Unit 49, Brief 1: Setting up live performance and recording equipment.

This task involved setting up a PA system for a live event.

1. Firstly we had to take the boxes apart. To ensure that the lids of the boxes did not act as tripping hazards we ensured that we put them safely on the floor away from where anyone would be walking. 
2. Then we plugged the mixing desk into the mains power and moved it to the position we wanted it in. Once it was in the correct position we locked the wheels to ensure safety and that it does not move. 
3. Next we lifted the base bins to position. To decrease the risk of injury or damage of the speakers it is important to use 3 people to carry the speakers so they are not dropped, and that when the speakers are lifted the person should bend their knees whilst lifting and keep their back straight. 
4. Now the base bins were in place we could add the poles into the speaker and connect the main speakers on top of the base bin. As we were lifting the speakers above our heads, it was extremely important to use at least 2 people to lift the speakers to ensure that we don't drop them and cause damage. 
5. Then we connected the speak on cables to the speakers, we connected the base bins to the bottom amp and the main speakers to the amps on top. This allowed us to separate the frequencies of sound and to control what sounds are released. This is how we connected power to the speakers to work. 
6. The next step is to securely tape the speak on cables to the floor. This minimises the risk of people tripping over the wires. If the wire is extremely long then excess wire can be put in the corner of a performance area where no one will go. 
7. After that you can connect the amps to the mixing desk using jack leads, and plug the amps and mixing desk to mains. When plugging equipment to mains it is extremely important to ensure that all levels are down to a minimum so the sound does not go over the sound levels and we avoid feedback. Usually when speakers/amps are given power a popping sound is made. When a desk is turned down it is called 'flat lining' a desk to avoid bad, unwanted noises. 
8. Once this is all seat up you can set up your sound source. In our case it was a microphone which we wanted to set up, so we connected a Shure SM58 into the channel 1 of a mixing desk using an xlr cable. 
9. Now, we can turn on the desk and check the levels once the speakers are turned on. When checking levels someone should stand in the middle of the performance area to ensure that the sound is ok, this is because the speakers are in stereo. 
10. The final step is to perfect the sound which would involve adding effects to the sound. The effects which we used on the mixing desk were reverb effects. This worked by putting sound through the mixing desk and then the sound would be outputted with an effect applied to it. There are many different options of reverb effects depending on the sound desired by the performer for the event. 

If you would like to see video evidence of my group setting up the PA system then please ask me personally. Due to the video not being in the right format it cannot be supported/uploaded.

Risk Assessment

Above in the method of this set up I have outlined some of the risks that may occur during this process and how we can minimalist the risk and prevent them. I will also include a table which clearly shows the risks possible in this process and how we can avoid them. 

Risk	How it can be minimalized/avoided.
Lids from boxes	These can be kept away from where people would walk. This can be achieved by leaving the lids flat and tidy.
The boxes moving	This can be prevented by locking the wheels on the boxes.
Tripping over wires	Ensure that all wires are taped down or kept out of the way where no one will fall.
Unwanted/bad noises	Flat line the desk before adding power to the desk and amps.
Exposure to live wire	Ensure that all cables used are safe and are not broken.
Plug sockets	When not using power from plug sockets, turn off the power.
Water near electric	Keep food and drink away from the performance area. But if water is required ensure that it is in a secure water bottle to avoid spillages.
Health risk	Ensure that when lifting equipment you bend your knees and keep your back straight; this avoids damage to the back.
Noise levels	It is important not to go over 120dB due to social laws. This can be prevented by using sound sensibly and checking the noise level which is being outputted by the speakers throughout the performance.
Feedback	Feedback can be annoying and also can hurt some peoples ears, as when the sound travels back and forth the noise levels get louder and louder. This can be prevented by not pointing the microphone towards any speakers and keeping microphones behind the speakers.

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. 

Unit 48.4: Ready to release? Mixing and mastering.

Mixing and Mastering

Listen to the final tracks here: Stick Together (Mixed and Mastered)   Seven Nation Army (Mixed and Mastered)

EQ

EQ is the equalisation of a sound. It helps to control the tone by boosting particular frequencies of the audio spectrum. It can also be used to create new tones and to help correct or equalise problems that may have occurred during the production/recording chain.

