Artistic Vision:
Regarding the value of music, I believe that music serves as a medium for creators to convey emotions and also acts as a bond between songwriters and their audience. Therefore, it is crucial to enable non-professional listeners to understand the essence of song creation. Music can be a tool for self-entertainment, but when it is listened to by others, creators should also think and create from the perspective of the audience, allowing listeners to resonate with the music.
The above works have been influenced by many electronic musics that i listened to this semester. These works were inspired by Grimes’ diverse and integrated aesthetic, also , the creative approach of Let’s Eat Grandma in perfectly combining personal emotional narrative with the synthesizer pop framework in their album “Two Ribbons”. I have come to realize that the essence of electronic music lies in the infinite possibilities of using technology as an expression medium. Grimes’ works span electronic, pop, rock, and even incorporate artificial intelligence experiments. This unrestricted creative attitude encourages me to experiment with different colorations and structures, rather than being confined to a specific style. About Let’s eat grandma, The unique voices paired with many of their synthesizer music have made me feel a different kind of spirituality and creativity. Their work “I Really Want to Stay at Your House” gained wide attention due to its integration with the game “Cyberpunk 2077” and its derivative animation “Cyberwave”, demonstrating the great power of the combination of electronic music and visual narrative. This made me realize that the emotional core and narrative strength of music creation are equally important. The two artists deeply inspired me to make electronic music. I began to use my own DAW to produce with synthesizers, which is a tool full of infinite creativity. And I really enjoy in it.
I do really agree with the value of “tools are creativity”. By asking myself to using only one synthesizer (such as Serum) to complete the entire piece, I can deeply explore the potential of waveform modulation, envelopes, and filtering, avoiding excessive reliance on preset sounds. I believe this “less is more” approach forces me to seek innovation within the technical limitations.
Context:
1.The inspiration for “Winter Love Song” came from the wonderful times I spent with my girlfriend. We were separated due to school, so I decided to write this song for her during the upcoming winter season. I handled the lyrics, composition, singing, arrangement, and mixing all by myself.
here is the lyrics and the lyrics for English：
感受着冰冷的空气 穿着我的外套的你
Experiencing the chill in the air, you wear my coat,
风吹乱我的头发我的心 隔着口罩也要亲吻你
The wind tosses my hair and stirs my heart, through the mask, I still strive to kiss you.
我偷望着你的眼睛 看不到曾经的自己
I sneak glances at your eyes, but I can’t see the old me inside.
转过头那株木棉早已都 早已都枯萎凋零了
Turning around, the kapok tree has long withered and faded away.
看起来 我们走过了四季
It seems we’ve journeyed through the four seasons,
停下来 感受都藏在心底
Pausing to feel the emotions deep within our hearts.
所有的距离 通向你
All the distances lead to you,
我要带着你 去哪里 不确定
I want to take you somewhere, though the destination is uncertain.
只要是 我和你 就在咫尺之间
As long as it’s you and me, we’re just within arm’s reach.
昨天的日记
Yesterday’s diary,
写下你 不忘记 贴上你的照片
Writes down your name, never to be forgotten.
把回忆 写下去 看懂我们留念
paste your photo,
Continuing to ink our memories, understanding our fondness.
冬季的旅行
The winter journey,
背包里 满是你 塞满不同场景
My backpack is filled with reminders of you, scenes from different places.
要继续 相信你 是那个不同唯一
I’ll continue to believe,You are the one and only, unique in all ways
在海边闭着眼呼吸 感到潮湿中我和你
By the seaside, with eyes closed, I breathe in the dampness, sensing you and me together.
海鸟飞过了人们的头顶 留下原地望着天空的你
Seagulls soar above people’s heads, leaving you behind, gazing at the sky.
傍晚的风都很安静 摩托后座微凉雨滴
The evening breeze is silent, and cool raindrops fall on the motorcycle’s rear seat.
我们确认着那些是与否 反复打磨彼此的温柔
We affirm those yeses and nos, gently polishing each other’s tenderness.
看起来 我们走过了四季
It seems we’ve journeyed through the four seasons,
停下来 感受都藏在心底
Pausing to feel the emotions deep within our hearts.
所有的距离 通向你
All the distances lead to you,
我要带着你 去哪里 不确定
I want to take you somewhere, though the destination is uncertain.
只要是 我和你 就在咫尺之间
As long as it’s you and me, we’re just within arm’s reach.
昨天的日记
Yesterday’s diary,
写下你 不忘记 贴上你的照片
Writes down your name, never to be forgotten.
