Q1) The three pedals you will find on a grand piano are sustaining, sostenuto and una corda. The sustaining pedal lifts all the dampers up allowing the note to last longer when a key is pressed and not held. The way sound is created on a piano is when a key is pressed on the piano the hammer hits the string and the string vibrates and it creates sound via the vibrations being made.
The sostenuto pedal is similar to the sustaining pedal. It only lifts the dampers on the center of the piano. This means when you press a middle C key on the piano without holding it the duration of the key being pressed will last longer. Whereas if you hit a higher octave C key the sound will stop instantly after you take you finger of the key. This means that if you want the duration of the note to last longer you will have to press and hold the key.
The una corda pedal shifts all the hammers to the right. Una corda means 'one string' in Italian. So what this means is when a key has been pressed with your foot is on the una corda pedal the hammer on the piano will hit one string only. This can give a lighter feel while pressing a key on the piano whereas if you press a key with your foot off the pedal it can sound much more heavy and deeper in tone.
Q2) Grand pianos are bigger and take up more space than a upright piano. The strings on a grand piano are longer than the strings on a upright piano. A grand piano is more expensive than an upright piano. The soundboard on a grand piano is laid horizontally whereas a upright piano's soundboard is laid vertically. A grand piano is much harder move around whereas a upright piano is easy to move around
Q3) The things you can control on a midi keyboard are volume, pitch and duration of the note that is being played. MIDI stand for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. This means that the midi keyboard only reads midi information. The midi keyboard doesn't have and sampled or synthesized sounds; It acts like a controller. What I mean by this is if someone was to record a rhythm on Logic Pro 9 he/she would find a good drum kit and then use the midi keyboard to create that rhythm. When a person is recording a melody or rhythm the velocities can vary depending on how hard of soft the keys are being pressed.
The duration of the note is another parameter a midi keyboard can handle. For instance chords or single notes can be played for a long or short duration depending on how a person feels about it. Notes in melodies are usually short and smooth. An example for this would be if I had and idea for a melody and chords I would select two good synths on Logic Pro 9 and then record it on Logic. If I wanted to look at the duration of the midi region I would look in the history section of Logic and this would enable me to look at how long the melody and chords have lasted for.
Q4) When someone is recording a melody on Logic he/she can make the duration of the melody or chord last longer using a portable sustaining pedal. The portable sustaining pedal will act like the sustaining pedal on a grand piano. It will make the duration of the notes last longer without pressing and holding the keys on the midi keyboard. This makes recording chords and melodies easier.
The portable sustaining pedal can do the same thing on an electronic keyboard as well. The pianist can plug the sustaining pedal in the electronic keyboard and he/she can play melodies and chords for longer without pressing and holding the keys as much. This can help with hands not getting cramped or stressed while playing the keyboard.
The midi and electronic keyboard are not acoustic instruments whereas a grand piano is an acoustic instrument. The midi and electronic keyboard don't have hammers, strings and dampers on them. The sounds that are on a electronic keyboard are either synthesized or sampled. A midi keyboard only reads information. This means that the midi keyboard does not hold any synthesized or sampled sounds. The sustaining pedal on the keyboard acts like an on/ off switch. So no matter how hard or soft your foot is on the pedal it will still sustain the notes you have played on the keyboard whereas using the sustaining pedal on a grand piano will enable you to have more control while playing.
Q5) Recording with a MIDI keyboard can be easier for a person if he/she is good at playing the piano. If not then he/she will have to use the pencil tool and piano roll to paste notes in. Sometimes recording melody can be a bit tricky for a person's ability. This means that the person creating the melody would have to create a MIDI region, open the piano roll and start pasting notes in with the pencil tool. This is one disadvantage of recording MIDI data. The reason for this is because it takes more time to create and also the person creating the melody will have to paste notes and change the legato of the notes if necessary. If a signed artist has been given an objective to create a remix within a week it is vital that he/she records the melodies, chords and rhythm using the MIDI keyboard rather then using the piano roll to paste notes.
Monday 9 December 2013
Tuesday 26 November 2013
How a piano works
How does a piano and keyboard work?
The way a piano works is you press a key on the piano, it then lifts a damper allowing the hammer to hit the string. This creates a sound via the vibrations coming from the string of the piano. A grand piano will have pedals whereas a keyboard will not have pedals. There are three pedals on a grand piano and they are:
The sustaining pedal
The sostenuto pedal
The una corda pedal
The sustaining pedal will lift all the dampers allowing you to play and key on the piano without pressing and holding the key. The pedal acts like a reverb. This means that when you press a key on the piano and step on the sustaining pedal the sound will still be heard for a longer amount of time.
The sostenuto pedal lifts a the dampers on the middle of the piano. This means that you can press any key on the middle section on the piano and it will create a reverb whereas if you wanted to press a key in the right section of the piano you will need to press and hold the key to get some reverb. The sostenuto pedal is very similar to the sustaining pedal. The sustaining pedal lifts all the dampers on the piano whereas the sostenuto pedal lifts only the dampers on the middle section of the piano.
The una corda pedal shifts the hammers a tiny bit to the right. This pedal can strike one string rather than all the strings while pressing the key on the piano. Una corda means one string in Italian. The unacorda pedal makes the sound of the piano lighter and smoother. This is what a una corda pedal does when you press a key on the piano.
Keyboards are very similar to pianos. A keyboard is an electronic instrument rather than a acoustic instrument. The keyboard will have different sounds and settings. This does include a grand piano sound. The way a keyboard work is you first plug a ac adapter into the socket of the keyboard and you plug the three pinned plug into a free socket. Once that is done you then power up the keyboard. Like a grand piano you press a key and make a sound via electronic pickups. The sounds from a keyboard could've been sampled or synthesized. Synthesis is when a sound is created and sampling is when a sound is recorded with a acoustic instrument.
If you want the key you pressed on the piano to last longer you can plug a portable pedal to the keyboard or if the keyboard has effect settings you can play about with settings until you find something that's suitable.
The way a piano works is you press a key on the piano, it then lifts a damper allowing the hammer to hit the string. This creates a sound via the vibrations coming from the string of the piano. A grand piano will have pedals whereas a keyboard will not have pedals. There are three pedals on a grand piano and they are:
The sustaining pedal
The sostenuto pedal
The una corda pedal
The sustaining pedal will lift all the dampers allowing you to play and key on the piano without pressing and holding the key. The pedal acts like a reverb. This means that when you press a key on the piano and step on the sustaining pedal the sound will still be heard for a longer amount of time.
The sostenuto pedal lifts a the dampers on the middle of the piano. This means that you can press any key on the middle section on the piano and it will create a reverb whereas if you wanted to press a key in the right section of the piano you will need to press and hold the key to get some reverb. The sostenuto pedal is very similar to the sustaining pedal. The sustaining pedal lifts all the dampers on the piano whereas the sostenuto pedal lifts only the dampers on the middle section of the piano.
