FULL SAIL RECORDING ARTS PORTFOLIO

The piece I created hopefully reflects my appreciation for indie tracks with soul influences, featuring the incorporation of brass and strings. By infusing these soulful elements into the piece, I wanted to bring a sense of emotion and warmth to the overall sound.

By incorporating shifts in dynamics, variations in instrumentation, and unexpected musical developments, I wanted to create moments of surprise and intrigue throughout the piece. These moments serve to captivate the audience's attention and give a sense of freshness and creativity.

Considering its musical use or function, this composition has the potential to be used as a part of a soundtrack for a film or television scene, possibly with some type of journey or traveling section which then gets interrupted. Alternatively, it could be enjoyed as standalone music, providing a soulful and unexpected journey for listeners who appreciate the fusion of genres and the element of surprise.

The project features a tempo of 105 BPM in the key of Eb Minor, adhering to a simple meter of 4/4. Structurally, it begins with a 9-bar introduction followed by a 16-bar melody. Afterward, a brief two-bar switch occurs, leading to a 14-bar continuation of the melody. The melody is also present in both the introduction and the switch sections. The two-bar switch provided a brief transition and added variation to maintain interest while switching the grove of the piece.

The project incorporates a blend of electronic and acoustic elements, achieved through the combination of orchestral and synthesized tracks. This fusion of sounds adds depth to the composition. The drum parts also showcase a mixture of electronic and acoustic elements, contributing to the overall mixed nature of the production.

The chord names are Gbm, Ebm, Bb, Ebm, Ebm, Ebm (x4), Gb(x3), Bb(x4) with an inversion, Gb Gb, Ebm(x7) with some inversions, Ebm(x3), Bbm, Ebm, Ebm with an inversion, Bbm, Ebm, then to the switch, Bbm, Bmaj7, Bbmaj7, Db, Db, Gbm7(x2), Bbm7, Db, Cbm, Cb, Cb, Gbm, Gbm, Cb7, Ebm, Gbm, Ebm, Fm.

The melody in this project is crafted using an organ, which adds a distinctive and soulful character to the composition. It incorporates elements of a motif, creating a memorable and recurring musical idea throughout the piece. The melody also employs blues scale melodies and intervals, infusing a funky and expressive quality that complements the other chosen sound elements in the project.

My audio tracks were of me laughing when I tried to attempt to play a note on the trumpet, and me yelling AAH. The two Synthesized tracks that I created were: a bass emulation and a keys emulation. My sampler track was two different trumpet samples cut up and placed on a few notes. I cut them up and placed them next to each other spread over four notes each to allow me some range to play them. The track number is #13. The recording process was a lot of fun, as when I messed up and laughed I thought it would be funny to include that in the project. I had a lot of fun with this. I used the ES 2 for the Bass emulation and the ES E for the Key emulation. I played a lot with the settings till I found a sound I liked. The track numbers are #14 for Bass and #15 for Keys. 

The two dynamic effects that I used on my project were: A Limiter on my #13 Track (Trumpet Sampler), and I used Channel EQ on my #9 Track (Bass Astro Funk). I chose to use a limiter on the trumpet sampler to control its dynamic range. I applied a channel EQ to the bass track to shape its tone. By using channel EQ on the bass track, I could emphasize specific frequencies that give it a funkier or more defined tone, making it fit well in the overall mix. The two time-based effects that I used were: Sample Delay on my #11 Track (Strings), and I used ChromaVerb on my #18 Track (Melody). To add a sense of spaciousness to the strings track, I used sample delay. Sample delay introduces a slight delay to the audio, creating a sense of stereo width and making the sound appear wider. By applying sample delay to the strings, I can enhance the stereo image, making them sound larger. I decided to use ChromaVerb on the melody track to add an airiness effect. By applying ChromaVerb to the melody, I can give it a sense of space and depth, making it sound more natural by placing it in a large concert hall. In addition to the specific effects mentioned above, I made general adjustments to the EQ and added compression to several tracks. Adjusting the EQ on different tracks makes sure that they sit well in the overall mix. Compression helps to control the dynamic range of the audio, reducing the volume of louder parts and boosting others. By applying EQ and compression to different tracks, I can achieve a more balanced sound. With all of these decisions in shaping the individual tracks and the overall mix, I was trying to achieve a cohesive sound.