CIU212 – Reflection Blog

Introduction
In this report i’m going to be reflecting upon the past trimester and the development of my major project apart of CIU212, and my group including Luke Brazier, Xavier Butler, Emelia Jae, Daniel Walsh and Liam Moore. I will touch on the challenges that came apart of my project, also the aspects that went well, problem solving, future improvement strategies and overall what I learnt this trimester.

Challenges
This trimester not only being just the planning stages of our major project did indeed include some challenges. Starting off the trimester we had a plan of doing two music video for two of my upcoming singles. As the trimester progressed this had to change as we decided as a group that we would much rather have one good quality video then two average videos, this was also due to a small film team. This also caused us as the audio team to have to scope up in our deliverables.

Communication was a big challenge this trimester as well as the reliability of all of our group, mainly because the other students are also in studio units. Which made it difficult to be fully involved this trimester.

There were some challenges in organisation this trimester, which caused our artists to not be able to make every studio session we had. The lack of communication didn’t give our artists enough time to plan if they we’re free. This was challenging because we wanted more time to meet with our vocalists.

What went well
The overall production of the first track ‘Sofa’ has been going very well, and i believe that is a strong aspect that has gone well this trimester. We also found our vocalist and rapper quite early in the trimester, we we’re able to determine a rough structure of the song which made the process development nicely. We also laid demo vocals, and tested out multiple microphones discovering which one we wanted to use in the final. The new scope idea for the project went well because it meant I could start to plan on finishing a few other songs which were needing production help, which is where Xavier and Luke will help.

We had a dance audition to find our main actors and dancers, this commenced on Saturday the 29th of April. This went well and we found our two female dancers and our one male dancer.

The film crew also really impressed both David and Stephen towards the end of the trimester, off to a bad start but really picked up their game. This caused an equal balance back to us as the audio team.

Problem Solving
There was a lot of problem solving involved and one was when we had to come to the conclusion in our preparation for our project, after realising that 2 songs won’t be enough we had to scope up too doing an EP for myself. This problem solved me in my personal journey, helping motivate me to pursue the unfinished tracks I had.

In preparation for the music video we discovered that we wanted to hire a material called Scrim, we found out that it was going to be very expensive. So we problem solved by purchasing a cheaper material.

This trimester the research that Xavier, Luke and I did on microphones taught me more about signal flow in the new Avid s6 studio. We also experimented with mic positioning and also recording Rap vocals which is something i’ve never done before.

Next trimester
Next trimester we are going to be a lot more clear in our communication, being more open about issues etc. Also we want to be more organised with studio sessions, being at least 1 week ahead should give artists enough time to figure out if they can make our sessions.

We are aiming to get vocal recordings done early in the trimester. My current idea is too focus on finishing one track at a time. We’re also planning on shooting the music video for Sofa in week 5. In week 11 of next trimester we’re also preparing to do an EP Launch show at Max Watts to help present the finished product. I’m also wanting to get a cover art made for the track which I am happy with an feel fully represents the EP well.

Next trimester i’m hoping to gain a lot of support on this EP, also build a lot of excitement for it and the show through my social media page and fan base. Also hoping to have SAE behind the show and want to help promote it.

Some references for the EP cover art.

     

Conclusion
In conclusion, this trimester has panned (no pun intended) out very well. It’s being challenging in the communication and organisation areas but the project is developing nicely and i’m very excited next trimester to get into the production and start gaining feedback and knowledge from Guy Cooper.

References

(2017). Retrieved 3 May 2017, from http://www.fromupnorth.com/inspiration-gallery-039-misc-inspiration/

 

CIU212 Case Study | Illenium – Sound of Walking Away

Illenium – Sound of Walking Away

This case study includes the analysis of a recently released single ‘Sound of Walking Away’ produced by Nick Miller, better known by his stage name Illenium. The song Sound of Walking Away fits into the genre of Future Bass however incorporates influence from Tropical House (click here to check out my blog on tropical house). This song carries such a huge influence from his main profession (Future Bass) but the song is at 180 or 90 Bpm which gives the song a very vast unique sound that has really impressed his fans. As well as the incorporation by a very distorted high ranged vocal, deep and meaningful lyrics adds together to create a great master piece.

What is future bass? Future bass has been a trending genre for the past year or so. The genre is a variation of trap and is much more melodic version of dubstep. The genre can mainly be expressed technically by its use of Supersets. Supersaws are a waveform produced within a synthesiser, 8 voices of a sine saw creates what we now know as a Supersaw. Future bass also incorporates trap drum samples and lots of foley samples such as; tight snares, tights hi-hats, bottles breaking, gun cocks, water droplets etc. This genre is best represented by these artists; Flume, The Chainsmokers, Porter Robinson and San Holo to say a few. The characteristics of the genre mainly involves the controlling of the filter within the Supersaw, usually a low pass filter. Incorporating this with the use of an LFO, this creates a unique sound that is best well known today within the genre of Future bass.

Track Analysis

Tempo – 90

Time Signature – 4/4

Length – 4:13

Instrumentation

Percussion/Drums – The track starts off with a very lofi / filtered type snare, then opens up with a full snare. The overall drums that plays throughout really suit whats known as drums within this genre. He also uses a very muffled kick within the verse. Then the drop has a very big sounding kick drum.

