PA5011 CW1 Sound in Music -Production log
My production was focused on providing an example of Sonic branding, Podcast Audio, Advert music, Programme Music and three separate pieces of Empathetic Music. Sound and music have been used in my projects by identifying a range of specific characteristics that become the blueprint of each variant.
Empathetic Music-
My empathetic music had a generic ambivalent 30-second movie clip as a base, that stayed the same throughout all of the projects. However, the genre of the pieces is recognisably different to, evoke our listener into feeling either Sad, Happy or Threatened. For all three tracks, I started by creating a new logic project and importing the movie file. I made sure I lined the video up with the yellow loop tab each time to fit the speed. I then played around with different keyboard plug-ins until I found a sound I liked and adjusted the tempo and time signature to accommodate the genre of the track. After completing all three tracks I noticed the piece I found the easiest and most enjoyable was the threatening music to me it was the most obvious genre and the best-sounding composition.
Happy project
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When it comes to the making of my happy composition, The first instrument I started with was a Spanish flamenco guitar, I used this sound for the main melody line I played the notes in Octave C4- the C major scale and the chords used were BBB AFA BBB AFAGEDCE GBAG the last notes played were BAG, BAG, BAG, GBA, A the last A was played with a strong sustained note to give it that bouncy slide sound FX. The notes repeated throughout the song until a new melody was added in a call and response by the harp in a faster Tempo with the notes GABAG ED. I then used the full strings to fill out my piece by playing a continuous chord progression. I also doubled the main melody of the guitar onto a plectrum pad to add depth to my music and a nice vibe. Lastly, I added chords to my melody section with a bluegrass banjo plugin. I wanted it to sound cheery and colourful. The other instruments I used in my project were the clap & slap performance plugin that made a clap sound making the listener feel as though they should clap along with it and a Subby bass to structure the beat. I believe the target audience for my song is children and younger people because it has a generic pop/ energetic upbeat vibe.
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Sad project
My sad track was a ballad it had a classical instrumental feel, that could be turned into a love song. I believe the listener to be an older audience because it has a more mature tone which you can hear played by the chords used. Alternatively, if lyrics were added it could transform into a power ballad. In the string section, I used a harp to transition the song into the next section of the video to add emphasis on the car pulling up. The chords I played were in the Octave C2- C Minor scale, and the bass notes I played were A C G In the strings with Triad chords ACE BDF GBD to match the harp going up in scale. It played GAB E repeatedly. Other instruments I used were the Cello ensemble to play long sustained notes, the fingerstyle bass guitar that grounded the beat and created an undertone for the track and the warmth synth pad, that gives off a dark mood and overall unhappy tone and the punchy chords were aggressively placed to portray a haunting feeling.
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Threatening project
The genre of this project was atmospheric music the sort of thing you would hear in a thriller movie which provoked fear and anticipation. The target audience would be adults and older teenagers basically, scary film watchers. The project was on a Minor scale to portray tension and suspense. The Violin created a high-end sound to make your hairs stand on end whereas the cello was more on the lower end providing a more physical vibrational sound that you can feel throughout your body. To add texture and make the body experience rigidity I added a timpani tremolo. The texture machine added a distorted sound FX and the bright synth string sound was the main melody of the track. I made sure to add changes to the key and pitch of the song to create an ominous feeling, I pulled this off by using a cello to create upwards scales in minor notes.
Music - For Fashion Marketing Students’ Podcast
The podcast music introduces the listener to the audio they are about to receive, the music sets the tone for the genre and gives the audience a sneak peek into what is to come. I started my process by doing some research on Podcasts, YouTube videos and radio shows.
I listened to several different audios to get an idea of the elements that were needed to get some inspiration. Once I had a better understanding, I started to experiment with Logic Pro X.
From what I gathered from my research the general tempo was around 90 – 100 bpm and I set my time signature to a standard 4/4. The first instrument I used was a keyboard sound, which I created a catchy chord progression with. In Octave C2- C major scale Chords played FAC GBD ACE GBD FAC ACE FAC GBD ACE continuously until the string section comes in and went up the scale in FGC FGD FGEF then back down again playing
FGAGF GGF CCA FFC. After I recorded the keys, I started to make a drum beat that complimented the melody and set the tone of the track. The next element I added was the string section. I wanted the strings to ascend and lead the listener to the next part which would be the dialogue to come.
Once I was happy with the music I connected with the Fashion Journalism students. The girls were nice and helpful, they both knew what they wanted and shared their thoughts and ideas with me. After I shared my music with them, the only changes I need to make were to change my tempo from 90 to 95 bpm and I added a guitar riff to make the sound more rock to match the examples they shared with me.
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Sting - Sonic Branding
The general tone and feel of this project were in major chords and had a happy care feel tone. The first thing I did was import the movie onto logic, I set the tempo of my piece to 121bpm and I made sure that my video was in sync with my audio by dragging the loop to the end of the video and lining them both up. I then played around with a background melody on a Nylon synth piano that I thought would match the vibe of the sting but not completely dominate the track, just subtly be heard. I paired this with the vibraphone sound that quietly played notes going up in scale. This project aimed to promote a brand and or company the listener would be a television watcher and or radio listener. The other sound I used was an atmosphere organ plugin fx, to complement the underlined melody played by the nylon synth piano. I also added a string ensemble and played long sustained notes to add to the sound effects shown in the movie clip. The transition fx plugin sound I used resembled an object falling in a large space. I changed the velocity from time to time to make the listener feel as though the sound was drawing closer to them, I also used an atom smasher plugin fx to give that explosion of sound that draws the audience’s attention to the end product which is the sonic logo brand name.
Programme Music – The Argument
The genre of this project was a classical instrumental piece that made the listener imagine a story unfolding in their mind. The concept of the music was love verse hate I wanted the music to show two opposing parts of an argument between two collectives
The first person represents love and peace they want to express their happiness and show how the world is in harmony. However, the other person represents hate and greed they are dull and full of darkness they just want to take all they can get from the world. Within the piece, love is trying to sway hate, although hate keeps resisting in the end love eventually wins hate over by showing them the beautiful colours of the rainbow which is represented by the harp. in the end, they both come together as one. I wanted the music to pan from left to right to show both sides of the Argument. I set the tempo at 120bpm the piece was in Octave C3 Minor Scale EDFC CDE Is the structured continuous melody through the argumentative piece with the lead melody notes as triad chords. Other instruments I used were the flute, grand piano, string ensemble, ethereal mallets, and harp, the orchestral kit jam band organ was the base and the structured continued melodies throughout.
Advert- Slick Blonde
When it came to the making of my beat I began playing around with keys on Logic pro x until I found a sound that I liked. I experimented with different chord progressions and melody ideas and found a combination that I felt worked. This music represented a feisty attitude-like vibe, the sound FX used link to the movie and add emphasis to the visuals shown. The drum is the main feature in the piece it sets the tone and creates a vibrant atmosphere for modern-aged Caucasian females around the ages of 13 to 25 years old. I feel the song has a mixer of both major and minor sounds the overall vibe is ambiguous. The drums give the music a seductive feel that will relate to a younger audience. The genre of my project is electronic, because of its repetitive drum beat that dominates the sounds and flow.