Unit 49.4: Composing using music technology

Composing using music technology

Listen to some of my pieces here: 

Shuffle

Bounce

Saxophone Remix

Space Composition 

Night

Funky Sax

Sampling Using Garage Band

Form

Form is a very important aspect of song writing, it involves the chord progression used throughout the song. This can be created by using at least two different chord progressions (which can change a little and alternate). To begin with you can write out a scale, for example C Major:

C D E F G A B C

Then you write out the chords for each note in C Major: 

1 (I)- CEG

2 ()- DFA

4 ()- FAC

5 (VI)- GBD

6 (VII)- ACE

Now you have the chords to use, you must order a chord progression. There are some rules that must be followed to achieve a chord pattern. Sections are usually formed like this: A A1 B A1. 

• The form must be start and end with chord one. 
• The end of the B section must end in the 5th chord. 
• The end of the A1 section must be the 1st chord. 

A chord progression can be varied to add creative flare by experimenting and adding other chords.

Structure

The structure of a song varies depending on the song and genre, most of the time especially in pop music the structure looks like this: 

Introduction

Verse

Chorus

Verse

Chorus 

Bridge/Middle 8

Chorus 

Instrumental

Outro/Coda

These sections help to shape a song and enable you to know where to use variations of chord progressions. 

A chorus (also known as the hook) is probably the most recognisable and rememberable section of a song as it is repetitive and plays more than once in a song. Chorus' usually contain different chord progressions to the verse and other sections of the song and are shorter (in bar length) most of the time. 

The bridge/middle 8 is used towards the end of the song which adds variation and creativity to the song and also links the verse and chorus together, creating light and shade within the piece.

Techniques

In my composition called Space I used Cubase as the DAW and i used HalLion Sonic SE, Silent and Groove Agent (with Media Bay). I also used side chain and multi band compression in the mixing and mastering stage of the production side of this piece. 

Multiband compression is very useful in mixing and mastering as it allows you alter the volumes of certain frequencies within a mix. This tool is great to use when you want to create the perfect balance between frequencies. 

Side chaining is also very useful as it allows you to set effects up for one track and then link another track, this means that the attached track will be receiving the same effects as the initial track which was edited. 

I have used a lot of sampling in my work which has manipulated to fit in with my piece. I have manipulated the samples by using features such as; pitch shift, EQ, reverb, compression and distortion. 

Difference

I will ensure that there is difference and variation within the track I produce by creating a structure to work from similar to the one listed above. Then I will create a chord pattern to go with each type of section of the song. This technique will allow me to achieve a song with has similar parts throughout the song but in order will allow contrasting parts to follow after one another. Hopefully, this will decrease the chances of the song becoming boring and dragging throughout but also allow me to maintain an overall feel and genre to the song, which is a good balance. 

Inversion

Inversion is a technique used which plays a section of the music backwards, this is a very interesting effect as it allows you to create a completely different effect. A typical use of inversion usually in house music when a reversed cymbal is used, this is very effective and is very commonly heard in popular house music. There are other sounds which you can reverse too.

Repetition 

Repetition is used in most songs to maintain the flow and feel of a song. A common example of repetition is a chorus. Chorus' are repeated throughout the song after verses, intros and bridges. Most of the time a chorus will include the same of similar lyrics throughout a song, the same chord pattern (although sometimes this changes as the song develops and changes key), and the same rhythm. But you will notice in most songs the chorus develops as the song goes on; more harmonies are added, more instruments are added and the sound gets more layers and textures. Verses could also be an example of repetition, but unlike chorus' the lyrics in their chorus' always change from verse to verse. I think that to achieve a good balance between repetition and difference is to use a good structure of verse, chorus and bridges, but also add to the song as it develops in time. This will create variety within the song and allow the listener to remain interested, but also it will allow the listener to become familiar with the song and its characteristics. 

Sampling and Sample Manipulation

A sample is a short file of audio which has already been created and then using it in another music/instrumental project. I am going to use sampling in my piece to give the piece atmosphere. I will also ensure that I edit the samples, so they sound different to the original and can be manipulated to suit my piece. 

For my project so far, I have found samples from a website called www.freeSFX.co.uk which allows me to download and use samples and sound effects and add them to my piece. Once I had downloaded the samples I edited them and cut them to make then 5 seconds or less. Then I edited the sounds to reverse them or to change the pitch of them. 

Using Samples which have already been composed by someone else. 

This is when consumers rights comes in, and there are strict limits to how much of someone else's song you can use as a sample in your own work. To avoid any copyright issues it is a good idea to stick to using samples from other songs which are under 5 seconds long. 

Quite a few songs in the charts have been made purely from samples of other songs. This has proved to be a very good way of producing music and making money in the music industry, as proved by popular bands like the Prodigy. 