Melody – The track opens with a recorded guitar riff that continues throughout most of the track. He also has a sub bass playing throughout the verses. The drop has a supersaw lead which is layered with a vocal sample, which is also described to be well known within Future bass.

Vocals – The vocals in lyrics are written and performed by Kerli, the vocals in my opinion have been processed in a way that really represents Kerli’s sound. Most of her tracks she has a very dark gently distorted sound which suits Illenium’s song so well.

Conclusion

Overall this track by Illenium and Kerli adds a unique flavour within the pool of Future Bass music. This song has been produced very well and stands strong as a big inspiration for me and my productions to come.

References

[PREMIERE] Illenium Shares Captivating Future Bass Track “Sound of Walking Away” feat. Kerli. (2017). This Song Is Sick. Retrieved 5 May 2017, from http://thissongissick.com/post/illenium-sounds-of-walking-away-kerli 

(2017). Retrieved 3 May 2017, from http://www.fromupnorth.com/inspiration-gallery-039-misc-inspiration/

Future bass. (2017). En.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 5 May 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_bass

What Is Future Bass, Anyways?. (2017). Thump. Retrieved 5 May 2017, from https://thump.vice.com/en_au/article/what-is-future-bass-anyways

 

CIU212/330 – Microphone Testing ‘Sofa’

On Wednesday (19th of April), my group members and I did a microphone test with Simon Navakas before recording our demo take for my new single ‘Sofa’.

Below I will include links for a preview of each microphone and talk about the sonic characteristics which I noticed between them and why we decided to go with the AKG-414 and u87.

AT2050 – This microphone had a much ‘thinner’ sound, we felt it had a lot of top end but didn’t give us enough ‘body’ in comparison to the u87 or 414.

 

AKG-414 – The 414 had a very nice and bright tone to it, after recording it we immediately were impressed and we’re considering it to me the one used in the final demo.

 

RE20 – This microphone was very dull to our ears, when listening in comparison to the AKG or the AT2050 it has a good amount of low-mids but not enough brightness to pick up the tone of Simon’s voice that we wanted.

SM7b – This microphone is great and always seems to give a great overall awesome performance, we decided to go with the condenser microphones because it had a stronger top end and gave an overall brighter sound that we were after.

U87 – The U87 recorded a very clear performance of Simon, we decided to use this because it’s always a very popular microphone and is well known in the industry for recording Hip-hop and Rap vocals.

Kygo – Nothing Left (Case Study #2)

Kygo – Nothing Left

This case study includes the analysis of Nothing Left (Feat. Will Heard) produced by a well-known DJ from Norway by the name of Kygo, Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll. The song Nothing Left fits the genre of Tropical House which is a new era of music which is successfully being driven by artists such as Kygo, Thomas Jack, Bakermat and Klingande. Most songs you hear that are classified as Tropical House evidently have a strong summer and tropical feel to it, the genre also includes a deep sense of feeling and relation through the instrumentation and the low key sung vocals.

The genre of Tropical House is a sub-genre of House and can be described as being very ‘chilled’, in a para musical sense you could imagine sipping ‘pina coladas’ on a beach in Hawaii. Its key musical attributes are encouraged by its slow feel followed by catchy bass lines and countered by gentle leads using instruments such as flutes and saxophones. Tropical House had an incredible impact on the industry after Kygo took Avicii’s absence at Tomorrow World in 2014, this then resulted Kygo being signed to Sony Music in a few months shooting him to the top of the EDM sphere. Kygo’s influence on Tropical House has been phenomenal to have artists such as Thomas Jack hailing from Australia, now touring the world playing at festivals with Kygo. This song has a strong influence coming from relationship issues, between Will Heard and either a family member or partner. This song also influenced upcoming producer James Carter to remix the track at a faster tempo of 97bpm, James’ other releases have without a doubt had large influence from Kygo.
Your EDM had this to say; “Kygo is redefining the limitations of the genre, and “Nothing Left” is a big step in the right direction. If you’re still on the fence about Tropical House give this one a listen; you might be surprised.” (Your EDM, 2015)

Vocals
The vocals throughout the track have an overall large presence in the mix, very dominant to really give the listener the experience to what Will Heard is saying within his lyrics. It seems that main vocals in Verse 1 have a ‘stereo shaper’ on them spreading them slightly by about 5 ms across the L & R to give the Vocals a very wide feel to them. Then in the Pre-Chorus, Bridge/Verse 2 this stereo shaper has been muted while a backing vocal comes in to support it. Sections within the track such as the pre-chorus includes 50% of instruments to cut out to predominantly give the vocals a step to the front of the stage (mix), the backing vocals are quite low in the mix to give a feel of distance between the feelings described through his words. Verse 1, “Please, won’t you believe me? Even if you don’t agree, know that I am trying, to help us all break free”. I believe here he is really talking to his loved one about how hard is trying to make it work even though it may not seem like it. When reading about Tropical House, there is a big stereotype about how it is all sad or a love song etc. Although I won’t disagree with this, there is also a real deep heart felt side to Tropical House which isn’t just about a boring love story. Will Heard’s lyrics in Nothing Left are not completely specific about who he’s talking about but whether it’s about a girlfriend or even a brother, I can still hear the deep heart felt side that lies within his vocals and Kygo’s instrumental and that is how I believe it relates to the genre by overall having that deep ‘feel’.

