Unit 17: Sound and Picture

Sound and Picture

Task 1 

Task 2

Tilly and I produced different sounds to fit with a set section of a movie or documentary, we chose the Space Shuttle take off video we included different sounds by using different items/ our vocals. Here i some information of how we figured out the different ways to make different sounds.

Ambient Sound

Ambient sound (AKA ambient audio, ambience, atmosphere, atmos or background noise) means the background sounds which are present in a scene or location. Common ambient sounds include wind, water, birds, crowds, office noises, traffic, etc. Ambient sound is very important in video and film work.

Sound Effects

To produce different sounds we used mainly a Shure Sm58 dynamic microphone, to being with we moved the microphone over a cushioned chair to create a wind sound, then we blew over the microphone and lowered the compression and highered the bass sounds to get different layers of the different winds.

Unit 48: Music Recording (Pop Song)

Recording a Pop Song Cover

Track link

Task 1

Run-Through 

A run-through is where the team who is performing/organising, gets together and helps play the song at least on time or even 2 times to get used to the music.
I have used a run-through for my recording as i needed to make sure everyone understood the music and how all the pieces fitted together.

Rehearsal 

A rehearsal is where you continuously play the song to get the music in your head to guarantee that the sections of the recording blend together and make the piece complete. The team and i all practiced the pieces. 

Level and Sound Checks 

To make sure the recording is clear, i needed to make sure that the volume levels where balanced for all instruments to be heard clearly. This section is all down to the amount gain given as that increases the pitch and the sound of the sections. 

Performance 

A performance is an act of presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. I presented mine through Sound Cloud for different types of audience viewers to listen to and feel inspired. 

Gain 

I had to change the gain on most things to make sure the levels of each instrument blended with another as i wanted the vocals to be heard but at the same time i wanted to make sure the other instruements could be heard clearly and stand out as a whole. I needed to make sure that with the instruments the gain was set around 6-8 to guarantee the recording is clear.

Stereo Recording 

This is important as by doing a stereo recording instead of a mono it means your tracks are gonna be balanced and a pan wouldn't be needed. 

Multiband Recording 

I used a lot of audio tracks in my piece because of all the different instruments and how i wanted them to sound different and unique and stand out. Also i recorded the tracks on different tracks so i can organise the tracks.

Connections 

In order to record the microphones and the musicians i used DI and XLR to connect to the mixing desk.

Proximity Effect 

When using a dynamic microphone the closer you get to the microphone the more bass frequencies you get that why we insist that the musicians stand 6 inches away and dont lead into the microphone.

Live Recording 

For a live recording i used the studio for it as i needed to record all the musicians. 

Screens/Guards/Pop Shield

By using a screen, guard or a pop shield helps the sound not to echo as i want clean recordings i used the shield on my vocals as i wanted to quite the sounds a little.

Task 2

Direct Injection 

By using DI the bass player or guitar player doesn't need to go into the main studio they can shit in the room with the recorder, to do this i used a jack lead to plug it into the guitar then into the mixing desk.

Synthesiser 

in my recording i didn't use a synthesiser.

Electric Guitar 

For my guitar i used Cubase guitar rig and i also used EQ, Reverb and compression.

Keyboard 

I used a DI input into the keyboard as i wanted the melody to not be peddled as i have other instruments that do that.

Drum Kit

I recorded my drum kit in the studio using the microphones as i didn't use an electric drum so i couldn't use DI

Saxophone

I used a condensor microphone to record the saxophone in the studio.

Monitors/Levels 

The monitors and levels check for clipping and the mixers levels have to be at 0 so it balances it out.

Headphones /Fold Back Systems 

 I used headphones for the performers who were in the studio so they could hear the backing track whilst they performed.

Talk Back 

I used talk back to communicate back to the musicians in the studio if the microphone was feeding back to the control room i could change the gain and tell the performers what i was doing.

Track Sheets 

When i was doing my recording i got track sheets for each of the artists this was because i needed the performers to know when i needed them and what they were coming into the studio to do.

Identifying Tracks 

I identified my tracks by changing the colour depending on the track.

Overdubbing 

I used overdubbing on my piano this is where i recorded over the track to duplicate it and add things in certain places.

