History Of Electronic Music

In the following paragraphs, I will be talking about hip hop from a performance aspect, mainly focusing on break beats & it's role in the early scenes of hip-hop and DJing, as well as focusing on the start of MCing.

Firstly, breakbeats is one of the things that kick started the DJing culture. Initially, DJs would play popular records that got radio time (this occurred around the mid 70s), then DJ Kool Herc entered the scene but would stick out from his habitat by only playing the break beat part of a record rather than the parts everyone would recognize (i.e. chorus).

Breakbeats is the part of the record that emphasizes rhythm and everyone would let loose of themselves and start dancing. However, since the breaks within the records don't last for very long, DJs such as Herc and those that came after him would prolong it for as long as they can so everyone can dance for as long as they can. So essentially, the breakbeat part of a record would practically be known as a "drop" in the modern DJing and dance culture.

Through the hip-hop DJs gave birth to the MCs but they started out hosting the sets rather than rhyming over it. For an MC to even MC during the set, they would need permissions from the DJ who is on the turntables because if someone just goes up to the mic and starts, chances are that they would be kicked out. Ironically, as time flew by, the role of MC started to get more recognition and respect over the next few years whilst simultaneously, the DJs would be getting pushed back and appreciated less. Due to DJs getting less recognition & focus compared to the MC, it really brought the genre to the forefront of modern music in recent times, especially the 90s.

This also forced some DJs to branch out into producing to get more recognition, as well as money seeing as the DJ wasn't the main attraction anymore (examples: DJ Premier, DJ Pete Rock) & without too much surprise, breakbeats were sampled in most hip-hop songs and was heavily predominant during the 80s & 90s. Good examples would be: Public Enemy - Bring The Noise, LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out, Wu-Tang Clan - Bring Da Ruckus, N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton, among many others.

If Kool Herc didn't do what he did, then most of these things wouldn't of happened since we can trace these things back to his DJing approach/attitude in the clubs during his tenure in the 70s. If he didn't take on his abstract approach, we may not even have hip-hop.

Beginners Guide To Synthesis

What is synthesis?

Synthesis is simply creating your own sound from scratch through the use of electrical signals. However, you can further shape the sound through the use of various features & aspects (oscillators, envelops, LFO's, etc) that we'll further look into together.

Frequency & Pitch

Frequency is very important when it comes to music technology, especially designing sounds, which also is heavily linked with pitch. Frequency is the rate of a sound wave moving in and out and this is measured in Hz (Hertz meaning cycles-per-second), so in this case, a sound wave with 10Hz vibrates 10 times per 1 second.

As stated earlier, frequency is interlinked with pitch. To understand the connection in a more simple way: the lower the frequency, the lower the pitch & vice-versa. When an oscillator's (an oscillator is basically what makes the sound) frequency is doubled, the sound's pitch moves up by one octave.

Wave forms

When it comes to wave forms, you firstly have the four basic and most common ones: Sine, Sawtooth, Square & Triangle.

Sine:
By looking at the wave form, you can describe it as a river with continuous flow because it has a simple movement of going up & down rather than moving in an obscure pattern. By listening to it, you could easily separate it from the other three because it has less characteristics & it's less complex. For example, you would mainly describe it as "pure", "hollow", maybe even compare to air.

Sawtooth:
Unlike the Sine wave form, the Sawtooth has a jagged pattern when you inspect the wave form, hence the name, however it sounds similar to the Square wave form. It's perhaps the most aggressive sounding wave form that has a buzz to it, which may also sound very harsh.

Square:
The Square wave has a series of rectangles above & below the middle line, consisting of the same shape. It has more body and a distinctive sound compared to Sine, however it sounds much more natural and less harsh compared to Sawtooth. You may recognize this wave form from various Nintendo games.

Triangle:
The triangle wave appears to look like a mixture of a sine & square wave when looking at the wave form, as it looks like a graph chart showing a rise, peak and decline then back to rise. A triangle wave form sounds high and thin in tone.

Common Editing Features

Oscillators:
Oscillators create sound by generating a repeating signal, you'll also find that oscillators are very common in modern synthesis. An output of an oscillator normally consists of: frequency, amplitude & tone.

LFO:
Stands for "Low Frequency Oscillator", it is an electrical signal that plays the same role as an oscillator but at a much lower frequencies (namely 0-20 Hz) which also gives you the advantage of choosing specific frequencies. By modulating the pitch, you'll simulate a vibrato effect, however if you modulate the amplitude, you'll get a tremolo effect.

Envelopes:
Envelopes mainly contain four parameters: Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release. These are very important in regards to designing sound.

The attack controls how fast the sound reaches full amplitude so the faster the attack, the more specific the impact would be in terms of when you activated the sound (hit the button, key, etc). The slower you set the attack, the more the sound will fade in.
The decay correlates with the sustain, so the decay determines how quickly/slowly the sound reaches maximum amplitude and fade down to the set sustain level. The sustain parameter dictates how long the sound will go on for. The release will effect how long the sound will fade to silence after you release the note.

Filters:
Filters help you achieve a certain sound you're looking for and there are various filters available in DAW's today, but we'll just look at the most common ones:

Low-Pass Filter:
Imagine a line (in this case it's the "limit"). Everything above that line becomes irrelevant and you only hear what is below it, this is how a low-pass filter works and is commonly used to enhance sounds that play role of bass.

High-Pass Filter:
A high-pass filter works exactly the same as a low-pass filter, just in the opposite manner. Instead of ignoring what's above the line, everything above the line becomes relevant and the main focus. You can use a high-pass filter to bring out the brightness of some sounds.

Band-Pass Filter:
A combination of both the low-pass and high-pass filter, you can describe a band-pass filter as a more flexible and specific filter as it allows you to choose exactly what parts do you want to cut off and what parts you want to focus on.

Types Of Synthesis:

Additive Synthesis - Combines the tones, usually harmonics of varying amplitude.
Subtractive Synthesis - Filters sounds to shape harmonics.
Frequency Modulation Synthesis - To modulate a carrier wave through the use of a modulator. (In other words, using an oscillator to control the output of another oscillator).
Sampling - Using recorded sounds as a foundation so that you will then modify the sound of the recordings.

Project Plan

Introduction:

My alias in music is Mantramind (however you can shorten it to Mantra). I personally feel that there isn't too much I can say about myself as an artist because I'm still quite young and have a lot of developing to do, both as an artist & human. However, I can say that I want to create a "developing picture" with everything I make (i.e. progression in my songs that can either be represented through my production or lyrics).

My goals are quite simplistic & ambitious: I want to at least create music that makes me feel good whilst at the same time provide a roof over my head because I want a place I can call "home" & mentally fill it with various compositions, productions, lyrics & so on.

My current main genre (hip-hop) is in a weird phase right now but I think that's because it's very unfamiliar with the phase it's currently in. Trap, a genre which has branched from hip-hop, turned the tables on hip-hop as far the mainstream market is concerned. However, at the same time a lot of other people are making hip-hop but putting a twist on it with an experimental approach as well as others trying to be "one" with the genre. So to answer the question: I don't know where I fit into genre, I just intend on bringing myself to the table.

I'm not going to be boxed in so that I'm just making hip-hop simply because I listen to various types of music & therefore, I'm very open to making various types of music as long as I have the musical ability to translate what's in my head & bring it to the real world. However, I must admit that currently, my main focus is on making hip-hop.

I don't know what role I'll be playing in the music industry & whether it'll be an important one or not, however, all I know is that I'll be making/writing music regardless of what position I assume.

Content:

The content of my product will be using hip-hop as the foundation but I intend to apply elements of other genres, for example, have a bog-standard hip-hop song but with a funk bass line, minimal drum kit, a RnB/Motown influenced chord progression on keys & maybe some strings that sounds like it came straight from a 50s record (reference track: Patti Page - Old Cape Cod). But that's only a thought.

I've chosen to go with this approach because I want to truly reflect the range of music that I listen to & also, as I mentioned earlier, hip-hop is in a unfamiliar phase & a lot of people are expanding the genre, so as long as I don't deliberately copy anyone's style/approach, then why can't I experiment a bit and try bring something new to table?

For now, I'll plan to have around 3-4 tracks of me rapping, 2-3 tracks of my own production & at least one live recording where I work with other musicians.

Collaboration/Studio Roles:

I plan on working with people from the Music Performance class, preferably I want a drummer & bass player first, maybe a pianist & guitarist to add more dimensions in the relevant song & maybe work with one other person on the mixing/mastering because two pair of ears are better than one sometimes.