Track Analysis
Tempo – 77

Time Signature – 4/4

Key – Em

Length – 3:56

Instrumentation

Percussion/Drums – Tropical House likes to include lots of steel drum samples which also have delays and reverbs on them, the percussion that Kygo has used is very gentle. For example, his click/clap he has used is almost like a ‘clock tick’ layered which a simple finger snap and also has a stereo shaper on it, separating it by a few ms across the L & R speaker. All of his percussion seems to fit quite nicely in the mid-range, although his kick sits quite ‘bassy’ down in the low range it also has a bit of its punch still in the mid-high range. His tambourine which comes in the second chorus sits quite strongly in the mid-high range as well as the percussion hit which occurs in the first verse which has a ping-pong delay on it, this sits in the mid-range.

Bass and Keyboard – The bass in the track is very clean and punches right through the mix when it comes in; this sounds like it has been achieved by an EQ (equalizer) on the keys, strings and possibly the vocals pulling out the frequencies 150-200 Hz. The keys itself drive through the first half of verse 1 and the pre-chorus until the bass and kick comes in, throughout each section Kygo adds and takes out different instruments to really give a dominant feel for each of the instruments.

Leads & Samples – The plucked strings or lead which Kygo uses throughout the track is really dominant in the second half of the first verse and seems to fill most of the mid-high frequency range where the bass is layered under it, this lead also has a plucked bell sound under it as well which fully reveals itself in the second half of the second Chorus. There is a vocal sample in the chorus’ which is surprisingly loud in really stands out in the mix (mid-high range), as well as listening to its time domain you can real focus on when it fully decays.

References

Head-Fi.org,. (2015). Describing Sound A Glossary. Retrieved 5 October 2015, from http://www.head-fi.org/a/describing-sound-a-glossary

Youredm.com,. (2015). Retrieved 5 October 2015, from http://www.youredm.com/2015/07/31/kygo-continues-pushing-boundaries-with-nothing-else/

Edm.com,. (2015). {{ meta.title | encodeHtml }}. Retrieved 30 November 2015, from http://edm.com/articles/2015-08-28/justin-bieber-what-do-you-mean-release

iHeartRadio,. (2015). INTERVIEW: Five Questions With Kygo | iHeartRadio. Retrieved 30

November 2015, from http://news.iheart.com/articles/five-questions-with-486069/interview-five-questions-with-kygo-13664190/

L.A. Weekly,. (2015). Tropical House Is Hot Now, But Will it Last?. Retrieved 30 November 2015, from http://www.laweekly.com/music/tropical-house-is-hot-now-but-will-it-last-5504766

Lee, V. (2015). In defense of tropical house: understanding the rise, the ‘experience,’ and foreseeing its future – Dancing Astronaut. Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved 30 November 2015, from http://www.dancingastronaut.com/2015/03/defense-tropical-house-understanding-rise-experience-foreseeing-future/

Phili, S. (2015). Like It or Not, Kygo’s Tropical House is the Sound of the Summer. GQ. Retrieved 30 November 2015, from http://www.gq.com/story/like-it-or-not-kygos-tropical-house-is-the-sound-of-the-summer

Major Project – Reflection

NuYuh – Art Of Falling (VIP Remix) – RELEASED
Mastered by Tyson Ida

Artwork by Ben Conley

NuYuh ft. Sam Adebajo – Crown (Take Me Home) – RELEASED
Mastered by Klaus Hill

Artwork by Ben Conley

NuYuh – Treat You Better (ft. Matisse Langbein) – RELEASED
Mastered by Klaus Hill

Artwork by Joel Michielson

The interdisciplinary work that I’ve used in my Major Project was the design of artworks for my tracks, all of these ideas were discussed through email and text messaging. 

Discussions of the cover made by Ben Conley for Crown.

Discussions of the cover made by Joel Mechielsen for Treat You Better.

A mixing technique I use for all of my songs is to use multiple sound environments, before finishing the mix of Crown I would’ve listened to the track on around 8 different locations. For example; iPhone speaker, iPhone earphones, Audio Technica Headphones, Bluetooth speaker, car sound system, multiple different studio monitors at SAE, Yamaha Hs5’s at my house. This is a technique I like to always use because on different sound systems you can hear different stuff, things which you may need to adjust slightly.

Vocal Procession
For the processing of the vocals in Crown and Treat You Better I used a vocal layering technique recommended by a lecturer of mine, Guy Grey. For Treat You Better in particular I duplicated the original vocal and recorded it all through Melodyne, after that I used the formant tool which I pull down around -150 which then in mix adjusting the levels and EQing different with the main added these overall wide and big sounding vocal. There is also a backing vocal which I tuned, I decided not to tune the main vocal much because it lost a lot of the life and emotion that Matisse gave. However the backing vocal suited the sound of being very tuned, almost a robotic layer but I EQ’d it with a Low and high pass giving it almost a radio type sound.

RX
I used iZotope RX in one of my tracks Crown for a guitar sample I recorded, I plugged the guitar directly into an Presonus Audiobox but this added a subtle room noise that I wanted to remove. This removed a little bit amount of noise that gave me an overall cleaner signal. You can hear the sample at 0:00-0:10.

The signal flow I used was the same than the one I talked about in my Week 6 Reflection Blog.

Treat You Better: I recorded the vocals in the Audient 8024 with a AKG 414 through the Avalon straight into my DAW (Ableton), using a Presonus Audiobox as an interface.

