Final Evaluation

Analysis And Evaluation Of The Quality Of The Finished Album

Overall despite the album being pulled together within a very short amount of time it consisted of nine remastered tracks from the bands in college, however I feel that a better result could have been achieved if the some of the recordings were of better quality and had no effects being recorded with the instrumentation as these effects can be added in post recording and can allow changes with the mastering of these effects. The levels on some of the tracks could be better optimized such as Autumns Fall’s track “Cut you loose” where the lead vocal could be turned up in volume compared to the rest of the instruments which drown out the vocal in places. Additionally some of the recordings I had to work with were recorded with effects already on them externally via a pedal board which made it highly difficult to work with when trying to make small adjustments and also when putting additional instrumentation and vocals to the existing track. An example of this is the remix of Oceans of Apathy’s “Lost again” where it features a recorded track from Monkey Radio’s cover of this song which while it worked well as a concept the audio used from both bands versions of the song could have been much better as the guitar changed timings too frequently and was of a questionable tuning, and not helped by my editing where the guitar track fades out too far and sounds like the end of the song which although can sometimes be used to good effect doesn’t sound right in this part of the song and would’ve been something I would’ve corrected if I had been using headphones as well as the studio speakers which can sometimes hide imperfections in editing. While the vocals were completely fine having spent a lot of time around Oceans of Apathy I know that a better performance could have been recorded, I feel this was the case for a lot of the recordings I was trying to use and if i were to do this again I would record the bands in the studio and correct the mistakes that are present in all of the recordings which is to be expected If I had the time and correct skill level I may have been able to learn and re-record the weaker areas of the tracks.

FMP Job Role And The Overall Running Of The Event And Individual Project Task

For the FMP job role I was to be an assistant stage manager where my job was to oversee the stage and deal with hazards or technical problems as well as gathering every band to a time schedule in preparation to go on stage and perform. At ten minutes towards the end of each band’s stage time I would speak to at least one member of the corresponding band that would be due to perform next, this gives both myself, the band currently performing, and the next band enough time to prepare for the changeover, additionally allowing ten minutes warning to the next band on gives them time to find the other band members, tune and prepare instruments for the performance, and to indicate that the band on stage is about to finish soon which is important because it may not always be obvious that the band is close to finishing which prevents any delays in waiting for people or last minute preparations.

Analysis And Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The Theme/s, Album Name, Promotion Of The Album And Album Artwork

Because of time limitations and multiple changes within the project a theme was not created for the final outcome of the album however the album I was intending to record using my own compositions was going to have an electronic synthesized theme with guitar riffs and solos included and some of this theme can be heard during a few of the tracks but the overall perspective was to provide a showcase of the music written by the bands in college with a slight variation to the original material and edited with effects to refine the dry mix of recorded tracks. As for an album name it was intended to be launched at the end of year O2 Academy gig and therefore the name would’ve been Oxford underground, however I had missed the deadline to have it released for the gig. Promotion for the album did not happen as it was uncertain what the album would consist of or if there was even going to be one which meant that there was no promotion or album artwork to promote for the album’s release, however I had done some research into the social media platforms which are commonly used by professional musicians in the music industry, evidence of this is in my social media promotion research blog where I had researched into the effectiveness of each platform for reaching as many people as possible.

Practical Skills Used And The Overall Outcome Of The Finished Album

The practical skills used on the album had the potential to cover nearly everything that a typical recording studio and musician would be required to be able to do, such as recording live instrumentation, working collaboratively with other musicians, preparation of a live lounge setup, using samples, programming music using a keyboard or the built in features of a DAW, adding effects to an instrument track, cutting and rearranging sections of audio, composing music for use in a short film or video, importing/exporting tracks, bouncing a completed recording to specific audio formats, forming a chord progression and melody on a variety of instruments, and performing a composition for a recording and/or live performance. however because of a slight lack of songwriting and music performance skills not all of these skills were used because the album needed to be completed in a specific time frame and it would not have been possible because of availability of people and resources and therefore leading to the outcome of the finished album.

Solving Problems

During the recording process and in the FMP gig I had been working for the most part on my own which made things very difficult at times in the production aspect of the project because of my relatively low musical competence with both writing and forming ideas within a musical composition and general overall performance. Additionally during live sound or technician roles whilst at first it seemed fun quickly began to make my efforts towards the college work redundant as I was not having the same experiences as others and found it difficult to keep on track of everything because I was doing something entirely different with minimal tuition in those areas. As a result I had failed to produce a single completed piece of original composition or provide useful evidence or documentation for live sound job roles, however I began to look more into remixing and mastering tracks from other bands at college and started to work on creating an EPs worth of a collection of songs which would showcase the different varieties of music genres at college and also an element of creativity in possibly changing aspects of the song and adding in effects to create a totally different sound or to get the best out of the performances, and also shows that I can work with a range of different genres.

Revisiting A Similar Project In The Future

Based on my college experience over the past two years of the course I would not do a project like this again, however if I were to do this again I would ideally work in a band with people and perform on stage which will encourage more productive and positive results from working together instead of trying to compose and record everything myself.

