1. I want to be able to enhance the low-end presence within my track by gaining a better understanding as to how to mix and master for lower frequencies.

2. I want to implement dynamic variation within both tracks I create for this module.

3. I want to ensure my transitions to different sections of my composition are smoother.

1. I am able to improve upon the three areas I stated in the previous post (post 1.1).

   
   

2. I am able to complete all deadlines on time according to their respective due dates.

   
   

3. I am able to demonstrate to myself that I have improved my understanding of how to compose, mix, and master a track.

   
   

4. I am able to produce two tracks that I would be happy enough with to upload and add to my personal portfolio.

I believe being able to complete these would successfully aid me in getting one step closer to my end goal and why I wanted to study at Waterbear, which is to become a film/game soundtrack composer as these smaller successes would improve my ability to create better soundtracks and build up a creative portfolio to showcase to any potential employers/contractors for my intended career within the music industry.

The genres I am considering working in are ambient music, orchestral music, adventure, LoFi, chiptune, and 8-bit as I intend to create music in the form of instrumental soundtracks. As for the styles I consider implementing into my tracks there are neo-classical, minimalism, impressionistic piano, nostalgic aesthetics, and sound design-driven composition.

As my two tracks must contrast at least two of these forms; Tempo, Genre, Arrangement, Lyric/Subject Matter, and Instrumentation/Timbre I will ensure that both of my tracks are a different genre, and timbre while also having different instrumentation from each other. As a result of this, they will be very separate from each other as they will be completely different tracks with different ideas fuelling them.

The track Subwoofer Lullaby particularly struck a chord within me through its beautiful yet simple and repetitive melody accompanied by soft pads to provide some atmospheric texture I found myself encapsulated once again by this track, listening to it on repeat for quite a while. I believe with this track the simplicity in it was key to evoke this meditative state it hit me with. I would love to replicate this feeling within my first track and to do so I will be utlising very few instruments and taking a more minimalistic approach to my writing with very few instruments playing at once and utilising dynamics within my piano and the music box I intend to use to emphasise the melodic content, I also aim to take this approach within my use of synth pads within this song, using swells to transition to new sections and then eventually have pads only section to bridge my piece to the eventual outro where my piano and music box slowly decrease in volume and fade out completely, left once again with the pads.

The Zelda franchise is very near and dear to my heart and as a result that is one of the main reasons I want to compose for video games because the Zelda soundtracks are iconic and without a doubt timeless.

I find the use of the brass section to echo this triumphant feel of the track to be very inspiring and as a result the main focus for my second track will be the brass section, along with a steady pulsing rhythmic beat, and the use of transitions to demonstrate development within my piece.

The main focus for this track is the music box with support from the piano, I have done this by having the music box play the lead melody with the piano playing the chord progression, and due to the minimalistic style I am going for I shall mostly maintain this ideology as it will reinforce the structure of my minimalistic ambient production. My approach to writing the melodic content for this track was to incorporate a stepwise motion to maintain a smooth flow which I believe compliments the ambient genre. I also incorporated arpeggios for the melody along with having repetition and motifs to reinforce the ambient genre as ambient music incorporates a lot of repetitive features and motifs (Source).

In terms of the transition from my solo music box to introducing the piano I opted for approaching it through smooth layering of the two instruments along with the softer velocity of the piano notes which makes the introduction of the piano feel unobtrusive and feel natural as it adds an extra layer of warmth through playing supporting chords while avoiding being in your face and unnatural. However, I do plan to change the velocity of my track to add some extra dynamic variation and reinstate a human feel to the song.

I accomplished this by altering the melody slightly but maintaining the motif of arpeggiated harmonies that flow in a stepwise motion. In order to add some more dynamic variety, I incorporated some layered notes within the music box to emphasise specific phrases within the piece, I did this by pasting parts of the melody and shifting them up an octave higher to layer with the original melody and add an extra layer of variation to the piece.

As a result of many things going wrong for me this year, I want to make a more sombre composition over my previous marching idea. I have some plans for how I can accomplish this and have already started compiling a playlist of tracks that inspire me to create this piece. I will, however, maintain strong links to The Legend of Zelda franchise as inspiration for my soundtracks as I am still incredibly inspired by them and have thought of a few tracks that would be suitable inspiration for this composition.

