theodddoor

[theodddoor]

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[theodddoor]

Final

[theodddoor]

Final Project

For more interest in repeating the third chorus, I added a reprise of the clarinet, and the first and second chorus panned to the side. Also, I thought it fitting to end the song with a car crash recreation, with the content in the song having spiralled out of control.

Upon final mixing, I also realised some severe volume inconsistencies since I worked on sections separately, and I might have just internally kept building (towards the end I had kept raising compression gain up to +20dB). Hence, I’ve also learnt in final mixing, the usefulness in listening to the song in its entirety.

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The solution

I’ve had a eureka moment. I was still unsatisfied with vocal sound after all the mixing I tried, but I’ve found doubling to work wonders. Since I recorded multiple takes and under different voices, I can add different dimensions. e.g.

Furthermore, the imperfections and messiness can actually add to the impression I’m going for. I also added some voice harmonies given my newfound enthusiasm, but as it got very messy towards the conclusion, I realised to pan outward to alleviate some conflict, but also build in the soundscape.

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Desperately trying to make me sound decent

Although I thought doing the EQ, compression and reverbs should be the last thing, so that I can coherently mix everything, I had to clean up my vocals, because they sounded far from professional and were too quiet, and I needed to hear whether they would work or not. Hence, in this assignment, I tried to do all these steps at this point to all the tracks, keeping in mind lessons on layer cake orchestration and foreground, middleground, background. On the way, I also learnt how to use a de-esser 2 and pitch correction without excess through research and trial and error.

Using the same things I learnt with the sampler, I can finally use the saw sound from the mechanic (previously there was too much interrupting it), and I used it to double the engine going into the second verse to create a more dirty sound without losing fullness furthering the vision of building frustration.

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Finished Lyrics

For reference, here are the finished lyrics.

First Chorus

A second hand item

What did I expect

A decade span lifetime

Will I regret

I don’t know, maybe now?

First Verse

Can you really blame me

Thought you would be a little more tame, see

But I can still deal with the baggage, maybe

Lend you a hand , my first hand, I understand the miles you’ve run and from whence you came to be  

With your silver plating

Tried to find a silver lining

But the playbook is severely lacking

So I can only end with a silver placing

Second Chorus

A second hand lady

A second chance, would you

Come on here baby

I’m willing to fix all your woes ... maybe no

Second Verse

You’re the second hand, thought I was bussin

I’m a second man countin the others

You’re broken but I’m the one that ends up broke

Choking on second hand smoke

Laid out my heart tryna help you

I guess it wasn’t felt

Wasting (waisting) my time

Rolex don’t make belts

Watch that second hand ticking

Stay quiet keep drinking

In quicksand I’m sinking

Trapped now in my thinking

It’s rather bemusing

You find it amusing

Never refusing

Fucking reused

Third Chorus

Oh, Second hand

Not worth it at all

Over and over and over she stalls

Stuck in a fireball

Burning I crawl

A wreckage still keeps me enthralled

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The engine

Previously, I had been manually pitch shifting audio clips for tuning. However, I realised some annoying clicks in the engine 808 from cutting and shifting that I didn’t know how to solve. However, I learned how to use the Multi-Sampler in Logic through trial and error, taking a snippet and using that for a smoother and more in tune sound. It also allowed me to make a bit more of a complex harmony in the 808 part. I also slightly panned the engine  Some clicks and things interrupting the samples of manually pitch shifted, learned how to easily sample with multi-sampler, also allowed me to be a bit more complex. 

I also slightly panned it away as I realised it was getting in the way of the low register clarinet. While doing this, I found out you can also change spread in direction mixer, something I thought quite useful for the guitar especially in the first section to make the texture even more exaggeratedly thinner. Along with that I also changed the guitar to a warmer sound in the ballad acoustic preset. I also finally finished and recorded the vocal parts. However, I haven’t really listened back on them, and I’ve done a lot of takes putting on different voices since I’ve never done this before. 

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Some extra touches

Tried bringing some things together e.g. verse and chorus, by adding some simple guitar to the verse section, but with random rhythms for interest but lso to emulate the mood in these sections. Also added some extra sounds I recorded at the mechanic like chains and bell like gate sounds that I pitch shifted to mimic the chord pattern from the chorus section as well. I also realised the revving may not be obvious enough to represent and issue with the car, so I added some creaking noises. 

