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.
Tuesday 26 November 2013
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.
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