As a result of my new track being more similar to that of my Minecraft track, I wanted to highlight the differences I will ensure I incorporate, as requested by the assignment brief for the two tracks to "demonstrate contrast through one or more of the following: Tempo, Genre, Arrangement, Lyric/Subject Matter, Instrumentation/Timbre". The guaranteed differences between the two tracks will be: Genre, Arrangement, Instrumentation/Timbre.

In addition to this, the field of work I aim to get into, being a soundtrack composer, it is important for me to have a wide-spanning portfolio of ideas for tracks and completed tracks in many different genres and styles as this would give me a wide portfolio for potential employers to look into and also provide me with material that is ready to be finished for certain areas I may be involved with when I am a working composer, for example, sync licensing opportunities as if I have many different types of tracks that are short compositions when the opportunity arises for working on music for a piece of media I will already have the structure for the ideal musical composition for the scenario, be it an advertisement for a company or a cinematic trailer to name a couple of examples.

That being said, if the variety of tracks I make is not of a high enough standard then it will harm my chances of being employed through opportunities such as sync licensing, micro licensing, and overall being employed as a composer for films/games/TV as it is vital for the music I make to be well made to a certain degree. The reason I say this to a certain degree is that in my head everything I make has to be perfect but it never will be perfect as my standard for quality gets higher the closer I get to achieving my previous standard for quality on a track, this is something I am trying to come to terms with and surpass as no one is perfect and there will always be some flaw found in any piece of art as art is entirely subjective, what may be considered a masterpiece by one person may be perceived as a complete disgrace by another.

The track in particular that I have drawn inspiration from is Mipha's Theme from The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, the idea behind this melancholic and delicate-sounding piece is reflected within its instrumentation and the techniques used throughout the piece of music having piano as the tonal centre of the piece as it remains throughout the song while becoming softer as more instruments are introduced to allow that introduction to be more impactful while still incorporating the piano to act as an anchor and make the transitions and dynamic shifts seem less abrupt, allowing them to flow seamlessly when these changes occur. The usage of layered strings with the piano provides a shift in timbre and deepens the emotional impact by having them blend with the tonality of the piano and not overpower it too much unless it is done to create a build-up for a transition, while the usage of woodwinds to play the counter melody for the piano conveys this sombre feeling as the track is trying to fill a large space with very few instruments.

These ideas have inspired me to create my new track by providing me with some techniques I aim to incorporate within my work, in particular, the usage of strings to build up a transition and the use of woodwinds to provide a simple yet emotional melody for the song along with utilising the piano as a tonal centre for my piece to enable smoother transitions which is one of the areas I aim to improve within this module.

I utilised the piano's chord progression within the legato string section to emphasise the chord progressions tonality, however, to layer my instruments effectively I took the highest register notes of the chord for the violins, the middle register of the chords notes for the violas, and the lowest register of the notes for the celli (Baggström, 2020), doing this ensured that my mix will not be as muddy as it was in my last assignment as my instruments are not playing whole chords, instead they are splitting the chord amongst the different ranges to allow the timbre of each instrument to create the chord rather than each instrument playing a chord and muddying the mix.

For each of the string sections to fit into each of their respective registers I made sure they were also played at varying octaves from one another with the violas being an octave lower than the violins, and the celli being an octave lower than the violas, in doing this I can keep each respective instrument within their respective range, creating a more defined and balanced mix.

The piano plays the whole chords alongside the strings section as well as playing the melody in a mostly stepwise motion to allow the melody to flow naturally, there are some uses of large leaps for the melody to have some degree of expression to add to the emotive tonality of my track.

This screenshot displays the MIDI for the outro of my Minecraft-inspired piece which is a repetition of verse two but with altered velocities so that the playing is quieter, and in the section where it is just the piano chords it progressively gets softer until the ending which adds to the calming dynamics I aim to portray through this piece.

I have yet to add the pads into the outro for this piece, but I aim to do that after the feedback from my formative assignment has been received.

By adding bass in this way, I can enhance the low-end presence within my track. In my last track, the bass played chords, muddying the mix. This new way of approaching it with layers defines the bass more and allows it to sit more balanced within my mix.

After commenting on this server after almost a week I recognised the name of a composer I listened to, Ben Berkenbosch, and saw this as an opportunity to reach out to him through Discord's direct messaging.