Usually, EQ has high cut (low pass) and low cut (high pass) filters which help to prevent unwanted extreme highs and lows in a piece (e.g. too much bass).

High Cut- This type of EQ reduces the level above cut off by removing higher frequencies.

Low Cut- Whereas, low cut reduces levels below cut off by eliminating lower frequencies.

Obviously, the amount of EQ and chart depends on the instrument. Here is a chart that can be used to see where the general frequency ranges of popular instruments are:

EQ can be used for several different things in music production:

·      It can be used to correct badly recorded sounds.

·      EQ can ensure that multiple sounds in a mix do not clash.

·      It can create unnatural sounds, for example: recording natural vocals and then making them sound like a robot.

Peaking Filters

Peaking Filters can e used to make individual frequencies stand out. Boosting the frequency of that individual sound can do this. This is used often when boosting vocals in a band mix, to make them stand out the most.

Compression

Compression involves condensing the dynamic range between the loudest and quietest parts of an audio signal. It is used to boost or reduce signals. There are many components within a compressor, I will list all of them with their definitions too.

Threshold     This is how loud the signal met be before compression is applied.
Ratio     How much compression is applied.
Attack     How quick the compressor starts to work.
Release     How soon after the signal dips below the threshold before the compressor starts.
Knee     This is how the compressor reacts to signals once the threshold is passed. You can have either a hard knee or soft knee. Hard Knee is when compression begins instantly, whereas soft knee is when compression gradually begins after the threshold.
Make Up Gain     Allows host of the compressed signal.
Output     Boosts the level of signal output from the compressor.

In cubase, compression is an effect which you can use. It is very useful and is good to use for mixing and mastering. When you open the compressor in Cubase it looks like the image below. Once you have added compression into the effects panel you then are able to adjust and tweak parts of the dynamic range.

Reverb

Reverb which effects how sound waves are reflected off surfaces before reaching the listeners ear. This means sounds may take longer to reach the listener or they may loose sound energy and therefore get quieter. In effect, with reverb, the listener hears the sound directly from the source and then reflected waves are followed. You can hear reverb occur naturally, especially in big halls, this is because the sound waves have more surfaces to reflect off and take longer to be heard by the listener. 

In the studio we can use the reverb effect, artificially and naturally. The natural reverb can change depending on the room the recording is done in. For example if a room is small and has foam pads on the wall then there will be less reverb as there are less surfaces for the sound to bounce off and the foam pads could absorb the sound. There are also effects on cubase which can be applied onto tracks to create a reverb effect, this is done by clicking the track which you intend to put reverb on. Then you can press the 'e' (effects) button and then you can select the reverb effect. Personally I like to use Room Works SE. 

Gates

A noise gate is a type of software which is used to control the volume of an audio signal, it is slightly like a compressor, but it only focuses on sounds below the threshold. Gates are very useful and can be used a lot in the mixing stage of editing audio. Gates can be applied on cubase or when using an analogue mixing desk. When applying on cubase, you will find the gain alongside the range, threshold, release and hold. You can vary the amount of sound which is coming in by twisting the gate. You can edit the threshold, centre, Q-factor, attack, hold, release and analysis on cubase when using the Steinberg Gate Plug-In. 

Track List 

Lead Vocals
I have applied EQ to the vocals, I have decided to boost the mid section and lower the lows. Also I have applied a compressor to ensure that all vocals can be heard. Pitch correct is another effect which I have added, this is just to make all the vocals pitch perfect. I have put reverb onto the vocals to make them sound less powerful but still being heard.

Backing Vocals 1
For these vocals I have applied EQ to boost the higher frequencies but decrease the lower frequencies. I have again applied pitch correct to ensure that all notes are perfect and harmonise with the lead vocals. Reverb was another effect and I compressed the volume.

Backing Vocals 2
Again, I have applied EQ to the vocals by decreasing the lower frequencies and slightly increasing the higher frequencies. I have applied pitch correct, reverb and compressed the volume.