Crown: I recorded the main vocals in the Audient 8024 with a Shure SM7B and the harmonies with a AKG 414 through the Avalon straight into my DAW (Ableton), using a Presonus Audiobox as an interface.

Art Of Falling: I recorded the vocals in the Audient 8024 with a AKG 414 through the Avalon straight into my DAW (Ableton), using a Presonus Audiobox as an interface.

The biggest challenge I faced with this project was the loss of Treat You Better, I accidentally replaced the old Project folder with my new one. This deleted my original project which I used as my re-interpretation and I had to basically start again from the old project before I recorded any vocals. The way I solved it was basically to work on the instrumental until I got it back to a standard I was happy with, then the coming weekend Matisse came down and we recorded the final set of vocals.

In the future I need to be precautious with my backing up, this mainly happened because i’ve only just started backing up and I am learning the best way for me to do it.

Loudness Comparison

My reference track ‘Sing Me To Sleep’ by Alan Walker was hitting somewhere between -10 to -7 RMS, in the loudest part of the track.
Plugin: Simple RMS Meter by Synnack

My original track ‘Crown’ is hitting an average of somewhere between -12 to -8 RMS, in the loudest part of the track.
Plugin: Simple RMS Meter by Synnack

Production Comparison
For the comparison of the production of Art Of Falling (VIP Remix), I decided to compare with a reference track I used for mixing ‘Final Call’. The main influence I took from this track was the synths and the drums, although this song has quite a different structure to mine it was mainly the drop which I focused on. I didn’t aim to copy the synths completely but I took influence to his different use of synths, I also took inspiration from his laying of the bass and lead. In Art Of Falling (VIP Remix) the bassline follows the root note of the chord progression and the lead on top follows the middle note of each chords, e.g. the first bass note would hit D# and the lead would hit F#. This would change depending on whether it is a Major or Minor chord, this is what I thought I could hear what was being done in the reference. I came quite close to the use of synths and the layering technique, I also took influence to his groove of drums and I didn’t copy it completely.

For the comparison of the production in my cover ‘Treat You Better’, I decided to use my reference track ‘Sing Me To Sleep‘. The main influence I took from this track was the Groove, from there I took my track and tried to make it more unique towards my style. For the specific synths and the overall sound of Alan Walker’s ‘Sing Me To Sleep’ I think I could took more influence from the song, preferably the synths and bass. Specifically about the Lead’s & Bass I made them go completely off beat (opposite to the kick), this gave it quite a bouncy feel which was fine and is what I was going for with the synths following that also. Although after the track has been finished, i’m second guessing whether I should’ve tried what Alan Walker did with his Leads and Bass. I think I came as close to this track as much as I originally intended and we always will wish we did things different, I am happy with the result.

For the comparison of the production in my original ‘Crown’, I decided to use a reference track ‘Nothing Left‘ by Kygo. The influence I took from this track was the vocals, percussion and melody. I took my track and tried to make it more unique towards my style. Doing this I made the drop more ‘kick heavy’ and I felt like this took it a different direction, it also gave the bass line some groove to it once the 4/4 kick comes in. There was a lot of vocal layering and processing I did in Crown, the vocals in Nothing Left are very clean but there is quite a clear harmony that comes in the second verse. I think I came quite close to this track in relation to the groove and structure, although mine is 97bpm and Kygo’s is 80 bpm.

Contracts
I used a contract I wrote up for the distribution of the royalties of my Remixes EP of Art Of Falling.

Art Of Falling Remixes Original Contract

For Crown I will use this template for the divide of earnings between my singer and myself.

COLLABORATOR SONGWRITING AGREEMENT

Between: Producer & Song Writer

Party #1 : Isaac Nichol
Party #2: Sam Adebajo

For the purpose of collaborating on a song titled: Crown (Take Me Home)

with lyrics written by: Sam Adebajo & Isaac Nichol

and music written by: Isaac Nichol

Royalties will be split according to the following percentages: 50% to Party #1 and 50 % to Party #2.

Any expenses incurred will be at the expense of the party deciding to undertake promotion of this work on a case-by-case basis. Expenses can not be billed to the other party nor may they be retroactively deducted from future royalties or income in regards to splitting of royalties between the parties in this agreement. Neither party may interfere with the advancement of this work. Either party may grant the right of first release by an artist but must notify the other party that the release was granted. Either party should be notified of any significant events relating to the advancement of this song material by the other party.

Should another collaborator be required at a future date for the purpose of writing a new arrangement, foreign language lyric. modification for use in an advertising commercial or any other reason, the percentage of royalties for the original collaborators will not be reduced to less than 1/3 without a written notification and agreement.

All income derived from this song should be split according to the percentages noted above, including, but not limited to, income from publisher advances; sales of recordings and mp3 files on the Internet; sales derived from mechanical licenses to individual independent artists, and all sales and airplay income from independent and major label record record companies.

If either party is dissatisfied with the work produced under this agreement, they may not withdraw their contribution from this work; however, they may re-use their portion of this work or any part of it, in collaboration with a third party to create a new song. Should this occur, the new song will have no legal connection to the song discussed in this agreement.

Any disputes regarding this song and/or collaborators agreement will be settled by a mutually agreeable neutral third party. In lieu of a mutually acceptable third party, disputes will be mediated by an entertainment lawyer w/ the party pursuing the dispute responsible for all legal fees incurred.

