

(Shuker, 2012)

Source 2: Journal Article

Title: "The Role of Popular Music in the Construction of Adolescent Identify"

Author: Lis M. Cerrato

Year: 2010

Journal of Youth Studies

Volume: 13

Issue: 2

Pages: 255-269

'Cerrato, L. (2010) 'The Role of Popular Music in the Construction of Adolescent Identify'. 2nd edn. Journal of Youth Studies, pp 255-269'

(Cerrato, 2010)

Research Activity

Live includes a mixer section that is accessible from both session & arrangement view. (Ableton, 2019)

'Ableton. (2019). Mixing - Ableton Reference Manual Version 10. Ableton [Online] Available at: https://www.ableton.com/en/manual/mixing/

What is the difference between a reference list & a bibliography?

• Reference list is everything you've included in your work

• A bibliography can include work you've read but not referenced

• It is important to be familiar with your speakers

• Listening to a variety of music from them can be a helpful reference

• Accurate monitoring will allow you to hear the true frequencies, dynamics & levels present in your music

• This prevents any misrepresentation that could lead to poor mixing decisions

• Good positions ensure optimal & balanced sound & reduces phase cancelation

Equilateral Triangle Rule

• The two studio monitors & the listener should form an equilateral triangle

• Monitor Placement: Should be angled 30 degrees so their 'sweet spot' is angled at the listeners head, the tweeters (the small speaker which handle high frequencies) should be positioned at ear level, distance from walls to prevent Bass build up

• Listener Position: ideally the speakers should be pointing along the length of a rectangular room with the listening position 30-40 % of the rooms length back from the speaker

Common acoustic problems:

• Standing waves - caused by reflections between parallel walls, leading to inconsistent bass response in the room. Bass traps help migrate this

• Comb filtering - caused by sound waves reflecting into your ears off the walls & celling with a slight time delay, altering the frequency balance, Both acoustic panels & diffusers can help reduce this effect

• Flutter echo - quick, repeated reflections between parallel surfaces which can be tamed using acoustic panels on the walls & celling

• By addressing these acoustic issues with acoustic treatment, you can create a more accurate listening environment allowing for you to make more precise mixing & productions decisions

Types of acoustic treatment:

• Bass Traps - These are typically placed in the corners of the room to absorb low frequencies, which tend to build up in corners and cause certain bass frequencies to appear louder or quieter than they actually are.

• Acoustic Panels - These absorb the mid and high frequencies, helping to reduce the early reflections, comb-filtering and flutter echoes which can affect how these frequencies are represented.

• Placed on the sidewalls and ceiling, particularly at the first reflection points (where sound directly bounces back towards the listening position).

• To find the first reflection point, place a mirror flat against the side wall while sitting in the listening position. The spot where you can see the monitor’s reflection in the mirror is where the panel should be placed.

• Diffusers - Rather than absorbing unwanted reflections, this type of acoustic treatment scatters them in different directions, reducing negative effects while keeping the room's natural liveliness and avoiding making it feel overly deadened.

• Reflection Filters - Used to minimise unwanted reflections from entering your microphone, providing more focused recordings. Often designed to fit onto the microphone stand, they are useful for smaller studios and home recording setups. 

Metering

• audio metering plugins are essential tools

• Helps analyse & visualise aspects of sound; levels, frequencies, dynamics & stereo imaging

• These plugins can help you make more informed decisions during mixing and mastering by providing accurate visual feedback on your audio

common types of audio metering plugins:

• Levelmeters - Peak: Used to measure the instantaneous level of an audio signal to prevent clipping when recording or processing audio.

  True Peak: Detect inter-sample peaks that might clip when converting to certain formats – important during mastering.

  RMS: Measures the average loudness over time, providing a representation of perceived loudness.

  LUFS: Measure loudness in LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale), essential for mastering to streaming platform standards.

• Spectrum Analysers - Visualises frequency distribution in real-time, helping identify problematic frequencies and tonal imbalances. 

Stereo/Phase Meters

• Correlation Meter: Displays the phase relationship of a stereo signal.  

• A correlation of +1 (far right position) means 100% correlation between the left and right channels showing they are completely in phase.  