The una corda pedal shifts the hammers a tiny bit to the right. This pedal can strike one string rather than all the strings while pressing the key on the piano. Una corda means one string in Italian. The unacorda pedal makes the sound of the piano lighter and smoother. This is what a una corda pedal does when you press a key on the piano.
Keyboards are very similar to pianos. A keyboard is an electronic instrument rather than a acoustic instrument. The keyboard will have different sounds and settings. This does include a grand piano sound. The way a keyboard work is you first plug a ac adapter into the socket of the keyboard and you plug the three pinned plug into a free socket. Once that is done you then power up the keyboard. Like a grand piano you press a key and make a sound via electronic pickups. The sounds from a keyboard could've been sampled or synthesized. Synthesis is when a sound is created and sampling is when a sound is recorded with a acoustic instrument.
If you want the key you pressed on the piano to last longer you can plug a portable pedal to the keyboard or if the keyboard has effect settings you can play about with settings until you find something that's suitable.
Friday 22 November 2013
Areas of the Music Industry
What do record companies do? - In the music industry record companies help out with the sales of the artist's records and promotion for the artist. Record companies also discuss charges for creating a debut album for the artist as well. If there are no record companies musicians wouldn't be able to make a career in music. Record companies are the main part of the music industry. The reason why record companies are the main part of the music industry is because they do all of the:
Promoting the artist's records
Advertising
Sales of the artist's records
Album creating
Record contracts for new upcoming musicians
Record companies are and will always be the main part of the music industry. If there were no record companies here today musicians wouldn't be able to share their work to the world. The way record companies get music out to the pubic is by advertising it first. Most artist and solo musicians have their own record labels. Music producers like Nicky Romero, Axwell and Afrojack have their own labels. These labels are independent labels because the artist owns the label. When a artist has been signed to a label it is the artist's major label.
What is artist management? - An artist manager is a very important key person to have when you are in the music industry.The reason why you will need a music manager is because he/she will help you with:
Gigs
Contracts
Studio time
Finding good deals
Negotiating costs for making a debut album with the record company
Getting heard more
In my opinion every musician should find a manager before he/she starts a career in the music industry. The reason why this would be best for a musician is because he/she will help get heard by more people and the A&R department in the record company will be very happy to sign you onto their label. It is important and essential that the manager has very good skills like:
Being punctual
Well presented
Respectful
Serious
Loyal
No musician would want a manager who is disrespectful, not serious, not well presented and not loyal. This would be a waste of the musician's time and the music industry's time as well. The artist manager usually gets 15-20% of the artist's earnings. The artist manager wants the best for the artist, so the more the artist manager works the better it will be for the artist and the artist's manager.
What is music publishing? - Publishing is the final process of getting the music out to the public. The songwriter will have signed a contract for a publishing deal. Once that is done the music publisher does all the copyright for the songwriter's work. The publisher would use the songwriter's work for films, advertisements, etc. This is a good way for people to listen to the artist's music and it is also a good way to advertise the artist's new music material.
Publishing companies such as EMI, arthouse entertainment, bluewater music, etc are all the companies that publish the artist or band's music to the people. Once a artist or band has produced, mixed and mastered a full track it gets sent of to the publishing company and the publishing company releases the music out to the people. This is how a artist or band gets their new records out to the people.
What is live performance? - Live performance is when a solo musician or band performs live on stage to a massive crowd of people. Before a band or solo musician can perform the band or musician will need to know:
What songs to perform (DJ + backing tracks may be needed)
How long the show lasts
What day, time and venue
What time sound checking and last minute rehearsals start at
What equipment to bring
Who is the target audience
If a solo musician doesn't know all these things the performance will not be successful, the crowd will be let down and most of all it makes the solo musician or band look like idiots. So it is essential that a solo musician or band knows all these things. However if a solo musician or band knows all these things it will make the performance a success. Not only will the crowd have a good time but the band or solo musician will be very happy because he/she knew and understood what to do to make the performance a major success.
The fans come to watch live performances because they want to have a good time and enjoy themselves. This is why every musician needs to know what to do before he/she performs live. This shows that the solo musician or band is serious about performing live and this shows what they need to do before the band or solo musician gets the chance to perform.
Promoting the artist's records
Advertising
Sales of the artist's records
Album creating
Record contracts for new upcoming musicians
Record companies are and will always be the main part of the music industry. If there were no record companies here today musicians wouldn't be able to share their work to the world. The way record companies get music out to the pubic is by advertising it first. Most artist and solo musicians have their own record labels. Music producers like Nicky Romero, Axwell and Afrojack have their own labels. These labels are independent labels because the artist owns the label. When a artist has been signed to a label it is the artist's major label.
What is artist management? - An artist manager is a very important key person to have when you are in the music industry.The reason why you will need a music manager is because he/she will help you with:
Gigs
Contracts
Studio time
Finding good deals
Negotiating costs for making a debut album with the record company
Getting heard more
In my opinion every musician should find a manager before he/she starts a career in the music industry. The reason why this would be best for a musician is because he/she will help get heard by more people and the A&R department in the record company will be very happy to sign you onto their label. It is important and essential that the manager has very good skills like:
Being punctual
Well presented
Respectful
Serious
Loyal
No musician would want a manager who is disrespectful, not serious, not well presented and not loyal. This would be a waste of the musician's time and the music industry's time as well. The artist manager usually gets 15-20% of the artist's earnings. The artist manager wants the best for the artist, so the more the artist manager works the better it will be for the artist and the artist's manager.
What is music publishing? - Publishing is the final process of getting the music out to the public. The songwriter will have signed a contract for a publishing deal. Once that is done the music publisher does all the copyright for the songwriter's work. The publisher would use the songwriter's work for films, advertisements, etc. This is a good way for people to listen to the artist's music and it is also a good way to advertise the artist's new music material.
Publishing companies such as EMI, arthouse entertainment, bluewater music, etc are all the companies that publish the artist or band's music to the people. Once a artist or band has produced, mixed and mastered a full track it gets sent of to the publishing company and the publishing company releases the music out to the people. This is how a artist or band gets their new records out to the people.
What is live performance? - Live performance is when a solo musician or band performs live on stage to a massive crowd of people. Before a band or solo musician can perform the band or musician will need to know:
What songs to perform (DJ + backing tracks may be needed)
How long the show lasts
What day, time and venue
What time sound checking and last minute rehearsals start at
What equipment to bring
Who is the target audience
If a solo musician doesn't know all these things the performance will not be successful, the crowd will be let down and most of all it makes the solo musician or band look like idiots. So it is essential that a solo musician or band knows all these things. However if a solo musician or band knows all these things it will make the performance a success. Not only will the crowd have a good time but the band or solo musician will be very happy because he/she knew and understood what to do to make the performance a major success.
The fans come to watch live performances because they want to have a good time and enjoy themselves. This is why every musician needs to know what to do before he/she performs live. This shows that the solo musician or band is serious about performing live and this shows what they need to do before the band or solo musician gets the chance to perform.
