Composition
Final Composition: https://soundcloud.com/user-416631632/j_wells-compositionComposition Skills
Form:
Form is the layout of sections with in a song. The form is
created using chord progressions, an example of this is Am, F, C, G chord
progression. The form is written using letters to represent different chord
progressions. During lesson we were given a simple form that we used as a base
for a possible composition idea. The form was given A, A1, B, and A1. A means
one 4 chord progression, A1 is the same chord progression but with a little
difference to add flare to the composition, B means a new chord progression
with different chords and something different to the A section. Finally it goes
back to the A1 section. This form was used to create a basic verse on Cubase,
then we were allowed to extend the composition by ordering the song into a
structure.
Structure:
The structure is the order of a song. So a common structure
in pop music is using ABABCB where A is the verse, B is the chorus and C is the
bridge or middle 8. There are different sections which are created with
different forms but flow together to create the overall song. The chorus is the
catchy repetitive part of a song, sometimes called the hook, which is normally
the section of the song that people remember. The bridge or middle 8 is the
section of the song which connects the verse and chorus and is the section that
normally contains a solo. Whilst experimenting with structure on Cubase I managed to create a verse and a chorus which will be repeated but when repeated will have additional layers to help with originality and creativity.
Genre:
Rock, classical, funk, country, house are all different genres of music. Genre means the style of music and each style has its own type of structure, form and techniques which makes it different to other styles. For examples 12 bars blues is usually used in blues and jazz music whereas spanish culture music would use a structure like AABA (Spanish Romance).
Dance (Disco) - Dance music uses 4/4 time signature as it is an easy to dance to and keep rhythm as well as a 120 bpm. THe reason for this was so that in clubs you could transition between songs with ease so people would continue dancing.
Jazz (swing) - A major hit in 1920's America, Jazz music normally uses a 12 bars blues structure as well as contain a variety of brass instruments including trumpets and saxophones. It was another form of dance music and uses music notations to create a swing effect in the music.
Statement:
Statement in music is to make something stand out from the rest of the music, this could be a message from the vocalist or a new instrument introduced into the song for a solo.
Repetition:
Repetition means to do something a multiple number of times. In music this could be repeating a chord progression four times before changing to a new progression. In my composition repetition is most likely going to be used as I will probably repeat the chorus or a section in the song as well as melodies and chord progressions.
Inversion:
Inversion in music is usually changing a chord or melody and flipping (or inverting) the notes around so that the notes are played differently. An example would be if you play an A note, then the inversion of that would be E.
Difference:
The idea of how other genres of music are unlike each other and how within a genre you can your composition stand out, for example classical music will usually have a piano but hip hop normally has a drum kit, then in classical different chord progressions and forms are used to structure the song.
Individuality:
Something that makes you stand out.
Originality:
Something you have created and is unlike anything else.
Composers Rights:
A composer is someone who writes music. They are the original owner of their music so anyone else who uses the composition they have written need to ask permission as well as give royalties to the composer if the music is used to make profit.
Sound design
Sampling Techniques:
A sample is a short clip of an audio file that can be manipulated for your own purposes. Samples can be used in composition to help create originality and individuality. One technique we can use is by using the internet and downloading sound effects, for this assignment we will use free sound. Then if a clip is too long in cubase then you can use the snipping tool.
Another technique we can use is when the sample is uploaded into cubase, select the track you want to edit. Then go to audio at the top toolbar, process and you can can change the track. For example you can use time stretch which always you to extend or shorten how long the sample is played. Another process that can be used is the reverse, which flips the sample.
The third we leant about was to use sample of other music and edit them so that we could create a new beat or rhythm. We uploaded songs from the VLE into Cubase, then used as before used the snipping tool to select which section of the tracks we wanted. From there we used the process bar at the top of the screen to change the sample.
The final technique we can use is by double clicking your selecting track and changing the waveform. For example we can use audio warp to change the length of individual sections of the track. Another thing we can change is the variaudio which is a way to change the note of the track, this works better with melody lines.
Waveform Structure & Waveform editing techniques: Screenshot using Sylenth
In the final composition I didn't use any sylenth tracks as it didn't suit the genre I was creating however I did experiment with the lead tracks which could have been used if the composition was in the house genre.