Piano
With the piano I have applied EQ, I found the frequency at which the piano was playing out the most and boosted that frequency. I have also applied compression and reverb.

Guitar Solo
I have applied EQ and boosted the mid frequencies and also I have applied reverb, compression, pitch correct and distortion.

Bass
With the bass guitar I have boosted the lower frequencies of the bass and lowered the higher frequencies. I have also applied a bit crusher and compressor.

Guitar
With the guitar I have applied a little bit of EQ and boosted the mids slightly. I have also applied reverb and compression.

Cymbals
I found the average frequency of the cymbals and boosted this frequency. I have applied both compression and reverb.

Hi Hat
For the hi hat I have boosted the nights and lowered the lows. Also I have applied compression to the volume. 

Kick
With the kick drum I boosted the lows and I applied compression and reverb.

Snare
I found the average frequency of the snare and boosted its frequency on the EQ. I have also applied reverb and compression.

Trombone
With the trombone I have applied reverb and compression and I have also boosted the mid frequencies on the EQ.

Trumpet
For the trumpet I have applied compression and reverb, also I have boosted the nights and mids on the EQ.

Automation

Automation is a very useful effect to use in sound production, it allows you to give directions to the sound and control frequencies and volumes. It works by giving the sound data to follow as instructions. It can control volume, faders, pan and mute. 

I used automation in my second mixed and mastered song, Seven Nation Army. Here I automated the volume of the song at the beginning. I did this by dragging the line in the automation line underneath the track. 

Effects/Channel Sends

You can use effects and channel sends to vary the sound. This can be done by applying effects using the effects ('e') option in cubase and then applying the chosen effect. For example; if you were applying reverb then you could apply the reverb and then send it to a channel of track and then they would all be applied with the same amount of reverb. I used this technique in the mixed and mastered version of stick together with all the brass instruments. 

Formatting/Mixing Down

There are 2 types of mastering which you could use, there is Stereo Mastering and Stem Mastering. Stereo mastering involves the final edit of two tracks, the left and the right of the mix down. Whereas on the other hand you could do Stem Mastering instead, this is a lot more complex than Stereo Mastering as it involves editing separated elements of tracks. 

Multi-band Compression

This is a great tool to use in the mastering process. Multi-band compression involves giving different frequencies certain compressors and controls (like ratio, threshold, attack and release). It is great to fix a problem with treating a particular instrument or problem frequency in the mix. 

You can apply this effect in cubase, by selecting the 'multi-band- compressor' option on the stereo out drop down menu. Then you can edit the effect and settings to achieve the desired sound. 

EQ

EQ can be applied by selecting the effects option by the track which you would like to apply the EQ to and then you can vary the frequencies by altering the levels of the EQ. This boosts certain frequencies and lowers other frequencies depending on the sound which you want to here and the frequencies you would like to stand out. 

Level Mix (0dB) 

This is very important as it avoids clipping of the track, this is an unwanted sound which decreases the quality of the sound of the mix. Some people creatively decide to mix to above 0dB, this does lead to clipping and may make the track sound unprofessional or unpleasant. 

Sweetening the Sound

Most of the time, sweetening the sound is necessary on vocals to avoid the dry sound that some microphones may produce. This sweet sound is achieved in the mixing stage of mixing and mastering and can be created by a couple of ways. Personally, I like to use EQ, reverb and pitch correction on some vocals. With the EQ I like to boost the higher frequencies of the vocals within the mix, this helps amplify and boost the sweet higher sounds of the vocals. The reverb is a very important aspect of sweetening the sound because it allows the sound to be heard by the ears less powerfully. Reverb does this by repeating the sound in the listeners ear (almost like an echo), this is so the listener has time to process the sound and the sound is not harsh. Pitch correction is something that should be used to a minimum when editing natural vocals, although I think that high amounts of pitch correction is effective when trying to create a robot/electric voice. Pitch correction helps to soften the notes which may not be pitch perfect and make the vocals sweeter to listen to. I used this a lot in the vocals from 'Stick Together'. 

Unit 49.3: Creative Arrangement

Creative Assignment

The Piece

Piece Chosen-  The piece I have chosen is Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes, this is a very well known song released in 2003 from the album, Elephant. This was produced by Jack White and recorded at Toe Rag Studios in London. 