Tuesday 12 November 2013
1st Recording assignment
In last tuesday's studio class I helped out with setting the microphones up and rigging them up into logic. Before I could start recording I had to change the output settings on the logic project and I ensure the instruments were heard in the live room. I also managed to rig up the microphone mixer into logic as well. I had to make sure that the that I could hear the click track that was coming from logic as well. We used the Audix D6 microphone and the SM57 microphone to record the piano and drums.
Once all of that was done we were ready to record. I was in the main room and I communicated with Liam and Kipras via the mixing desk mic. The reason I did this is because I wanted to let them know whether they could hear everything in their headphones, furthermore I told them that I was ready to record the instruments. Once they were both ready I said 'Go', pressed record and they played.
Once the recording was finished I stopped the recording. Me, Kipras, Liam and Artur listened to the recording and it was a fairly good job. There were some parts of the song that were out of time but overall it was a good start. The instruments that were recorded were drums and piano.
Once the lesson finished we saved the project, put the mixer back to it's original setting and put all the equipment back to where it came from.
In today's studio class we rigged up the microphones to record bass and synth. We used the rode microphone and the SM57 microphone to record these instruments. Once we rigged up all the microphones to the amps of the synth. We used the synth for bass and melody. After the microphones were rigged up I plugged the leads into the box that lead into the mixer in the live room. We also had to rig up the headphone mixer so that the whoever was playing an instrument can hear the click track coming from logic.
Once everything was rigged up I was ready to record Liam and Kipras. Liam was playing synth and Kipras was playing bass. I communicated with Liam and Kipras letting them know I was ready for recording. When I said go I pressed the record button and they started to play. Once I stopped the recording I told both of them to come back into the main room so that me and the rest of my group could listen back to what was recorded. The recording was not as good as we hoped it would be but there is always room for improvement.
It was coming to the end of the lesson, so I had to restore the mixer back to it's original setting and I also had to put the mics and mic stands back to there original places. We saved the project and gave a copy of it to grant so that he can mark it and then give us feedback on how me, Liam, Artur and Kipras.
Once all of that was done we were ready to record. I was in the main room and I communicated with Liam and Kipras via the mixing desk mic. The reason I did this is because I wanted to let them know whether they could hear everything in their headphones, furthermore I told them that I was ready to record the instruments. Once they were both ready I said 'Go', pressed record and they played.
Once the recording was finished I stopped the recording. Me, Kipras, Liam and Artur listened to the recording and it was a fairly good job. There were some parts of the song that were out of time but overall it was a good start. The instruments that were recorded were drums and piano.
Once the lesson finished we saved the project, put the mixer back to it's original setting and put all the equipment back to where it came from.
In today's studio class we rigged up the microphones to record bass and synth. We used the rode microphone and the SM57 microphone to record these instruments. Once we rigged up all the microphones to the amps of the synth. We used the synth for bass and melody. After the microphones were rigged up I plugged the leads into the box that lead into the mixer in the live room. We also had to rig up the headphone mixer so that the whoever was playing an instrument can hear the click track coming from logic.
Once everything was rigged up I was ready to record Liam and Kipras. Liam was playing synth and Kipras was playing bass. I communicated with Liam and Kipras letting them know I was ready for recording. When I said go I pressed the record button and they started to play. Once I stopped the recording I told both of them to come back into the main room so that me and the rest of my group could listen back to what was recorded. The recording was not as good as we hoped it would be but there is always room for improvement.
It was coming to the end of the lesson, so I had to restore the mixer back to it's original setting and I also had to put the mics and mic stands back to there original places. We saved the project and gave a copy of it to grant so that he can mark it and then give us feedback on how me, Liam, Artur and Kipras.
Monday 11 November 2013
Hear and Identify
Negatives about the song
In the 'worse version' song I could hear a tiny bit of popping at 0:16, 0:19 and 0:23 seconds, plus the panning of the drums, vocals and piano at are not balanced during most of the song. It is mostly panned to the right. The reason for these errors could be that the mic used to record the vocals is faulty, plosive consonants like p,b, and m could've caused a blast of air into the, plus the panning might have not been balanced properly during the final mix. I would fix this problem by replacing the faulty with a better mic that has a popping shield, then I would test the mic for any faults and if the mic functions properly I can ask the singer to re record his vocals again. During the final mix I will look at the dB meters to check whether an instrument has been panned to the center. If not I will change the panning to it's appropriate setting. The reason why I would do all this is because I want to make the music better, clearer and sharper for the listener.
At 0:53 seconds the vocals sound very muffled and barely hard to hear. The reason for this being could be that the effects used for the vocals are very bad, the mic could be a dynamic mic or the mic could be faulty. To solve this problem I would replace a faulty or dynamic mic with a good high quality condenser mic. The reason why I would do this is because condenser mics are used for recording audio sound whereas dynamic mics are used to record live sound. To check for any fatigue in the mic I would test it first by recording myself talking normally. I would then play the recorded audio and if me and the singer are happy with it I would re record the singer again.
At 0:21 seconds I notice that the vocals are out of time. What I mean by that is the vocals are of beat. I also notice at 0:47 seconds that the kick drum is taken out when it's supposed to be playing throughout the whole song. I think the reason for these faults happening could be that the drummer and singer are not paying attention to their parts or they haven't rehearsed their parts properly. I would strongly recommend that every musician rehearses their parts well before recording it, this will make recording easier, faster and better. If the instrument data is midi I can add a few extra kick drums. If it's audio I can chop the audio up, remove the sections that are not needed and replace them with the parts that are needed. Doing all of this will benefit the song better because you are making edits to the errors that the vocalist or instrumentalist has made.
At 0:03 seconds I can hear the singer cough. When you a singer/rapper is about to record it is essential that the singer/rapper is ready. The reason why the singer coughed is because he needed too clear his voice or maybe he had a cough recently. The way it could have been prevented I would recommend that singer or rapper clears his/her voice before he/she starts recording. If the singer/rapper has had a cough recently it would be very essential for him/her to drink plenty of water to make it stop for a bit or take medicine if it persists. If the recording artist is too ill to record then he/she should arrange a different day to record.
This will prevent any unnecessary mistakes while recording.
At 0:18 seconds I hear the word 'competently'. This word is not meant to be there. After the word 'performance' in the 'goodish version' song it's meant to say 'with a degree of independence'. Perhaps this occurred because the singer wanted to make changes to the lyrics or the singer didn't rehearse his lines properly. If a vocalist wants to change his/her lyrics he/she would need to practice his/her lyrics to see whether it fits in with the music. If so then he/she can record the vocals again. If not then he/she has to stick with lyrics that were already written.
At 0:30 seconds the backing vocals are flat and louder than the other instruments. In every song every element has to be sharp, clean and adequate. This is what makes the song sound professional and perfect for the listener. The reason why the backing vocals are flat and louder than the other instruments could be that the singer hasn't listened to what key the song is in and the dB meter on the adlibs could be peaking. What I would strongly recommend to the singer is listen to the song carefully and know what key it's in. If I was mixing the song and I noticed the vocals were louder than all the other instruments I would look at the dB meter and reduce the volume until it's at 0dB.
