My original concept for my FMP was to write and perform a piece of spoken word set against a backdrop of a desired choice of minimal, premade drum machine music. This concept was influenced by the likes of John Cooper Clark.

 

As you can see from my Wix Blog this idea morphed into other creative avenues not relating to the first proposal. Once the Covid-19 lockdown had started and my College course went online my anxiety levels reduced and I became able to collaborate with my brother Harry for music and my sister Alexandra for cinematography.

 

My ability and skill set in Logic Pro developed rapidly over the Project duration. The College tutorials helped improve my knowledge of composing a song with the correct tool set. Along with my newfound ability to use Logic Pro at a reasonable standard, my confidence grew.

 

I was able to compose a piece of original music using my AKAI MPK49, Logic Pro X, AKAI MPK Mini MKII and the third-party Plug-in Serum. In the song I used a variety of electronic instruments such as Drum Machines and Synth Leads. One of the Drum Machines used gave a wavy sound and the other was used to give a minimal but more or less effective down beat. When I was starting to compose my final piece of music I thought of the iconic Richard D. James quote (Aphex Twin) where he states “Sometimes I just hit the keyboard in a way I'd like the rhythm of the tracks to sound.” (James 1996).

 

The BPM of the instrumental is at the Logic Pro default of 120BPM. I did this as this is the common speed for writing a standard popular song. Furthermore, I wanted to stick to the normal BPM because I wanted to focus on other core areas of song writing such as the intro, verse, chorus outro, harmonics etc.

 

The EQ was a vital aspect of the production process so that I enhanced and added clarity for the high notes in the song. Apple Training Series Logic Pro X 10.1 taught me about the EQ plug-in found in Logic (Nahmani, 2015, P.440-445). I also ended up looping some of the melodies I created using a drum machine. This taught me editing techniques because I had to make it sound seamless as if the loop was continuous and not on repeat. I also had the time to experiment with different plug-ins not built into Logic such as Serum which gave a really interesting contemporary type sound with the added benefit of it less likely to be overused because it is a third party VST, not built into Logic.

 

Unfortunately, the composition didn’t work with spoken word and my end piece is an instrumental working with a video shot in collaboration. My sister filmed the footage of me in our garden at the desired time of day for better lighting. The segment featuring all of the leaf’s was filmed by me for the same reason, that being great lighting.

 

The equipment I used to create my music & film project include the following, AKAI MPK49 MIDI Keyboard, my brothers AKAI MPK Mini MKI, Logic Pro X, MacBook Air 11 2013, OnePlus 5 Camera, Synsonic Drum Machine. 

 

I have surprised myself with the knowledge I have gained during this process, I came to the course with no knowledge of Logic Pro or Music Theory and feel I am no longer a beginner.

 

I am pleased with the outcome of my work in particular, the flow of the music, how it corresponds with the video footage I edited and the atmosphere it resulted in. I would describe this piece of music in the genre of IDM. I have enjoyed the format of the FMP, it has made me realize there are a number of areas for improvement. This would include time management so that I can finish work and get more done. Music harmonics is another area I would in the future like to focus on because when I compose a song I always try to build up elements of the instrumentation, layering, mastering but tend to end up starting an entirely new song that doesn’t fit with the former arrangements I composed. Learning techniques to engage a listener in the middle part of a song and occasional poor grammar on my blog.

 

Areas that I am really proud of are my constant updating of my blog, outro for song and minimal but more or less fundamental editing skills, through descriptive vocabulary on blog detailing a guide of what I went through and reflection on what I have done. Constant experimentation in logic what works and what doesn’t, problem solving and research and putting it on my blog for evaluation. Video evidence and photos featured on my blog of me doing work, screenshots and screen recordings of logic. Harvard referencing, secondary research, putting online web links and embedded YouTube videos for evidence. Self improvement both confidence and researching logic and music, creating an original song and video as well as elements and foundations for future material. Collaborating with siblings and understanding the importance of collaboration and teamwork.

 

My end products overall reflected well with each other's tone and build up. Both my video and song when paired up enhanced both of their collective merits into one creative outlet led by me. Tonally my song has a lot of suspense and build up so in my video I tried to utilize that to the best of my ability and the end result turned out great. It had the expected effect on Martin and he described it as “Arthouse”

 

 

Bibliography

 

Cunningham, C.C. 1997. Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy (Director's Cut). [Online]. [June 2020]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ827lkktYs

 

Nahmani, D (2015). Apple Training Series Logic Pro X 10.1. (1st ed.). San Francisco : Peachpit Publishing .

 

Weidenbaum, M.W. 1996. Eponymous Rex Interview. [Online]. [June 2020]. Available from: http://www.aphextwin.nu/learn/98136333384401.shtml