What will they bring to the project? something I can't: live music through the use of instruments. They'll also bring a jam session to the project because sometimes, there's nothing better than a bunch of musicians coming together & jamming, so I want that "feel good" feeling in my project.

How are we going to work together? first of all, I don't want to give them a "script" trying to make them do specific things because I feel that I would be already limiting their capabilities as a musician, so I'd much rather let them express themselves as much as they want to get the best out of them. If anything, I'll just tell them simple stuff like "hip-hop is the basis, so 4/4 rhythm, etc", give them an indication of what to do & make sure that everyone agrees with it, then go with the flow and see what the outcome is.

Equipment List (better to explain in person):

One dynamic & one condenser microphone to record my vocals (when it comes to the live jam sessions, I'll think of what relevant mics I'll need at the time but for now, I'm unsure as to what instruments will be present)

Future Plans:

I can easily use it as a portfolio in case I'm spreading my music to other people whom are interested, whether they're an A&R from a label or a friend from around the corner of my street. If anything, I'll push it out in the public & hope it captures the right pair of ears.

Also, & most importantly, it will be a free project so I can get my name & music out there much more easier rather than charging people to hear music from someone they may never knew existed.

Defining Events

Defining Events

Chosen "gig at large venue" because I got a better all-round experience compared small gigs, club nights, etc. Reference point: O2 Academy.

Sound:
Large venues would logically have a large sound system in relation to the size of the venue & how far the sound has to travel around the venue, as well as the audience understanding the performer's music. Also, you must consider the acoustics of the room in question when it comes to the positioning of the sound systems. (Reverb, Royal Albert Hall, big bubble hanging from ceiling to help sound travel rather than echo)

Audience:
This is completely dependent on the act that is playing on the night. Long story short, if you want to try and profile the kind of audience that will fill up the venue, then you must consider looking into the genre of music the headlining act specializes in, as well as taking note of how long they've been in the industry (bigger reputation, bigger crowds) and seeing how "in demand" they are, on top of many other things. (Gigi Allin, leads into next point (staff) about security).

Staffing:
The staff are there to keep the show running and to ensure the performer's & audience's safety during the show. This varies from the people who grants you access to witness the performers you paid to say, to the security line that separates you from the very same act. (Security/water)

Stage:
Would be very spacious for things such as performer's equipment/instruments, wiring, as well some of the sound system, etc. (O2 show, people jumped over)

Performers:
Truthfully, the performer(s) is main attraction & in return, they attract the money. The performer is needed for the show otherwise what's the point of going through all the preparation?

My Personal Statement (draft)

My Personal Statement

Why I have chosen this course:

Music has been ever present in my life ever since I was a child in the forms of artists such as Marvin Gaye & Jaco Pastorius, amongst others. My passion to improve is what makes me want to take my next step in both progressing as a musician, as well as an artist & achieving the ambitions that I want to fulfill.


What have I done to demonstrate my passionate interest in the course subject:

I go see live music, I produce music at home away from my lessons, I collaborate with friends who also produce, send my own work to other performers & songwriters, as well as writing my own lyrics.

Opened up my ears. When I say that, I mean I've had a much more open and free approach to music by deciding to listen to different types of music rather than staying in a box of a few genres because you never know what you'd like as there are endless amounts of music to be heard. For example, if someone asked me what kind of music I listen to, I'd simply say "anything I can get my hands on".


How does my chosen BTEC course relate to my chosen university course:

My chosen course for university is also music production. My current course relates to my ideal one because I'm going to learn most of the things I'm currently learning but at an in-depth level and more "advanced" perspective. Essentially, my current course is simply a stepping stone for gaining knowledge & my goals.


What I have learnt from my interest & activities that is relevant to my chosen course:

I've learnt that you can never hit a peak in music & that you can only stop your own progress in many ways such as losing focus, exchanging passion for money, etc. Other than that, you can keep growing & growing.

I've only been to 2 gigs this year which were held at large venues: Flying Lotus at the O2 Brixton & the Megadeth, Lamb Of God, Children Of Bodom concert at the SSE Arena. Naturally, both of them were completely different in terms of music & performance simply because they specialize in different scenes & genres. However, the one thing I realized from both gigs is that I had a great time, spoke to amazing people I ran into during the concert and this helps me further pursue music because it gives me the thought of "I can be the source/reason for a good night, I can help bring people together & create new relationships, I can possibly inspire someone at one of my shows by playing the role of the soil so they can plant their seeds & grow".


What personal experience or ambition can I link to my chosen course:

My priorities are simple. I simply want to make good quality music that people actually want to listen to & leave my mark in music. However, through that ambition, I want to provide myself with food, water, a roof over my head and to lead a happy life.

Album Reviews

Album Reviews

Eminem - The Slim Shady LP

Hip Hop is the initial genre I dived into when I was focusing on music as an art form, but I never touched an Eminem project up until this very month (September). As soon as I focused on this album, I wasn't let down at all.

This album is simply Eminem introducing himself to the world on a mainstream scale (with added help from veteran Dr Dre) and by this album alone, he proves that he not only is he a skilled rapper, he's also very different to just about every other rapper at the time. Not only confident, but comfortable with talking about obscure and "eyebrow raising" content (reference to "Brain Damage" & "As The World Turns") which I personally find all of it rather funny, then talk about something that can be very thought provoking, depending on how focused you are on the song (refer to "If I Had").

One thing that I really like about this album is how there's only 5 people who worked on the production of the whole album (Eminem himself, Dr Dre, Mel-Man & Bass Brothers) and I like this because it means those on production all have a similar image of what the album should sound like rather than having album with production by a list of producers because a lot of people are attempting this recently and it makes it sound more like a compilation of songs rather than an album, however (to my knowledge) only one album with 10 tracks has over 5 producers and got away with it like day light robbery: Nas' debut album "Illmatic".

Couple things I've noticed. I'm glad I left it till later to listen to Eminem because I can hear him in a lot of other rappers whether it's flow, the rhyme scheme, content selection, etc. That also made me realize just how much his style had an influence on the majority of rappers today. Another thing is that if I decided to listen to his stuff when I wasn't as "open minded" to music in general, then I wouldn't of appreciated Eminem as much as I would right now.

Aphex Twin - Syro

In my opinion, I think music is going to become very different in comparison to the 50 years that just passed because we're evolving at such a crazy rate (with big help from electricity) that we're simply going to get bored of what we already have and just craft new ideas out of nothing. We're living in a day and age where people with a computer can call themselves a musician, however a lot of those people aren't able to display what's in their mind and translate it perfectly to the computer. Aphex Twin is not one of those people.

Aphex Twin is one of those guys who's pushing the limit as to what we can call "music" these days. I still can't label this album with an already existing genre because Aphex Twin is simply experimenting with what he can do. The first track is very house-like (minipops 67) and the last track is such a laid back piece of music that you can get sucked into your seat on a sunday (aisatsana) and then everything else in the middle is something you can discover yourself. One thing I do like about Aphex is that all his projects have a different distinct sound so he always surprises his core fans who expected Syro to sound like songs such as "Windowlicker" and songs from his last album "Drukqs" (released in 2001).

I personally think that the music Aphex Twin is making, along with countless other people who're making music you can label under the same category, can be considered as today's jazz music. Initially, the public won't understand it because it doesn't sound like "music" to their ears, much like how jazz sounded like someone hitting random notes back in the 30s/40s. It's simply "musicians music".

(Sadly, the Syro album is available on youtube but only as a playlist and not one video.)

Understanding Technology

Question 1: What is equalization, and how has it changed the working process since the early days of studio recording and mixing?

Equalization, also known as EQ, is when you alter the frequencies, mostly used to change a sound (i.e. vocals, instruments, etc) if it doesn't sound right to the person who is mixing/mastering.
It's changed the working process by saving more time for the studio engineers because instead of the engineers having everything recorded only to find out there's something wrong so instead of recording it again with a different microphone, they can simply use EQ as a plug-in on a DAW to mix/master.


Question 2: What is the polar pattern called that the U47 used for recording vocals? What is the polar pattern of the other microphone that was used previously? Why do you think the directional ability of the U47 helped in the recording process in this particular case?

Cardioid (U47). Figure of 8 (ribbon mic). Because the U47, which has a better focus on the mid-range & high end compared to RCA 44, prioritized the vocals so it wouldn't be overtaken by the orchestra that accompanies the singer, and because of that it gained popularity within the industry.


Question 3: Identify some of the differences between a software mixer (like the one in ‘Logic’) and a hardware mixing console (like the Audient ‘Zen’ mixing desk in the studios). What are the pros and cons of each?