At the beginning of the song the piano doesn't have much or no reverb. In the 'goodish version' the piano does have reverb. I can hardly hear any reverb in the piano, this means the piano is dry. Perhaps the reason for this error is because the reverb could've been bypassed by mistake, not enough reverb or not sustain on the piano. The way I would go about fixing this error is by looking at the recording to see whether it's a audio or midi recording. If the piano is an audio recording I would tell the pianist to re record the piano again and I would tell him to use the sustaining or sostenuto pedal on the piano because these 2 pedals lift the dampers on the piano and allow the sound to last longer. If the piano is midi I would add a reverb vst and I would adjust how much reverb there should be on the piano. By doing these things this will not only make the piano better but it will make the song itself so much better for the listener because I am making edits to certain errors or faults.
Positives about the song
In the 'goodish version' everything sounds clear, fluent and in time. All the instruments are in time and in the same key and the vocals are in tune, clear to hear and in time with the song. The mixing of the song is good because nothing is too loud or too quiet. The volume levels are equal and the panning is balance to the center. This is how every song is meant to sound like for the listener that is listening to song.
What to do when a song is not fully finished, mixed and mastered?
Maybe the reason for all these errors happening in the 'worse version' song could be that the mic that is being used to record song is not good quality, the final mix of the song is poor and needs lots of editing and the project itself is not fully completed. The way I would make the recording of this song better is by replacing the microphone with a better quality one that will make the vocals sharp and I ask the artist to re-do the vocals for the song.
Once that is done I will ensure that the final mix of the song is immaculate and flawless. First I will ensure that the dB on all the instruments are at 0dB, finally I will look at the panning levels to see if there's anything wrong with them. If so I will change them to a balanced position. If I do all of this the song will be so much better and so much clearer for the listener to listen to.
In the 'worse version' song I could hear a tiny bit of popping at 0:16, 0:19 and 0:23 seconds, plus the panning of the drums, vocals and piano at are not balanced during most of the song. It is mostly panned to the right. The reason for these errors could be that the mic used to record the vocals is faulty, plosive consonants like p,b, and m could've caused a blast of air into the, plus the panning might have not been balanced properly during the final mix. I would fix this problem by replacing the faulty with a better mic that has a popping shield, then I would test the mic for any faults and if the mic functions properly I can ask the singer to re record his vocals again. During the final mix I will look at the dB meters to check whether an instrument has been panned to the center. If not I will change the panning to it's appropriate setting. The reason why I would do all this is because I want to make the music better, clearer and sharper for the listener.
At 0:53 seconds the vocals sound very muffled and barely hard to hear. The reason for this being could be that the effects used for the vocals are very bad, the mic could be a dynamic mic or the mic could be faulty. To solve this problem I would replace a faulty or dynamic mic with a good high quality condenser mic. The reason why I would do this is because condenser mics are used for recording audio sound whereas dynamic mics are used to record live sound. To check for any fatigue in the mic I would test it first by recording myself talking normally. I would then play the recorded audio and if me and the singer are happy with it I would re record the singer again.
At 0:21 seconds I notice that the vocals are out of time. What I mean by that is the vocals are of beat. I also notice at 0:47 seconds that the kick drum is taken out when it's supposed to be playing throughout the whole song. I think the reason for these faults happening could be that the drummer and singer are not paying attention to their parts or they haven't rehearsed their parts properly. I would strongly recommend that every musician rehearses their parts well before recording it, this will make recording easier, faster and better. If the instrument data is midi I can add a few extra kick drums. If it's audio I can chop the audio up, remove the sections that are not needed and replace them with the parts that are needed. Doing all of this will benefit the song better because you are making edits to the errors that the vocalist or instrumentalist has made.
At 0:03 seconds I can hear the singer cough. When you a singer/rapper is about to record it is essential that the singer/rapper is ready. The reason why the singer coughed is because he needed too clear his voice or maybe he had a cough recently. The way it could have been prevented I would recommend that singer or rapper clears his/her voice before he/she starts recording. If the singer/rapper has had a cough recently it would be very essential for him/her to drink plenty of water to make it stop for a bit or take medicine if it persists. If the recording artist is too ill to record then he/she should arrange a different day to record.
This will prevent any unnecessary mistakes while recording.
At 0:18 seconds I hear the word 'competently'. This word is not meant to be there. After the word 'performance' in the 'goodish version' song it's meant to say 'with a degree of independence'. Perhaps this occurred because the singer wanted to make changes to the lyrics or the singer didn't rehearse his lines properly. If a vocalist wants to change his/her lyrics he/she would need to practice his/her lyrics to see whether it fits in with the music. If so then he/she can record the vocals again. If not then he/she has to stick with lyrics that were already written.
At 0:30 seconds the backing vocals are flat and louder than the other instruments. In every song every element has to be sharp, clean and adequate. This is what makes the song sound professional and perfect for the listener. The reason why the backing vocals are flat and louder than the other instruments could be that the singer hasn't listened to what key the song is in and the dB meter on the adlibs could be peaking. What I would strongly recommend to the singer is listen to the song carefully and know what key it's in. If I was mixing the song and I noticed the vocals were louder than all the other instruments I would look at the dB meter and reduce the volume until it's at 0dB.
At the beginning of the song the piano doesn't have much or no reverb. In the 'goodish version' the piano does have reverb. I can hardly hear any reverb in the piano, this means the piano is dry. Perhaps the reason for this error is because the reverb could've been bypassed by mistake, not enough reverb or not sustain on the piano. The way I would go about fixing this error is by looking at the recording to see whether it's a audio or midi recording. If the piano is an audio recording I would tell the pianist to re record the piano again and I would tell him to use the sustaining or sostenuto pedal on the piano because these 2 pedals lift the dampers on the piano and allow the sound to last longer. If the piano is midi I would add a reverb vst and I would adjust how much reverb there should be on the piano. By doing these things this will not only make the piano better but it will make the song itself so much better for the listener because I am making edits to certain errors or faults.
Positives about the song
In the 'goodish version' everything sounds clear, fluent and in time. All the instruments are in time and in the same key and the vocals are in tune, clear to hear and in time with the song. The mixing of the song is good because nothing is too loud or too quiet. The volume levels are equal and the panning is balance to the center. This is how every song is meant to sound like for the listener that is listening to song.
What to do when a song is not fully finished, mixed and mastered?
Maybe the reason for all these errors happening in the 'worse version' song could be that the mic that is being used to record song is not good quality, the final mix of the song is poor and needs lots of editing and the project itself is not fully completed. The way I would make the recording of this song better is by replacing the microphone with a better quality one that will make the vocals sharp and I ask the artist to re-do the vocals for the song.
Once that is done I will ensure that the final mix of the song is immaculate and flawless. First I will ensure that the dB on all the instruments are at 0dB, finally I will look at the panning levels to see if there's anything wrong with them. If so I will change them to a balanced position. If I do all of this the song will be so much better and so much clearer for the listener to listen to.