• A correlation of 0 (center position) indicates the widest permissible left/right divergence, which would result in a wide stereo image. 

• Correlation values lower than 0 show that out-of-phase material is present, which can lead to unwanted phase cancelation if the stereo signal is combined into a mono signal. 

• Goniometer: Visually represents the stereo field, allowing you to determine phase differences between the left and right channels.

3rd party metering plugins (paid & free) available to see on Canvas

Compressors and limiters are specialised amplifiers used to reduce dynamic range. additionally, many compressors — both hardware and software — will have a signature sound that can be used to inject wonderful colouration and tone into otherwise lifeless tracks.

Compression parameters:

• Input / Threshold 

• Ratio 

• Attack 

• Release 

• Knee 

• Make up gain / output

Types of compression:

1. Tube Compression
Probably the oldest type of compression is tube compression. Tube compressors tend to have a slower response — slower attack and release — than other forms of compression. Because of this, tube compressors exhibit a distinct colouration or "vintage" sound that is nearly impossible to achieve with other compressor types.

2. Optical Compression
Optical compressors affect the dynamics of an audio signal via a light element and an optical cell. As the amplitude of an audio signal increases, the light element emits more light, which causes the optical cell to attenuate the amplitude of the output signal. (Ex. LA-2A Classic Leveling Amplifier, which also uses tubes for its make-up gain)

3. FET Compression
FET or “Field Effect Transistor” compressors emulate the tube sound with transistor circuits. They are fast, clean, and reliable. (Ex. 1176LN Classic Limiting Amplifier)

4. VCA Compression
VCA or "Voltage Controlled Amplifier” compressors use solid state or integrated circuits. They are usually cheaper than tube or optical compressors. VCAs also tend to have less "colouration" compared to optical or tube compressors—somewhat similar to the digital vs. analog tape comparison in recording. (Ex. dbx 160 Compressor/Limiter) - Ableton g compression emulates

Characteristics:

1. Tube Compression
Vintage, worn, retro - 1950s, 1970s - Tube, Amp Sound - OH, Master Groups
2. Optical Compression
Warm, Bulky, Character - 1950s, 1980s - Tube, Amp Sound - Bass, Vox, Drums(Character)
3. FET Compression
Fast, Clean - 1990s - Solid Amp -Guitar, Vox, Bass - all rounded
4. VCA Compression

Clean, Clear, Quick - 2000s - Digital - Groups, Master

Recommendation: supercharger G3 by native instruments

Attack/Release

If you want more attack turn attack down to be slower if you want less turn it up to be faster ( strange but...)

2. Read back & edit if needed - is it relevant (why include it), analytical & evaluated?

3. Are you evidencing work for all the necessary outcomes in your diary (i.e. planning, working safely, technical & performance skills development?)

1. Why is understanding your audience important?

   Understanding your audience is important to selling & promoting yourself & your music. for example if you make metal music and statically metal fans love cassettes a good business idea would be to sell cassettes

2. How can you identify your target audience for your music?

   identifying what genre/style of music you make, social media statistics, seeing people who go to your gigs/places you'd like to gig or similar artists

3. How can you tell if your track would be received with credibility by this audience?

   looking at past examples/mistakes of other artists

Source = Because of Marketing - How Did Charli XCX Make BRAT the Moment of the Summer

• Charlie put Brat & it's easily recognisable green everywhere

• On the tube, at Hot Radio in Williamsburg, across SSENSE & For You pages

• Surged searches for 'slime green' by 17% (Via Lyst)

• Multiple fashion & beauty brands capitalised on the vitality by releasing 'BRAT' green products & merchandise

• Even Kamala Harris jumped on the trend for her presidential campaign

• In New Yorks green point a wall was painted Brat green and used by Charli to promote the album, singles and performances being streamed live on TikTok for fans to watch it change

• Payment

• Time frame/deadline

• Track count/duration

• Instruments

• Demos/references

• Session musicians/collaborators

Album Sequencing

• Genre/style

• Lyrical content/theme

• Creative freedom

• Inspiration

• Budget

While the age demographic for electronic music has been people between 18-35 for a while according to Spotifys data there been a 40% increase in listeners over 40 loving the genre (Segura, 2022).