Ben Berkenbosch is a composer from the Netherlands boasting about 90,156 monthly listeners on his Spotify with one of his tracks also being featured on BBC Radio 3's Ultimate Calm podcast. I find his work truly inspirational and aim to learn as much as I can through him. Although he isn't a massive artist, Ben Berkenbosch does compose music full time and as a result of this I wanted to gain some helpful information as to how I could get my foot in the door to start creating my instrumental pieces as he does and from my conversations with him I have gained some helpful tips in getting my music out there through the usage of music distributors such as DistroKid and sync+micro licensing opportunities along with advising me to not only just create music but to use other media formats such as YouTube to talk about my projects and promote any other services I may offer, for example, Tutoring as Ben does, in doing this I will be able to have multiple different forms of income that would fund my creative efforts whether it is an album/EP release or composing for media.

Moving forward I would like to also communicate with Marcus Warner, a composer and songwriter from the UK who has had an impact on the music I want to create, more notably from his 2016 album Oceans.

The tracks I have selected to analyse:

As required by this post I will analyse how selected tracks have influenced my approach to creating music. The tracks I have chosen to focus on are:

This is Berk - John Powell

• Instrumentation - Strings (violins, violas, cellos, basses), Brass (horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba), Woodwinds (flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons), Percussion (timpani, snare drum, cymbals, bass drum), Bagpipes, Dulcimer, Bodhrán, Choir, flute and horn.

• Genre/sub-genres - Genre (Film score / orchestral soundtrack), sub-genres (Cinematic orchestral, Celtic-inspired film music, epic fantasy score).

• Tonality/mood - Heroic and adventurous

• Slightly playful and rustic at points (reflecting Viking culture)

• Rhythm - 4/4 steady and driving rhythm.

• Melody - Singable and memorable themes with sequencing (repeated melodic patterns).

• Dynamics - Very dynamic starting at more intimate volumes and rising to booming dynamics, utilises crecendos and decrescendos, dynamic contrasts between intimate folk sections and epic orchestral sections.

• Arrangement - Introductory build-up, Primary theme introduction, Development, Climax and then Resolution.

• Performance features - Expressive horn solos. Aggressive string runs during climaxes. Percussion features for drive and energy allowing movement to take place. Bagpipes and ethnic instruments for texture and to link with the Celtic themes. Choir to add grandeur and mystery during key moments.

• Cultural significance / historical context (if appropriate) - "This is Berk" is often cited as one of the greatest examples of modern film scoring, blending orchestral tradition with folk elements to create a highly emotional and cinematic experience and often proving that animated film scores could be epic too.

Davy Jones - Hans Zimmer

• Instrumentation - Solo music box, Strings (violins, violas, cellos, basses), Brass (French horns, trombones, tuba), Pipe organ, Percussion (timpani, bass drum, cymbals), Harp, Choir and synth pads.

• Genre/sub-genres - Genre (Film Score / Soundtrack), sub-genres (Orchestral, Gothic Romanticism, Dark ambience).

• Tonality/mood - Mood is tragic, foreboding, and melancholic.

• Rhythm - Slow to moderate tempo with a heavy dragging rythms.

• Melody - Simple and memorable motifs across all sections with different instrumentations.

• Dynamics - Starts off very soft and gradually builds up for tension. Frequent swells, crescendos, and decrescendos. Very dynamic with sudden contrasts being made.

• Arrangement - Introduction, Development, Climax, Coda.

• Performance features - Expressive rubato in the music box section, Legato phrasing in strings, bold Brass tonality with a sombre quality, swelling vibratos in strings section.

• Cultural significance / historical context (if appropriate) - Part of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise's iconic musical identity. Hans Zimmer created a character theme for Davy Jones that mixes vulnerability with foreboding power. Popularised the use of Music Box complementing orchestral elements to allow for emotional story telling.

Mipha's Theme - Hajime Wakai, Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata

• Instrumentation - Piano, Strings (Violins, Violas, Cellos), Harp, Synth pads, Woodwinds (flute, soft clarinet), Very faint chimes (celesta).

• Genre/sub-genres - Genre (Video Game Soundtrack), sub-genres (Ambient/Neo-Classical, Minimalist classical, Emotional instrumental ballad).

• Tonality/mood - Mood is fragile, nostalgic, melancholic, and tender. The tonality makes the track feel like a reflection of memories.

• Rhythm - Very free flowing (like water).

• Melody - Very simple melody repeated with subtle variations.

• Dynamics - Very soft to moderate level (never loud). Not incredibly dynamic to maintain the fragility of the track.

• Arrangement - Intro, First statement, Development, Restating the first statement, Outro.

