Development Diary 1 by Patrick https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm en-us 2022-09-27 11:57:55 UTC 2025-10-01 15:29:16 UTC hello@padlet.com Entry 1 patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2315431102 For my demo, I want to try to use Ableton instead of Logic because I've wanted to switch for a while and I think now is a good time since we get lessons on Ableton and I want to experiment for my demo.

I don't have any ideas for what I want my song to be in terms of genre or style, but I know I want to make something different to what I usually make, which is dark and ambient instrumental songs, usually without any recorded instruments or percussion. I also know that I want to use guitar and bass on my demo since I barely ever record with them and I also that I want to try and make all my instruments myself instead of using software instruments.]]> 2022-09-27 12:10:45 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2315431102 Entry 2 patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2335103538 This week, I started a song on Ableton which was originally going to be my demo but instead, I just used it as an experiment on Ableton, especially with automation. I used Ableton's software instruments for it, but I did try making my own as well.

For this song, I started by using an old idea I made but never put on any songs, which is the intro piano. I recorded it in and then shifted the notes slightly off grid and changed some of the velocities. Next I added some pads and then I started adding automation to the piano, such as the delay which comes on in the 7/4 part, seen on the screenshot I took as I was making the intro. I then found a synth which I played with for a while and made some ideas with, which is what the rest of the song is, which is why there's a lot of automation. The drums for this song were inspired by the Nine Inch Nails song 'All The Love In The World,' because I recently listened to it again. Most of the song is just two notes and the same drum loop with constant automation, which I think really shows how this song was just to experiment. I realised as I was making it, that a song consisting of mostly two notes that took an hour to make on the second week probably wasn't good enough for my demo, which is why I decided to just have it to experiment on Ableton.

This is the link to the song:
https://on.soundcloud.com/WK172]]> 2022-10-11 11:38:51 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2335103538 Entry 3 patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2344967297 This week, I decided that I want to make a song inspired by the Nine Inch Nails album 'Hesitation Marks,' since I just started listening to it. Hesitation Marks is a lot of arpeggios, sequencers and drum machines mixed with live instruments, so I want to make my demo using them.

On Ableton, I've been experimenting with samples of guitars that I recorded on old songs and turning them into an intro for my song and started a new project that I want to be my demo.]]> 2022-10-18 12:03:10 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2344967297 Entry 4 patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2344967448 This week, I've been using the Erica Synths' DB-01, specifically the sequencer. I've started multiple different projects because after a while I just don't know what to do with them. All of them are in F major so I may be able to put them together. I was going to use a drum machine for all my drums but for now I'm using the drums on Ableton which I'll hopefully change later. I did finish one of the songs, which I made on Logic instead of Ableton, which is an experiment just like the last one. I decided to use Logic for this song because the tuner on Ableton was showing the wrong notes when I checked it against my tuner and the tuner on Logic, which may have been how it was set but I couldn't find anyway to change it so I just used Logic instead.

Like my last song, you can tell that this one is a test because of how simple and repetitive it is. I started by making a sequence, which doesn't change throughout the song and then had different sounds playing the same sequence. I used the CR78 kit for the drums, which is the type of drum machine used on Hesitation Marks, and tried to make them sound like I used a real drum machine instead of a software instrument by making them more lo-fi through EQ. The drums on this song were inspired by the song 'I Would For You,' which is my favourite song on Hesitation Marks. I learnt a lot about using the DB01 and especially usefully, I tried lots of different ways to get what I recorded in time and now have a quick way to get them in time.

This is the link to the song:
https://on.soundcloud.com/yqaqd]]> 2022-10-18 12:03:18 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2344967448 Entry 5 patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2357386389 This week, I finally started a project on Ableton that I'm happy with. I started by making a bass riff inspired by Nine Inch Nails, specifically the song Various Methods Of Escape. Since recording with guitars and bass can take a while, I added the notes from both into placeholder instruments on Ableton and made my project that way, so I haven't actually added any guitars yet but I want to for my finished song. I also haven't recorded any guitars because lately my direct input has started crackling after a while and I have to unplug it to stop it, which makes it impossible to record since it won't go for more than around a minute without doing it.