Song Genre- The original song genre is alternative rock, and rock instruments like the electric guitar, bass, drums and vocals to achieve this genre.
Created Genre- The genre I have decided to recreate this piece in is house/dance/electronic music. This style of music is very modern currently and played in clubs and festivals. It is a good genre of music to dance to due to its constant beat. As a genre this type of music has developed over time due to advances in technology and musical software (for example VST's like Sylenth). This allows more people to access the software and create their own music. Obviously this has had a big impact of the genre as more alternatives of the style are being created. This is similar to artists like David Guetta and Calvin Harris. Sometimes these musicians remix songs or make creative arrangements of songs which have already been released by another artist/band. This is a very good way of creating new music, as it almost recycles music and gives successful songs a new life, gives some songs another chance to make it into the charts and raises awareness of artists and bands, therefore they may be able to increase their fan base. 

BPM- The original song has the tempo of 124bpm (beats per minute).
Musical Features- The song has a signature bass line throughout the song, which is probably the most recognisable component of the song. It follows a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, chorus, outro, structure. I have decided to increase the tempo of my track in the creative arrangement and also use the verse and only the start/parts of the chorus. But I have not changed the bass line and I have kept that constantly throughout my piece/creative arrangement. 

Track List 


Track 1- Kick Drum
For the kick drum I have used a syncopated rhythm which works well with the hi hat which plays on the alternative beat. This creates a drop to the floor beat which is evident in most songs in the house music genre. I have used EQ on this track to modify the frequencies being heard throughout the track and the instrument has been imported from Media Bay using Groove Agent ONE. For the EQ on the kick drum I have boosted low frequencies and dropped higher frequencies.
Track 2- Hi Hat
Similarly with the kick drum, the hi hat has also been EQ'd to ensure all frequencies are right for the instrument selected. The hi hat is on every offbeat which gives the piece the typical on going beat running fast throughout the song. For the EQ of the hi hat I have boosted the middle section of frequencies.
Track 3- Synth, ARP Knightwatch
I have also used EQ on this track, but alternatively this time I have boosted a higher frequency range. As this is an arpeggio synthesiser there are a range of notes being played at once so the frequency range is wide. The melody being played in this section of the song is a variation of the bass line.
Track 4- Electro Funk Kit, Claps
I feel like it was necessary to use claps in the piece as it gave the song a different style to the original. Also, during my research in preparation to creating this piece I noticed that several house songs use claps to

Above I have comprehensively explained what I have done to selected tracks from my sequencing project, outlining how I achieved the sound evident in my work. Below, listed are tracks which are also included in my piece. With all of these tracks I have added similar effects and pre/post production techniques to mix and master the track.

Track 5- Synth, ARP Neuron
Track 6- Synth- ARP ClassicVA
Track 7- Synth, KEY SkyDrops
Track 8- Synth, KEY SkyDrops (Harmony)
Track 9- Synth, KEY SkyDrops
Track 10- Synth, ARP 303 Saw
Track 11- SEQ Rolling Bass
Track 12- BS Cut Bass
Track 13- Reversed Cymbal Crash (Imported from MP3)
Track 14- ARP Doves (Melody)
Track 15- Bass Drop (Imported from MP3)

https://soundcloud.com/user-804953953/seven-nation-army-creative-assignment

What I Did

For this project i wanted to create an alternative version of the popular rock song, seven nation army. To begin with I sequenced the main melody into cubase. This gave me something to work around and create my piece on. From this melody I was able to compose harmonies and find riffs to use during the introduction and build up to the main part of the song.
My favourite thing about the original song is the bass melody which is present throughout the song and is probably the most recognisable feature of the song. I also used this throughout my piece, but variated the instrument. I used and arpegiated VST instrument which gave the song a more electro feel and genre.

Evaluation

I believe that my overall track was quite successful as I created a remix of the song which suited the genre I wanted to create to. I think that I used layers quite well in the song and I was very happy with the texture which I created. The texture was very thin and simplistic at the beginning of the song, but then gradually built up and up till the end of the song. At the end of the song I gradually removed instruments from the piece until I was left with one single synth. 