Hardware:

Pros:
*If you were to record automation live, all you have to do is move the fader up or down and you also have the freedom to stand up and look down on the mixer whilst grooving to the song.
*There's a control for adjusting the monitoring level.
*You can move more than one fader at a time as you're physically using your hands to adjust the fader's position.

Cons:
*Takes up space on deck which, for some people, may interfere with how they work.
*You need to make sure everything is plugged in correctly so you don't have more issues in the long run.
*If you want the mix back to how it sounded before you altered it, you have to do it manually instead of relying on a button to do it for you.

Software:

Pros:
*You can have more channels than a hardware mixer meaning you can get more work done in shorter time.
*Compared to hardware mixers, offer higher quality audio.
*You can recall to what your mix was before you adjusted it, saving you from wasting any time.

Cons:
*If you wanted to record live, you'd generally have to use a mouse and you can't move much otherwise it'll mess up the way you want to automate the track.
*You can't move more than one fader at a time in different directions.
*High prices.


Question 4: If you were investing in a system to use in a home/bedroom studio, which type of mixer would you personally choose, software or hardware? Why?

Personally, I'd prefer to use both but I would pick software because I know that if I had a software mixer at home/bedroom, I'd have to sit down and I'd prefer it that way because I work much better if I'm sitting down in a silent (or a suffice) environment, I would focus solely on what I'm doing and not be distracted by movement.


Question 5: What other benefits do using DI boxes give an engineer in the studio?

When recording, you can send the balanced output straight to the audio interface meaning that you can record both wet and dry versions of the track, giving you more options later in terms of mixing/mastering. DI boxes can also let signals from instruments, power amps and/or pre-amps be used as a recording source.

It also saves the studio engineer so much time, money and effort because instead of going through the effort of investing in a studio and buying all the equipment you need, you can simply plug in the DI box to the console, adjust it to the settings you need and simply record. It's also very essential for bass players to have as it gets rid of any unnecessary noise and makes the tone of the bass easy to control when it's plugged to a mixer.


Question 6: What would you suggest?

If you cannot invest in a studio with more space, then I'd heavily suggest to record every instrument one at a time so you don't need to worry about someone else, their instruments or any of the gear they'd need (i.e. PA, mics to record, etc). I suggest recording the drums first because then the other instrumentalist(s) and singer(s) can easily tell the tempo and rhythm of the track and stay in time.

You should also be concerned with panning and EQing once you have everything recorded because instead of recording something then pausing the process to EQ/pan when you can easily do everything at the end. Also, I'd suggest mixing it on a computer instead of a laptop because a laptop can only hold so much and easily overheat in comparison to a PC.

Production Diary (Single Release)

Equipment List:

FL Studio 11
Panasonic Stereo Headphones RP-HT225
Sony Stereo Headphones MDR-XB300
Sony Earphones (Model unknown)
Trust MiLa Speakers (Desktop)


I used FL Studio 11 to create both projects because it's the first DAW that I got when I really got into music and music production and it's also the first DAW that I actually taught myself to use at a sufficient level. Despite the fact I have experience on both Logic Pro 9 & Logic Pro X, I felt more comfortable using FL Studio 11 simply because I've spent much more time on it compared to Logic 9 and X combined.

I used the Sony headphones (MDR-XB300) simply because those happened to be the headphones I had at the time and they worked out really well for me. Seeing as I started off mainly producing hip-hop and the headphones mainly specialized in the low and mid range so I could hear the bass lines (low end) and other aspects of the song very clearly (i.e. melody/harmony, snare, etc).

However, I felt I couldn't really focus on the high end through the Sony Headphones, so when it came to mixing and mastering the track, I'd use both the Sony earphones and the Trust MiLa speakers to concentrate on the high end more. I would also constantly switch between each one of the three because in both projects, there would certain sounds I want to obtain and by rotating around the three, I can analyze the differences and create a balance between them until I'm satisfied with the sound.

I also used the Panasonic headphones (RP-HT225) for mixing & mastering purposes, however it overtook the Sony headphones simply because the wiring in the right ear of the Sony headphones burst and it altered how it picked up the lower and higher range of songs in a very unpleasant way. The Panasonic headphones work better than the Sony headphones in my opinion as it has much more of a balance between the ranges rather than having the low end being the main focus. Also when I'm mixing, there's a volume control on the wire and when I put it all the way down to 0, it doesn't turn the sound down to 0 but very close to 0 and if you're in the correct environment, you can vaguely hear it. This works to my advantage because I can accurately make out a hierarchy in the mix by hearing out what's the loudest and quietest element in the mix.

Recording:

Track 1: California Living

When it came to writing the MIDI, I personally found it easy because I had a sample which was driving the song and all I had to do was create my own drum line and I mainly relied on my sense of rhythm to create the drum line but the hard part was finding the right sounds I wanted to compliment the sample. So, to solve that issue I went through all the drum kits to find the hi-hat, snare and kick sounds I initially had in mind, make a drum line out of it and if I felt something was off, I'd keep the rhythm but change one of the drum parts I've selected and analyze the differences before finally choosing what to go with.

Track 2: Midnight

For this track, I chose to go with a sampled drum kit rather than MIDI drums because none of the MIDI drums I tried wasn't good enough to compliment the sample I picked out as they all sounded "plastic" and "fake" instead of the "live" and "real" drum kit sound I was going for from the start. One thing in this song is that there is a lot of automation from the start to the end of the song which I've manually made myself (via mouse) and I added automation to achieve transition which really affected everything in the track so I needed everything sounding good before I even mix anything, let alone think about mastering.

Mixing:

Track 1: California Living

For the mixing, I used EQ and Reverb mainly on the drums and vocals in the track but other than that I used the volume levels to create a balance because everything sounded close enough to how I initially wanted it.
On the drums, I didn't touch the hi-hats as I felt dissatisfied with all the plug-ins I tried (reverb, EQ, delay, echo, etc) so I left it how it was and just adjusted the volume on it. I used enough minimal reverb on the snare that there's a difference from the original but not very noticeable as I wanted to keep the snare very snappy but added reverb as I felt the original was too "snappy" for my liking. I EQ'd the kick so it had more range in the low-end (more bass) because it felt too "punchy" to me and played more of a dominating role instead of a role that supported the bass line throughout the song.
I also used EQ on the vocals in the track because some of the ambiance would be too noticeable and overtaking in the song so I decided to cut off all of the ambiance I could without affecting the vocals so the vocals would stick out much more.

Track 2: Midnight

In this track, I chose not to use any plug-ins to enhance any of the sounds and only adjusted the volume levels whilst relying on the automation that I put throughout the track because I felt that I achieved the initial sound I was going for from the very start.

Mastering:

Track 1: California Living

For mastering the track, I had to make it ready to be put on a CD and played through a good sound system so I used EQ and compression on the output to make the song sound much more complete and like a finished product rather than sound like a bunch of ideas just placed together.
I chose to do so rather exporting a WAV file and putting plug-ins on it because I heard a slight difference in the bounced version and the original version I was working on from the DAW and it kept annoying me so to successfully master the track, I ultimately decided to use those plug-in's on the output.


Track 2: Midnight

For the mastering on this track, it went through the same mastering process as "California Living".

Sequencing Analysis (Terminology)

MIDI:

When it came to recording/editing all of my MIDI, I chose to completely use the mouse because I currently don't possess the ability to reflect all my ideas whilst I sequence everything live and I don't organize the one at a time because I feel that I'd be wasting time in comparison to using a mouse. However, my ideal choice would be to record everything live then polish and add a few ideas afterwards. I choose not to quantize my MIDI because I feel I don't need to as I'm already organizing the data as I'm progressing with my ideas and by doing so, I'm already putting everything where I want.

When it comes to note length and velocity, it's very dependent on the instrument and the role it plays in the song. It would vary in terms of note length however I choose what I want whilst in the process of creating the song, for example, I'd choose to have a kick drum at a shorter length so it could apply a "bouncy" feel in the drum line, to do this I use the mouse to adjust the length. I then turn my attention towards velocity either when I have the idea is completed or when the song is completed because it can make a huge difference when I'm mixing down my track. If I want something to play a more predominant role, the velocity would generally be more orange (red if need be) but if I want something in the background or to serve an ambient role, the velocity would be more green or light green.

When it comes to arranging my music, I choose not to colour in sections because I find that distracting and off-putting when I want to make music. For example, when I'm concentrating on what needs to sound different or what else I want to add to the song, I wouldn't concentrate as well with all the colours in front of me and I'd feel it would influence my decisions. I also choose not to use markers because I prefer to look at my music and point to the screen "that's the chorus, that's the bridge, here's the break down, etc".