I have read and understand the terms of this agreement:

Party #1 signature ________________________

Party #2 signature ________________________

Date: ________________

Alan Walker – Sing Me To Sleep (Case Study #1)

Alan Walker – Sing Me To Sleep

For one of my case studies in AUS 230 I decided to analyse Sing Me To Sleep by Alan Walker because it was used as a reference for my production of my re-interpretation (Treat You Better (ft. Matisse Langbein).

Alan Walker has been producing music since he was 14 years old and has been most recognised for his track ‘Faded’ featuring Norwegian singer-songwriter Iselin Soleim, topping the Shazam charts and having 500 million views on YouTube. His new track Sing Me To Sleep also featuring Iselin following a similar unique style as ‘Faded’ implements a new sub genre within EDM music which has obtained him a lot of notice and recognition.

Alan Walker has developed his own sound, this which has developed through his influences and idol producers he looks up too. Alan talks about his influences in an interview by ‘Ministry Of Sound’. His first influence was Nova by Ahrix. When listening to this track you can really hear the inspiration behind the sounds that Ahrix has used, the 4/4 time signature, melodies and the structure of the chords. “The track Nova by Ahrix is probably one of the tracks that have had the biggest influence on shaping Alan Walker as an artist and creating the ‘Alan Walker Style’. The melodies and the way the track progresses are what’s so unique and its what inspired me to create Fade which later on became Faded.” – Alan Walker (Ministry Of Sound, 2016)

In relation to Sing Me To Sleep, Alan’s use of sounds and melody really come close to this track although with the difference being the BPM/Tempo. Nova is around the 120bpm mark and SMTS is 176 or 88bpm, this is where his other influences had their roles. Alan includes another track in this interview referring to his influences, this track is Godzilla by K-391. This track is quite different to Alan’s tracks ‘melodically’ however the most apparent similarity of this track to ‘Faded’ and ‘Sing Me To Sleep’ is the BPM. Alan Walker has taken influence melodically from Nova by Ahrix and from the groove of Godzilla by K-391 and created a combination of both, this giving himself a unique sound which he then implemented into his own music
“Since I first started making music, K-391 has also been one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to music production. With the track Godzilla he inspired me to mess around with different instruments etc. And also tempering with the tempos in my tracks which has become a hallmark for the genre or the music which I produce today.” – Alan Walker (Ministry Of Sound, 2016)

Track Analysis
Tempo (Bpm) – 176 BPM

Time Signature – 4/4

Key – Em

Length – 3:04

Ableton Live Waveform & Structure Analysis

Instrumentation

Drums

The drums are quite simple in this track and are all samples, majority of the drums in this track come in the instrumental/drop. The first sample that comes in is a crash at the start of the pre-chorus, then half way between this pre-chorus a filtered kick (Low passed kick sample) comes in. The kick continues to go through the Chorus and then a snare build comes in, then there’s a drum fill leading into the instrumental/drop.

The drums that Alan uses in his instrumental are Kick, off beat hi-hat, Snare and a shaker. When listening to Sing Me To Sleep in the instrumental, the drums are a big element to help fill and tie together the drop.

Piano

Sing Me To Sleep starts with a melody of Keys, the piano sounds like it’s from a VST plugin. The piano is very clean that sits right under the vocals and provides a very gentle and warm intro, this piano has a reverb on it and only plays in Verse 1, then just straight chords come into the pre-chorus and chorus. There is also a reverbed sample which sounds like a horn, this also hits on every bar in the first verse.

Bass

The bass that is used in this track is most prominent in the instrumental/drop, he uses a very simple bass line which follows the root note of the chord progression. This is then sidechain compressed to the Kick, which gives a ‘wavy’ offbeat feeling to the bass and also lets the kick stand out more. He has also quite a lot of bass in his Kick drum, it sounds like he has left a lot of the low end there and EQ’d everything else somewhere above 50hz. Leaving most of the real bottom end to the Kick and the remaining sub frequencies to be sidechained still to the kick. The bass layer he has used sounds like a Square Wave.

Synths

The main synth that Alan uses in his instrumental is very wide and you can hear mainly layers within it, this is a common technique to electronic producers today to layer their synths. His first layer follows the same notes as the bass layer and layers nicely with his bass layer also. He then has the main melody which takes up most of the mid-high range, this is layers with multiple other sounds following the same melody. The diverse types of layers he has, adds up to bring a very ‘big’ and wide sounding synth. The main melody lead sounds like it was from Sylenth1, a well known vst plugin that electronic producers use for leads. In verse 1, pre-chorus and the chorus Alan Walker uses a pluck sound layered with a synth type pluck. Both being from external vst’s, these sounds are very prominent in this section of the mix. Alan also has a few synths with the pre-chorus and chorus that are quite low in the mix, he has a flute sound in the pre chorus and some filters melodies in the chorus.

Vocals

The vocal work from Iselin Solheim is spectacular and also Alan Walker has done very well working her vocals, you can really hear that in the track. The main vocal has lots of reverb and delay throughout the track, you can hear the vocal layering come in at the chorus where it sounds to be double taken. There is also some adlibs towards the end of the pre-chorus, Alan has done well to make them sound great too. The vocals also have a very intimate sound to them, it sounds like it was recorded with a condenser microphone possibly a AKG414 or a RODE NT2A. The vocals throughout the track are right in front of the mix and are never lost with anything, even when they come back in the second half of the last instrumental Alan has made room for her vocals.

