Production Journal Final Major Recording

Production Journal

Harry Price-Forde

A Bag In The Wind.

JUNE 2015

Overview

This is my project proposal for my FMP.

The client for this project will be myself. I will produce an EP of songs that I have written. The name of the project will be A bag in the wind. I have chosen this name because it is the title of one of the tracks that I will use on my EP.

The two links at the end of the proposal are my social media links. I have chosen to use Soundcloud and Tumblr. I am using Soundcloud because I think it will be the best online resource for people to listen to my tracks. I have also chosen to use Tumblr so people can get more detailed information regarding my EP. At the end of the proposal there is also a design for my EP artwork.

My target audience for my EP will be people aged 15-30. The genre of my EP will be acoustic. My songs will mainly consist of acoustic guitar and piano along with vocals. I have chosen this genre because it is my preferred style to write in and I feel it will appeal to my target audience.

My goal for this project is to produce 9 tracks. 8 tracks will be of my own original composition and 1 track will be a cover of a well-known song. The song that I will cover will be of a similar genre to the other tracks on my EP. I am going to record a cover of a well know song because I feel this will attract publicity to my EP.

I will aim to release my first track on the 10th of May. My aim will include recording 2 songs per week. I will aim to finish recording my entire EP by the 7th of June and spend the remaining time mixing the tracks.

https://soundcloud.com/harry-no-nan-not-larry/sets/a-bag-in-the-wind

abitwind.tumblr.com

TRACK 1 A Team. https://soundcloud.com/harry-no-nan-not-larry/a-team-cover

The first track is called A team, this is a cover that I have included to attract publicity to my EP. The track is mainly based on the original but I have changed a few musical elements such as the drums to add more depth to the song. The track is consists of acoustic and electric guitar along with drums, bass and vocals. All of the instruments in this track were recorded directly into logic separately to produce a multi track recording. I wanted this track to be similar to the original but also contain a few eliminates that would be more entertaining for the listener. By add more vigorous drums I feel this has added some subtle elements that are often found in country styled music. I have added a small amount of reverb to the guitars in the track to enable the project more throughout the track. I feel this added a richer sound to the track. The bass in this track was recored using a guitar. This was done by recording the bass notes on the guitar and then lowering them by an octave on logic using the pitch shifter input. The drums on this track were originally recorded into logic via a midi keyboard but I felt that live drums would sound better track. I would like to have spent more time editing and mixing the track but overall feel the track was a success.

Track 2- Bag In The Wind. https://soundcloud.com/harry-no-nan-not-larry/bag-in-the-wind

This track is called Bag In The Wind. It is one of my original compositions. This track is driven by piano in the key of Bb major. All of the instruments in this track were recorded via a midi keyboard. This track contains piano, drums, bass, strings and vocals. When I was recording this song I wanted to create a soft and gentle peace with a slightly more dramatic chorus. I achieved this by adding drums building up to and throughout the chorus. Melodyne has been added to the vocals to correct any notes that are out of tune. A compressor has also been used on the vocals to help boost the volume and reduce any unwanted background noise. Reverb has also been added to the vocals and piano. A second singer is used during the chorus. I did this to create a richer and more dramatic chorus. I feel that by including a harmony in the track more depth is added to the chorus. In the second chorus some strings have been added that follow the bass notes on the piano. In the third chorus the stings break off from the piano and create there own melody line over the piano and vocals. I have included this in the last chorus because to add more drama to the end of the song.

Track 3- I Am The King. https://soundcloud.com/harry-no-nan-not-larry/i-am-the-king

This song is called I Am The King. It is one of my original compositions. This song is mainly driven by piano. The track includes piano, drums, strings and a synthesiser. I wanted to produce a dramatic and exciting track that relies mainly on the piano while allowing the drums to add excitement to the chorus. EQ is used on the vocals for this track. I have set the EQ to cut out any sounds below 100 Hz. By doing this I have removed some of the unwanted low frequency sounds from the track. A synthesiser is used at the beginning of the track because I wanted the track to begin with a slightly unnerving sound as to match the genre of the track. A key change occurs in the last chorus of the song. I have included this because I feel it adds an interesting musical eliminate to the track. I feel that by adding the key change the listen will be more entertained by the song. The strings are only present during the chorus. They play a different melody line over the chorus and vocals adding depth and drama to the chorus. I have also used the ensemble plug in on the vocals to produce richer vocal line. Another input I have used is the ST delay. This effect will help the vocals project more throughout the song