On the arrange page, I generally use copy/paste to repeat sections of a song instead of looping it because I know for a fact that I would want to develop it later on in the song since it may become a bit boring.  I also don't use the scissors or glue tool to edit the data as I generally the bottom right corner to lengthen or shorten the region in question, plus I find myself not needing to use them. I use "solo" way more in comparison to using "mute" because once I hear one part that's isolated from the track, it sticks in my head clearly even when I play it with the rest of the instruments. The only time I use mute is when I'm judging whether or not a certain part of the texture fits in with the song or not, by listening to what it's like without it and questioning myself what it brings to the song and how it can help it's development.

For sections, you'll find in various song that I don't really follow a typical structure of a "verse/chorus/verse/etc", but instead decide to let the song develop on it's own by introducing new rhythms, change in harmonization/rhythm and even instruments, but there are some songs of mine where I follow a clear structure.


Audio:

For recording audio (which I've done in my Electro piece for Olly), I used a Shure SM58, which is a dynamic microphone and the reason I used it was simply because it's regarded as one of the "go to" microphones when recording vocals and I recorded was me channeling my James Brown by saying "1, 2, 3, 4, hit it!". I placed the microphone in my hand whilst recording rather than using a mic stand simply because I felt more comfortable holding it. I recorded it all in one take because all I had to do was count up to 4 and say "hit it!" at the end, which isn't a hard thing to do.

To edit my audio, I'd usually use non-destructive editing when using audio especially when I sample because I know for a fact that I would want to use more parts of the song I'm sampling from to give my song more development and changes to catch and maintain the listener's attention. In that case, if I use destructive editing before I pick out all the parts I want, then I'll have to reload the file and that would be annoying and time consuming in the long term. However, that doesn't mean I don't use destructive editing as I use fades mainly on vocals or to transition from one part of a song to another and I especially time stretch a lot of songs of my own (refer to my SoundCloud) to simply give my song a completely different vibe to the song I sampled from.

"The vocal samples is the performer breathing, taking a sharp inhale and what sounds scatting and I didn’t think much of it at first however I saw potential in it and adjusted the sound by using an EQ to make it sound much crisp and stand out as if it never came from the song I sampled it from."

"I mainly used non-destructive editing because I knew I was going to sample more than one section of the song. For example, in "Melody (Strings)" I simply cut it up using the scissors and marquee tool and re-arranged them on the lines so it stayed in beat rather than time-stretching it because I was going to use the same technique and I didn't want to risk altering the sample too much to ruin it. I chose this method because I found that if I just cut it only using the scissors & marquee tools, I preserve the sample at it's original pitch (in terms of the recording) and the quality of the sound."


Advanced Techniques:

I've used Drummer before to create a MIDI file to see what I could do with it. I chose to use it as MIDI because I was adjusting the settings on the Drummer, however there some small specific parts that I wanted to adjust but the Drummer wasn't accurate enough and that kept getting to me, so I changed it into MIDI and changed everything I wanted and added new things I wanted to enhance my ideas.


Reference Songs (found in my folder in L3 Music Prod Yr 1 & Sequencing Folder):

Like We Used To
Naruto
September Wind
Electro (Olly)
Jungle-Type Drums

Business Plan

The First Draft (Releasing An EP)

Objective:

My aim is to record and release an EP (The First Draft) that is mixed and mastered so it's ready to be listened to by people whom are interested in my music. I aim to sell 100 copies or more, regardless of format, so I can walk away with a profit.

Target Audience:

Ideally, my target audience is everyone that enjoys listening to music but since I'm not at such a level where I can grasp everyone's attention, my target audience will be in London since that's where I'm based at.

My majority target audience will have to listen to hip hop for me to catch their attention since that's the genre I specialize in, however, this is where my USP (Unique Selling Point) comes into play. Seeing as hip hop is heavily based on the use of samples, this can attract those who don't listen to many hip hop because they can simply like a song of mine that samples their favourite genre and that could lead them to opening up to not only my music, but the genre as well.

My target audience wouldn't have an age range simply for 2 reasons: As I said earlier "Ideally, my target audience is everyone that enjoys listening to music", the other reason would be my USP. Seeing as I'm primarily a sampler, I sample from records that have been released ranging from modern genres of today to as far back as I can go (i.e. blues, classical, folk) and everything in between. That would mean my interest in music could cross over someone with a similar age to mine and someone who's well in their 30s, 40s, 50s and so on.

Although it's hard to determine how much income my target audience will have to their disposal, I do know that they'll have enough to purchase my EP as I plan to set the price at a very reasonable price (more info in Marketing Strategy).

The one thing that will attract people to my music is my individualism and how I try my best to be myself rather than trying to emulate other artists or be a mixture of other artists. However, seeing as there are countless people trying to be their favourite artist, there are also a lot of people who want to do things differently and my target audience may turn their heads, for whatever reason, to another act who may have a similar mind-state to me.

Timeline:

First and foremost, the music needs to be created/written so I have to something name, record, make artwork for, promote, sell, etc. Then, once each song is named and the track listing has been sorted out (to make things easier in the long term so I don't have to worry about that), I'll then look to record everything I've arranged for the EP so that I have something to give to the studio engineer(s) whom are mixing and mastering my tracks, however, I could decide to master some tracks myself simply because I'm the artist and I know what sounds I want to accomplish.

Once all that is completed, I would then turn my focus on the artwork and I'd spend less time than I would because I already have the product so I could base the artwork off of the music on my project and after all that, I'll then decide on what format will I want to release it on simply because I won't know how long it'll take me to the EP (it could take a day or even years to make something I'm satisfied with, as evident with many other musicians) so if I decide what format I want to release it on from the very start, it may affect me in the long term and I could miss out (i.e. vinyl sales going up in sales in 2014 ever since 1996). Once all that is completed, I will then turn my attention towards promotion and advertisement because by then, I'll have a finished product with it's own packaging ready to be consumed.

Marketing Strategy:

My product will be an EP consisting of 10 tracks and I chose to have it at 10 tracks because I want to grasp and maintain the listener's attention within a suitable time range. For instance, if I had more tracks, that would mean that the EP would be longer and I'd run the risk of losing the listener's attention, or they'll become bored, etc. As mentioned earlier, my USP is the fact that I sample and that really expand my target audience from simply being "mainly fans of one genre" to being "general music fans of various genres".

My EP will go for a price of £3 (if not, then certainly cheaper), but since it'll be available on different formats, prices will vary. I chose to set it at a cheap price because I want it at a price where it's affordable for everyone, regardless of what class they're in (i.e. working class, etc). In regards to format, I plan to release the project on digital, CD and vinyl (£2.50 for digital, £3 for CD & £4 for vinyl), however each format will have it's own feature.

For digital, I'll just release the original EP in it's initial form, for CD, I'll place a hidden track at the end of the last song and for vinyl, I'll alter the production work, especially songs produced by me. Also, I'd sell my project for a cheaper price for those that turn up to see me perform but the prices will vary dependent on how many people turn up to my show. You will be able to purchase the music through virtual stores and places such as supermarkets and retail stores, however once again the format will be taken into consideration. For example, for vinyls and CDs, I can sell it through websites such as www.discogs.com.

For promotion, I plan to advertise my project everywhere I can. For example, I can advertise through
local newspaper ads simply because I've never seen an album get advertised via newspapers, let alone a local one. One other affective way would be to get my project promoted/reviewed by a blogger (the bigger the blog/blogger, the more exposure I get) and I could do a favor for them in return. I can also ask a friend to help me create some flyers so I can post them around venues. I can also advertise my project through social media outlets, for example Facebook, because I can then reach out to people who I may never ever reach and if they're interested, they'll click on the link and discover me and my music.

Development:

Once I release this EP, I plan on continuing producing/composing more music and writing more lyrics, releasing more EP's and releasing LP's in the process, as well collaborating with other artist's, whether if it's only a single or a full length studio album.

Budget:

Since this is my first EP and I don't have a huge (or any) presence in the music industry, I can instantly save myself a lot of money and gain more time by choosing to create the EP at home. I can also decide to record at home but that'll require me purchasing a microphone (£40+ for condenser, £15+ for Dynamic but you can find some really cheap).

I'd also need acoustic foams for the room I'll be recording in so I'll be looking at around £30+ for some tiles. However, I can simply go to a friend's house (who happens to be in a music collective with me) and record my stuff their for free which can save me around £85, plus he offered to mix down and master each track for my project for free, so that covers my concerns for mixing & mastering costs. However, the only other person(s) that would mix down and master my tracks would be myself simply because I know what sounds I want to accomplish in the music I make.