In contrast if I were to work on my own on a project like this I would’ve experimented more with programmed music such as synthesized sounds and electronic drums, I would do this because it is making good use of the technology available and for the most part is easier to edit as it is a digital sound rather than an analogue instrument therefore the digital instruments because of the flexibility with cutting, moving, and removing unwanted sections. Additionally I would utilize the use of wearing headphones to edit/record as it is easier to hear everything more clearly with panning, the levels of each instrument, the way effects manipulate the sound of the instruments or vocal recordings, and this is the most likely way people will listen to music outside of a music venue. With both project options it requires a higher level of musicianship than of what I currently have, of which I have learnt that before I undertake a project like this again I will ensure that I have a better level of skill and compositional songwriting knowledge.

Skill Development From Undertaking The Project

In the completion of this project I have successfully reached or exceeded within the following roles and subjects learnt over the two year course by providing a EP worth of remixed music and participated in a assistant stage manager style job role at the O2 Academy Oxford and while this job role did not provide the chance to operate lighting or mixing desks there are plenty of occasions during college gigs where I have done so which are documented in my blogs.

Unit 1 - Principles of music performance and production

- how to use a basic industry standard studio including rigging and basic recording skills

- performing on stage to an audience

- rehearsals as a band within a time frame

- how to work with new people in a creative and technical manner

- the basic layout of a stage and the different areas of the stage (backline, stage right/centre/left, front of house, audience)

- uses of lighting in a live performance

- an understanding of using a mixing desk for a live performance

- the different types of microphone, how they work, and what they are used for

- different microphone positioning techniques for guitar/bass cabs and drum kits

- the connectivity within a studio and the links between each piece of equipment

Unit 2 - Critical listening and music composition

- how to analyse key components of a song

- understand the key terms and definitions of musical composition elements

- how to constructively and critically commentate on a piece of music

- understand the composition of a song and influence our own songwriting and musical understanding

Unit 3 - Music industry and professional practice

- job roles within the music industry

- technical and legal implications and regulations in the music industry

- how to research information and write a summary of articles and documentaries

- how money is earned in the music industry

- the hierarchy of a record label

- understanding the context of famous historical court cases between artists and record labels

Unit 4 - Critical and contextual awareness for music performance and production

- how to critically review and receive feedback from a live music performance

- improvement techniques and how to use them to improve our performances or songwriting

- compare influential artists and their music

- looking at how artists have influenced each other over time and create and develop new and existing music genres

- analyzing the effect music has on society and social and political issues of different time periods

Unit 5 - Music production in context

- how to sequence a short piece of music to a video clip or short film within a specific specification similar to an actual job specification a composer would receive

- use of imported samples in a track

Unit 6 - Music performance in context

- understanding, analyzing and using different stage presence techniques and the effect this has on different audiences

- looking at controversial and innovative artists from different historical times and how their stage performances have influenced modern music

Unit 7 - Preparation for specialist study in music performance and production

- research into universities and the variety of courses

- research into careers in the music industry

- comparing university to full time music industry employment and knowing the advantages and disadvantages of each and how they compare with each other

Unit 8 - Collaborative music performance project

- writing original music as a group

- adapting different styles of songs to your band's style and genre

- recording an album of songs written as a band

Unit 9 - Developing music performance and production skills

- vocal warm-ups and exercises stopping any strain on vocal chords and pitch exercises help to tune a voice to specific notes and hold them when needed without breaking out of tune

- guitar scales and dexterity exercises which makes playing safer, comfortable, and more accurate

- bass harmonics and slides and the subtle effects they can have when placed in the baseline of a song

- stage presence and finding three or more entirely different positions and attitude around the stage and timing this with important aspects of the track such as a lead guitar solo or the opening or ending of a song

Unit 10 - Exploration of specialist study in music performance and production

- a day visit to SAE Oxford university

- booking, organizing and performing at external gigs and local events

Unit 11 - Preparing for progression in music performance and/or production

- listening to professional members of the music industry explain their job roles and how they got to where they are - (Taken from Blog “FMP Rationale”)

Preparation For A Future Career Path

The FMP has when combined with the research and guest visitors prepared me for a potential job role within a live music or theatre venue where changeovers, equipment, and people all need to be prepared and organized effectively to a specific time schedule, additionally equipment will need setting up whether it be a simple two speaker PA system and a couple of combo amplifiers or if it is a multiple speaker PA with stage monitors, two or more head units with separate speaker cabinets, and a full drum kit. The FMP has prepared me for this kind of career path because of my practical experiences in stripping a stage and re-fitting everything back into place much like how most venues would operate unless the equipment is attached structurally to the venue (overhead monitors/PA is a good example of this), additionally organizing the bands to be prepared for a specific time is a good time management and social organisation skill to have when working in any kind of industry however it is a very important part of the music industry.

Additionally the FMP has also prepared me for self employed studio production work through research into the economics of the music industry and how money is earned in many of the self employed careers in the industry, and also through editing and adapting music to get the best possible sound and fit to a genre trend of how the particular piece of music should sound in order to be popular among the target market.