Availability:
Software Inputs: Hal-ion and sylenth tracks used.
- Clean Guitar
- Bright Alto Sax NoteExp
- Clean Guitar
- Electric Bass (Picking)
Analogue and digital inputs- DI and microphone tracks used
- Left Pan Clap (DI)
- Right Pan Clap (DI)
- Intro Chords (microphone)
- Sample 2 (microphone)
- Sample 3 (microphone)
Editing sources: For most MIDI tracks I have added several effects and grouped them using FX channels. On every track there is EQ to balance the frequencies. On the melody tracks, reverb has been used. For tracks that were recorded or a DI I have needed to use compressors so the higher frequencies are not heard. As for the samples, I have used time stretch and reverse to create the sounds that I wanted.
Sound libraries- Groove agent and Freesound.org.
- 03 kick hit (Groove Agent)
- claps 01bb21 (Groove Agent)
- hardkit low tom (Groove Agent)
- hardkit mid tom (Groove Agent)
- hardkit high tom (Groove Agent)
Playback equipment: Headphones used. The headphones used during the composition
File transfer: Pull based transfers, push based transfers, how MIDI is transferred. There are two kinds of file transfers which are known as Push based and Pull based. Push based is when the sender of the file initiates the file transmission request. This means that the computer sending the file sends a message to tell the receiving device a file is about to be sent. Pull based file transfers are the same except instead of the sender initiating the file transmission request, the receiver sends it instead.
Formats and compatibility: A MIDI file is the file which has a set of instructions which tells the computer what to do. For example the instructions could say play a C note, for 5 seconds with the sound of a saxophone. This is beneficial as it takes up less space compared to an audio file. An audio file is the file which stores the digital version of a recording which was originally analogue. The computer would have used an ADC to convert the analogue inputs into electrical signals which could be recorded as digital data. The benefit of using this file is that it can be easily accessed by any computer by using formats such as MP3 or WAV. Cubase files (CPR) are files which used to store the progress made when creating a Cubase project, they store the information of the tracks listed, the length of audio files as well as everything found in the Cubase window. This can be beneficial because without this file and Cubase on your device, you won't be able to access the project you have created.
Copyright issues:
There are many clearances and laws that we need to follow so that
no one is sued for any reason. First of all, copyright laws apply to this
remix, as John Legend owns the song, therefore all royalties and payment of
this song will go to the original owner and not the client. Next, we will need
permission from the publisher before anything can be recorded. Without this
acceptance it is not possible for us to record vocals, chord progressions or
anything from the original song legally. Copyright licenses that need to be
bought include a mechanical licence and a sync licence. The mechanical licence
allows the remix to be played in a public area and the sync licence allows us
to record the vocals and chord progressions of the song. As well as these
copyright licences, in order to remix the song and use samples, you will need a
sample licence. This would enable you to legally use samples in the project.
Licences needed are not free and the prices can vary, I would
estimate the price of all the licences to be around £2500.
· The producer of the original song offering a quote will decide
sync licence; this is usually a one-time payment.
· Mechanical licence can be as cheap as £15 for a one off licence
but prices can be increased.
· Sample licence cost will depend on different factors, from how
long the sample you are using to how many samples are used in one track.
Regulations:
The music industry has changed drastically with in the last 15
years; nowadays most albums can be found on the Internet and streamed or
downloaded for free. The biggest example of this is YouTube, with over a
billion users. This has led sales of CD’s to decrease, as people don’t want to
buy something when they can get it for free. This change has caused a drastic
change for artist because they won’t get paid as much for selling CD’s as they
once did. Instead artists have to rely on tours and festivals as the main
income. Previously this wasn’t the case as artists relied on the distribution
of CD’s with the help of record labels.
One example in the industry where the artist refuses to stream
music is Adele. She doesn’t allow her music to be streamed or give permission
to put her music online without her consent. She would rather sell physical
copies of her music to her audience.
When marketing and promoting the client, there
will need to be several regulations that will need to be with in copyright laws
and regulations. PRS (performing rights society) and MCPS (Mechanical copyright
protection society) are societies that collect royalties and allow the licence
holder to play music without getting into trouble. This will be needed, as well
as the mechanical licence and sync licence, especially for this specific
project because this will give royalties to the right people. Also helps the
client from other people uploading the project without permission.