For artwork, I would prefer to do it myself to compliment my project. I would either draw the artwork and alter it with the use of photoshop (or something similar) or don't draw at all and gather images and/or takes my own pictures and solely solely use a program like photoshop to execute what I want to do.

For the format, digital will cost me nothing as I can simply upload it on sites like Soundcloud, Bandcamp, etc. For CD's, I can buy stacks of empty CD's and burn the music on the CD's myself (I'd be looking at £20 or less for stacks of empty CD's). For vinyls, I understand it's difficult these days to get a pressing, however, through my friend's family friend whom works for a small label directed me to a place very local to me (near Holloway Underground Station) where I can press 2 vinyls for £25.

For the advertisement, I plan to have around £50-£100 because the more money I have for advertisement, the more I can spread my name out there and let people know I exist, meaning that investing a bit more into advertisement can pay off for me in the long term.


I will have two main sources of income to invest into all this: part-time job and doing sets with my collective. Funny enough, I know a bunch of guys that have invested in a sound system (which is still growing) and they organize legal events and me and my fellow group members were fortunate enough to perform on one of their stages and get paid for it. I also met someone at the event who planned on hosting an event at the same venue later in the year (December) and asked for a promo by my group so he can confirm a slot for us.

I'd much prefer a part-time job to a full-time simply because that gives me more time to focus on my music and not have all my spare time consumed by work. It would also give me motivation to keep on creating better music for the project and not to slack off as I'll always keep telling myself "You're doing this job to fund for your project".

Online Marketing

http://www.nasirjones.com

The website is for fans of the artist (Nas) to be updated with his activities (such as upcoming album releases & live shows) and to also purchase merchandise such as clothing and physical copies of the artist's music.

It looks really simple and it's straight to the point. There isn't too much going on with the colour scheme as it's mainly just a combination of dark colours, which suits Nas really well looking at where he rose from before his stardom (Queensbridge). By exploring the website, I think it's main intention is to get the fans (and visitors of the site) to purchase from the site, whether it's the music or to see him perform live. As soon as you go on the website, it's already advertising Nas' documentary to you.

I found it very easy to navigate (especially since you don't have to scroll down when you reach the home page) as everything is clearly labelled at the top.

By looking at the website, I think one of it's main purposes is to sell items via the website, but more importantly to get people into the music so they can keep buying stuff (merchandise, tickets, etc).

How it comes across to me, the website tells me that this is an established artist, as he's performing here, there on this day and on that day.


http://flying-lotus.com/youre-dead

By the looks of it, for now, the website is being used to promote his latest project that recently came out, however that may change if FlyLo (Flying Lotus) has another project in the works or if he thinks he doesn't need to promote the album any longer. The website is for fans to be informed about when & where the artist will be playing so they can book tickets and it also directs them to other websites if they want to buy the album, each website having different deals and so on.

From the very start, the website shows simplicity as it only has 2 colours: black & white. It does the job well as the mixture between the two colours makes the website all the more eye-catching. It's intention goes straight to the point as it gives the visitor the essentials: tour dates, tickets, where to purchase the album, etc.

The website is really easy to navigate as all you need to is scroll and find everything you need, rather than clicking on other tabs to access different parts of the site for different reasons.

For the type of music Flying Lotus makes, which is quite experimental, I think the colour scheme was one of the smartest choices as it can easily attract more people rather than having all these flashy colours to try and maintain the attention of the visitor.

I feel that the website is telling me that Flying Lotus is a simplistic artist that's trying to do things differently.


http://mantramind.weebly.com

The website is for me to use as a "business card" if I were to be talking to someone else in the music industry (even if they weren't in the industry and liked music, I'd still show it to them) so they can have an idea of the kind of music I make and a glimpse of what kind of artist I am.

In comparison to other artist's websites (especially those that specialize in hip hop), it's a bit more abstract. It shares the dark toned and gritty feel as other websites but then it's a bit different with all the random different colours. I feel I reflect my intention pretty well through the mixture of colours as I'm trying to get across to the visitor (hopefully a fan of my music) that although I'm specializing in a genre where so much as been accomplished, I'm trying to take steps in a different direction from my predecessors and do things differently.

I find the website easy to navigate myself as there are 3 tabs (home page, about page & contact page) and they're very hard to miss. I also make things convenient for the visitor by having a button directly linking you to my SoundCloud and a button that directs you straight to my e-mail (on the contact page) so you can send me an e-mail inquiring about anything.

As mentioned earlier, colour plays a big role in more ways than one in regards to my website. To reflect my music, I wanted to keep the website looking simple and a bit complex, but to hold the attention of the visitor nonetheless and to make them more curious by making them ask themselves things like "Who is Mantra?" etc, etc.

In the "About" tab, you gather a strong indication of my imagery as there's a bio, however, the strongest piece of imagery is perhaps the first thing you see when you enter the website. On the home page, you have someone who's running uphill whom appears to be doing so without shoes or socks. I chose this as my theme because I feel it perfectly represents where I stand in the music industry: I'm just another young musician with aspirations and goals, who is far away from where he wants to be so I have to keep running uphill until I get there.

Mixing Assignment

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0flOc6M8t54bEFBWjNNUnBJODQ&authuser=0

https://soundcloud.com/user299602138/mixing-task

Textures & Acoustic Environements

Track 1:

1.
At first, the texture is monophonic as there is a unison melody with a rhythmic accompaniment (drum hits) then the drums develop rhythm and hi-hats are added into the mix, whilst some of the brass players hold notes which serve as a drone which assists the other musicians playing the melody.

After the dance, the texture becomes homophonic because while half of the band is doing the melody line, the other half accompanies it by singing "hey, sexy lady!" then shortly after that, it becomes monophonic for a moment then it turns polyphonic because instead of the other half of the band singing "hey, sexy lady!", they play it through their brass instruments so two individual melodic lines are playing at the same time, then they drop out so it becomes monophonic because you can just hear the melodic line then it ends with the texture being homophonic.

2.
Yes. Because they're outside, they don't have any reverberation so they can play as loud as they like and everything in the music can still be heard. For instance, if they performed their cover of "Gangnam Style" inside a room (especially how they played it), there would be a lot of reverberation and a lot of things within the music would clash with each other and wouldn't sound particularly nice in comparison to playing it outside. On top of that, the overall loudness of the performance would increase tenfold.

3.
Yes. I noticed a difference in the drums and brass as the camera moved positions. From 0:27 onwards, the detail of the drums becomes more and more vivid the closer the camera gets (notice the hi-hats). (Note: 1:01 - 1:06, the detail of the drums spikes).

When it comes to the brass band itself, from the very start, it sounds like they're playing at a live outdoor venue and you happen to be a distance away. The closer you get, the sound of the brass becomes much more clear and defined, especially from 1:48 onwards.


Track 2:

1.
In regards to the first group, it starts off being homophonic as they all sing the melody together in their respected vocal ranges, then it turns polyphonic as the bass singers (both furthest away from the camera) sing their part, the soprano/tenor singer (in the middle) sings the melody which is then repeated by the woman in blue almost a bar after (that would make it a canon) and the woman in green (baritone) assists the bass singers. After the group, there are two tenor singers who are singing together in a monophonic texture.

2.
They are in a cathedral/church with a hard floor (most likely marble) and a round ceiling, on top of that, there is a lot of space within the building.

3.
Yes. I think it's appropriate for this environment because there aren't too many of the same types of vocals (a pair of the same, at most). Also, there isn't too much going on at the same time, so you can hear all the vocals mix in really well together.


Track 3:

1.
The texture is homophonic as it's a band performing together. The drums provide the rhythmic accompaniment so the band can stay in time together. The pianist plays the role of a bass player throughout whilst the synth player is playing and repeating little melodies in a subtle manner so the attention stays more on the singer, then he has an improvisation section to himself which lasts for about 8 bars (maybe 8 and a half). The singer is accompanied by the guitarist who strums chords during the chorus and picked notes for half of the first verse.

2.
Because it's recorded in what appears to be a studio that specializes in acoustic recordings, it gave the instruments a raw sound that hasn't been mixed down at all which, in my opinion, worked out really well for the band.

Royalties

Royalties

What are royalties?

Royalties is an agreement between musicians (i.e. writers, composers, etc) and those who want to use their music for their own purposes. Musicians get their royalties by having their music played on TV/film (this would be known as a synchronization fee), radio, record sales (both physical & digital), merchandise & live performance, amongst other things.

