Week 11 #SCMTME
I wanted to start this blog post by clarifying some of the 'techy terms' that have arisen during this course so far:
- DAW: Digital Audio Workstation. This is an electronic device (hardware) or application (software) used for recording, editing and producing audio files.
Examples of DAW's include:
*Logic Pro X
*Pro Tools
*Studio One
*Ableton Live
*Cubase Pro
*Propellerhead Reason
*FL Studio
*Cockos Reaper
*Bitwig Studio
*MOTU Digital Performer
*Mixcraft Pro Studio
*GarageBand
*Audacity
Here are the top seven free DAWs according to Gear News: https://www.gearnews.com/top-7-freeware-daws-the-best-free-music-recording-and-mixing-software/
-Sequencer: "A device or application software that can record, edit, or play back music, by handling note and performance information in several forms."
These forms can include:
*typically CV/Gate
*MIDI
*Open Sound Control
*Audio and automation data for DAWs and plug-ins
-Step sequencer: a sequencer that operates by dividing a measure into a pre-determined number of divisions, or 'steps.' (i.e. musical notes are rounded into steps of equal time-intervals, enabling users to enter a musical note without precise timing).
23/10/19
Today we had the opportunity to explore mashups and mixups in our technology seminar. We began the class by exploring a step sequencer called 'Groove Pizza' developed by Ethan Hein, a founding member of the NYU Music Experience Design Lab who specialises in the development of online tools for music education. Groove Pizza is a step sequencer which works to incorporate shapes (triangles, squares, hexagon etc. as seen on the left hand side) to visually represent a rhythm.
What makes Groove Pizza unique is that is features both a circular sequence (above) and a linear sequence (below) which allows students to visualise the same rhythms through either a visually repeating circle or the linear version (which we are used to in the Western World as we read our language from left to right). The circular sequence isn't unique to Groove Pizza however, as other softwares such as O-Generator (http://www.o-generator.com/) also incorporate this feature.
Rhythmic variations such as a swing rhythm can be visually represented by changing the 'swing' column on the bottom left corner up or down, presenting an alternative and visual explanation of swing instead of the usual...
Instead, Groove Pizza shows that the first note is on the beat and the second note is syncopated i.e. it comes just before the start of the second beat.
Another highlight of this seminar was exploring the 808 sequencer by Roland and learning that it was the sound of electronic dance music which came from disco music from the late 1970's. It was fantastic to be able to use an online version of an 808 step sequencer (https://io808.com/) to explore how it works and begin to layer different sounds using the 'instrument select' feature.
Another highlight of week 11's seminar was the opportunity to use the DM1 app on the iPads, connect to a unique user wifi set up by James, and interact through the app 'live!' For example, once successfully connected each group of students on the iPads were able to manipulate the tempo, and as they did so, everyone's tempo would automatically change as well! It was fantastic to be able to instantly interact musically with peers through the app set up in this way. Following this, stations were set up in the seminar room, giving us the opportunity to rotate around the room and explore the various DAWs set up around the room. Here are a few examples...
Last but certainly not least, we were given the opportunity to listen to various mashups, accompanied with a discussion about the copyright issues faced by these productions. Examples of mashups include:
- The Grey Album by Danger Mouse (2004). This mashup album fuses an a cappella version of rapper Jay-Z's The Black Album with samples from The Beatles' self-titled ninth album, aka "The White Album."
- Pogo: A South-African born Australian electronic musician who takes snippets of melodies/quotes/TV programmes and other sources and sequences these sounds to create a new sounding piece (this genre is known as 'plunderphonics').
A remix of Disney's Snow White by Pogo
- Girl Talk: An American disc jockey who specialises in mashups and digital sampling. For example, Oh No by Girl Talk contains samples of 24 songs including Teach Me How To Dougie by Cali Swag District (2010) and Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys.
I find it particularly interesting that Girl Talk is able to maintain a strong sense of unity within the song by using strong rhythmic elements such as an electric rhythm guitar used throughout which also maintains a consistently distorted tone, as well as the use of a backbeat.
Girl Talk - Oh No
- Madeon: A French DJ, record producer, singer, songwriter and musician. Madeon composed the following mashup using with FL Studio & Ableton Live, played on a Novation Launchpad & Novation Zero SL MKII. Composed in 2011, the following live mashup uses the most popular songs from the year 2011...
Madeon - Pop Culture (live mashup) 2011
The following video analyses the song 'Isometric' by Madeon from the album Adventure, including chord progressions, extended and dominant chords used as well as techniques used to change tempo...
Madeon - "Isometric" | Theory & Arrangement Breakdown | Matt Donner