I think that there was a distinct beat to the song and that it could be played for people to dance in in a club or at a party, which it the main use and purpose for this genre of music. 

To improve the track I think that I could have added vocals from the original song into the piece, but edit them so they sound almost robotic and programmed. I could do this by using pitch shift, reverb and EQ. 

Unit 2.2 and 2.3: No Hand Holding Needed: Evaluation of Creative Project

No Hand Holding Needed

Sound engineer Lauren Thomas discusses her production of Jess Glynne’s Hold my Hand 

Lauren Thomas is a rare thing in the production world, being both a engineer and a vocals, adding a creative twist to hit songs by famous artists like Jess Glynne, Sam Smith and the upcoming MNEK.

“I’m only 17 years old, so I’m quite new to all this and there is still a lot to learn. I’m flattered that already people have started complementing my work and appreciating the sound of my covers on YouTube, iTunes and Spotify is so amazing!”

The track covered is an alternative version of British Pop Singer, Jess Glynne’s hit record: Hold My Hand. “Originally this song was a dance song but I, as the producer of this piece, have decided to vary the style. Instead I have decided to use more acoustic instruments such as; the guitar, piano, drums and bass. Also I have added to and edited the vocals, by taking out certain notes and adding more harmonies.”

To give Lauren assistance on her production were a team of Musicians and Instrumentalists. The producer said ‘I’m quite lucky to be friends with so many people with musical talent, it makes it a lot easier for me when I need help with one of my projects! We all help each other. As I’m also a singer they often use my vocals for their own tracks, while I may ask them to record piano, drums or guitar for me in one of my pieces’.

She wanted to give this song a creative twist and add her own style to it.

“To begin with I got the piano recorded, this was a very simple instrument to record for me as I am used to doing this set up.” Unlike the original piano (which is quite a choppy sound), Lauren tried to create a more acoustic sound. “I did this by making chords longer and composing additional melody played by the piano.

The vocals have been artistically changed too. The style of the voice is very different. This is because of a couple of reasons; “First of all, Jess Glynne has a very distinct voice and we don’t have any vocalists to hand who can perform in this style. Also, another reason we are changing the vocals is because; as the vocals are a big part of the song, if we would have copied these vocals it would have been extremely similar to the original song which is not what I was aiming for.” The vocals were alternatively recorded in a different style.

Speaking from her School in Tamworth, Lauren and _______ still seem shocked by the publicity of their cover songs, “We started posting our covers publicly for our teacher to be able to mark our work for the Sound Recording course we’re doing”, but obviously the covers reached more than just the School but to be recognised on an international scale too!

Hold My Hand was originally sung by English singer and songwriter, Jess Glynne and produced by multi-platinum selling British songwriter, producer, remixer and DJ, Starsmith. Both musicians are highly recognised and credited within the music world. “I’m inspired by these two musicians and I love their work, most of my favourite songs have some input from them in someway! One of my favourite songs which they are both involved in is Hold My Hand, which is why I wanted to cover it.”

Even critics are impressed with this piece and haven’t had many bad things to say about Lauren’s work. They love the arrangement of this piece and how the instruments complement each other. Producers have said ‘they love the reverb used in the song and the effects put on the bass’. One thing us at Sound On Sound love about the track is how drums sound and the effect the have on the overall project. Being critical of her own work Lauren thinks she could improve next time by letting herself be more creative and exploring music, ‘I would love to start producing experimental music that people enjoy to listen too. I feel as if there is not enough experimental music in the charts at the moment, and people are becoming complacent with standard pop music’. Maybe Lauren’s next release will be a bit more alternative.  

Q: As a female, how do you feel about being involved in the producing side of music?

‘Well, if I had a penny for every time I was asked that! It’s an important question though, personally I don’t know why there aren’t more females involved in this industry. You’d think there would be considering in recent times the music industry’s sharing the top spots with women too, rather than just being male dominant, but with the production side often female engineers, producers and mixers are not given enough credit or recognised for what they do. In the 42 years GRAMMY awards have been around, only 6 women have been nominated for the Producer of the Year (non-classical) category, although 5 of these nominees are best known as performers. A female has never won the award, which is something that I hope to change in the future, I believe that more women should be recognised for the work they do in this industry.’