Listening for Distortion Checking Playback

By checking playback i checked for feed back and changing the gain levels

Unit 48: Music Recording (Mix and Master)

Own Track Mixed and Mastered 

Rather Be Edit

Limiting 

• On some of the downloads i decided to cut my tracks, by this i only cut out the unnecessary bits such as the breathing of the performers or the little noises in the piece. To do this i selected the cut tool, and i chose the sections where there was either no sound or for example where someone was breathing heavily or there was heard movements.
• This is how i got rid of some un needed sounds on my Sylenth Tracks (Strings)

EQ

• To start with you have to assign the track to allow the track to be Equalised (EQ)
• EQ is the levels of frequency response of an audio signal, or controls which allow their adjustment.
• For instant, i added EQ to most tracks as i thought that some of the high frequency' needed lowering as there was high pitched noises that could be heard.
• I increased most of my strings EQ for the sound to have a higher frequency.
• Whereas for my drums i lowered the frequency for the bass to sound more heavy.

Multiband Compressors

• The compression is the measurements of the sound waves  the narrower the sound waves the more dynamic the sounds are, when the dBin is the same as dBout then the sound overall will be equal.
• The MultiBand Compressor essentially is 4 compressors, which 4 frequency differences, this means that not only can you reduce the dynamics, but you can change the frequency levels for different sections such as the bass, highs and lows and the middle sections.
• Here you can see that i increased the bass and lowered the higher pitched sounds.

Effects

• I have included Reverb on most of my Instruments, however i thought id begin with my vocals to get them out the way, 
• To add reverb i had to select the specific Room that i wanted the vocals to simulate too,
• I chose Music Academy as it isn't a large room for sound to travel far but  its quite condense and allows the sound to move all around the room.  

Formatting/Mixing Down

• Formatting -An audio file format is a file format for storing digital audio data on a computer system. The bit layout of the audio data is called the audio coding format and can be uncompressed, or compressed to reduce the file size, often using lossy compression.
• Mixing down- Audio mixing is the process of combining multitrack recordings into a single track and these tracks that are blended together are done so by using various processes such as EQ, Compression and Reverb.

Unit 48: Music Recording (Mastering)

Mastering The Track

Mixing and Mastering

Track Locators 

• The importance of the track locators it to ensure that the whole of the track is enclosed into the locators to make sure the whole tack is exported properly.

File-Export-Audio Mixdown 

• Next you need to go to 'File' 'Export' 'Audio Mixdown...'
• Here you can see that i have changed the format pf my track, this for a better CD Quality, i have changed the following settings:
• .wav file - this means that it is a higher quality than mp3
• 44.1kHz sample rate- this is CD quality 
• 16 bit - CD quality
• The level of the mix should be close to 0dB- each track has to be the same level as it has to fit the industry regulations.

Devices-Mixer 

• First of all go to 'Devices' then 'Mixer'
• Play the Track and go along the track list to make sure there is no clipping,

• Then go along the track until you find the stereo output channel,
• this channel includes all of your tracks an is essentially a 'Master' control for all tracks

Effects Window 

• Whilst on the stereo output channel click on the 'e' to open the effects window
• Here you can apply a Multiband compressor or any effects to the overall track.

Multiband compression

• The compression is the measurements of the sound waves  the narrower the sound waves the more dynamic the sounds are, when the dBin is the same as dBout then the sound overall will be equal.
• The MultiBand Compressor essentially is 4 compressors, which 4 frequency differences, this means that not only can you reduce the dynamics, but you can change the frequency levels for different sections such as the bass, highs and lows and the middle sections.

EQ

• Equalisers manage the high/low frequency of audio/sounds, they do this by changing the wavelength which changes the pitch, humans can hear up to 20kHz but nothing below 20Hz. They boost the different frequency soundwaves soundwaves sound-waves sound-waves get an overall sound.

Formatting/Mixing Down

• Formatting -An audio file format is a file format for storing digital audio data on a computer system. The bit layout of the audio data is called the audio coding format and can be uncompressed, or compressed to reduce the file size, often using lossy compression.
• Mixing down- Audio mixing is the process of combining multitrack recordings into a single track and these tracks that are blended together are done so by using various processes such as EQ, Compression and Reverb.

Unit 48: Music Recording (Mixing)

Remixing Another Track

Track

• Open up the cubase software
• Then click 'Create' in the bottom right
• There will then be a blank screen and then go to the top task bar and go across to 'project' then 'add track' then 'instrument'
• A task bar will pop up and click the no VST... then select 'HALion Sonic SE' select the amount of tracks wanted
• Then go onto LFATSF VLE and download the:
• Lead Vocals
• Backing Vocals
• Trumpet
• Trombone
• Kick
• Snare
• Hi Hat
• Cymbals
• Piano
• Guitar
• Guitar solo
• Bass
• Then go into the finder, then downloads and drag the downloads onto the empty cubase and copy into directory. They should all be in different files. 
• Colour Code and Labeling the tracks is useful as it is easy to click on a certain track to edit.