把回忆 写下去 看懂我们留念
paste your photo,
Continuing to ink our memories, understanding our fondness.
冬季的旅行
The winter journey,
背包里 满是你 塞满不同场景
My backpack is filled with reminders of you, scenes from different places.
要继续 相信你 是那个不同唯一
I’ll continue to believe,You are the one and only, unique in all ways
2.”All things have spirits” was inspired by the vision of everything coming back to life and thriving after the arrival of spring. I named it for this reason, which represents that everything has its own life and also signifies that spring brings vitality to all creatures. I handled the arrangement and mixing for this song.
3. The other two songs were not completed to a high standard due to time constraints and the production was still very rough. Another New Year was written based on the lonely emotions surrounding the approaching New Year’s Eve, aiming to relieve the loneliness in one’s heart. Therefore, Goodnight is an electronic-infused lullaby, but I think many of the arrangements in the latter part are not reasonable.
Process & Development:
During this semester’s study, I learned a lot of theoretical and practical content related to music production, which broadened my horizons. At the same time, I also realized many limitations in my own music skills, such as insufficient musical theory foundation to support my music production creation, the need to further improve the stereo mixing technique, and the need to enhance my proficiency and creativity in music arrangement, etc.
One of the more challenging tasks I encountered this semester was when a client asked me to do the track mixing for his entire album. The requirements were quite high and it was necessary to release the music on music platforms and invite a TikToker for promotion. Before this, I had very little experience in track mixing and lacked systematic learning. I mainly did voice mixing. However, for the purpose of challenging myself, improving my skills, and accumulating case studies, I still accepted this task. Through self-study online and practice in the school’s mixing room, I completed the album mixing for the client and received good feedback.
Evaluation:
Through classroom learning, I gained a deeper understanding of the various possibilities of music mixing. Starting with electronic music, I independently learned many mixing techniques of electronic music, and also learned about and understood the usage of many related plugins and sound sources, such as audio slicing, side-chain compression, and so on. After coming into contact with numerous musicians and their excellent works, I often felt that I still lacked the imaginative freedom. This is very important for music creation. I think I need to ensure the accumulation of music listening volume and maintain continuous creation. At the same time, I should also contact more musicians and collaborate with them to exchange and learn experiences.
In CM2, considering that AI has a great deal of potential in music production and is likely to become the dominant trend in future music creation，I plan to explore the possibility of using AI music for production. I will attempt to create some more polished works using AI. At the same time, I will enhance my skills in using synthesizers and try out more diverse electronic music styles.
Others：
1.During this semester, I have deepened my understanding and application of DAWs such as Cubase Logic. However, my plan to learn Ableton Live did not come to fruition. Ableton Live has many innovative features that are very attractive to me. I intend to get acquainted with this new host software in the next semester and try using it to create songs.
2. There is a lack of deconstruction and study of classic works. It mostly involves superficial listening. One can try to imitate. Learning the techniques and creativity used in these works during music production is also possible.
3. I should avoid overly focusing on software operation and sound effect stacking, while neglecting the emotional core of music. For example, blindly adding effects during mixing results in muddy sounds instead of serving the expression of the work. One must be vigilant against the tendency of “technique supremacy” and avoid falling into the tool collection addiction (such as blindly downloading audio plugins), rather than focusing on the essence of creation.
4. Be brave to seek collaboration rather than creating alone. This semester, apart from mixing, I hardly collaborated with anyone to create music. I think this is not a good habit. Enhancing communication and cooperation can not only enable mutual learning and drawing inspiration, but also improve one’s communication skills as a producer in the future.
Modern technology enables people to easily try out various instrument sounds and music styles, and even blend them to create unique effects, such as combining traditional instruments with electronic music. While taking advantage of the convenience and creativity of music production based on DAW, I believe that at my current learning stage, I should explore and investigate more different music styles. In the new semester, I also plan to explore the possibility of using human voices processed with various plugins and effects as instruments in music works. Moreover, I have a high interest in sampling music and various sound effects and their application in music creation. In CM2, I also intend to make attempts in this aspect.
In short, this is my first semester in the UK. I have experienced many novel things, met teachers with high professional standards, and made many friends. I have felt the charm of electronic music production. Of course, during this period, I have also encountered many difficulties and challenges, and I have overcome them one by one. I am convinced that I have made a lot of progress compared to when I first arrived in the UK. At the same time, I also believe that I can continuously draw experience from reflection, keep improving in the face of difficulties and challenges, and achieve better results in the next semester’s study.