The researchers found that people with higher extraversion had stronger reactions to upbeat, rhythmic, and electronic music. Fans of electronic/EDM music are predominantly male and in the US/UK with high levels of engagement in the Netherlands, Germany and Spain. Online habits show electronic music is listened to most on a Friday (Segura, 2022).

https://resources.audiense.com/en/blog/who-sets-the-beat-in-the-electronic-music-industry-edm-influencers

As with any art form, studying what has come before and the ways that sounds and approaches have evolved is really important. We must consider the cultural, socio economic and technological influences in there too. Finding your own sound needs to be something that comes from you and the time situation you are living in, and this isn’t something that you can force but is definitely something you need to be aware of as you continue to develop as a producer.

• Are there specific techniques that stand out?

• Is it to do with how the tracks are arranged or mixed?

• Why do they stand out within their genre?

• Have they helped to shape the genre or genres they produce? 

Allie has a unique style to her production drawing on a moody, goth-electro-pop approach that captivates and challenges. Her production sounds like a modern ode to the past. Allie took on the task of producing her newest album on her own after being a co or solo producer on may of her tracks.(Tibbits, 2024)

Her production leans heavily into quirky synths and dreamy sounds. Notably she solo produced her biggest track ‘Bitch’ from 2015. With her production she filled in that outline with Eurythmics and anything that was “gothy and synth” (Campbell, 2024)

“Not only was I trying to write these songs and arrangements, but there were technical challenges.” (Campbell, 2024)

Tibbits, B. (2024). Allie X Discusses Her New Album, Girl With No Face. [online] Wonderland. Available at: https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2024/02/26/allie-x/ [Accessed 21 Nov. 2024].

Campbell, E. (2024). Allie X Creates a Weird World on ‘Girl with No Face’ Album. [online] PAPER Magazine. Available at: https://www.papermag.com/allie-x-girl-with-no-face#rebelltitem3 [Accessed 21 Nov. 2024]. 

Dynamic Microphones

Dynamic microphones are known to be reliable and extremely versatile. The audio signal generated by a moving coil within a magnetic field makes this type of mic less sensitive to sound pressure levels and high frequencies which means they can take more punishment. They are often used to capture loud sound sources like guitar amplifiers and drum kits. They also tend to be less expensive.

Condenser Microphones

Condenser microphones are the most responsive and the best choice for high fidelity recording. They feature a thin conductive diaphragm that sits close to a metal backplate. This configuration works like a capacitor where sound pressure vibrates the diaphragm which creates an electrical charge to produce the audio signal output. The use of capacitance, instead of actual moving coils, makes these mics ideal for precision recording in the studio. However, condenser microphones are generally more expensive than dynamic microphones and require the use of an external power supply, internal batteries, or phantom power supplied by a mixer.

Ribbon Microphones

Ribbon microphones were commonly used in the golden age of radio but are making a comeback with more modern production designs. Instead of using a diaphragm, they employ a thin metal ribbon allowing them to pick up the velocity of the air and not just air displacement. This design makes them more sensitive to higher frequencies but retains a warm vintage voicing. Newer models work well for live multi-instrument recording in venues where the noise level is not loud. They also work great for getting that vintage vibe when recording.

• Less Is More - Don’t be afraid to de-junk your composition to its component parts. Start off with just the basic drum beat and melody and gradually add each part in. You’ll probably reach a point where that extra synth line or vocal harmony may not have been needed and just gets in the way or there are just too many ideas in the song. 

• Everyone’s A Critic - we find it hard to be truly critical of our own work. You may have spent hours creating the perfect kick drum pattern that may not be needed in the track but because of all the time you’ve spent on it you’re emotionally invested and don’t want to let it go. 

• Be specific when asking for feedback. A general “Yeah, that’s good” answer from a friend isn’t going to help you at all. Ask them about the instruments, what they like about the feel of the track, do they like the length, is there anything they would change. Even a negative reaction is a positive piece of information when making decisions in the final stages of composing. 