References

“Faded” Creator Alan Walker Chooses Top 5 Influences. (2016). Ministryofsound.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016, from http://www.ministryofsound.com/magazine/2016/04/19/faded-creator-alan-walker-chooses-top-5-influences

Alan Walker – Biography | Billboard. (2016). Billboard.com. Retrieved 27 August 2016, from http://www.billboard.com/artist/6866581/alan-walker/biography

Progressive house. (2016). Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 August 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_house#Stylistic_elements

The Beginnings of House Music. (2016). Univie.ac.at. Retrieved 27 August 2016, from http://www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/webprojects/LiveMiss/Chicago-House/house-text.htm

 

AUS230 – Major Project Plan

TARGETTED LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THIS PLAN:

CLO3: Investigate and effectively implement project management processes as guided by industry practices
– You research and determine industry best practices for your discipline, and then justify your choices

– You define the scope of the project (including what is in scope / out of scope / desirable, objectives, deliverables, requirements)

– You create a schedule that indicates at least who does what, when

– You identify the important risks to the project and a mitigation plan

– You identify and define the methodology employed in the project

– The planning of your project is effective and actionable (it is clear enough what is going to be done so that another team can execute the project based on the plan)

LO2: Plan aesthetic and technical outcomes of creative work

– Your planning and goals can be demonstrated in a blog or production planning meeting observed by the facilitator.

– The goals should be in reference to the desired audience reaction and similar professional released works that obtain the same intended result.

LO15: Deliver product within a specified budget and time frame

– You will need to keep your production within a hypothetical budget and construct an appropriate timeline to suit the budget.

– You must justify any expense that exceeds your original budget

_______________________________________________________________________

PROJECT BRIEF (LO2):

For my major project i’m going to do 2 original tracks, 1 remix and 1 cover, the cover being a completed version of my re-interpretation to a standard which i’ll release to Soundcloud and Spotify.

The aim for my major project is to submit a few tracks as singles and finished to a releasable standard which I will then be able to upload and release to platforms that’ll suit each track. My motivation behind the remix is to release it as a free download on Soundcloud and send it to online blogs to get some notice and followers. With the original tracks i’m hoping to get the tracks signed by a local or international label, this will give me the opportunity to get notice by potential management. The remix will be marketable towards DJ’s to play out, this could also give out notice to my original track (Art Of Falling). The originals can be marketable and relevant for Triple J, hopefully I can gain support by them on the releases. The target market for the remix is DJ’s and the originals and cover will be radio friendly listeners.

Tracks:

NuYuh – Art Of Falling (VIP Remix) – This is a remix I did with a friend Jack Duggan of my original. The genre of this track is a House type song, marketable to DJ’s as it fits within the 120-130 BPM range.

NuYuh ft. Sam Adebajo – Crown (Take Me Home) – This is an original featuring my friend, not mixed. This original track fits in the Tropical House genre, it would be marketable for me as a performance and also as a radio friendly song.

NuYuh ft. Michael Hobbs – Stronger – This is an original track featuring Michael from my cohort. This original track also fits in the Tropical House genre, it would be marketable for me as a performance and also as a radio friendly song.

NuYuh – Treat You Better (ft. Matisse Langbein) – This is a cover of Shawn Mendes track Treat You Better that I used for my re-interpretation which I want to complete to a standard which I want to release. This cover track has a blend between Tropical and Progressive House, the difference is mainly the use of synths that I use in this track. It would be marketable for me as a performance and also as a radio friendly song.

I’m going to be recording all the final vocals of my tracks in the Audient 8024 because I believe that the Avalon Compressor (Vt-747sp) will give me the right tone that i’m looking for. The Avalon is very well known by many producers around the world and with past experience using it on my first single  (Art Of Falling) i’ve found it to give me a clean sound and tone. Once recording the vocals if I have time in the same session, I will pick through the vocal takes with them to get the best performance. Then i’ll take it home and further process them within my DAW using various compressors, EQ’s and reverbs.

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PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS, ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES (CLO3):

Isaac Nichol (Producer):

–       Composition

–       Sound Design

–       Recording

–       Marketing

–       Mixing

Tyson Ida:

–       Mastering Engineer of Art of Falling (VIP Remix)

Ben Figgins:

–       Mastering Engineer of Treat You Better

Sam Adebajo:

–       Vocals

Matisse Langbein:

–       Vocals

Michael Hobbs:

–       Vocals

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PROJECT MILESTONES (CLO3):

Complete Mixing of Art Of Falling (VIP Remix) – 20/07/16
Send final Mix (-6db Wav) of A.o.F to Tyson Ida (Mastering Engineer) – 22/07/16
Record Vocals for Stronger ft. Michael – 26/7/16
Mix Vocals for Stronger ft. Michael – 31/7/16
Record Final vocals & Harmonies for Stronger – 4/8/16
Mix vocals for Stronger – 5/8/16
Get some feedback on Stronger – 5/8/17
Record final vocals for Treat You Better with Matisse – 6/8/17
Mix vocals for Treat You Better – 8/8/17
Complete mixing of Treat You Better – 10/8/17
Send (-6db WAV) of Treat You Better to Ben Higgins (Studio 301)

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TEAM MANAGEMENT & SCHEDULING (CLO3):

(Here you will need to provide a link to an online resource that will be used for real-time management and scheduling of tasks that all project team members have editable access to for project tracking.