• Performance features - Heavy use of rubato in the piano, soft legato strings, arpeggiated harp, swells and fades on strings along with the piano phrases being played, pedaling piano for flow.

• Cultural significance / historical context (if appropriate) - A piece of music for the incredibly successful game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A beautiful reflection of the scene within the game accompanied by this track, allowing for deeper emotional storytelling to the audience.

• Within this track the genre of Ambient LoFi OST plays a big part in defining the musical direction of this piece. The key aspects within my track that helps define the genre are; Slow tempo, Minimalism (less is more for instrumentation), repetition of motifs and melodies, sustained notes, atmospheric texture, gradual dynamic changes, and organic sound design.

  
  

• For the genre of Ambient LoFi OST's origins, I am going to split the two genres apart first. Ambient music as a genre in terms of success dates back to the 1970s when the first successful ambient album was pioneered by Brian Eno, this album was 'Music for Airports' (Eno, 1978a), in this Eno states that ambient music was initially "pioneered by Muzak Inc. in the fifties" and as a result was just called Muzak as a genre, however, after creating his album the term ambient music was coined by Eno where he states that ambient music is ''defined as an atmosphere, or a surrounding influence: a tint". As for LoFi as a genre it originated in the 60s with bands like The Beach Boys employing the use of distorted cassette tape sounds adding hisses to their recordings (Gisonna, n.d.), fast forward to the 90s and the 2000s and LoFi as a genre evolves closer to what it is today being described as static music incorporating loops (Gisonna, n.d.) to take a more stripped down approach focusing on making easy to listen to catchy beats that adds a certain dreamy quality to the track. As for Ambient LoFi OST as a genre from what I have been able to disect from research, C418's Minecraft soundtrack was the first to break through with Ambient LoFi as a genre for a soundtrack, though there is mention of inspiration from the works of Eno as mentioned previously (Stuart, 2014).

  
  

Track two (Zelda Inspired track) -

• Within this track the genre of an Orchestral Fantasy OST plays a large role in defining the musical direction for this composition, however, it is taken in a more sombre and emotive direction. The key aspects displayed within this track that help define its genre are; Layered instrumentation, Melodic emphasis, Modal and Tonal harmony, Dynamic contrast, Expressive instrumentation (incorporating different techniques and swells), and flowing motifs to emphasise the fantasy elements.

• The genre of Orchestral Fantasy OST has roots in both the Baroque and Classical eras of music in tandem with the rise of fantasy literature and eventually the adaptation of fantasy in both TV and film, however, this idea of orchestral fantasy music evolved throughout the Westernisation of orchestral music as a whole (González-Espinoza & Plotkin, 2023).

UPDATE (06/04/2025): I sadly have not recieved a reply to this email.

This quiz has proved to be insightful in highlighting some of the reasons for the moments when I procrastinate.

I have also decided to remove all dynamic, volume, and expression automation from my piece to try again with the newer structure and make sure it is more fluid throughout the piece.

Furthermore, I have also included a fade-in as the feedback from my formative suggested that the strings come in too suddenly, therefore I have implemented a fade-in to make their entrance smoother.

Instrumentation and timbre - Instrumentation (Music Box, Soft Piano, Electric Piano, Soft Synth Pads), Timbre (Soft, Warm, Dreamy, Nostalgic, blend of Organic and Synthetic elements).

Production Techniques - Sparse arrangement, Altered velocities, softer dynamic ranges, lowered velocities and volumes for outro segment, reverbs, EQ, Compression, Saturation, Layered textures, Automation, Humanisation, panning.

Rhythm - Simple flowing rhythm.

Time signature - 4/4.

Tempo - 115 bpm.

Genre - Ambient LoFi Soundtrack.

Feel - Dreamy and nostalgic. Almost meditative.

Performance Techniques - Pedaling, Flowing melodic content with minimal leaps, simple repeated chord progression, swelling synth pads.

Dynamics - Natural dynamics that aren't obtrusive.

Texture - Quite thin texturally to keep with the simplistic and minimalistic aims for the track, some areas are medium texturally where there are more layers within the track for build up.

Instrumentation and timbre - Instrumentation (Piano, Harp, Oboe, Strings - Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass), Timbre (Soft, sombre, emotional).

Production Techniques - Long strings patches used, Long Oboe patches used, breath, modulation and expression editied with automation through MIDI CCs, EQ, Reverb, panning, humanisation, velocity editing, layering, swells, fade-ins and fade-outs.