Saturday 9 November 2013
Marketing Yourself
My chosen professions are being a music producer and DJ. In order for me to get my chosen professions I would need to market myself first. I can use Soundcloud and Youtube to upload my instrumentals and live sets, I can share them on my music facebook page and twitter so that I can get more people to listen to my stuff and get recognized more. I can create business cards for people to contact me about any music inquiries such as touring, performing live, etc. I can use Itunes and Beatport to sell my music on and I can get someone to create fliers for me. This will help me make money for my music and promote me with any live events that I will be performing at.
With all these things listed above it will help to get recognized more and more because I am marketing myself and my music. It is essential that a musician has all these marketing materials or otherwise they will not be able to get recognized. However I will need qualifications and experience as well. I will need qualifications in music technology and production, sound engineering, English and maths. These things are vital to have because if I or a future musician does not have any of these things it will be difficult for the person to get a job in the music industry. If I or a future musician has good qualifications and plenty of experience he/she can put all the details on his/her CV and it will be easier for him/her to get a job in the music industry.
I will also need to have previous experience. This includes producing music in the past, playing live as a DJ and knowing what a sound engineer is and what they do. I will need to be organised as well. For example if I have been accepted to DJ live at the O2 arena I will need to know:
What genres of music is going to be played
How long the set is going to be
What time I have to be there
What equipment I will need
When the date of the event is
Backing tracks for singers/rappers
If I have all these things listed it will make it easier for me to make the event go according to plan and the event will be a major success, everyone will have a good time and more events like this will be hosted more and more and the host would very happy for me to perform live again.
With all these things listed above it will help to get recognized more and more because I am marketing myself and my music. It is essential that a musician has all these marketing materials or otherwise they will not be able to get recognized. However I will need qualifications and experience as well. I will need qualifications in music technology and production, sound engineering, English and maths. These things are vital to have because if I or a future musician does not have any of these things it will be difficult for the person to get a job in the music industry. If I or a future musician has good qualifications and plenty of experience he/she can put all the details on his/her CV and it will be easier for him/her to get a job in the music industry.
I will also need to have previous experience. This includes producing music in the past, playing live as a DJ and knowing what a sound engineer is and what they do. I will need to be organised as well. For example if I have been accepted to DJ live at the O2 arena I will need to know:
What genres of music is going to be played
How long the set is going to be
What time I have to be there
What equipment I will need
When the date of the event is
Backing tracks for singers/rappers
If I have all these things listed it will make it easier for me to make the event go according to plan and the event will be a major success, everyone will have a good time and more events like this will be hosted more and more and the host would very happy for me to perform live again.
Job Role
In a few years time I want to become a music producer for musicians and become a live DJ. The way I can earn this is by completing BTEC level 3 music production course. I can social network with other people who are musicians who willing to hear my music and see what I can do to make more people hear it or make it better. They way I can get myself heard is by sharing my music via twitter. facebook, soundcloud, BBC introducing, etc.
They way I can get myself DJ'ing at live events is by performing in small places first e.g. weddings, parties, night clubs, etc. This can help me build my experience and it will me be prepared for bigger events. The music genres I like to play on my DJ sets are electro house, progressive house and dance.
If I want to make instrumentals for singers and rappers I would need to have contacts to communicate with them and discuss what's good for them and what genre (s) they want me to produce. I will also need plenty of experience in sound engineering and music production. This will benefit me to mix and master my own tracks. When I have produced, mixed and mastered the instrumental and I can e-mail a demo of it to the artist and see what they like about it and what I can do to improve it.
A music producer mainly works in the studio but if the music producer does DJ'ing as well he/she can also work in the radio station, clubs, live concerts, etc. If people are looking to go to a live event to listen to music like electro house, dance, progressive house those types of DJs are likely to be found mainly in big venues e.g. O2 arena, Hackney, Ibiza, etc.
I like electronic music such as electro house, progressive house and dance. So if I wanted to perform this music I would perform it live. This music is mainly played in big arenas because there are a lot people there waiting to be entertained. But before I can do that I would need to start performing in small places first because this will help me get more experience and I will be able to recognized more as a DJ.
Back in the old days finished music would be burned into a 12 inch vinyl. People would mainly buy vinyls in the shops because that's where you would buy them mostly. In today's world music would be exported into WAV or MP3 files and they would be burned into cds to create albums. You would buy albums in shops like HMV, Sainsbury's, Tesco, etc. There is also online shopping in today's world where people can buy digital albums or singles. Online shops like spotify, itunes, beatport are the most likely places to buy singles and albums.
As a DJ I would carry burnt CDs with music on them, purchased albums or carry a USB stick that has music WAVs or MP3s. In the old days DJs would use vinyl turntables and vinyl records to DJ on. In today's world DJs now use CDJs where you can put CDs instead of vinyls. They can carry a laptop with them so that they can put there USB stick in and load music from there.
If a music producer has worked as a sound engineer before it should be easy for him/her to master there own music. Sometimes they can ask a mastering engineer to help out or master the song for them. Charges can be involved sometimes so it is essential that the producer and mastering engineer discuss a reasonable price.
Before mastering music it is essential that the music is perfectly mixed. This means that all the instruments must not be overlapping each other. Once that is done it can be bounced into a MP3 or WAV file and it can go to the mastering engineer ready for mastering. Music can be mastered by using EQs, limiters, compressors and multibands. All of these plugins are great for making a song sound perfect and sharp. However it is essential that the dB limiter is at 0 dB. This shows it is not clipping.
Once this is done it can be bounced as a MP3 or WAV and it can be sent back to the artist/producer. Once the artist/producer has heard it and is satisfied with it he/she will pay the money that is required for the mastering. If he/she is not satisfied then he/she will not pay the money until the job is done properly.
They way I can get myself DJ'ing at live events is by performing in small places first e.g. weddings, parties, night clubs, etc. This can help me build my experience and it will me be prepared for bigger events. The music genres I like to play on my DJ sets are electro house, progressive house and dance.
If I want to make instrumentals for singers and rappers I would need to have contacts to communicate with them and discuss what's good for them and what genre (s) they want me to produce. I will also need plenty of experience in sound engineering and music production. This will benefit me to mix and master my own tracks. When I have produced, mixed and mastered the instrumental and I can e-mail a demo of it to the artist and see what they like about it and what I can do to improve it.
A music producer mainly works in the studio but if the music producer does DJ'ing as well he/she can also work in the radio station, clubs, live concerts, etc. If people are looking to go to a live event to listen to music like electro house, dance, progressive house those types of DJs are likely to be found mainly in big venues e.g. O2 arena, Hackney, Ibiza, etc.
I like electronic music such as electro house, progressive house and dance. So if I wanted to perform this music I would perform it live. This music is mainly played in big arenas because there are a lot people there waiting to be entertained. But before I can do that I would need to start performing in small places first because this will help me get more experience and I will be able to recognized more as a DJ.