Licensing is very important in regards to royalties because if a venue (can also be a public place like a store) plays music, then it's mandatory for them to purchase a PPL & PRS license (read below for more on PPL & PRS). The relevant societies will then collect the money and gives them to the relevant musicians (writers, composers & performers) as royalties.

There are three main collection agencies (In the UK) when it comes to royalties: PRS, MCPS & PPL.

PRS (Performing Rights Society):

PRS collects royalties and pays them to the writer(s) (both instrumentation & lyrics) when a song of theirs is performed live and that doesn't just mean concerts, it also includes if the song was played in the public (radio, TV, etc). Those who write lyrics to songs get a PRS royalties rate of 50% AT LEAST.

MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society):

MCPS royalties are paid to a songwriter whenever a copy of their song has been made, however if the songwriter is apart of a band, then it isn't unheard of for the songwriter to share the MCPS royalty with the band. However, MCPS royalties can work a bit more complicated and difficult for the songwriter. For example, it can work in ratio of "numbers of albums made:numbers of albums sold" and other ways so it can work in the advantage of the label, especially if they are major.

PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited):

PPL collect royalties from recorded music and distribute them to the recordings artists whom performed on the recording. This also includes sold CD's, music played through TV, radio, etc. If you run a business and you want to play music for the background, you'll need a PPL license if you're going to play music on the grounds of your business (i.e. inside the store) and the employees of the business can be counted as the "general public", so licensing is a MUST for businesses that want to play music.


What is copyright?

The right to prevent other people from copying your work and using it for their own benefits (in this case, recorded music & lyrics), so this allows the copyright owner to do what they want with the work and protect it, however, copyright works differently in the case of songs and recorded songs. When it comes to songs, the initial copyright owners would be the songwriter who wrote the lyrics and composes who wrote the song, but when it comes to recordings, the owner of the copyright would be whomever arranges the recordings (including booking and paying for studio time) and that could be the record label, for example.



The importance of royalties & copyright and what the industry might be like without it

In the music industry, royalties & copyright are perhaps one of the most important things. If the music industry didn't have these two things, in my opinion, it would be a much more crooked & shady industry and law would be much more involved than it is now and it would also be much less appealing.

For instance, why enter an industry doing something that you love when there's a high chance you won't get as much money as you'd deserve or even get any? why enter an industry where there's always a chance you can get screwed by anyone at any moment? why enter an industry where you make a great song and see someone else take credit for it?

When it comes to this topic, the questions can go on and on for days, however there have been some cases in the past & present concerning this specific matter. In my opinion, the following examples can give us an indication of what the industry might be like without things such as royalties, licensing & copyright.

Below is a video about Milli Vanilli and their tragedy (In my opinion, I think wasn't their fault as I felt they taken advantage of, however this happens in the current music industry). However, the reason I shared this was because I felt this can strongly represent of one aspects of the industry, especially if it didn't have the things in questions (royalties, licensing & copyright).

In this case, if the industry didn't have these things, you would have millions of people running around claiming things they can't do (i.e. sing) and get all the credit for it. However, the focus would be more on the labels (especially the major ones) because they would solely take advantage of people that have aspirations and push them into deals that would make them puppets so they sing & dance on stage to pull in money (and I wouldn't be surprised if they chose people who were "eye candy") or they would find talented people who can make hits and push them in a deal where they must work for their label and ONLY their label so you can't work with another, let alone sign with another (look at Ma$e with Bad Boy Records) just so they can fuel income for the label and the worst part of it; none of them will probably get paid. On that note, the industry would be a much more violent place behind closed doors.

Understanding Music For Film & Television

Diegetic Sound:
Diegetic sound means that you can see where the sound is coming from in the scene/movie. For example:

*A car engine starting up.
*2 characters having a conversation.

Non-Diegetic Sound:
Non-diegetic sound means that you can't see where the sound is coming from within the cinematography. For example: 

*Music that plays at the start (introduction) of a movie.
*Commentary (i.e. a character telling a story, someone narrating something, etc).

Foley Sound:
Foley sound is done by a foley artist and their job is to recreate sounds that would come from the movie scene they're given to increase the quality of the audio to make the scene more genuine & convincing. For example, a foley artist would use certain items for certain sounds:

*Punch meat on a hook to imitate the sound of punches.
*Tap their feet on the spot to imitate walking, if they were to imitate running then they would tap their feet faster and a bit harder.

In this scene from "The Matrix", you have clear examples of diegetic, non-diegetic & foley sound: Diegetic - Morpheus speaking to Neo (0:13)
Non-diegetic - Neo opening his eyes (0:00 - 0:05)
*Foley - Neo swinging his arms (0:44)

The foley artists may have recreated the sound of the fight by punching meat on a hook to recreate the sound of the punches, tapping their feet on the floor to resemble the character's bare feet moving on the floor and swiftly waving paper by the microphone to replicate arm movements.

The use of these types of sounds improved the fight scene because not only did it make it more intense, it also responded to what was going on in the scene. One clear example is at the very start of the scene as the music started off very intense then when Neo opened his eyes, a crash (from a drum kit) cancelled out the intense sound at the start, making way for diegetic sounds (characters speaking & beeping of the monitor) then when the scene changes, another non-diegetic sound (asian drums) becomes the driving force of the scene because it plays a big part of keeping the attention of the audience. Examples of the drums responding to the scene can be found at 0:11 - 1:13.

Temp Tracks:

Temp tracks are tracks that are based off of another track that will try to recreate the same feeling that was created in the original track (in this case, the director would give it to the composer).

 (Above is the actual introduction of the movie while below is the temp track)

 

Wild Tracks:

Wild tracks are simply recordings of an environment and you can hear the sound that the environment is generating.

 

It's very likely that it's been recorded in a place where the overall volume isn't high which means you'll notice the wild track much more in the recording.

Composite Tracks:

Composite tracks is all the sounds relevant to the scene (speaking, music, ambience, etc) would all be put together in one audio file.

Roles & Contracts

Roles & Contracts

Record Companies


A&R (Artist & Repertoire):


Duties:

An A&R's primary job is to scout fresh and new talents that are yet to be discovered, hoping that they are the next big thing. However it's not as easy as it sounds as they have to search far and wide to find a "gem in the trash". Once they find a new talent with potential to achieve commercial success, they must convince them as to why their label is right for them and their direction of music.


Salary/Hours/Working Environment:

A&R's arguably have one of the most enjoyable roles in the whole industry and this is one of the reasons. Their working environment? Located everywhere that plays live music because when they hear a good submission from a band/artists, an A&R has to see the act perform live to actually see the artist/band in action before approaching them.

The hours are flexible as record companies can't give them a set amount of hours to work as most of the time, A&R's are going to gigs to see live performances and listen to music that are being submitted by unknown acts hoping that their music catches the ear of an A&R.

The salary is completely dependent on various factors such as experience and where you're located in the world but also mainly on yourself. One of the biggest factors would be the label you're working for because "the bigger the label, the bigger the pay check". It won't be surprising if you start off earning no money, however you gain something very important once you start and that is "Networking". Networking is perhaps one of the most important things you can get and expand on while working in the music industry as it can point you in directions you probably never knew existed before hand, which comes really handy for an A&R when they want to look for new talent. Also, one of the biggest factors that influences your salary is your track record. For example, if you've been recruiting acts that ended up in success then you get a bigger reputation and a bigger pay check, however if you recruit acts that are shelved/scrapped by the label after an album (or even a song), it's likely you'll be shown to the door.


Skills/Education Needed:

One of the main things that is mainly needed is experience in the music industry. For example, you can be an artist and be an A&R (i.e. Many sight that Jay-Z is responsible for the upstart Kanye West's career). Don't forget that it's always possible to enter such a career with little or no experience. A few examples of skills needed to be an A&R are:

*A wide knowledge of various musical genres
*A good understanding of songwriting, production & composing
*Very good communication in order to present themselves well
*Have an understanding of marketing in the music industry


Type Of Contract:

As mentioned earlier, a label can't place a set time for an A&R and their work so they'll most likely base it off their track records of who they have recruited for the label. The more successful acts they've recruited, the longer they stay on the label.


Payment Method:

It's highly likely that when you're in a major label, they'll pay A&R in points (points are percentage points from album sales, deals, etc). An A&R generally wouldn't ask for a ridiculously high percentage, but the more successful the act is, more money goes into the pocket of the A&R. A&R's can also get paid in bonuses from the success of the acts they've signed.


Risks Associated With Contract Type:

If you're not finding good acts and constantly going through "droughts" of not finding new acts, you will be shown the door.