Rhythm - Flowing rhythm.

Time signature - 4/4.

Tempo - 120bpm - 110bpm (Outro).

Genre - Fantasy soundtrack, orchestral soundtrack.

Feel - Solemn and mysterious feel.

Performance Techniques - Longs for strings and oboe patches, arpeggios, flowing melodic lines with few leaps, instrumental layering to build chords, crecendos and decrescendos, expressive playing, breath notes.

Dynamics - Subtle dynamics to maintain a solemn feel, but use of dynamics for expression.

Texture - Thin to thick layers for build up and emotional effect depending on the sections playing throughout the piece.

The screenshot above details the subtractive EQ I implemented on my Music Box track for track one. As displayed in the EQ band, I cut the lows at about 100Hz by -6dB to reduce the low-end and reduce muddiness. Then I reduced the mids at about 1kHz by roughly 2dB to reduce the abrasiveness of the music box a little without compromising clarity. Lastly, I reduced the high mids just past 2kHz by slightly higher than 2bD, roughly 1.8dB, to tame the high mids and reduce the abrasiveness of the music box. I did not reduce the highs as they are very subtle and I felt they did not need reducing. For both the mids and high mids I implemented a dynamic threshold to trigger the change when the audio goes above the threshold, I set this to be smooth to avoid the harshness of the activation.

For the music box, I have set the fader for the send (compression and saturation) to +6dB as I wanted it to be included in most of the sound but still have a small amount of the original sound remaining.

As for the piano send (compression and saturation) I set that to +4dB as I also wanted it to be included in most of the sound but still have a little more of the original sound remain compared to the music box.

With the second piano send (compression and saturation) I set that to +9dB as I wanted the sound to be more tamed by the compression and saturation to reduce harshness.

Finally, for the synth pads send (compression) I set the fader to +4dB to allow the compression to tame most of the the sound, however, still maintain the natural sound of my subtractive EQ performed previously.

The feelings I felt this week were a pretty even mix of anxiety and motivation as I looked forward to seeing what I could create for this module as well as anxious as to how effectively I can achieve the task set for this semester.

This week allowed me to take the feedback I recieved from last semester and analyse it critically which then helped me create focused SMART goals for this semester. I also was able to think about what I percieve success as from not only this module but the whole course to a certain extent which helped me solidify why I came to study at Waterbear.

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse the feedback I recieved from last semesters submission and use that to determine the skillsets that I used effectively and the skillsets that I need to work on more, in doing this I was able to clearly identify areas I needed to improve on and focus on within this module and my research.

In conclusion, week one as a whole went very well as it was able to provide me with a clear idea as to where I wish to take my work for this module in particular and how it will help me for future employment.

My action plan moving forward is to further expand on my ideas for the tracks I wish to create and to create a moodboard playlist for the two tracks for next week.

The feelings I felt this week were excitement and relief as I had a clear plan for both of the tracks I wished to create, having my ideas visualised helped with my anxiety this week.

This week allowed me to think about the tracks that particularly inspire me to create music and also how specific tracks influence my ideas for the tracks for this module.

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse key elements from tracks that I draw inspiration from and how these elements define the genre they are assigned to, in doing this I was able to create an in depth mind map and a rough song structure in the form of a flow chart to allow me to decide elements I should include for these tracks.

To conclude, this weeks work proved to be very beneficial to me as it allowed me to clearly visualise the concepts I wish to explore within the tracks I aim to produce for this module.

My action plan moving forward is to take action on my ideas and start to compose at least one of the tracks for next week.

The feelings I felt this week were a large mix of motivation, stress, anxiety and uncertainty. The motivation was largely due to my progress with track one as I was really happy with the direction it was going, however, I felt more uncertain with the work I produced with track two, it was not sounding as I pictured it in my head. As for the stress and anxiety, that came from the video pitch, it seemed like a very daunting task for me to accomplish as it was very much out of my comfort zone.

This week allowed me to figure out that sometimes a track cannot be worked on if I am not in the right headspace for it, as demonstrated by me changing the direction of track two almost entirely. I also was able to force myself outside of my comfort zone by recording a video pitch rather than just a written pitch, while I believe my skills were lacking within this pitch, I will attempt a video pitch for next module whether it is asked of me or not as this will be a useful skill for me in my career.