You’ll be glad to hear that Lauren doesn’t want to stop at Hold My Hand, “I’d love to carry on doing this sorts of stuff, I’ve always wanted to release my own music- so song writing is definitely on the cards for me. Stay tuned!”

Microphones

Short Article By Young Producer Lauren Thomas

Choosing the right set up and microphone is extremely important when you want to achieve the perfect tracks. Join me on my talk through on each track featured in my new release, Hold My Hand cover, originally by Jess Glynne.

Vocals

To record vocals I used the Samson C01, this is a large diaphragm condenser microphone and I find that it is great for recording vocals. Personally, I prefer this to the RODE NT2-A microphone, which is often used in the School studio where this production took place. Due to its cardioid pick up pattern, the frequency response is smooth and flat, and vocals are picked up with warm bass tones and extended on the top end. I find this mic is a lot more accurate than the recordings made on the RODE NT2-A microphone, probably because the C01 has two ultra thin sensor membranes allowing it to pick up much more detailed sounds than any other dynamic coil.

If you’re looking into buying this microphone for professional recording purposes then you may be pleasantly surprised at the price, having an RRP ranging from £45|€65|$70.  This mic is also amazing at being an overhead drum microphone because of its flat and smooth frequency response.  Which is amazing as when you compare these prices to the RODE NT2-A, it is around £250.00|€320|$350.

Backing Track

I did use Cubase to compose some of the sound as I thought that this would add a more diverse range of instruments and add layers to the tracks. I used three different VST instruments; HalLion Sonic SE, Groove Agent and Sylenth. For some of the instruments, for example drums I recorded the drums acoustically in the studio. Then I replicated the sound on Groove Agent creating a track, then I turned down the track so you could only slightly hear it in the background. I found that this was a good technique, as they didn’t sound exactly the same so it gave a natural feel to the sound. The music software I used was Cubase which hs an RRP of about £406|€511|$570, but if you’re looking for a more inexpensive alternative and you have an Apple Mac, you could go for Logic Pro X which has a much lower RRP of £149.99|€179.99|$199.99.

Guitar and Bass Guitar

To achieve the perfect sound for these two instruments I decided to input the sound using DI (direct input). Compared to recording the guitars using an SM57 next to the amplifier, direct input allows you to get the direct signal from the guitar or bass. This makes it a lot easier to change the style of the guitar using an amp plug-in (such as Guitar Rig) to vary tone, volume and sound. Plus, if you need to double up the track, which I did in the chorus, it is much easier to use DI. The microphone used (Shure SM57) has an RRP of £79|€100|$111.

Piano

To record piano I used the spaced pair technique, by using 2 stereo microphones. To achieve this I used two cardioid microphones positioned 4ft away from each other either sides of the length of the piano. As we were using an electric piano it was rather easy to set up, and the set up allowed us to collect the full sound of the piano. The microphone used was the AKG C1000S condenser microphone, these mics have an RRP of about £179|€219|$279.

Drums

My initial plan was to record the drums acoustically using a full drum kit, but after doing this it didn’t sound right with the rest of the song. Instead I decided that I was going to sequence in the drums using media bay on Cubase and also Groove Agent. I find that these are two very important plug-ins which are really useful and give effective sounds on Cubase. This have quite a high RRP at about £119|€150|$170.

Claps

You may notice on the track that there are claps features in certain parts of the song. I recorded only one clap and then used my sequencing skills to create a pattern with the claps, which repeated on the beat. For this I used the RODE NT2-A with a pop shield and pop filter. I decided to use a condenser microphone to capture all sounds in the frequency range. It is important that the handclaps are done far enough away from the mic, so it is unaffected by the blast of air which can sometimes can be heard when the hands close. The pop shield helped to reflect the sound of the clap. The RODE NT2-A has a RRP of about £250.00|€320|$350, but there are several cheaper alternatives that can deliver the same quality sound.