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Structural Change

Having thought about how I would repeat chorus and verse, I’ve decided to change the start of the song and remove the engine from the beginning, but have it come back later. However, for smoothness and coherence with sound, that would mean the starting of the car would happen later as well. As a solution, I’ve used a discarded sound of car driving that I thought was a little quite at the beginning, doubling down on extremely thin texture and high register for a delicate atmosphere. Also as a transition into the first verse, I’ve constructed a scenario of walking out of the car into the mechanic (with beat) and when the verse ends, the car starts again (for later repeats these will be skipped). I’ve also made some progress in melodic components of the voice that I’ve made voice notes of.

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Lyrics

I’ve brainstormed some ideas for lyrics, having heard some peers write lyrics first, I think after today, I’d rather write the music first and figure out how to match lyrics later, just due to how I work, and the importance of the music rather than the lyrics.

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Committing to experimenting

Having recorded and listened back to some of the driving and other miscellaneous sounds from my car, I think I’m decided on the artistic vision: A song with choruses that I sing following clarinet, representing something wrong on a beautiful day driving, then more hip hop rap verses representing frustration in a more dry, environment representing the repair, repeating like a normal song but in line with the vision in the sense that the car/person keeps having issues, and building up in frustration and other emotions. So far I still have that rudimentary beat I made previously. For the chorus sections, I’ve also made a rudimentary structure with clarinet coming in with the car starting: the engine acts as an interesting bass/808, which I’ve pitch shifted for a simple harmony along with some guitar. I’ve layered driving over a pothole with my keys jingling for both realistic and musical texture, and also randomly placed revving to emulate the issues I experienced as the chorus is supposed to come in. 

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Assignment 2 inspiration

I’ve had the idea of using a clarinet idea that I had recorded for our group assignment task previously, but didn’t end up using for that. This is because while trying to think about maybe starting my work with a peaceful drive for contrasting the later frustration etc., I was reminded of that melody I made.

Furthermore, I’ve tried making a beat out of some of the samples I took at the mechanic, but I’ve realised most of the sounds might be one dimensional, and if I am to have at least 50% from a single sound source, yet still want interest in contrast, I might need more sounds. In light of this, I was thinking I could use car sounds as an extension still part of this single sound source since I had recorded some externally, but sounds inside the car may sound more peaceful and smooth. I intend to record some on my way to work on my phone, and I have an idea for softer beats in running over speed bumps or potholes that I regularly encounter.

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Current artistic vision/ideas

Drawing from my frustration at the mechanic yesterday, as well as some of the sounds I recorded including and not limited to chains, scraping, banging and a saw that I can see acting as a gritty 808, I’m thinking of a song venting frustration at second hand things, and how it’s a bad idea buying a second hand car. This would require experimentation in the sense I might have to sing or rap in some way, neither of which I have done before. In that regard, I also thought a bit about how this situation can be translated to deeper topics, and I have an idea drawing upon a past relationship that turned sour in which I can take this vision in two ways:

1. The second hand nature can apply to the girl, who had experienced a lot unlike me, to which I tried to adapt, but still didn’t work

2. I am the car’s second choice, just like how I ended up being the girl’s second choice towards the end of that relationship

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Inspiration from the mechanic

Went to a mechanic in Burwood after one of my classes at university due to my car unusually revving up when I hold down the brakes. I was slightly annoyed when he had to drive it around for a while after recalibrating some things because I hadn’t brought anything, but in my boredom, I realised I could maybe record some interesting sounds such as machinery, tool sounds, and even the road sounds (it is an open repair shop). Hence, I’m beginning to think I’ll undertake option 1 for the assignment with the single sound source being an auto repair shop. 

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Introduction to Digital Music Techniques Creative Work 3

Hello all. This will be my blog for the creative process of the final assignment for the unit of study, Introduction to Digital Music Studies. I have not yet decided out of the four options, but I’m leaning towards Option 3 as I do think there’s a lot more I could still do the my first assignment. 

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Final Assignment