Overall, I've started 7 different Ableton projects which were meant to be my demo but I gave up on. In my demo, I didn't use any of the samples I made, the sequencer, or any of my original ideas on guitar. I think the reason why I haven't been able to finish anything may be because I started all of them differently than I usually do. I also think that using Ableton may be one of the reasons I kept restarting. On Logic, I usually start by finding some instruments I like and making some stuff on them, so the instruments inspire what I make for the song, but on Ableton, since I want to make my own instruments, I haven't been doing that. I don't think using Ableton was a mistake though, since I find it easier to use, although I don't know it as well.

My process for this song was I first sat down with my bass guitar and started making some different riffs and found one I liked, which I then essientially wrote the song in my head as I was playing it. I then went to Ableton the next day and started putting everything I thought of as placeholder instruments instead of recording guitars, which I find a lot faster and much easier to see write with since I can easily see which notes are being played and also change since it's MIDI. I then wrote the song with my placeholder instruments instead of with guitars.]]> 2022-10-26 14:24:58 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2357386389 Entry 6 patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2364847932 This week, I started rewriting parts of my song because they weren't in the same key. So far, I've made a few different parts but I keep changing them later because they don't really fit with the song, although some of them I want to reuse later. I've also been trying to make my song more live instead of MIDI, so I've been doing more on bass and guitar instead of on my keyboard. I thought that my alternative version could be my MIDI version which sounds more electronic while my main version would sound more like alternative rock.]]> 2022-11-01 12:45:18 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2364847932 Entry 7 patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2384679462 This week, I've mostly been doing my WB02 essay and adding to my development diary. I've also been trying to recreate my song on a new project with the new parts I made last week, but I haven't done much yet because I don't know what instruments to use instead of the placeholder instruments I've been using and because I still haven't written my song with the new parts.

Here's a rewrite of my new SWOT analysis since the picture's blurry:

Strengths:
• Because of making different tests and restarting my song so many times, I know how to use Ableton more. I know at least all the basics.
• My DI works again for some reason so I can now record with guitars again.

Weaknesses:
• I've never actually practised guitar, I've just played along to songs or made my own and am self-taught, so I don't know proper form or techniques. I also can't really count while playing.
• I don't know more advanced processes on Ableton like buses and mixing.

Opportunities:
• Academic check-ups and drop-ins.
• Artistic development maybe?

Threats:
• I still don't know what I'm going to do for the other version.
• Haven't finished writing my original song yet.

I either left out things that still apply on my last SWOT analysis or I updated them.]]> 2022-11-15 12:06:19 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2384679462 Entry 8 patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2384685037 Since I'm struggling to make my song and because the different versions of our songs are supposed to be of our preferred musical style, I want to start a new song, even though there's only a few weeks left.

My song is nothing like what I usually make, which I think is mainly because I decided to use Ableton instead of Logic, which completely changed my creative process. After I handed in my demo and Padlet, I decided to make some music which is much more like what I usually make since I had all my work at the time handed in. I ended up making 8 songs in 3 days, 6 of which I made specifically to be on the same project, which contrasts with how I struggled to start my demo and restarted over 5 times in 5 weeks. I think these songs are actually much better than any other projects I've started, including an album I started in January and still haven't finished. I think these songs are so good, mainly because of what I've learnt at Waterbear, specifically about MIDI realism and mixing. They're definitely the best mixed out of everything I made, and the MIDI realism makes it sound much more fluid and alive. I always use headphones when making music since I usually work late at night, but after hearing songs at Waterbear always being played on speakers, I made this project specifically to be on speakers, which is why I included a lot of low-end, especially in the first 3 songs.

This is the link to the project, which I recommend listening to, although it isn't linked to anything I've done at Waterbear: https://on.soundcloud.com/eP193. Looking back on it now, there are things I dislike and would change, but overall, I think this project is much better than anything else I've made, which is weird since it was made in 3 days and my other projects took months.