This must include a list of every single task that needs to be performed, the responsible team member or members, a deadline date for each task and a way of highlighting the status of tasks: inactive, in-process or completed.

Google sheets tied in with a shared Google calendar would be your best resource for this)

For advanced users, utilitarian websites such as Asana would prove quite useful.

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TECHNICAL FRAMEWORKS (CLO3):

(Here you will need to provide a link to an online resource that will be used for collation, retrieval and editing of project data files and documents. All your files and documents should be stored on this resource and all project team member should have access to this to foster parallel workflow and real time project management.

Here is a Google Drive link where I will provide all my dated previews of the songs I’m working on for my Major Project.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-8ttXSXihTATjBmOWpJZTBETXc

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RISK MANAGEMENT (CLO3):

There are dozens of potential risks for a medium scale audio project, list as many as you can think of that relate to your project)

Your team must identify at least 10 risks per team member. A team of 3 will have 30 risks minimum.

Here are some potential risks that may affect my project:

Loss of data
Time management
– Studio time
– Mixing
– Mastering
Mastering engineers not finishing mix in time
Well being of artists
Well being of self
Graphic Designer not providing all three artworks

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BUDGET (LO15) AND JUSTIFICATION (LO2):

Give an exhaustive list of spaces, equipment, times, and so on, that will be needed to complete the project. From your own research, give an estimate of how much each item would cost in a professional production project, as well as examples of how the overall budget could be minimized (where possible).

No specific budget will be needed for the production on my tracks but only in the mixing and mastering stages. I will be using SAE’s equipment for all the production and mixing stages.

Equipment:

AKG-C414
Avalon Compressor Vt-747sp
Presonus Audiobox

VSTs & DAWS:

Ableton Live 9
reFx Nexus
CLA Vocals

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TARGET OUTCOMES:

Learning Outcomes

CLO1 – Critically reflect on how you (and your team as appropriate) have performed in relation to your behaviour, the processes you employed, and the outcome of the project(s)

CLO2 – Effectively reflect on topics related to your discipline and your craft and how you (or your team) have performed in relation to these

CLO3 – Investigate and effectively implement project management processes as guided by industry practices

CLO4 – Execute a project in accordance with a project plan

CLO5 – Produce outputs that successfully meet the brief set by the facilitator(s).

CLO6 – Engage in interdisciplinary practices

CLO7 – Develop and sustain effective teamwork skills

CLO8 – Effectively communicate what your intentions are for your project

CLO9 – Demonstrate effective publishing techniques appropriate to the audience and creative intent.

LO1 – Critique technical and musical aesthetics necessary for advanced levels of production

LO2 – Plan aesthetic and technical outcomes of creative work

LO3 – Demonstrate advanced technical and aesthetic production techniques appropriate to creative media products

LO4 – Actively participate in coaching of artist perfomances

LO5 – Implement performance correction techniques with specialised tools

LO6 – Adapt methods for producing work in limited resource environmen

LO7 – Adapt sound files into new audio assets

LO8 – Repair audio signals to improve sound quality

LO9 – Implement sound design assets in a variety of linear or non-linear media

LO10 – Mix productions in a calibrated environment

LO11 – Mix sound assets in surround sound

LO12 – Implement mastering signal processing and workflows

LO13 – Revise production process through continuous reflection of aesthetic outcomes

LO14 – Deliver audio complying with industry loudness metering standards

LO15 – Deliver product within a specified budget and time frame

LO16 – Demonstrate an awareness of contracts and agreements for sound production work

LO17 – Reflect on aesthetic outcomes of own production work against commercial products

LO18 – Demonstrate advanced signal flow knowledge and skills

Auxiliary Outcomes (examples of outcomes not listed in Module Guide)

AO1 – Work is demonstrated in a public space

AO2 – Work is published publicly online gaining feedback from external parties

AO3 – Work is successfully licensed to publisher

AUS230 – Week 6 Update

On monday the 4th of July, I went into the Audient 8024 with my singer for my reinterpretation (Matisse Langbein). Matisse and I were both busy on the weekend which lead us to not being able to record until Monday morning, the session was from 8:30-10:30 so after setting up and figuring the idea we only had about an hour to record the vocals which you’ll hear in this preview.

https://soundcloud.com/nuyuhmusic/nuyuh-treat-you-better-ft-matisse-langbein-master-v1/s-Uew4O

I presented my reinterpretation on Friday the 8th of July and after receiving the feedback I did, I am determined to complete this track and learnt that the position it is at now is not polished to a commercial standard.

I recorded the vocals in the Audient with a AKG 414 through the Avalon straight into my DAW (Ableton), using a Presonus Audiobox as an interface. Check the link to see the set up (sorry about quality)!

Things I wish I could’ve done now after submitting my re-interpretation: I did master this song by myself which is something I wish I could’ve passed onto someone else, however realising the quality of my mix someone else couldn’t have made it sound any better. The feedback received about my overall mixdown gave me knowledge to focus more on the mixing in my own productions rather than just hoping that the master will fix it.

I’m planning to meet up with Matisse again soon to record final vocals and then I can focus on the mix down, leading to hopefully a good quality master and final product.

I also had an issue in the studio where I was unable to change the level of her vocals as they were going through the Avalon and the track was to loud in comparison, but I solved this by turning down my master fader in Ableton which level the track going to her headphones and she was then able to hear her voice clearly.