Track 4- I Love It When. https://soundcloud.com/harry-no-nan-not-larry/i-love-it-when

This song is called I Love It When. This is one of my original compositions. The song is composed of guitar and vocals. The song is in a 4/4 time signature. Reverb has been added to the guitar for a richer and more vibrant sound. I wanted to produce a track that contained just guitar and vocals but still contain enough musical elements to keep the listener interested. The song begins with the guitar finger picking a G# minor chord followed by a B major, E major, G# minor and B major. After the first eight bars these chords are then strummed. The strumming pattern remains the same throughout the song. This song is set to an acoustic genre Lego House by Ed Sheeran. A noise gate has been used on the guitar in this track to remove any unwanted high frequency sounds that were too loud, such as accidental notes played on the high E string. This song features a few sections where only the guitar is playing such as the intro or the instrumental section after the first chorus. I think that be keeping the song simplified and adding instrumental sections the listener will be able focus on purely the music in this track.

Track 5 I Cant Stop Loving You. https://soundcloud.com/harry-no-nan-not-larry/i-cant-stop-loving-you

This song is called I Can't Stop Loving You. This is one of my original compositions. This song does not have an intro as it begins immediately with the first verse. This song is written in a time signature. This song mainly consists of 7th chords apart from the chorus. I feel this helps the chorus stand out from the rest of the song as it sounds more pure than the other sections. This track is mainly driven by guitar and vocals but also features strings to add more body to the track. The strings are introduced at the very end of the first chorus. I feel by introducing the strings half way through the song an element of progression is added to the track. The strings are most prominent in the outro section of the song. The strings take over the melody of the song while the guitar finger picks the chords from the chorus. Reverb is heavily used on the guitar in this track to add a richer and more delicate sound to the track. EQ and compression has been used to remove any unwanted low frequency sounds. I was able to achieve a stronger vocal performance by recording the vocals twice and playing the two tracks at the same time. I feel this track could have been improved by adding live drums and an electric guitar to play the melody line over the top.

Track 6- Dubstep. https://soundcloud.com/harry-no-nan-not-larry/dubstep

This track is called dubstep, it is of my own original composition. I wanted to create a track that was different from the rest of my tracks in my EP. This track consists of mainly synthesisers, drums and piano. The track begins with piano playing the melody line. Soon after the drums are introduced which changes your initial perception of the song. A synthesiser is then introduced with the base line and shortly after another synthesiser takes over the melody line. The kick and snare drum remain the same throughout the song but the high hats alternate from four hits per beat to eight hits per beat. The song consists of two main sections. The second section is introduced with the bass and melody lines dropping out while a sliding tone is introduced. The second section uses two different synthesisers to play a different melody and bass line. The melody of the first section can be merged with the melody of the second section as demonstrated the second time the first section is repeated. The is because both melody lines are in the same key.

Track 7- A Mothers Lullaby. https://soundcloud.com/harry-no-nan-not-larry/a-mothers-lullaby

This song is called A Mothers Lullaby. This is one of my original compositions.

I originally wrote this song in the key of C major but decided to transpose it up by two semitones because I had issues singing in the original key. This song contains piano, drums, vocals and a trumpet. All the instruments on this track were recorded via a midi keyboard. The songs intro consists of just piano playing a softer version of the vocal melody line from the chorus. The intro lasts for eight bars before the drums and vocals are introduced forming the first verse. The song consists of four sections, the verse, the pre chorus, the chorus and the middle eight. The first three sections are all within the key of D major but the middle eight changes key. I feel this key change adds diversity to the song making it overall more enjoyable to listen to. Reverb and melodyne has been added to the vocals to add more depth to the song and correct any incorrect notes. The trumpet only comes into the song in the last chorus. This chorus is purely instrumental. The trumpet takes over the song at this point and introduces a new melody. This new melody helps keep the listener interested. I have taken inspiration from Damien Rice for the track as it features a piano lead along with unexpected melody lines. Reverb has been used on the piano to add a calming element to the song.