Radio Plugger:


Duties:

Radio Pluggers are one of the many connections in the music industry that can take you somewhere, given the right time & place. Their main role is to make sure to get the artist's/band's new releases (typically singles) into the hands of producers and DJ's of radio shows, however depending on the popularity of the artist/band, the plugger may even bring them a whole album for them to play. Even if they can't get the artists/band on the playlist, let alone a rotation, the plugger will at least try and get a few plays. They also attempt set up the artist/band with a live radio session or interviews mainly based around upcoming gigs and projects yet to be released, but they both tend to go hand in hand. The whole point is to give the artist/band more exposure to the world.


Salaries/Hours/Working Environment:

The work environment of a plugger would typically be their home or they'd be working from an office. The hours vary as it depends on how much work they can find and how much work they can handle. The salary for a radio plugger is a little bit more complicated however.

There is no regular income for a plugger so they'll only get paid when they do their job but when they do their job well, they get paid really well. However, to get yourself in such a position, that takes work ethic and time. There are various methods on how a plugger can get paid, which will mainly be dependent on the client (client being record labels mainly) that hires the plugger and the reputation of the plugger. For example, the plugger could be paid upfront (if they have a really good reputation), get paid bit by bit as the band's/artist's exposure increases or get paid once the job is done.

It's not uncommon for new pluggers to charge the client at a much lower price. Some will even charge absolutely nothing just to gain experience and build up contacts within the industry. It also wouldn't be a surprise if even the high-end pluggers will do some jobs at a reduced rate or free of charge because they may simply believe that the artist/band involved has the potential to become big.


Skill/Education Needed:

*Contacts - Without contacts, radio pluggers are essentially useless.
*Patience - It won't happen all the time but artists/bands won't gain a ridiculous amount of exposure overnight.
*Good Communication Skills - If you talk to a contact the wrong way, you can kiss that contact goodbye. Also have to be persuasive so artists/bands choose you.
*Drive - If you're not determined to become a great plugger and try your best to expose any of the artists/bands that approach you, you will be left behind to bite the dust.


Type Of Contract:

For radio pluggers, it will be based on their track record. The more clients they satisfy, then more jobs will come their way.


Payment Methods:

Radio Pluggers can be paid either upfront, at the end or either paying by result (meaning the more exposure is gained, the more money the plugger gets paid). Pluggers can even get paid bonuses for gaining certain results (i.e. the artist/band gains a high demand, etc)


Risks Associated With Contract Type:


If people don't want to hire you to give their artist/band exposure, then you'll soon be facing a reducing income (or no income at all).



PR Officer:


Duties:

Public Relation (PR) Officers handles the reputation of their clients, so they do this through the use of media and their communication skills to make, manage and maintain their client's image and reputation. They also deal with the public & press should they want their client's attention (i.e. interviews), analyzes the media and any coverage they do about any of their clients and provides their clients with information about things like promotional opportunities, etc.


Salaries/Hours/Working Environment:

The working environment is pretty standard as you'd work from an office working 9am till 5pm, however it may may vary dependent on workload, meeting deadlines or responding to a "crisis" (i.e. client may find themselves in a mess where the media play the roles of vultures and rip apart their reputation) and they'll also need to travel to meet clients and attend events. Salaries can start from £18,000 per year but can increase as you grow in experience and rise in ranks, meaning that the yearly salary can go up to £100,000+.


Skill/Education Needed:

To become a PR, you don't need a degree to become a PR officer, however since the PR industry is very competitive, having a degree will surely play to your advantage however since any degree is accepted, some employers would prefer that you have a degree in Business, Politics, English, Marketing, etc. Some skills many successful PR officers possess are:

*Good teamwork - If you can't work as a team, you may be seen as a "thorn" by your colleagues.
*Creativity
*Communication - As a PR, you'll be speaking to many important people.
*Good presentation skills - You cannot present your clients in a negative way if you're to manage and maintain their reputation.



Contracts


What if I want to get out of it?

It's not unusual for an artist/band to want to leave a contract deal after signing one because of various reasons such as "the deal isn't for them" or maybe they didn't read the contract well enough and found out things they agreed to that they didn't understand at the time, etc.

It's really hard to escape from a record label for an artist and it always has been. Record labels always look for a way to keep artists/bands tied to their labels for as long as possible and mainly do this through contracts hoping that the artist/band slips up. The most common ways to escape from a contract with a record label is either buying yourself out of the contract or to simply see out your contract till the end of the agreed term.


Will it protect me?

When you sign with a record label (especially major), they'll look out for you so long as you are signed with them. They'll protect you from various things such as your songs getting sampled by another artist/band without permission (or someone making a case of you sampling someone else without permission) to hiring a fine lawyer for you should you be in court potentially facing time behind bars.


What guarantees will it offer?

One guarantee is that the label will push you and your music out there as far as they can push it, meaning they'll push towards radio slots, getting you interviews, selling merchandise, etc. They'll definitely provide you with a studio and time to produce music for the label.

Another guarantee is that the label won't cover all of your costs (unless they 100% believe in you and your music) as they'll charge you for measly things that will build up such as ordering lunch everyday to the studio, covering travel costs (should you be touring), etc.


How will I get paid?

When signed to a contract with a record label, you'll tend to get paid in royalties and royalties are based on the percentage of the standard retail selling price. However your royalties that are earned from outside your base country may be calculated differently, for example, 50% in America, 40% in Australia, 25% in Japan, etc. You can also get paid other ways such synchronization fees (i.e. your music appearing on adverts, games, movies, TV shows, etc)


Pros:

*They provide you with things you may have not been able to afford before singing (i.e. a state-in-the-art studio).

*They have enough money to afford costs to promote you (i.e. create and sell your merchandise, advertise any upcoming singles/projects you've made, etc)

*If a record label (especially major) signs you or wants to sign you, it can indicate that you have some talent (Miles Davis signed to Warner Bros., Nas signed to Columbia, Jimi Hendrix singed to Capitol, etc)


Cons:

*They look out for themselves before the artist (i.e. look at people like Toni Braxton).

*They'll be shady when it comes to contracts, meaning they won't tell you everything you NEED to know, they'll tell you everything you want to hear.

*Once you sign to any contract they hand over to you, it'll be so hard for you to escape the contract.

Developing Music: Funk

In this piece, I mainly focused on the rhythm of the track to develop this piece from an idea to a developed piece of music. At first, I repeated my idea which was a melody that was rhythmically complex, which included syncopation and a rhythmically simple drum line because they went well together and sounded nice.

However, at one point, it grew boring and got too predictable so I chose to develop it by exploring my choice of scale and increasing the range, which was a scale of B. I used a drum kit, 2 bass guitars (one playing the role of a lead guitar) and 2 synths for my choice of instrumentation and created syncopation into the piece which you can easily hear in the melody and drums. The drums keep at a steady pace throughout the track and stays in time throughout the structure.

Developing Music: Latin

Instrumentation:
One of the ways I've used to further develop the rhythm of this piece is by initially having a basic idea and expanding it further on each instrument I've used (piano, bass guitar and drums), so they would be compatible with each other. Meaning when one instrument improvises, the other would play a supporting role (and the 3rd would either drop out entirely or also support).

Simple Chords:
I used simple triad chords for this piece rather than more complex chords such as sevenths because I didn't want it to take the attention away from the other instruments and I didn't want the piano line to clash with anything else. Also, I was already familiar with them and since they were easy to remember, that meant it became easier for me to put down ideas and that allowed me to progress much faster in terms of the composition.

Transposition:
I used this technique to further develop the piece because I wanted to maintain the listener's attention by transposing the relevant instruments (you can especially notice it in the piano and later in the bass guitar), thus making the piece more down-tone, as opposed to the introduction where it sounds bright and happy.

Finding Faults

Where it's happening
What's happening
How it could've been fixed


0:00
If you listen to the very start of both tracks, you'll notice in the "Goodish" version that there's a bass hit as opposed to the "Worse" version where it sounds like a snippet of the start has been cut off, meaning you don't hear the first note of the song.

This is a sonic issue as I feel that the producer/engineer is possibly responsible for this issue. Chances are that one of the two accidentally cut off the first bit of the song when arranging the song. This could've been avoided by double checking the whole song before sending it off to an engineer and/or uploading/releasing it.


0:02
You can hear movement in the background (note: could potentially be a kick drum) and you can hear a cough right after. This can either be the singer clearing his throat preparing to sing or the drummer getting ready to play (the coughing could symbolize nervousness).

This is a sonic issue and could've been fixed by the engineer in many ways. For example, by using a plug-in like EQ to doing something as simple as chopping it out.


