1st Reflection
What am I feeling about the project ?.
My feelings about this project are mixed because I do have faith that the end result will ensure us having a good time and also a good showcase . But it is daunting going head first into putting on an event when we as a group have not done it before and we’ve only ever performed together a couple of times.
With my task which is getting the venue it is difficult because it is a big group and you are more than likely always going to have agreements and disagreements with each persons suggestions or ideas. So it just a task of sourcing a place which is available and easy to get to so that everyone agrees with.
So now I’ve just got to go around and ask the group what they want the venue to be and where they want it to be .
2nd Reflection
At the start of the project I was in the middle of having a writers block phase and was nervous because I wasn’t feeling able to progress enough to be able to write a brand new song.
Its been a rocky start but I think I’m getting somewhere hopefully. I thought I had the makings of a good song but after Simon looked at it and he said it was slightly weak because of the repetition . I went back and spent a few hours last night trying to improve it even though it was only the first verse but now I think I have a verse, a chorus and a second verse plus lyrics for the first verse and chorus.
As I already discussed in my progression page, I looked at the chords which fitted into the G major scale, as described below.
I also experimented using chords which sat outside the key of G major.
| Chord | G major | A minor | B minor | C major | D major | E minor | F# dim |
My influence and being able to create a song for the final major project was my dads poems that he wrote when he lived in India and they really helped complete and craft a song I’m happy with in the end.
I’ve been wanting for a long time to use parts of dad’s poems in my songs. As I really liked them when he used to read them to me when I was younger and I wanted to add part of his travels into my songs as he means a lot to me.
3rd Reflection
This week was my first week of recording for our final major project singles and it was for specifically recording drums bass and guitar.
For me I’m only going to recorded cajon and guitar in that week.
Unfortunately I only managed to record my guitar track as I was booked up recording drums for 2 other groups, Off centre and Apex
I think the reason it went very slowly is because my lack of experience of using the equipment and lots of things going wrong because of that.
I’m glad we managed to get part of the recording done at least.
I’m also happy that all my drum parts on the 3 other groups are all done apart from the miss hap with my contribution on Apex’s track which we thought was deleted but Simon managed to find it in the end.
4th Reflection
At this moment we are about halfway through the project and even though I’m a little bit behind with the actual writing of the full complete lyrics of my single. It is hopefully going to come together well and sound how I would like it to. I just hope it doesn’t come together at the last second and not sound how I want it to. My song has both verses and a chorus and I just need to get an end section and it should be ok , because I’m coming up to the wire I’m going to play all the instruments myself so guitar, cajon and vocals , just because every ones very busy with their own projects.
5th Reflection
Coming back after easter took me a while to kick back into my stride but I’ve got there now and the track is pretty much formed but I’m really struggling finding a end section. I just hope this will be a good learning curve for my time management.
As we are getting closer to the longingly anticipated performance and the last one of the year.
6th Reflection
So, a bunch of people let me down when it came to recording so I had to do all of the recording on my own. This ended up being a real bonus because it meant I was forced to use my own skills and do a lot of problem solving and I was in complete control.
I learned a lot about setting levels, correct mic technique, recording to a click was really easy but I decided not to use a click to keep the vibe live. This was probably a mistake because it might make editing and mixing more difficult.
7th Reflection
Mixing this week was tough. It became clear to me that I have no clue how to mix or add effects using Logic. This is because I hadn’t had enough practice and didn’t use earlier opportunities. However, Jon my teacher gave me a crash course on compression, EQ, panning, setting levels, and mix down.
I had a short amount of time in Studio B to complete mix but overall I am happy with the result. It sounded great in the studio but through headphones the bass is a little too high in the mix.
Final Evaluation
I found this project quite difficult because of my management of timing. I fell behind on the actual writing and finishing of the song and because of that everything came late so for the rest of the project I was slightly behind. The final project I’ve come up with is something I am proud of.
I’m proud of it because its turned out quite close to my original plan and how I imagined it would sound. It sounds raw and live and not over cooked in the studio.
The recording went really slowly but well. This is because I did pretty much all the recording myself without much experience at using Logic or other Digital Audio Workstations. I had only used Sebalius before I came on this course.
If I was to do this project again I would manage my time better by focusing more on my writing side so I don’t have to do it last minute. I would make sure everything was able to be executed on time and as well as this I would probably ask for more help as I tried to handle it all on my own.
I’m extremely happy with the end result and that the song means a lot to me. Also I’ve learnt a lot through this process from how to mix and record well to how to manage my time and get ready plus perform at a live event.
As well as this I really enjoyed the project because I had fun performing and creating music I’m happy with.
Finalmajorcourse 