Track 8-Poison. https://soundcloud.com/harry-no-nan-not-larry/poison

This song is called Poison. This song is of my own original composition. This song consists of guitar, vocals and a flute. All the instruments in the track were recorded via a midi keyboard. The same four chords are repeated throughout the song without variation. I have been able to keep the track interesting by playing the chords in different styles. An example of this is in the first verse. The four chords are finger picked throughout the verse and then strummed in the chorus. By changing the style of playing the track doesnt sound as repetitive as it would if all the chords were played the same. I have taken inspiration from Ed Sheeran when writing this track. I have tried to recreate some of the simplistic autistic elements that are found in many of his songs. The last section of the song features a breakdown on the guitar as the track goes into half time. At this point a flute is brought in to add some drama to the track. I feel I could have improved on this track overall. I think the vocals could have been recorded using better microphone in a more suitable environment. I think I should have spent more time writing the musical elements of the song and focused more on the chords used and the songs structure. I think a key change should have been added to track.

Track 9-An Orchestral Instrumental. https://soundcloud.com/harry-no-nan-not-larry/an-orchestral-instrumental

This track is called an orchestral instrumental. This track is of my own original composition. All of the instruments in this track are recorded via a midi keyboard. I wanted to create a track that was orchestral also used chord patterns that are common in acoustic tracks. I have done this by using the common chord sequence A minor, F major, C major and G major. This chord sequence is repeated throughout the whole song. The song stays interesting because the melody line is constantly evolving. This track contains many orchestral instruments such as a piano, timpani, strings, brass etc. The track starts off slow with orchestral drums followed by a long single note on the trumpet. I feel this introduction adds a dramatic feel to the song. A piano and flute then join to establish the first melody line. Some instrument will drop in and out of the track so that it doesnt become too repetitive. Panning had been used on some of the instruments in this track to add more texture. A male choir sound has been used in some of the sections in this sound to add a warm and rich texture. I feel this sound would have been better if I had recorded some vocals and used them to replace the choir in certain sections. Overall I think this sound has been a success. I feel this song adds contrast to the track while keeping some recognisable elements.

I have based my EP on artists such as Ed Sheeran and Damien Rice. I have had a lot of inspiration from these three songs.

A Team.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAWcs5H-qgQ

9 Crimes.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgqOSCgc8xc

The Man.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2e3bAdPGAo

MARKETING

My marketing tool is a cover of an Ed Sheeran song A Team

https://soundcloud.com/harry-no-nan-not-larry/a-team-cover

I feel this track will be a good marketing tool. Many people are fans of Ed Sheeran and even more people are aware of the song.

I wanted my track to only contain only live instruments. I used guitar, bass, drums and electric guitar. Reverb has been added to the vocals along with melodyne to add more body to the track.

I will place my marketing tool on Facebook, Soundloud and YouTube. I feel soundcloud will be a place to generate traffic due to the high number of users and people looking to discover new music.

https://soundcloud.com/harry-no-nan-not-larry

abitwind.tumblr.com

I feel I have been reasonably successful in creating my marketing tool. I set out to make a cover of the song A Team and that is what I have achieved. I do think that there are a few areas within the track that could be improved such as the vocals and the guitar. If I was to repeat the process I would allow myself more time to record vocals and guitar as these are the main elements of the song. I would also allow myself more time to mix the track as I feel my current cover is not as good as it could be.

OVERALL EVALUATION

After completing my music product I feel the main strength of the product is the original song writing. All of the music and lyrics in my tracks were written by me. I feel the music in my instrumental tracks is to a reasonably high standard both technically and structurally. I think my orchestral track could be at the same level as existing tracks used in the music industry. I dont think my acoustic tracks could be considered competitive with other tracks in the music industry yet, but with a small amount of mixing and better quality vocal recordings I think they could be.

I think my product is viable to be produced. My product contains songs mainly of an acoustic genre which I feel many people would enjoy. Many of my tracks have been inspired by successful artists and have been produced in a similar style. I think the artwork to accompany my product fits rather well. The artwork is dark and simplistic and I feel this adds an element of mystery and therefor will draw in peoples attention. I think I have chosen a good marketing tool as it is a cover of a well-known song by a well-known artist. The song I have covered is also in the same acoustic genre as most of the other tracks in my product.

I feel my product could make money in both the online music business and through gigs and music events. By first generating traffic to my product by releasing my marketing tool, I could then sell my product in the online music market such as on iTunes. I could also perform some of my tracks at gigs and set up advertisings events to further promote my product. Another to generate revenue would be to arrange deals with music providers where they would offer exclusive content not available anywhere else.

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