For this investigation I imported songs into cubase and then listened t each track individually to see which part of the song I would like to use as a sample in my song. The songs I chose to import were very different, styles varied from taylor swift to Einaudi. I chose to select a drum beat from the well known Taylor Swift song, Shake It Off and I created a melody using a sample of the first note of Einaudi's piece called, Nefeli and then used pitch shift to create a tune.

There are many ways you can manipulate sounds on cubase, and you can do this by selecting the piece of audio you would like to edit and then go to audio which is in the top bar on cubase and then go to processes and then select an edit. There are many editors such as: Pitch Shift, Reverse, Gain and Time Stretch.

 When using samples from Apple from Garage Band and Logic X Pro, they state that you are aloud to use samples in your work and publish them publicly. But, you are not aloud to 'resell' them on to others as samples.

Other features to use on Cubase to manipulate a track. 

If you double click on the track that you would like to edit, then you will be able to see the sound wave of the sample. AudioWarp is a key feature on this and it allows you to vary the length of notes in a piece. VariAudio allows youth change the pitch of the notes being plead in the sample, it s also very useful for finding out notes in the piece. VariAudo mainly just works on melodies alone as it is difficult for the system t detect several notes from a variety of melodies at once.

Sound Libraries 

Sound libraries are very important and useful whilst creating and composing music. I mostly sound libraries like, Apple Loops, Media Bay (for Groove Agent) and online sound libraries like free sound and free SFX. 

These sound libraries provide artists with sound and loops to use in their own compositions and sound effects. When using sound effects many composers like to edit and manipulate the sound to suit their piece. Sometimes when samples have been edited and manipulated the original sound effect is unrecognisable from the loop used in the final piece. 

PQ Encoding

All CDs have PQ encoding, it is what allows the player to locate tracks and display timing information, therefore the listener can play a particular track or part of the song. These PQ flags are applied to the track at the end of the mastering stage of mixing and mastering. 

The gap which you hear between a track on a CD is called its countdown and it is usually silence (on most CDs). Sometimes the countdown can contain an audience clapping or sound effects to create an atmosphere for the listener. In some cases the producer wants the tracks to follow continuously after each other or maybe even the songs interconnect with each other (e.g. the start of one song is at the end of a song before on the CD), this is known as segued tracking. You may have heard on some CDs you have there is a secret track somewhere within the song, this is also done by the process of PQ coding, where the code is manipulated. 

All PQ encoding must be to Red Book standard, which is extremely important as it allows the encoding to work on standard audio compact discs which have been developed by sony and phillips. 

PQ encoding is applied at the end of mastering, before the track is mastered to a CD. 

Internet Distribution 

In modern days music is mostly distributed over the internet through music streaming apps like; Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Prime Music and Deezer. These are apps which you have a membership to (some free, some not) and in return you will get to listen to songs electronically. This technology has changed a lot in the music industry as now less people are buying physical copies of music in the form of CDs and Vinyls. But the internet music streaming apps like the ones listed above has helped artists and producers an awful lot. A few years ago when these apps were not around, it was very common for people to illegally download music from online websites to their phones, this meant that people were breaking the law and the people who were entitled to royalties did not receive them. Whereas with apps like Spotify and the others, artists get paid what they deserve according to the the number of plays they get on their profile. This is a win win situation for both listeners and producers as the producers and artists are getting the royalties which they deserve, but the listeners are able to listen to music for free of for a very small fee. 

Compression 

Compression is extremely useful within mixing and mastering, it is used to reduce the dynamic range of a sound. This effect is achieved by boosting the quieter signals and reducing the louder signals. Compression is controlled and adjusted by a range of things: 

Threshold

This feature allows you to control how loud the original signal is before compression is applied.

Ratio

The ratio controls how much of compression is added, for example; if the ratio was 2:1, 2dB of compression would be applied to every 1dB of signal.

Attack

This is how fast the compressor responds.

Release

This is the speed at which the signal dips below the threshold when the compressor stops.

Knee

This is how the compressor is controlled to react to signals when the signals pass the threshold. There are things called the hard knee and the soft knee, the hard knee is when the signal is compressed straight away. Whereas the soft knee allows compression to gradually be applied.

Make-up Gain

This is a feature which enables you to boost the compressed signal.

Output

This allows you to boost the signal output from the compressor. 

Loudness

The normal volume to mix a track to is 0dB. This is extremely important as by doing it this was you can avoid clipping in the track. Clipping is an unwanted noise and unpleasant to peoples ears, it could also damage people's hearing. 

Equalisation 

EQ is important as it allows you to manipulate tone and add definition and clarity to tracks. It does this by allowing you to increase or lower the volume of selected frequencies within the audio spectrum of a sound. This can be done either on a mixing desk in pre-production or using a DAW in post production. 

On cubase you can apply EQ by selecting the track which you would like to apply EQ to and then click on the 'e' effects button. You will find a frequency graph appear on the screen with different buttons which you can use to manipulate the EQ of a track by boosting or lowering different frequencies. 