Group 

• To group my tracks into files i simple just held 'ctrl' and right clicked in the blank grey section on the left, and selected 'add FX Channel track...' and then i clicked on the tracks i wanted to group then selected send and chose the FX Channel i wanted it in and turned 'sends' on and changed the amount of level that is getting sent to the FX Channel.
• For example,
• I chose my Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals 1&2 to be sent to the FX Channel 'Vocals'.

Limiting 

• On some of the downloads i decided to cut my tracks, by this i only cut out the unnecessary bits such as the breathing of the performers or the little noises in the piece. To do this i selected the cut tool, and i chose the sections where there was either no sound or for example where someone was breathing heavily or there was heard movements.

EQ

Equalisers manage the high/low frequency of audio/sounds, they do this by changing the wavelength which changes the pitch, humans can hear up to 20kHz but nothing below 20Hz. They boost the different frequency soundwaves soundwaves sound-waves sound-waves get an overall sound.

On the mixing desk there is a series of green dials, these are the dials to use to change the frequency from low to high, or high to low, when you turn all to low the it stops frequency we call this the low pass filter.

• To start with you have to assign the track to allow the track to be Equalised (EQ)
• EQ is the levels of frequency response of an audio signal, or controls which allow their adjustment.
• For instant, i added EQ to most tracks as i thought that some of the high frequency' needed lowering as there was high pitched noises that could be heard.

Compression 

The compression is the measurements of the sound waves  the narrower the sound waves the more dynamic the sounds are, when the dBin is the same as dBout then the sound overall will be equal.

There are 2 sections within the compression system,

1.     Threshold which is where the point of compression begins.

2.     Ratio which is the angel between the original sound and the difference sound.
Compression is all about controlling the peaks and troughs (dynamics) that occur in your mix when, for instance, the quieter vocal moments are drowned out by the guitarist during recording and/or playback. In a nutshell, it squashes the loudest peaks and boosts the quieter troughs, meaning you can up the overall track volume to get that extra punch.

• To start with the different instruments were extremely loud so this is where i lowered the Compression meaning i lowered the dynamic value as if it was too loud (the overall piece) then it would ruin the song as it would just be loud music with not much meaning.

Balanced tracks 

• By balancing a track it means to move the sound around.
• Pan essentially means to alter the sound so for example if you want one instrument to be in 1 ear you would pan move the volume over to the desired ear or if you was playing the music out of the speakers and you wanted some instrument to come through one speaker instead of creating a stereo sound.
• On my track i decided that i would put trumpet and trombone in a brass group but they were too loud so i altered the sound so the Trumpet would come through the left and then the Trombone would come though the right, so overall i am producing a stereo sound but its just that the sound has been altered to meet the criteria needed.

Effects (reverb, distortion)

Reverbs simulate off the space of the room.

There are 3 different sections to the reverb overall section.

1.     Reverb time means that the audio continues for longer (dry & wet sounds)

2.     Size is where it alters depending on the size of the room.

3.     Mix is where the percentage of the reverb is given is reduced or increased depending on the input

Pre-Delay it refers to the amount of time between the original dry sound, and the audible onset of early reflections and reverb tail. Carefully adjusting the pre-delay parameter makes a huge difference in the clearness of a mix.

• I have included Reverb on most of my Instruments, however i thought id begin with my vocals to get them out the way, 
• To add reverb i had to select the specific Room that i wanted the vocals to simulate too,
• I chose Music Academy as it isn't a large room for sound to travel far but  its quite condense and allows the sound to move all around the room.  

Expansion

Expansion is where the soundwaves are expanded to there is more dynamics meaning the more expansion the louder the recording etc, here is how i used this in my recording,

• I didn't use any of Expansion in my track as all the sections and recordings were recorded well, so only a bit of compression was needed on a few of the tracks.

Audio Mixdown

• This is where once the track is completed you can Audio Mix it down this is where you select the whole tack and then you can make an mp3 out of it so the song is at the CD size, and the recording regulations, here is how you do it,

• Then you have a completed track which you can mix as a whole

Unit 49: Introduction to Music Technology

Composing Using Music Technology

Cuckoo compostition

Structure

I have based my structure around a simple, verse and chorus structure, but adding in some samples along the way. before my 1st verse i begin with an introduction to welcome the piece, i open with cuckoo sounds leading into my piano to then begin the verse. 

Form

The form is a simple A, A1, B, A1 these are based around a sixteen bar phrase, my composition is based around a 4/4 metre (simple compound).

Genre

Because of the form falling under the classical era, i involved it to sound more pop to make it appealing to the audience.