Back in the old days finished music would be burned into a 12 inch vinyl. People would mainly buy vinyls in the shops because that's where you would buy them mostly. In today's world music would be exported into WAV or MP3 files and they would be burned into cds to create albums. You would buy albums in shops like HMV, Sainsbury's, Tesco, etc. There is also online shopping in today's world where people can buy digital albums or singles. Online shops like spotify, itunes, beatport are the most likely places to buy singles and albums.
As a DJ I would carry burnt CDs with music on them, purchased albums or carry a USB stick that has music WAVs or MP3s. In the old days DJs would use vinyl turntables and vinyl records to DJ on. In today's world DJs now use CDJs where you can put CDs instead of vinyls. They can carry a laptop with them so that they can put there USB stick in and load music from there.
If a music producer has worked as a sound engineer before it should be easy for him/her to master there own music. Sometimes they can ask a mastering engineer to help out or master the song for them. Charges can be involved sometimes so it is essential that the producer and mastering engineer discuss a reasonable price.
Before mastering music it is essential that the music is perfectly mixed. This means that all the instruments must not be overlapping each other. Once that is done it can be bounced into a MP3 or WAV file and it can go to the mastering engineer ready for mastering. Music can be mastered by using EQs, limiters, compressors and multibands. All of these plugins are great for making a song sound perfect and sharp. However it is essential that the dB limiter is at 0 dB. This shows it is not clipping.
Once this is done it can be bounced as a MP3 or WAV and it can be sent back to the artist/producer. Once the artist/producer has heard it and is satisfied with it he/she will pay the money that is required for the mastering. If he/she is not satisfied then he/she will not pay the money until the job is done properly.
Friday 8 November 2013
Half Term Aural Test
In the song 'Life in a glass house' the instruments that are being used in this song are piano, drums, horns and clarinet. The piano is playing the melody, the drums are playing the rhythm and the horns and clarinet are playing are playing along to the piano and playing mostly in the choruses. At the start of the song there are some synth like sounds and a little bit of percussion. The song is playing in a minor key. The piano is playing throughout the whole song without stopping once.
Tuesday 5 November 2013
My SMART Target
The lesson I am finding difficult about college is the theory/keyboards lesson. The reason why I am finding this hard is because I have difficulty read sheet music and playing scales using the correct fingering. The way I can improve on playing scales is by practising the scales with my non-useable hand using the correct fingering and then I can start practising with both hands. This will help me get better at my keyboard playing. The way I can improve on reading sheet music is by buying grade books for reading sheet music and understanding which notes are which. This will help with reading music in lesson and doing the worksheets based on them. All of this will help me achieve merits and distinctions in theory class.
Tuesday 22 October 2013
The History Of DJ Equipment
In the last few decades DJ'ing has become a very popular thing in the music industry. DJ means Disc Jockey, the DJ's role is to not only mix track together or play on the radio but to keep the crowd entertained and dancing throughout the set. The places you are likely to find DJs in are night clubs, concerts, discos, radio stations, etc. When a DJ is playing live it is crucial that he/she keeps the crowd entertained or otherwise people will hate it and they would leave the venue where the DJ is performing.
Grand Wizard Theodore was the first DJ ever to have invented scratching. When he was a boy he went home from school and he practice his DJ'ing. He remembered his mum coming into his room telling him to keep the music down or otherwise she would cut it off. He was moving the record back and forth as his mum was warning him to keep the music down. As her mum he felt that moving the record back and forth was a new skill to practice. So what he did was he practiced for a few weeks with different kinds of records. After he got the hang of scratching on the decks he hosted a party and that is when he introduced scratching to the scene. Scratching with vinyl records can sometimes damaged the grooves in the vinyl and the needle on the arm of the turntable. I learned this from watching the film 'Scratch' in my DJ classes.
As you can see here he using analog DJ equipment and is not using headphones which is what a professional DJ would do when he/she is mixing. He is then changing his records quite frequently, he also finds his Que points with the sticky tape he placed on the records. Also you can notice he is doing a lot of scratching, he is also using the cross fader as he is scratching. Maybe the reason why he is doing all of this is because he wants to keep the audience entertained rather then just show his skills off.
Here is a video of him using digital DJ equipment:
As you can see in this video he is using digital DJ equipment and is still not using headphones. This could mean that he knows what he is doing, where he's set his cue points what and tempos the songs are at. He is also using a effects machine to create additional effects to his mix. You can also notice he is using a laptop with traktor and vinyl controllers. In this video he uses the cross fade and volume fader more than in the other video plus he uses his hands at a very fast speed on the vinyl controllers. What you have seen in these two videos shows that DJ Craze has had a lot of DJ experience and is the most successful DJ ever.
In my opinion as a DJ I would use digital DJ equipment with headphones. The reason for this is because digital equipment is much easier plus headphones make twice as easy when mixing. Seeing as how I don't have much experience as a DJ it would not be a good idea to mix without headphones whereas this could lead to a disaster. Analog and digital DJ equipment are the best but most DJs around the globe are more into using digital DJ equipment rather analog DJ equipment but it wouldn't kill for me to have a go on analog DJ equipment as well.
Bibliography
Pray, D, 30th August 2002, Ridgeway Entertainment, Scratch (Hip-hop.documentary)
DJ, Craze, 1999, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nbJfSLxy1U
DJ, Craze, 19th Jan 2012, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vchsYXCdHA
Vinyl records image: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Lifeandhealth/Pix/pictures/2010/1/25/1264438064596/Three-vinyl-records-one-b-001.jpg
Numark M101 mixer: http://images.thomann.de/pics/prod/262929.jpg
The types of DJ equipment you would find are digital and analog. Analog DJ equipment would use turntables, vinyl records, frequency and gain knobs, headphones and a mixer. The way a vinyl record would work is the DJ would place it onto the turntable platter, place the needle onto the grooves of the record, press play and the platter will rotate and the grooves will make the music travel through the needle and into the speakers via electrical signals. An analog turntable has a pitch fader, speed buttons, on/off switch, play/stop button and a tone-arm.
The mixer is used to control the gain, lo-mid, hi-mid and mid frequencies. Digital DJ equipment would use decks, CDJs, laptop, serato, vinyl controller, frequency and gain knobs, effects, headphones and a mixer. A DJ can have a USB stick with music on it, he/she plug it into his/her laptop and he can drag the song onto a turntable of his/her choice or he/she can have a burnt CD with music on it and put it in the CDJ. When a DJ uses digital equipment it makes it easier to find his/her cue points on the record he/she is about to play or mix in. Here are some examples of some analog and digital DJ equipment:
The traktor s4 controller is a piece of digital DJ equipment and the vinyl records, the numark M101 mixer and the technics vinyl turntable are pieces of analog DJ equipment. The difference between the these pieces of equipment is analog equipment doesn't show bpm, it doesn't have any effects, sync buttons, loop buttons an it doesn't show where your cue points are. This made DJ'ing much more harder for DJs back then. In today's world digital DJ equipment is the most popular equipment used by very famous DJs.