Mastering Chain

EQ - MultiMeter - Exciter - Multipressor - Stereo Spreader -Adaptive - Analyser

Polar patterns describe a microphone's field of sensitivity and how each type picks up sound. It’s important to know where a mic ‘listens’ spatially and which positions are blocked. Having a good grasp of these polar patterns will help you select the right mic that captures the sound you need while minimising unwanted noise. Below are the most common types of polar patterns.

Omni-Directional

• Omnidirectional microphones capture sound equally from all directions

• This type of mic has a more natural sound because of their non directional design that eliminates ay rejection.

• They are excellent for capturing room sound in studios & other venues with great acoustic

• They can also be used for recording multiple instruments as log as the noise level is low

• the downside to this mic is they lack background noise rejection & are prone to monitor feedback which makes them unsuitable for loud 7 noisy spaces

Figure-8/Bi-Directional

• Figure-8 microphones capture sound from both the front & back but rejects sound coming from the sides

• Can be known by both Figure-8 & Bi-Directional

• The front & back sensitivity makes them ideal for stereo recording or for capturing multiple instruments

Cardioid

• Cardioid microphones capture sound from the front & reject everything else

• This allows you to point the mic at the sound source & isolate it from unwanted ambient sound

• This type of mic is ideal for live performances & other situations where noise reduction & feedback suppression are needed

• A downside to this mic is that it adds subtle colouration in bass frequencies when the sound source is close

• So mic position is important

Super & Hyper-Cardioid

• Super & Hyper-Cardioid microphones are more directional than cardioid & have a narrower area of sensitivity

• These mics provide improved isolation & high resistance to feedback

• Their enhanced ability to reject noise makes them ideal for loud sound sources, noisy stage environments or even for untreated recording rooms

• The downside to these mic is them having sensitive real lobes making them difficult to position when trying to reject unwanted sounds like stage monitors & drum kits

Shotgun

• Shotgun microphones have a very narrow & extended polar pattern that is even more directional than hyper-cardioid

• They feature a tube like design that has a longer pickup range

• These types of mics are often used for broadcasts such as sporting events because they excel at isolating sounds in higher noise environments from a distance

• They are also used as overhead mics for capturing sounds in a room

• The downside is they have very poor sound quality

Switchable/Multi-Patter Microphones

• Multiple pattern microphones allow you to switch between different polar patterns

• many if todays USB condenser microphones have a feature that provides the option to select a polar pattern that meets your needs

• These mics provide flexibility, offer more positioning possibilities & more usage

• It is important to understand & plan the signal path of your studio/recording process

• This will help sessions stress-free & well

  focused

• This also helps with your problem solving & keeping sessions on track

Your influences -

This week's task is to pick 2 tracks that have inspired you; from two contrasting genres and/or eras, and I encourage you to think outside of the genre of music that you normally work in for one of those choices.  

Song 1: I Plead Insanity - Belinda Carlisle (1991)

https://youtu.be/o4wWGVM-Pz0?feature=sharedLinks to an external site.

I like this track because of it's overall simplicity in the production while still being layered & textured. This makes the vocals the centre point of the track letting them feel full & vibrant. The track builds into the bridge where electric guitars come in and more booming drums changing the centre focus to the production. It feel energetic and focused.

Song 2: Last Day On Earth - Tai Verdes (2022) 

https://youtu.be/AsO-6XuIi98?feature=sharedLinks to an external site.

I like this second track for similar reasons even though they're different. I love the overall simplicity of the focus which leads to easy listening but when you fully pay attention you can hear a lot of the background strings that create a warm and comforting listen. The production perfectly compliments the voice and words of the artist giving the lyrics space to be the focus but still building it up.