AUS230 – Project 1 / Reflection

This trimester I chose to be apart of the music focused class rather than Post due to what I want to do with my career.

For our first assessment we are told to submit a reinterpretation of a song which brings something different to the original track that we choose to cover. My first idea for what I wanted to use for my first assignment, was a cover of Don’t Let Me Down by The Chainsmokers (original track below).

Here’s a preview of my rendition featuring Michael Hobbs.

https://soundcloud.com/nuyuhmusic/dont-let-me-down-feat-michael-hobbs/s-MU1bq

I booked the C24 on Wednesday night the 22/06/16 to record final vocals for the project but Michael called me saying he is sick and couldn’t make it, that idea fell through. After this happened I started thinking about a backup plan I could use, and I thought of Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes which is a song i’ve been listening to a lot lately. I thought about flipping the message of this song from a girl’s perspective. (Original track below)

I went into the raven Thursday (23/06/16) with a friend of mine named Matisse and recorded some demo vocals using an AKG 414.

https://soundcloud.com/nuyuhmusic/treat-me-better-cover-feat-matisse/s-Obhgz

My experience with the vocalist was challenging as it was the first time she had been into a studio, so constantly I was needing to talk to her and point her in the right direction.

It’s really interesting comparing both tracks which I started, they both have the same instrumental but include different vocal ideas in different keys. My cover of Don’t Let Me Down has a much more sad feeling, where Treat You Better has a real optimistic feeling which I think together with the lyrics fits very well.

On monday the 4th of July, I went into the Audient 8024 with my singer for my reinterpretation (Matisse Langbein). Matisse and I were both busy on the weekend which lead us to not being able to record until Monday morning, the session was from 8:30-10:30 so after setting up and figuring the idea we only had about an hour to record the vocals which you’ll hear in this preview.

https://soundcloud.com/nuyuhmusic/nuyuh-treat-you-better-ft-matisse-langbein-master-v1/s-Uew4O

I presented my reinterpretation on Friday the 8th of July and after receiving the feedback I did, I am determined to complete this track and learnt that the position it is at now is not polished to a commercial standard.

I recorded the vocals in the Audient with a AKG 414 through the Avalon straight into my DAW (Ableton), using a Presonus Audiobox as an interface. I used the Avalon compressor as the pre-amp instead of the Presonus because the avalon as a power source for any instrument seems to give a much cleaner result and sound,  I found the reference for this by well known duo ‘The Chainsmokers’ recording vocals on most of their tracks. They mention this in their video of making their track Roses.

 

Check out this video to see the set-up of my signal flow. (sorry about quality)!

Things I wish I could’ve done now after submitting my re-interpretation: I did master this song by myself which is something I wish I could’ve passed onto someone else, however realising the quality of my mix someone else couldn’t have made it sound any better. The feedback received about my overall mixdown gave me knowledge to focus more on the mixing in my own productions rather than just hoping that the master will fix it.

I’m planning to meet up with Matisse again soon to record final vocals and then I can focus on the mix down, leading to hopefully a good quality master and final product.

I also had an issue in the studio where I was unable to change the level of her vocals as they were going through the Avalon and the track was to loud in comparison, but I solved this by turning down my master fader in Ableton which level the track going to her headphones and she was then able to hear her voice clearly.

AUS220 – Trimester Reflection

This trimester I’ve been in a group with Cai Humphreys, Dylan Wills and Sarah Carey which involved composition, ADR, Foley and Sound Design for a film called Redlight with Trimester 6 film students at SAE Brisbane.

Watch it here! 🙂

I focused mainly on one major project and on the side was working on original songs with various artists for myself as a Music Producer. Here is another track which I’ve been working on this trimester with Michael Hobbs, I showed this within my presentation today to my class on the 11th of May, 2016.

https://soundcloud.com/nuyuhmusic/stronger-preview-for-michael/s-rfEgT

I feel like this trimester I did pretty well with the amount of work we tackled, I wish we could’ve had more time to perfect our foley and mix on our Film Redlight but with everything that happened involving the Film crew, there was nothing we could do due to the time.

I learnt a lot about Foley, Sound Design, Live Sound, Vocal Processing and Compression within various classes. This also gave me a lot to involve within my own productions and my overall knowledge of audio, the live sound aspect gave me insight into where I want to be in the audio industry which is as an artist. The foley, music composition and sound design was really exciting to work in and i’m glad that I was able to stretch myself to explore an area which I haven’t been in before. The vocal processing we learnt in a few classes with Guy Cooper was with Melodyne, this was able to gave me knowledge to use in my own productions as I do a lot of work with singers. The class with Rose Parker that was based on using iZotope plugins really started to give me an ear to understand compression and what it does to sound and why we need to use it, I’m still learning to understand it but I’m glad that I was able to begin to start understanding it.

As a group we were quite happy to show our final result of Redlight, I’m also happy with how it went and next trimester I would like to improve on my consistency with my blogging. I feel like I improved from last trimester but also fell behind a few times which hopefully won’t affect my grade to much, I also want to try interpret my music more in my next major project and learn more about sound design and the mastering process within my electronic music productions.

Overall, I would grade myself somewhere  between a Credit and a Distinction because I believe I stepped behind the line of passing but could’ve taken more projects under my belt.