The mixer is used to control the gain, lo-mid, hi-mid and mid frequencies. Digital DJ equipment would use decks, CDJs, laptop, serato, vinyl controller, frequency and gain knobs, effects, headphones and a mixer. A DJ can have a USB stick with music on it, he/she plug it into his/her laptop and he can drag the song onto a turntable of his/her choice or he/she can have a burnt CD with music on it and put it in the CDJ. When a DJ uses digital equipment it makes it easier to find his/her cue points on the record he/she is about to play or mix in. Here are some examples of some analog and digital DJ equipment:
The traktor s4 controller is a piece of digital DJ equipment and the vinyl records, the numark M101 mixer and the technics vinyl turntable are pieces of analog DJ equipment. The difference between the these pieces of equipment is analog equipment doesn't show bpm, it doesn't have any effects, sync buttons, loop buttons an it doesn't show where your cue points are. This made DJ'ing much more harder for DJs back then. In today's world digital DJ equipment is the most popular equipment used by very famous DJs.
Grand Wizard Theodore was the first DJ ever to have invented scratching. When he was a boy he went home from school and he practice his DJ'ing. He remembered his mum coming into his room telling him to keep the music down or otherwise she would cut it off. He was moving the record back and forth as his mum was warning him to keep the music down. As her mum he felt that moving the record back and forth was a new skill to practice. So what he did was he practiced for a few weeks with different kinds of records. After he got the hang of scratching on the decks he hosted a party and that is when he introduced scratching to the scene. Scratching with vinyl records can sometimes damaged the grooves in the vinyl and the needle on the arm of the turntable. I learned this from watching the film 'Scratch' in my DJ classes.
Cue points is another good technique a DJ can use when he/she is mixing. On analog DJ equipment it would be hard to find your cue points. DJ Craze would use sticky tape to mark his cue making it easier for him to mix. Digital DJ equipment is much easier and much faster to create your own cue points. The record shows the whole waveform and you can easily put a certain amount of cue points on the record. On the traktor software you can 1-5 cue points on the left deck and 6-0 cue points on the right deck.
The mixer is used to create tension, build up and awe for the audience. There are three frequencies on the mixer and they are called HI, MID and LOW. The LOW frequency cuts the bass off. The bass is what makes the audience dance, feel energetic and go insane. This frequency can be used to take the bass out of one track and when the timing is right the DJ can drop the bass from the second track. This is what keeps the audience going. The MID frequency filters most of the instruments and vocals but you the audience will still hear the bass pumping through the speakers. This frequency can be used to filter another track in while the other track is about to come to an end. This creates more of an atmosphere and awe for the audience. The HI frequency is similar to the MID frequency. It filters the instruments but not as much as the MID frequency does. The audience will still be able to hear some of the instruments (Including the bass) and vocals. This is another way a DJ can drop tracks in and out and also getting the audience going.
The mixer is used to create tension, build up and awe for the audience. There are three frequencies on the mixer and they are called HI, MID and LOW. The LOW frequency cuts the bass off. The bass is what makes the audience dance, feel energetic and go insane. This frequency can be used to take the bass out of one track and when the timing is right the DJ can drop the bass from the second track. This is what keeps the audience going. The MID frequency filters most of the instruments and vocals but you the audience will still hear the bass pumping through the speakers. This frequency can be used to filter another track in while the other track is about to come to an end. This creates more of an atmosphere and awe for the audience. The HI frequency is similar to the MID frequency. It filters the instruments but not as much as the MID frequency does. The audience will still be able to hear some of the instruments (Including the bass) and vocals. This is another way a DJ can drop tracks in and out and also getting the audience going.
Beat matching is essential when mixing two records together. When a DJ is about to drop the next record in he/she would use the pitch fader to sync the bpm that is same with the record that is playing. After he/she has done that they would find the right time to drop the next track in. When analog DJ equipment was used DJ would use the pitch fader to find the exact or almost exact tempo of a song. This was a tricky thing to do because analog DJ equipment couldn't show the DJ the bpm of a song. The way beat matching would work on digital DJ equipment is the bpm will be displayed on the turntable or on the software. Sync buttons are used to sync the bpm of one song making the bpm the same on another. Sync buttons are much easier and faster to use whereas using the pitch fader could take more time.
In today's world DJs are now using digital DJ equipment rather than analog DJ equipment as this makes DJ'ing a lot easier for the DJ. DJ Craze is one of the DJs who went from using analog DJ equipment to using digital DJ equipment. Here is a video of him at the DMC finals in 1999:
As you can see here he using analog DJ equipment and is not using headphones which is what a professional DJ would do when he/she is mixing. He is then changing his records quite frequently, he also finds his Que points with the sticky tape he placed on the records. Also you can notice he is doing a lot of scratching, he is also using the cross fader as he is scratching. Maybe the reason why he is doing all of this is because he wants to keep the audience entertained rather then just show his skills off.
Here is a video of him using digital DJ equipment:
As you can see in this video he is using digital DJ equipment and is still not using headphones. This could mean that he knows what he is doing, where he's set his cue points what and tempos the songs are at. He is also using a effects machine to create additional effects to his mix. You can also notice he is using a laptop with traktor and vinyl controllers. In this video he uses the cross fade and volume fader more than in the other video plus he uses his hands at a very fast speed on the vinyl controllers. What you have seen in these two videos shows that DJ Craze has had a lot of DJ experience and is the most successful DJ ever.
In my opinion as a DJ I would use digital DJ equipment with headphones. The reason for this is because digital equipment is much easier plus headphones make twice as easy when mixing. Seeing as how I don't have much experience as a DJ it would not be a good idea to mix without headphones whereas this could lead to a disaster. Analog and digital DJ equipment are the best but most DJs around the globe are more into using digital DJ equipment rather analog DJ equipment but it wouldn't kill for me to have a go on analog DJ equipment as well.
Bibliography
Pray, D, 30th August 2002, Ridgeway Entertainment, Scratch (Hip-hop.documentary)
DJ, Craze, 1999, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nbJfSLxy1U
DJ, Craze, 19th Jan 2012, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vchsYXCdHA
Vinyl records image: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Lifeandhealth/Pix/pictures/2010/1/25/1264438064596/Three-vinyl-records-one-b-001.jpg
Numark M101 mixer: http://images.thomann.de/pics/prod/262929.jpg
Wednesday 25 September 2013
Self-management, finanacial-management and Professionalism
What is self management?
Self management is when a person finds strategic methods and plans to achieve his objectives and goals. To do self management as a artist you will need to know what you are doing because if an artist doesn't know what he's doing things can go awfully wrong. For example if a musician is meant to be performing live he/she will need to rehearse long hours with his/her band, they will need to know who the audience is, what venue it's in, how much it's going to cost and how long the set is going to be. If all of this goes to plan the live event will be a success not only for the audience but for the musician and it's band as well, but on the other hand if it does not go to plan the audience will hate it and the band will be going downhill.
If i wanted a job as a music manager I would probably take a bachelor's degree program. This will help me get experience for future reference. It will also help network with other people in the industry. This would be the best recommendation for me and other people who want to manage other artists.