• What you need to produces

• When you need to produce it by

• How you're going to produce it

• 
  

SMART Targets

• S: Specific - Break down any bigger goals into smaller/specific targets and highlight step 1 for this term

• M: Measurable - Be sure that you can measure the distance travelled, how can you show progress and that you were able to fulfil step 1 (i.e play the major and minor pentatonic scale in 3 positions is very specific and measurable)

• A: Attainable - Ensure the initial target (step 1) is achievable within a set time frame (i.e by the end of the term)

• R: Relevant - All goals are set by you (in relation to the assignment learning outcomes and your specific objectives) be sure they are relevant and meaningful to your journey/development

• T: Time Bound - be sure that the goals you set for this term have scheduled deadlines

We also started our padlets to keep consistant weekly updates on our work

Chose your main influence, What draws you to them? List 3 key elements

• Production

• Writing

• Imagery

Contrasting Artist: Paramore

Pick someone different, How do they contrast? List 3 unique elements

• Stage presence

• Sound

• Imagery

The goal of mixing is to bring out the best in your multi-track recording by adjusting levels, panning, and time-based audio effects (chorus, reverb, delay). The aim is to sculpt your arrangement to make sense of all your tracks in relation to each other.

If you are mixing you own work start the mixing process during the production process

mixing process tips -

Declutter you brain

• make sure your mix is prepped & ready to mix

• Sort your session layout & labelling

• Any track colouring

• All editing & tuning

Balance your mix

• Balance your mix before you touch any EQ, compression or effects

• The goal here is to create as organic a mix as possible, true to the original sound of the tracking session

Cut the junk

• Use Corrective EQ & high pass filter

• If you really want to break it down even further I would say:

  • 0Hz to 100Hz = Low Bass (rumble)

  • 100Hz to 250Hz = Bass (tends to have resonance build up in this area)

  • 250Hz to 500Hz = Muddy/Boxy area for me

  • 500Hz to 900Hz = Honky Sounding

• Mud vs Resonance

• Mud is usually a constant frequency build up that never seems to go away

• Resonance on the other hand, tends to be a sharp peak in a frequency that intermittently pokes up every so often

Compression

• Just like Sandpaper – The “Sandpaper Theory” where a sound’s dynamics are a little rough and I want to smooth them out

• Extreme Compression – or ducking compression. This can be to duck a track to make space for a vocal or voice over

• Limiting – I like to use a limiter as the last line of defence. Once a sound is sitting in a good spot, I like to pull out a limiter to make sure that sound stays in check. It might knock off a dB here or there

(Look into the Waves and Slate plugins)

Get Creative

• Reverbs

• Modulation

• Chorus

• Delay

• Creative EQ

• Distortion

• Stereo Image

Mastering is the term most commonly used to refer to the process of taking an audio mix & preparing it for distribution

LUFS - Loudness Units Relative to Full Scale. This is a loudness standard designed to enable normalisation audio levels (Average on streaming -14)

Basic Mastering tools -

• Compression

• Corrective & Creative EQ,

• Saturation

• Limiting

This final lesson is dedicated to the elusive art of finishing a track

Difficulties you face when trying to finish a track?

• Stopping

• Potentially Ruining

• Stuck In The Box

• Doest Sound Finished

• Perfectionism

• Mixing

• Over Listening

• Overwhelming Opinions

Top Tips -

1. Limit yourself: Often it’s the vast amount of choice we have that means we don’t finish projects. If you limit yourself to a certain set of plug ins, tracks or sounds, this can often help you get better results and finish your projects quicker.

2. Don’t over listen: Working on the same project for long periods can make it hard to judge it clearly. You might struggle to recognise what sounds good or what needs improvement because your ears have grown accustomed to it. To keep your perspective sharp, take breaks and listen to other things periodically.
   

3. Rein in the perfectionism: We all strive for perfection, but sometimes the final 5% of tweaks can delay a release or prevent a track from ever being shared. These changes often don’t significantly impact the listener’s experience. It’s often better to accept 90% perfection and move on to the next track.
   

4. Get feedback: Often when we have been working on a track over many days or hours it’s hard for us to hear issues that are obvious to others. Always get some feedback from trusted sources before going back for the final mix
   

5. Set a deadline: If you have a deadline when the track has to be finished by and you’ve arranged to send it for mastering on that day, then that’s going to help you over that final hurdle.

Checklist to think about wit your final mix

1. Sort out your housekeeping: Make sure you have deleted any unused channels, plug-ins etc. and all your tracks are labelled and ideally grouped into sections. This will help with sharing stems and if you need to pass the project on to anyone else for mixing or mastering. This also helps you to see all the elements more clearly and you’ll save on CPU.