Sonic Problems 

There may be clipping in the track, this is a very unpleasant sound and should be avoided when mixing and mastering a song. Fortunately, this can be avoided by editing the levels on the mixer by moving the faders until the track is no longer showing the red clipping mark. This usually happens when the track is not mixed to 0dB. 

Waveform Structures and Editing

I have used a sylenth track in my mix and this is very useful. This is an add on which is almost like MIDI but you have more synthesisers and you can vary the effect. For example: some synths have the ARP option which allows to arpegiate the sound and play the arpeggio of the note. Like MIDI, you can edit sylenth tracks to manipulate the sound to sound more like you would like it to. 

Statement

A statement is a very important part of the song as it gives the song identity and makes it recognisable. I have used a statement in my song at the beginning. I have decided to use the statement at the beginning as people will hear this riff and it will be very recognisable, so people will know the song as soon as it comes on. 

Genre

The genre of a song is what family of music the song fits into. There are many different genres; rock, pop, jazz, acoustic, folk, dance, hip hop and RnB. I have chosen to make a dance song and add vocals to it as well. You could also say that my composition has a hint of RnB in it. 

Software Inputs

I have used many instruments from HalLion, Groove Agent and Sylenth to create my piece. This has helped me to create layers of various instruments and be able to achieve a good sound and effect on the piece. I have also used samples from Logic X Pro and Garage Band in some of my pieces. 

Analogue and Digital Inputs 

For most f these pieces I have used sequencing techniques to create them. I have completed this using  several DAW's such as Cubase and Logic X Pro.
I have used both microphones and DI (Direct Input). I have used a condenser microphone for the vocals, as this type of microphone allows you to pick up sounds with higher frequencies and has a wider frequency range. I have used direct input for the bass as it is a lot easier to monitor levels and control the gain of the bass, rather than using an amp for the bass. As the bass is a loud instrument and usually emits a lot of aural reverb, it may cause feedback which will create an unwanted noise on the recorded track. Whereas when using DI you can control the amount of reverb on the bass. 

Playback Equipment

I have been listening to my song through ATH-M40fs audio technica studio phones and an Apple Mac OS X (10.7.5). 

File Transfer

The files are transferred through cubase, you can do an audio mix down of the track and then export it to create a file as MP3, WAV or ACC. 

Formats and Compatibility 

Cubase files can become very large, but they are able to hold a lot of information about sound signals and effects like (EQ, Reverb, Compression and other settings) which have been applied to the final track. Midi files consist of computer codes which code for different sounds of instruments, they do not require a lot of memory in comparison to a cubase file. An audio file contains information of acoustic energy which has been transferred to electrical energy through microphones. The signal of these acoustic sounds are saved in an audio file. 

Mastering to CD

When mastering to CD it is important to ensure that the tracks are not clipping and that all of the effects which need to be applied are applied and sound good. Then you will be able to do an audio mix down of the track and then burn it onto a CD. CD's are a good way of selling music and were extremely popular between 2000-2010. But recently, due to advances in technology, the virtual music world is taking over. Now more and more people are opting out of buying physical copies of CD's but instead buying copies online. 

Copyright 

The copyright of a song is owned by the songwriter and/or the publisher, which is me as I composed this song. This acts as protection for the works of the artist and ensures that the original artist gets the correct and fair royalties and recognition deserved for their work when it is used by other people. To be able to legally publish a cover you need a mechanical license. So if anyone tries to cover my song then they will need a mechanical license. This is basically the permission needed from the publisher to record and distribute covers of the song which they own the right to. 
If somebody is singing somebody else’s song we will need to purchase a mechanical /compulsory license which will entitle them to do our own cover of a published song by receiving permission from the publisher to release a cover of a song that they own the rights to.
The best thing to do to release a cover would be to purchase a mechanical license which can cost as little as £15. This is a little price to pay considering if you use copyrighted music without permission then you will get charged around £2500. 
I will have to also make sure that my song is original and is not stealing anybody else's work. If I am stealing anybody else's work, including chord pattern, samples, riffs, vocals and lyrics then it is necessary for me to get permission from the original producer of the sound to be able to get the rights to use it. In the end they may choose to ask for a percentage of any profits made when the song is released. 

Before uploading this song they need to ensure that we have the correct licenses that will allow them to share this song legally. This is a very important factor to consider when covering song, as it allows the original artist to get their fair share of the profits made off the production. Usually this would involve contacting the original artist and getting permission from them and also paying for a mechanical licence, which allows you to cover songs legally.
For example: Adeles hit single, Hello was sued by Lionel Riche for stealing one of his most famous songs 'Hello'. This is because Adele sung the first line 'Hello' in exactly the same was as Lionel Riche did in his 1980 single. This is not a good thing, as the original artist Lionel Riche feels violated because his musical themes and inspirations have been stolen from the artist, yet Lionel has not been given any credit. Currently, this case has not been responded to by Adele's legal team, but fines could be in line for British singer Adele and her number 1 hit album.