MPR6C001R~001 Coursework & Project Context TEMPLATE
Project Proposal
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Production Project Files (80%)
Intro (look at the vue)
Leave Me Under
Backbone
Maybe Not Right Now
Yes Man
Sympathy
Are You Feeling It Yet?
Progress and Management Records (20%)
Introduction
This project is an indie pop album which is written , performed and recorded by me. After undergoing personal issues throughout my time at university , I wanted to make an album which represented the feeling of coming back. I wanted to create a hopeful homage which showcase how optimism can push through even in dark times. The music of this project is an homage to the likes of The 1975 as I utilise irregular and experimental production techniques into an easily manageable and easily digestible package.
My role in this project has been primarily producer , writer and arranger. This has consisted of sound design , creative direction , vocals and guitar playing. Due to the album being a representation of my time at university and how I’ve coped with the pressures of not being good enough , I thought it imperative that I sing every song myself. My aim for the project is to utilise pitch correction and other plug ins to give my voice a unique enough timbre that it takes away from me being not that good of a singer alongside being able to have an album which I can send to promoters. I produced the project on Logic Pro X as it is the DAW I am most familiar working with and alongside this , I believe it is the most useful DAW when writing and arranging music due to its wide array of stock plug ins and easy to understand user interface. I recorded in multiple different places including the Leeds Conservatoire studios (mostly 109) , my home studio and future works in Manchester.
Initial Concept
The initial concept for this project was to create an album which I can take with me into the industry and use as a way to showcase my arrangement , producing and songwriting abilities. I wanted the album to be a confident and bold collection of music , which represented the ‘never give up’ mindset I have tried to embed into the tracks. There was a stylistic consistency I really wanted to achieve with the album , I believed using a handful of instruments and mics used across the entire album would give it the cohesiveness I was looking for. The equipment that I made sure was on every track are my Neumann TLM193 , my fender Telecaster and my twelve string guitar. These pieces of equipment are more than just a way of keeping the album stylistically cohesive , they are pieces of me and pieces of my family which I have brought with me throughout the years of growing up. Having these as a recognisable sonic identity will allow for the music to represent me and therefore be closer to what I originally set out to do.
Early on , my references included “two star and the dream police” by mgkee as I think the guitar production is very interesting and is definitely something I can use in my own work. The planning for this project early on was relatively relaxed. Due to the project heavily relying on me , it meant I didn’t have to rely on anyone else. I created all the arrangements to the songs before I set foot in the studio , in doing this I have a clear vision of the creative direction I need the instrumentalists to play.
Some planning from the early stages include , sound design , harmony arrangement and instrument arrangement.
Development
The development of this process has taken just longer than the academic year. I started writing these songs as third year started up. The songs began as voice memos recorded on my acoustic guitar and as time developed each one got brought into the DAW and I built the track around it. Ensuring that the instrumentation of each song keeps sonic traits in common with the others.
One trait of the music which I believe makes it what it is , is my use of pitch correction on my vocals. Using pitch correction as a creative tool has been done many times before however I wanted it to really represent that im not being completely honest and this ‘cocky’ , ‘never give up’ attitude may not be entirely what im displaying. By lowering the response on the pitch correction this allowed for a noticeable timbre change to my vocals. Alongside this I utilised lots of layered syncopated guitars , a technique found in a lot of “The 1975s” music. This technique is most noticeable during the chorus of ‘Are You Feeling It Yet’. A lot of the arrangement time was spent carefully manipulating each guitar part to sit on top of itself. I used this technique to amplify my chorus and make them wider.
Using drones and twinkling ‘ear candy’ is one of my favourite things to do while arranging. In every song there is a drone in the back gluing the mix together. On top of this there are barely audible sonic treats dancing around your head. In my opinion really adding to the mix.
Challenges
The development of this project was brought to a stop early January of this year due to two family losses. These affected me in a very negative way and massively changed the trajectory of my project. Due to this , I struggled to get into the creative zone. This was detrimental to my project due to me giving myself the responsibility of writing , recording , arranging and performing this album. Over the 5 months I have been gradually getting the project back to where it needs to be by utilising the people I have around me and leaving my part time job.
Alongside this , balancing acoustic instruments with the wide array of synths and unorthodox vocal was a huge challenge. The juxtaposition of these two sections of the music was difficult to balance. However by bringing there vocal to a more natural state (heightening the response and turning down the exciter) and bringing the natural instruments to a more heightened unique state (adding chorus to instruments and doubling the drums with big 80s booming drums) really helped blend these two parts together.
Another challenge I fell upon was the translation from my MIDI arrangement to the live recording. Due to my MIDI being perfectly in time , when it came to capturing the live replacements of these parts , often they fell out of time and didn’t blend with the timbre of the song. However using Logics built in drum replacement tool I added layer snares and kicks to recapture the original feel.
Evaluation
The project achieves what it set out to be. An indie pop album which showcases my songwriting and arrangement ability. The strongest aspect of the work is my melody work. Whether its the main top line or a guitar part , every melody is crafted to seamlessly blend with the next.
After hearing feedback from tutors and peers I was informed that my vocal production is a defining trait of the music and gives it the identity it needs. Without the unique vocal production I believe the songs would fall into having no identity.
My arrangement and planning throughout the project was good for what it needed to be. Since all arrangement and writing was done on my own it allowed for me to be flexible with my time and avoid burning out. However I should have been more organised as when it got time to record , the studios were extremely busy due to deadlines.
From working through this project , I have gained a deeper understanding of how I work as a producer and creative and how I can use my weaknesses to propel my music to new heights. If I was to start again I would ensure I have a properly arranged schedule which includes deadlines , if I had this during this project than I would of avoided getting overwhelmed as I would of been able to see a clear direction.
Are you feeling it yet first demo
Maybe Not Right Now Early demo
Planning doc
Tik Toks of early versions of songs
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRgxedpk
Yes man early demo
Leave Me Under early demo
Are you feeling it yet second demo
Very early idea of aesthetic and vibe
Acoustic Are you feeling it yet?
Sympathy Acoustic
Idea for second verse of sympathy