What is financial management?
Financial management is more to do with costs and funding. An artist would need to discuss the reasonable amounts of money that can be spent on music related stuff e.g. costs for releasing a debut album, renting a venue to perform live, touring, a tour coach, etc. Money also needs to be deposited for tax as well. For example if a artist made £300,000 every year 45% of that money would be taken for tax if the artist makes more than £150,000. You would be left with £67,500. If you earn £32,011 - £150,000 you would get a higher rate of 40% tax. You would be left with £47,200. It is 40% of £118,000. If you earn £9,440 - £32,010 you would get a basic rate of 20% tax. You would be left with £4514. It is 20% of £22,570. The graph below shows and explains all the tax rates and how much money is required when you recieve your tax bills.
The bachelor's degree program will have financial topics such as collecting payments, negotiating contracts and networking and investing. The manager needs to be aware of what contract is good and bad for the artist. The manager also needs to be aware of what contract is good and bad for himself/herself as well. The manager needs to negotiate their wage. The reason for this is because the manager could be really good at what he does for his/her artist, this means he/she could get more money.
If I wanted the music industry to give me money I would need to invoice them how much I want. An invoice is a reciept or bill that has the amount of money requested, the date, what is was for, address, contact deatils, the person' signature on it and where it was given. The way I would earn my money is by producing, dj'ing, having my own website, sharing my stuff via social networking such as twitter, facebook, soundcloud, etc. For exmaple if I was working in someone's studio for a week the owner of the studio would invoice me how much money I would get for the amount of hours I work everyday of the week. If an invoice is handed in too late it will not be accepted by the occupant.
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Professionalism
In order to be professional at something you will need to have character, attitude, excellence, competency and appropriate conduct. Being puntual is very vital. If you someone is late to work in the studio the person will not get paid and will porbably get sacked. This is how the music industry works because no one likes people late or it's just going to be a waste of precious time and money. If I took the bachelor's degree in a music university this will show that I have competence for the role as a music manager. The manager will have day to day meetings with record companies and the artists they manage. Before the manager has the meeting he/she would need to look very well presented, serious and respectful. If the manager has all these qualities the meeting will be very successful.
Self management is when a person finds strategic methods and plans to achieve his objectives and goals. To do self management as a artist you will need to know what you are doing because if an artist doesn't know what he's doing things can go awfully wrong. For example if a musician is meant to be performing live he/she will need to rehearse long hours with his/her band, they will need to know who the audience is, what venue it's in, how much it's going to cost and how long the set is going to be. If all of this goes to plan the live event will be a success not only for the audience but for the musician and it's band as well, but on the other hand if it does not go to plan the audience will hate it and the band will be going downhill.
If i wanted a job as a music manager I would probably take a bachelor's degree program. This will help me get experience for future reference. It will also help network with other people in the industry. This would be the best recommendation for me and other people who want to manage other artists.
What is financial management?
Financial management is more to do with costs and funding. An artist would need to discuss the reasonable amounts of money that can be spent on music related stuff e.g. costs for releasing a debut album, renting a venue to perform live, touring, a tour coach, etc. Money also needs to be deposited for tax as well. For example if a artist made £300,000 every year 45% of that money would be taken for tax if the artist makes more than £150,000. You would be left with £67,500. If you earn £32,011 - £150,000 you would get a higher rate of 40% tax. You would be left with £47,200. It is 40% of £118,000. If you earn £9,440 - £32,010 you would get a basic rate of 20% tax. You would be left with £4514. It is 20% of £22,570. The graph below shows and explains all the tax rates and how much money is required when you recieve your tax bills.
The bachelor's degree program will have financial topics such as collecting payments, negotiating contracts and networking and investing. The manager needs to be aware of what contract is good and bad for the artist. The manager also needs to be aware of what contract is good and bad for himself/herself as well. The manager needs to negotiate their wage. The reason for this is because the manager could be really good at what he does for his/her artist, this means he/she could get more money.
If I wanted the music industry to give me money I would need to invoice them how much I want. An invoice is a reciept or bill that has the amount of money requested, the date, what is was for, address, contact deatils, the person' signature on it and where it was given. The way I would earn my money is by producing, dj'ing, having my own website, sharing my stuff via social networking such as twitter, facebook, soundcloud, etc. For exmaple if I was working in someone's studio for a week the owner of the studio would invoice me how much money I would get for the amount of hours I work everyday of the week. If an invoice is handed in too late it will not be accepted by the occupant.
Professionalism
In order to be professional at something you will need to have character, attitude, excellence, competency and appropriate conduct. Being puntual is very vital. If you someone is late to work in the studio the person will not get paid and will porbably get sacked. This is how the music industry works because no one likes people late or it's just going to be a waste of precious time and money. If I took the bachelor's degree in a music university this will show that I have competence for the role as a music manager. The manager will have day to day meetings with record companies and the artists they manage. Before the manager has the meeting he/she would need to look very well presented, serious and respectful. If the manager has all these qualities the meeting will be very successful.
Sunday 22 September 2013
Understanding Music for film and tv
The piece of music that is being played in 'The Dark Knight Rises' is non-diegetic music from the film's official soundtrack. Non-Diegetic music is music being played during the film, whereas diegetic music is music being played in the background, also the characters can hear it as well. The instruments being used in this film creates a lot of atmosphere, shock and awe, build up and action for the film and audience.
The film 'Despicable Me' contains some diegetic music. You can notice this because the characters can hear the music playing, also the small robots, the minion and doctor Nefario are dancing to the music. The music starts from 0:10 and finishes just before 0:35.
Wild tracks are usually used in documentaries about animals and wildlife. This piece of music defines what wildlife is what kind of atmosphere it creates for the audience. When shows like this are being recorded the sounds of the animals are real. This means the recording of the show could be recorded close up to the animals with a narrator in the background. Ambient background sound is recorded separately.
Foley sounds are used to make the action realistic e.g. Punching a punch bag can be a foley sound for a person punching another person in the face. In this youtube video it shows a guy performing the foley sounds for the 1962 film 'The Brain That Wouldn't Die'. Foley sounds can sometimes be out of sync e.g. if the foley sound performer punches the punch bag before the person in the film is about it hit another person that means it is out of sync.
A temp track is a piece of score music that sounds similar to the original score of a film or tv show. Sometimes the temp track is usually replaced with the original soundtrack for the film or tv show if the director of the film is not satisfied with it. This action usually takes place during the editing of the film/tv show. Here is a temp track for the tv show 'family guy'.
Tuesday 3 September 2013
Review on a album
The album I am going to review about is David Guetta' Nothing But The Beat. This album happens to be the best album I have listened to. What I like about this album is the songs in it. For example I like how all the songs are properly mixed and mastered and how the variety of synths, basslines, melodies and drums used in the songs fit well with each other. I also like the red background of the concept art of the album. Red is a eye catching colour and it makes the album stand out very well for the consumer. Another good thing about the album is that the vocals on the songs are in tune and in time with the melody and rhythm. It all fits in very well.
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