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse the importance of a video pitch for the career I wish to enter, I was able to look back on my video and see all of the things I did wrong within the pitch, while this was largely due to anxiety, it proved to me that even though I did not exceed at the video, I was able to record it despite my anxiety, and I believe that after more time doing video pitches, I will be able to record one with more confidence.

In conclusion, my work for this week proved to be beneficial for me as both a creative and a person, from a creative aspect I was able to diagnose why track two was not enjoyable to compose and how I could alter it to then become more fulfilling, and as a person I was able to grow by pushing myself out of my comfort zone through the video pitch.

My action plan moving forward is to create a new mood board playlist, track ideas mood board, a new structure flow diagram for track two, and start composing my new ideas for track two next week.

The feelings I felt this week were relief and motivation, particulary towards my new ideas for track two.

This week allowed me to realise how beneficial my changes to track two were for me for both my mental wellbeing and my overall work towards this module, by changing elements of my ideas for track two and its direction I was able to feel more fulfilled with the work I was producing rather than being stuck producing a track that made me feel empty inside.

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse how important both quantity of work and quality of work is for the career I wish to enter as having a widespanning portfolio helps my employability, but if those tracks aren't of a high quality then the time I spent building that portfolio of low quality tracks would damage my employability rather than help it, from this I was able to deduce that balance is key.

In conclusion, my work for this week felt fulfilling and allowed me to stay motivated for the future of the tracks I create.

My action plan moving forward is to continue to add more to my tracks and to also try to reach out to other composers for some insight.

The feelings I felt this week were motivation, inspired, stress, and passion as I enjoyed researching for this week and enjoyed having a conversation with a successful composer.

This week allowed me to further push myself out of my comfort zone by talking to people, while it may have been behind a screen I still found it somewhat challenging, but through a linked interest and passion, that anxiety soon faded.

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse my Zelda inspired track, along with the help of another composer, where he provided some very helpful insight into what my track is missing in its current state.

In conclusion, I believe that I should be more open to sharing my music to others, no matter what stage it is at, as many people will find elements that they each enjoy and elements that they believe need changing or need to be added, in doing this I will be able to further develop my skills as a composer.

My action plan moving forward is to continue to develop my tracks for this module.

The feelings I felt this week were inspired, motivated, and hopeful as I believe that the work I did this week went quite well.

This week allowed me to not only listen to tracks I enjoy but also to be able to analyse them, I was also able to further push myself out of my comfort zone by trying to reach out to one of the creatives that inspire me, Marcus Warner.

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse tracks that inspired me initially to become a composer and learn how to pursue it as a career path, form this analysis I was able to look into each track from a technical level rather than how much I enjoy it, in doing so, I was able to see techniques that are used within these professional tracks and compare them to my own work.

In conclusion, this weeks work proved to me to be very beneficial as being able to analyse professionally produced tracks that have inspired me to become a composer and then seeing how I used similar elements filled me with some more confidence in my abilities to make choices for my own tracks.

My action plan moving forward is to continue to work on my tracks for this module.

The feelings I felt this week were relief but pretty stressed as my tracks are now almost completed, but as a result the deadline is quite near, even though I have extra time for hand in which I feel is beneficial for this semester, it is still quite daunting.

This week allowed me to think about what my aims are as a musician, displayed through the task set to discuss our 'why' as musicians. It also allowed me to highlight how my procrastination relates to the type of person I am which is something I have never really thought about in the past.

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse what elements of my personality, in particular my procrastination, affect my workflow.

In conclusion, this weeks work has taken quite a large weight off my shoulders due to most of the composition aspects of my tracks being completed, now I just have to focus on the production side of my tracks.

My action plan moving forward is to finish adding MIDI CC automation to both of my tracks.

The feelings I felt this week were both a mix of relief in finally finishing the composition side of my tracks, but also stress as I have to mix and master both of my tracks for a hand in that is very soon.

This week allowed me to think about the areas of my work for this module that went well and areas that did not go so well, all of this will be useful for my reflection that I need to write.

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse the work that needs to be completed and work out a way to get all of that done in time before the submission date for this module.

In conclusion, I am glad to have finished composing my tracks and am looking forward to recieving feedback from this module to see if I have indeed improved as both a composer and a producer.

My action plan moving forward is to work on the mix for track one.

The feelings I felt this week were alot of stress, relief, and some confusion when initially mixing, however, a 1-1 session with my mentor helped with that.

This week allowed me to learn more about mixing fundamentals as the first mix of track one sounded off as I performed subtractive and additive EQ in the same plugin and also analyse my own work deeper.