2. Have you had feedback from people you trust? We don’t want to be too swayed by the opinions of others, or make our music by committee, but it’s always a good idea to get some other ears on a track before you say it’s finished.

3. Does the track maintain your interest? Have you put enough thought into the dynamics and the transitions, that will keep the interest of the listener?

4. Have you listened to it in enough different settings?It's always good to check mixes on as many different sets of speakers as possible; phone, laptop, bluetooth, Mono, PA etc. if possible.

5. Have you compared it to reference tracks in a similar genre? Obviously you don’t want your track to sound exactly the same as reference tracks, but having a reference for a mix to get the right balance of frequencies and tone is a good idea.

Checklist for completing mixes

1. Do you have any clipping? You don't want any of your individual tracks or your master track to be going into the red at all. While you might not hear the clipping, because your DAW is compensating, this can cause problems in later stages of mastering and distribution.

2. Is there enough headroom? Different mastering engineers give different advice about headroom so it's a good idea to ask their opinion on this, but it is widely agreed that the master bus shouldn’t peak above -6db and some mastering engineers like even more headroom. If you have a lot of volume automation on individual tracks you can normally use a utility tool to turn down the volume without affecting the automation.

3. Is the master bus empty? Make sure you’ve disabled any FX on the master bus. Often people will run some temporary mastering limiters or compressors on the master bus to hear the mix louder, but you need to make sure these are gone before you export your premaster.
   

4. Make sure you export the correct file format: Obviously it needs to be a WAV or AIFF, not an MP3, when it comes to sample rate and bitrate. There’s no point in sending the track in a higher rate than you’ve produced it in, but you should be working in at least 24bit and most computers should be able to handle 32bit float.
   

5. Make sure you export all the versions you want mastering: This could include radio edits (if there’s any swearing), accapellas and instrumental versions. It's a good to get these all mastered at the same time if possible. 

Sample Rate

Sample rate is the number of times an audio source is sampled per second, and is measured in kilohertz (kHz) or cycles per second

Bit Rate

Bit rate is the amount of data processed or transmitted per unit of time, usually measured in bits per second (bps)

• Sidechaining is a compression technique where the volume of one sound is lowered in response to another sounds output

• Commonly used between kick and bass to avoid frequency clashes in the low end & make the kick more powerful

• It can also be used creatively for rhythm or effects

Why use sidechaining?

• Mixing - Helps to make the kick stand out, avoiding bass overlap that could cause muddiness

• Rhythm - Creating unique grooves by dicing sound in sync with other tracks

• Effects - Can be used creatively for dynamic effects, such as ducking revert or building atmosphere

How to use sidechaining in Ableton?

1. Add compressor - Insert compressor to the track you want to effect

2. Reveal side chain settings - Click the down arrow symbol on the compression to view sidechain controls

3. Activate side chain - click the 'Sidechain' button to turn it on

4. Choose source track - Set 'Audio From' to the track that triggers the ducking

5. Adjust compressor controls - Threshold, ratio, attack & release

Guido (2024). 11 Mixing Tips in Ableton Live - Mixing Problems Every Producer Will Face. [online] Production Music Live. Available at: https://www.productionmusiclive.com/blogs/news/11-mixing-tips-in-ableton-live-mixing-problems-every-producer-will-face?srsltid=AfmBOooWu9kPw8Jc7LPpl4ovbY7QNwdvXlE7xez_OpsgL3AJaU57byxi [Accessed 13 Nov. 2024].

Messitte, N. (2018). An Introduction to Limiters (and How to Use Them). [online] iZotope. Available at: https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/an-introduction-to-limiters-and-how-to-use-them.html [Accessed 27 Nov. 2024].

MyBib (2018). MyBib bibliography generator. [online] MyBib. Available at: https://www.mybib.com [Accessed 7 Nov. 2024].

Segura, P. (2022). Who sets the beat in the electronic music industry? [online] resources.audiense.com. Available at: https://resources.audiense.com/en/blog/who-sets-the-beat-in-the-electronic-music-industry-edm-influencers [Accessed 20 Nov. 2024].