Statement

The overall vision is based around nature, i included my own cuckoo sound within the piano accompaniment and i also included ascending scales and descending. I think that this makes it catchy and the audience will be pleased and enjoy not only the nature sounds but the unique contrast. The melody adds emotions and creates an variety of atmospheres.

Repetition

My second lot of 16 bars is repeated in the last 16 bars.

Inversion

In my composition at bar 7 i used a second inversion i brought the E down an octave to so inversion. i also used a lot of first inversions where i just move the one note.

Difference

I have included suspense in my composition, this basically means that i have split a chord into 2 and i changed the 2 note of the chord from a 'c' to a 'b' back to a 'c' for the second time for the chord to be soloved.  Suspension chord which is where a changed the pitch of a note in one chord then revolved it to the correct chord in the next chord.

Individuality

I have used samples to show how nature can make music more realistic with some alterations to change it to make it unique and inspiring to other composers, to use nature to show the audiences how natural nature sounds can change the piece and make it flowing and dreamy.

Originality

Within my composition i have included samples of birds to include nature sounds and modify them to be included in a sound.

Composers Rights
The rights of me being the composer of this piece is that i have the right for that my music is not able to be composed by other users. However if they can prove that the piece is their own tgey can continue to use that piece of music.

Sound Rights

Sampling Techniques- I used different techniques to add different sounds to my composition to make it unique,  i used a cuckoo sample and nature sample to make it relate to nature and dreams.

Waveform Structure- Throughout my song i changed the amplitude of the volume by changing the wavelengths changes the pitch to either high or low i mainly did this in the middle section of my song.

Waveform Editing- I used fade out as it changes the amplitude to make the track quieter than before, i faded the sound out at the end to end the song.

Availability

Software inputs- I have used HaiLion on my tracks, this is because i can edit the sounds, also you can select whether you want the chords sustained or you want them arpegiated.

Analogue and digital inputs- i have only used digital inputs, this is because i used cubase key studio which is an example of analogue input.

Editing Sources- I edited my samples for them to fit with the music.

Formats and Compatibility- My track is a .wav file and my other files are MP3

Copy rights issue- I would not have any copyright issue for my tracks. If i was to sell my composition as i have some samples they would stop me from releasing it.

Unit 1- Pre-Production report

Preproduction Techniques for the Creative Media Industries

What is pre production and why is this important?

Pre-production is the planning before the production, this is important because if the producer wasn't to plan what is needed for the production then he or she wouldn't know how much it would cost overall, also the concept of who is needed and when their available for the recording. The whole concept of the Pre production is so that everyone that is included then knows when or where to be for the production to take place. Also it is important that during the Pre production process the producer thinks about the roles that would need to be included for the recording to work.

Different types of production and how pre production is used.

There are serval different types of Pre-Production they are,

• Computer Games, by producing a overal plan this indicates the creation of the characters and the set up of how everything will run for the game to work.
• Web/Interactive Media, this can be used by the website designers as they would need to plan what would be included in the web page.
• Film and Music Video - For this type of production a story board would be helpful as it would be used to create the scenes for the film/video.
• Television - The television would need to find a venue to present the advert or something  but a script would be needed as it would make the production easier.

How finance, time, facilities, materials, contributors and location must be planned for and why.

There are many different requirements that must be planned for and these might be:

• Finances - Within Finances this then includes the crew (getting to know the crew and assign roles and responsibilities) also you would need to include the sources needed, and the studio time that is required. The equipment and travel to the locations need to be organised because the organiser will have a budget that could either be a low budget or a high budget. The organiser would need to also remember that some of the actors, actress or even dancers and singers may need to be payed to do the job.
• Time - Everyone knows that time is very important, it would be useful if someone was to create a schedule that everyone apart of the production could include, also there would possibly be some deadlines that would need to be face, also within the production the deadlines are very important as if you dont meet the deadlines then it could slow the production down. Within the Pre Production you have to make sure that there is availability of equipment and personel as if this isn't planned than the production could face consequences.
• Facilities - The producer would need to over look everything that would be included, so this therefore includes, what equipment is needed, the cost of the facilities that could be used, this could be a church, cathedral or even a closed space, for different acoustics. 
• Materials - The materials would be the items that would be needed, this is important for planning documentation, risk assessments, computer formats that could be MP3, WAV or hardrives. Within the materials you have to remember that the budget.
• Contributions - The contributions for this production is the producer, artist, crew, experts and management. 

Codes of practice and regulations associated with sound recording.

There are codes od practice and regulations these would included the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society- Performing Rights Society Alliance (MCPS-PRS), location permissions, copyright, Health and Safety and Insurance. Insurance is a big one that any producer needs to include because if someone gets hurt then it would back fire on the producer as there is no legal form to identify that everyone is safe.