As part of the analysis, I was able to analyse both of my tracks and compare these elements to the professional tracks I analysed previously, as a result of this I saw a fair few similarities which filled me with a sense of relief.

In conclusion, I am proud of the new mixing fundamentals I have learnt and thus been able to implement which, to me, shows some signs of improvement already.

My action plan moving forward is to finish the mixing of track one, the mixing of track two, mastering of both tracks, and finally my reflective statement.

Then I used Panagement 2 to add reverb to allow the lead violin to fill the space of the room while also being in reference to where they sit within the room, for this instrument I have sat it to the left of the centre within the second ring as that is where my lead violins sit within the Spitfire BBC Discover orchestra sample library.

After that I used some additive EQ where I boosted the mids from the ranges of 200Hz to just before 10kHz by about 2dB to enhance the mid range the violin sits in as well as to add more warmth.

Finally, I included how much of the violin lead channel's signal was sent to my Air EQ send which the settings for are displayed in post 10.15.

Then I used Panagement 2 to add reverb to allow the supporting violin to fill the space of the room while also being in reference to where they sit within the room, for this instrument I have sat it slightly to the left of the centre within the second ring as that is where my violins sit within the Spitfire BBC Discover orchestra sample library.

After that I used some additive EQ where I boosted the mids slightly by about 2dB to add some more warmth to my violin track.

Finally, I included how much of the violin support channel's signal was sent to my Air EQ send which the settings for are displayed in post 10.15.

Then I used Panagement 2 to add reverb to allow the supporting viola to fill the space of the room while also being in reference to where they sit within the room, for this instrument I have sat it slightly to the right of the centre within the second ring as that is where my violas sit within the Spitfire BBC Discover orchestra sample library.

After that I used some additive EQ where I boosted the mids by about 2dB and the high mids by about 3dB to add presence.

Finally, I included how much of the viola support channel's signal was sent to my Air EQ send which the settings for are displayed in post 10.15.

Then I used Panagement 2 to add reverb to allow the supporting cello to fill the space of the room while also being in reference to where they sit within the room, for this instrument I have sat it to the right of the centre within the second ring as that is where my celli sit within the Spitfire BBC Discover orchestra sample library.

After that I used some additive EQ where I slightly boosted the high lows to the low mids to bring out the warmth of the cello.

Finally, I included how much of the cello support channel's signal was sent to my Air EQ send which the settings for are displayed in post 10.15.

Then I used Panagement 2 to add reverb to allow the bass to fill the space of the room while also being in reference to where they sit within the room, for this instrument I have sat it to the right of the centre within the third ring as that is where my basses sit within the Spitfire BBC Discover orchestra sample library.

After that I used some additive EQ where I boosted the higher frequencies of the lows and the low mids by about 2dB to enhance low end presence without muddying the mix too much.

Finally, I included how much of the bass channel's signal was sent to my Air EQ send which the settings for are displayed in post 10.15.

Then I used Panagement 2 to add reverb to allow the piano to fill the space of the room while also being in reference to where they sit within the room, for this instrument I have sat it to the centre as that is where my piano sits within the Spitfire BBC Discover orchestra sample library.

After that I used some additive EQ where I boosted the upper bass of the lows to enhance low end presence, the mids to add some warmth, and the high mids to bring out some clarity within the notes being played.

Finally, I included how much of the piano channel's signal was sent to my Air EQ send which the settings for are displayed in post 10.15.

Then I used Panagement 2 to add reverb to allow the harp to fill the space of the room while also being in reference to where they sit within the room, for this instrument I have sat it slightly to the left of the centre within the fourth ring as that is where my harp sits within the Spitfire BBC Discover orchestra sample library.

After that I used some additive EQ where I boosted the mids and high mids to add some warmth and clarity to the notes which is important for the arpeggiated sections being played by the harp.

Finally, I included how much of the harp channel's signal was sent to my Air EQ send which the settings for are displayed in post 10.15.

Then I used Panagement 2 to add reverb to allow the oboe to fill the space of the room while also being in reference to where they sit within the room, for this instrument I have sat it slightly to the centre within the third ring as that is where my oboes sit within the Spitfire BBC Discover orchestra sample library.

After that I used some additive EQ where I boosted the mids for warmth and the high mids for clarity to avoid being lost in denser sections.

Finally, I included how much of the oboe channel's signal was sent to my Air EQ send which the settings for are displayed in post 10.15.