0:05
Besides the first instrument (Lute/Harp), most of the instrumentation is panned to the right (most notably the drums & vocals).

This is a sonic issue and can easily be fixed by panning tracks on the DAW/mixing desk.


0:06 - 0:24
If you compare the "Goodish" and "Worse" versions, you can instantly tell there's a huge difference in the vocals due to the mixing. In the "Goodish" version, the vocals are arguably better due to the panning (Refer to the point above, 0:05) and sounds like it went through some EQing. Relating to the point above (0:05), the vocals are panned more to the right and has a high pass filter which makes it sound "dull" and "empty".

This is a sonic issue and can firstly be solved with the use of good listening ears, mainly by EQing the vocals and the use of other plug-in's should the producer/engineer decides to do so.


0:16 - 0:20
In the "Worst" version, you can notice 2 errors within this time bracket. Firstly, you can hear an unnecessary sound when he pronounces the "P" when the singer says "performance". Secondly, it sounds like the singer's voice has been chopped up and the original word sounds like "comfortably" however you don't hear that word at all in the "Goodish" version.

This is a sonic issue and sounds like the engineer of the track was carelessly dragging audio files in the right place without properly editing the files.


0:19 - 0:25
Comparing both tracks, in the "Goodish" version the singer is actually singing the lyrics as opposed to the "Worst" version where it sounds like he's either singing without effort or simply rehearsing the "foundation" of the song (so he can listen to it over and over so he can drill the lyrics in his head, making the recording of the actual song much easier for him).

This is a recording issue as this is affected by the singer's performances. Such an issue can be avoided next time by the performer rehearsing over and over and over again until he feels ready to record a take.


0:24 - 0:29
Once again comparing the tracks, the bass guitar is (most notably) quieter in the "Worst" track within this time region.

This is a sonic issue because it sounds the bass guitar is directly from a DAW and doesn't sound like a live bass guitar. This could be solved by simply turning up the volume of the bass guitar.


0:30 - 0:48
When you listen to both tracks carefully, there are subtle differences but you can tell in the "Worst" track that the vocals (lead & backing) aren't mixed as well.

This is a sonic issue and can be solved by using an EQ, however adjusting the volume can also allow the engineer to have more accuracy because some aspects of the lead vocals and backing vocals can overpower the other.


0:52 - 1:13
In the "Worst" track, the singer's voice sounds like it went through a filter which makes it sound very flat and "depressing" in comparison to the "Goodish" version.

This is a sonic issue and was probably caused by the engineer simply choosing the wrong button on the plug-in (which is most likely a filter plug-in)


1:36
Comparing both tracks, the singer in the "Worst" track, once again, sounds dull due to the mixing and this has proven to be a constant issue in this song.

This is a sonic and can be solved by, again, using an EQ on the vocals.


1:42
This part of the song specifically separates what makes this song sound like a single and a song from an album. On the "Worst" version, it has an abrupt end while on the "Goodish" version, you can hear the reverberation of the synthesizer which makes the song sound much more complete and professional and you can almost anticipate another song coming straight after it.

This is a sonic issue and can be solved by adding a longer reverb effect on the synthesizer towards the end.

Developing Music: Electro

Rhythm:
One technique I used to develop the rhythm of the piece is by replacing the role of a drum kit with my own voice and with the use of a Vocoder, I was able to adjust the pitch information which allowed me to make and develop my rhythmic ideas. By doing so, the rhythm develops throughout the song from a simple idea to a complex outcome.

Timbre:
Once again, by using my own voice (through a vocoder) as an instrument, it also allowed me to develop the timbre of the piece by changing the tone of my voice which gives each little sound (audio/recorded voice) their own unique character. For example, Vocoder Synth 2 works more like a bass while Vocoder Synth 3 sounds like a moth's/mosquito's wing with a feint synth lying underneath it.

Variation:
By chopping my recorded voice in different ways, creating  patterns and using different notes, this allowed me to get different sounds which I achieved by changing the pitch information throughout the track. By doing so, this allowed me to turn it into a progressive track which meant I didn't need to use the same idea over and over.

Being Self Employed & Earning Money

Being Self Employed & Earning Money


Self-employment


Definition:

To be self-employed is to be an owner of a business and to earn money by working for themselves as opposed to working for someone else as an employee.

Of course, there are pros and cons to being self-employed (like many other things), here are a few examples:


Pros:

*Be your own boss - No one can tell you what to do and you have the freedom to be as creative as you want and try out as many ideas as you desire.

*Choose your own hours - This is convenient as you can wrap work around your family life.

*Claim tax relief on things such as transport, advertisements, etc

*National Insurance costs less


Cons:

*A lack of free time - Since you own a business, it's going to keep on your toes.

*You'll work longer hours than most people.

*Cut down on holidays - If you take holidays, you miss out on money (same thing if you take a sick leave).

*Can't take a break from your work life as long as you're self-employed.

*You're responsible for any losses.



Why is it important that you have a professional approach within in the music industry?

If you want to be the best at what you do, then you need to carry yourself to the destination you desire to be at. Simply put, you cannot rely on others to hold your hand and take you there. The music industry these days isn't just about the music, it's also about the money now so artists (regardless of how good they are) also need to have a business sense if they are not only to rise to the top, but to also sustain themselves at the top.

This is related to being self-employed more than you think. As I said earlier, you cannot rely on anyone to hold your hand if you want to reach the top so you must take everything upon yourself and do everything. For example:

*Going to the studio yourself (self-employed) rather than someone calling you to go (employed).

*Keeping track of your own profits and expenses (self-employed) as opposed to someone else (namely an accountant) doing it for you (employed).

*Booking studio sessions, arranging your projects, picking out your own clothes (for gigs/tours/interviews/etc) (self-employed) instead of having people paid to do such things for you (employed).


The main difference between someone who rises to the top then tumbles down and someone who rises to the top and sustains their position is to treat yourself and your music as a business meaning something you can sell to the market/audience/etc, but most importantly, you must rely on yourself and be responsible for everything, much like people who are self-employed and own a business.



Tax


In 5 years, I'd like to be working in the music industry mainly as a recording artist and producer, however I'm also interested in being a studio engineer.

Below is a hypothetical income scenario


£100,000
- £10,000 (personal allowance)
= £90,000
- £31,865 (tax bracket for 40%)
= £58135 - 40%
= £23254 

20% of £31,865 = £6,371

£23254 + £6371 = £29,625 (tax)


This is only relevant to you if you don't have tax deductibles. Tax deduction is a legal reduction of income subject to tax. For example, items you purchase that's related to your business are tax deductible such as studio equipment (mics, mixers, headphones, etc), a wardrobe of clothes for live shows and TV appearances, etc.

You take the tax deductibles off the £90,000 because your personal allowance is £10,000. Otherwise you have to spend £90,000 towards things relevant to your work to not pay tax. 

You also need to keep it "realistic" if you earned £100,000 in the (relevant) year and claim a lot of it (for example, around 50% of it or more) is tax deductible, someone may get suspicious and decide to check things out (or send someone to do it). So to prove/back-up your claims, you need to keep track of your finances by keeping things like receipts, etc.

There is also "self-employment tax" and "employment tax". The difference between self employment tax and employment tax: No difference, they just have different names. Both taxes are paid to the Social Security Administration, however self-employment taxes are based off of how much the business (that you own) earned while employment taxes are based off of how much the employee earned from employment (with an employer).


Expenses




Definition:

This is money you spent within the tax year that is tax deductible and reduces tax income because the items you bought are directly related to your work/business/etc.


As you are working in the music industry, you can buy many items which can be classified as tax deductibles, such as:

*Computer/Laptop - This can be really helpful when you're in the music industry, such as producing on a DAW, writing lyrics and mastering tracks, etc.

*Speakers - Because you're going to need some good quality sound to listen to your own music when you're recording/mastering.

*Instruments - Composing, recording and performance purposes mainly.

*Music (Vinyl/CD/MP3) - You make music, and there's the saying "nothing's new under the sun" so

*Transport (such as cars/motorcycles/etc) - However only to an extent, as you can use it to go to places such as gigs. Think about it, you go to a gig to listen to music and that is directly related to your job.



Then there are various examples of what musicians/artists/performers buy which isn't exactly tax deductible, for example:

*Alcohol - Very infamous, especially in Hip-Hop as rappers who would get a major deal would buy many things and the vast majority of them buy alcohol, namely Ciroc.

*Clothing - For yourself to show off rather than clothes for gigs/interviews/etc.

*Booking a hotel room.

*Food/Drinks.