My process for this project was much more like my usual process. I started by finding instruments I liked on Logic and as I was testing the instruments, I made different ideas I liked which turned into the parts in the songs. As I was making the songs, I thought about the purpose of each song, which we learnt in one of our Art of Production lectures, which I really wanted to incorporate into my music, since usually my songs aren't about anything and I name them after something I think fits or sounds cool. For this project, the purpose of each song was that they were supposed to make the listener feel like what they were named after, for example, the 4th song 'Distress' starts off calm and then becomes a distorted version of itself and some of the instruments become pitch-shifted higher or lower. After the switch, the tempo constantly increases and samples I've collected as I've made music, usually distorted guitars, come in, until the song abruptly ends, and the next song starts. I think the second half of this song really gives a sense of panic or distress, and I think that I executed the idea I had for it really well. Also about the purpose of the project, I intentionally left everything a bit cryptic because of the name and cover. I wanted anyone who listened to it to have their own ideas about it and hopefully to visualise something for each song.

I think that if I start a new song now and use Logic instead of Ableton, I could make a demo within a week, since I already have different ideas and instruments prepared that I could use. I would definitely use a piano on this song, since almost all my songs include a piano, and I would want to record with a real piano, and I believe that one of the studios we can book has a piano that I can use. For this song, I would record everything in live and keep MIDI realism by not perfectly quantizing everything. I would probably have to keep the real piano unquantized if I end up using it.
]]> 2022-11-15 12:11:15 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2384685037 Gibbs' Reflective Cycle on Formative feedback patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2384958476 Description:
My feedback was to add more layers to my demo and build more of a structure, to add more about my process and performance, to add more evidence to my risk assessment, building on processes such as gain-staging and MIDI programming, writing about my new process and approach on a new DAW and adding more evidence of performance skills.

Feelings:
Some of my feedback, such as talking more about my process, were things I wanted to add before the Formative but never did because I was waiting for my feedback so see all the areas I could improve and what I could add. I can see how I don't have much evidence of performance, since I didn't really perform anything on my demo and I just programmed everything, which I could've talked about.

Evaluation:
I decided not to add some things I thought of, such as writing my process of writing, and also removed some old guitar ideas I never evolved or used in anyway, because I wanted to wait for my feedback instead of adding things that I thought might not've been relevant, but now I think that keeping them in even if they aren't too relevant is still useful because it shows evidence. Basically, from my feedback, I now think that I should add everything I could instead of not adding something because it may not be useful.

Analysis:
I want to add more evidence of performance, and since I want to record guitars on my song, I can. I could also talk about my process of recording and playing, which would show my performance techniques. Other useful things to add would be old guitar ideas I recorded and uploading guitar tabs.

Conclusion:
Since I intentionally didn't add things I wanted to add later, just because I wanted to see what my feedback would say, I think that my development diary was more successful than I thought it would be. I thought that I would have much more feedback on things I needed to add, where it was actually mostly things I should improve on and expand.

Action Plan:
I have already written down learning outcome-specific things to add to each entry, and have decided to go with more of a structure to my diary by using what we learnt each week in Your Music Production. I can also go through the feedback on my demo and try out everything suggested, such as adding more harmonic layers, which could help to build on my song and make it more finalised.
]]> 2022-11-15 14:57:39 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2384958476 Main version patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2394055026 Tempo: 80
Key: F minor, B♭ minor
Time signature: 4/4
Structure: There's two main progressions, one is a simple motif going through the notes of Fmin which repeats as more dissonant layers come on top every 8 bars. The next progression is a more complex melody also using all notes of Fmin. Again, more layers come on, this time every 4 bars, which then changes into a simple chord progression in B♭ min. After the chord progression plays twice, it changes into a similiar progression, also in B♭ min, which plays four times before the song ends.
Chords: Fsus4, F♯min, F♯min, Fsus4
Second progression: F, Fmin, F♯5, F5
Melodic ideas: the second melody plays every note in Fmin in a sort of arpeggio. I don't know much about music theory so I'm not sure if it goes up in a scale or not.]]> 2022-11-22 12:16:39 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2394055026 Entry 9 patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2397037437 This week, I started writing my new song and have a demo of my main version, as well as having an idea for my alternate version.