Mixing/Mastering:
Mastering to CD:
When you mix the final version of the track you want to mix down to CD quality. The settings will be in WAV format, using 16 bit and 44.1kHZ sample rate.
PQ codes:
PQ codes are used to separate tracks on a CD so that it is easier for users to locate specific songs or play in a playlist. The way they work is by having PQ flags that mark the end and the start of a song which are then encoded onto the CD. These codes are normally added using PQ editing tools.
MP3:
MPEG Audio Layer 3 is used to compress a file and keep it close to CD quality. The benefit of using MP3 files is that they have a smaller file size compared to WAV meaning easier to download and stream.
WAV:
Uncompressed audio files used for many purposes like audio to CD quality and PC audio file formats. The benefits of WAV files is that they use lossless compression meaning no data of the sound is lost at all. Another benefit is that they can achieve high recording rates such as 192KHz.
AAC:
Advanced Audio Coding is a file type that uses lossy compression and was designed to achieve better sound quality compared to MP3 files. Benefits of using this file format is that it is better at compressing audio with lower bit rates.
Internet distribution
Internet distribution is the ability to transfer files directly from the seller to consumers. This is very important in the music industry as the sales of CDs has decreased due to the technology takeover. People use the internet for most things including buying music, so they need websites that can give them what they want immediately. An example of an internet distribution site include ITunes as they sell MP3 files to wide range of consumers which is mostly direct (excluding the factor of time taken to download files)
Compression:
Compression is an effect used to balance an audio file by making the louder sounds quieter.
Multiband compressor is a type of insert which can be added to help balance the project further. To open multiband compressor you go to the effects window as stated earlier, click inserts on the left, go to dynamics and press the multiband compressor. When the window opens, you will notice 4 compressor graphs and these represent different ranges of frequencies. This insert allows you to compress different frequencies.
Loudness:
When you are mixing it is important that when you mix your composition the main track volume that it doesn't go over 0db as this can lead to clipping later in the track.
Equalisation:
EQ stands for equalizer and what this effect does is to balance the track and can be done by boosting or lowering frequencies in the track.
In order to get the EQ up, click on your chosen track and on the left hand side of the screen press the e button. This button will open up the equalizer window where you are able to change the frequencies played. Each dot on the screen is what you use to change which frequencies you want to hear more.
Sonic Problems:
There can be many problems in your tracks such as clipping or the overall recording not being balanced. So to avoid these you can open the mixer, play the recording and change the volume of tracks so that the output doesn't turn red but can still be heard. Clipping is when a track is suddenly cut making a clipping sound at the end. This can be avoided by using the snipping tool. You can zoom into the waveform really close and snip the track when the audio has finished. Another way you can stop clipping is by using faders. This technique involves using the fading effect which will gradually decrease the volume of the track automatically avoiding the final audio from being heard.
Composition Ideas:
Different ideas that could be used to for the final composition
Idea 1: Pop ballad
Look at Robbie Williams, Adele
Generally emphasising the emotion of the music, slower than regular pop songs, Verse Chorus structure, synthesisers to emphasise certain elements, key of D
Idea 2: 80s Rock
Look at ACDC, Guns n Roses, Queen
Guitar solo, Verse Chorus structure, consist of electric guitars, drums, bass guitar, metal sounds, distortion inserts
Idea 3: House
Avicii, David Guetta
Arpeggiators, four to the floor base, side chain compression, repetition used with new layers to help separate sections, structure can be different from regular Verse Chorus structure, lots of electronic sounds
Logbook:
05/05/16: Created a chord progression using the key of C, created a drum rhythm to complete throughout the entire song. Structured the song to have an intro, verse, chorus, verse 2, chorus 2, bridge and a final chorus.
10/05/16: Added lead guitar and bass MIDI track. Experimented with inversion
12/05/16: Added 2nd verse, 2nd chorus and started a solo and a melody line
17/05/16: Recorded lead guitar, finished solo, finished structure of song (intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus), changed Lead guitar from DI to MIDI and Intro Riff to DI
19/05/16: Recorded drum samples, added more drum layers to the overall track
24/05/16: Mixed and mastered the final track