I started my main version by going onto a project I have on Logic which has piano ideas on it because I remembered one I wanted to use and I thought it would be good for this song. I then started a new project and began making my piano sound using a plugin I have which allows me to change a lot of things, including mic placement and tuning. I was trying to get a piano sound similiar to 01 Ghosts I and Lights In The Sky, both by Nine Inch Nails. After I got a realistic sound I was happy with, I made chords to go with the melody I took and started going through Logic's software instruments and some of my plugins to get ideas and see what would go with what I already had. I ended up quickly make a 4-5 minute version which was useful because I ended up finding a second chord progression because of it. I then also made a 6 minute version which expanded on some of the ideas I had in the other quick version. This one was also useful because I made what I want to be the outro to my alternate version.

After making my two quick versions, I made another one and ended up making another main melody and making the original one come in later. I started by using one of my plugins to create white noise, inspired by the Nine Inch Nails' song Hurt. My main version follows a very simple structure. After the first motif starts, another instrument comes on after 8 bars, until the main motif abruptly changes and all the other instruments cut out. The second motif then starts playing and more instruments come on after 4 bars, until more white noise rises and the motif changes to the chords, which play twice before changing to a similiar chord progression, which also plays 4 times before the song ends. For this version, I went back to my original idea of not wanting to use software instruments, so almost all the instruments are ones that I made and the only software instrument on the song is heavily edited, so it's unrecognisable.

In Production Tools this week, we learnt about different types of reverb and I made my own versions of each type of reverb. Also in Production Tools, we learnt about corrective and creative EQ, which I did a lot of in this song. For my corrective EQ, I used Logic's Channel EQ and for my creative EQ, I used Logic's Simple Band EQ, which is on almost every instrument. I also put reverb and creative EQ on every instrument because of the idea of where things are sonically. We learnt that by rolling off the top-end of a sound, you can make it sound further back in the mix, which was especially useful for the drone pads throughout the song.]]> 2022-11-24 16:10:49 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2397037437 Entry 10 patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2401762508 This week, I wrote my alternate version, but haven't recorded a final take yet. I started by taking some of the notes from the second motif from the main version and making a new melody out of them and then made a variation of it. I thought that it was too unrelated to the main version so I added in the first motif from the main version and then made a variation of that using different notes. So far, I've tried a few different outros, including using the intro from my Ableton test, seen on the picture on entry 2. I've also come back to my original outro for the main version which I didn't use for some takes.

For hopefully both my main and alternate version, I want to record with a real piano, and have booked the studio on the 8th of December, which I may be sharing. In the studio, I will focus on my alternate version, but hopefully be able to record piano for my main version too. I want to record good takes using MIDI which I can use as a backup if I don't want to use the real piano takes for whatever reason. One problem with recording my main version with a real piano, is that I won't be able to quantize the piano at all and would have to re-record all the other parts to go with it.]]> 2022-11-29 11:45:15 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2401762508 Alternate version patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2401859883 Tempo: 125, later 80
Key: Mainly based on Fmin and later B♭min, but with a lot of added notes not in either.
Time signature: 4/4
Structure: It starts with a new melody using the notes from the second motif in the original before switching to chord progression. It then changes back to the original melody before becoming a more simple version of itself by only using one note from the chords, before changing to a progression of the second melody and then chords of the main version.
Chords: C5, Fsus4, Fmin, F♯min, F, F♯5, F5
Melodic ideas: The second melody of the main version's notes turned into two new melodies and variation of the first motif from the main version.]]> 2022-11-29 13:07:38 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2401859883 Entry 11 patricknorthmore2 https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2414529519 This week, I recorded my alternate version on the piano in Small Pond. I used three mics, one of which was a room mic which didn't do much since pianos aren't that loud. When there, I had to quickly learn how to use the sustain pedal for some parts since I've never used one before. Overall, I did 10 takes and have decided to use the tenth as my final take, which I mixed on Logic and added some subtle reverb to keep the realism of the room. I also recorded and mixed my final version. I played through every instrument until I got a good take, which I then quantized slightly, except for the second piano motif which I quantized perfectly to the grid to save time.]]> 2022-12-08 16:04:50 UTC https://padlet.com/patricknorthmore2/ke0uaewil1ncdphm/wish/2414529519