Song Analysis: Since I’ve Been Loving you

Song Analysis: Since I’ve been loving you

Summary

I chose “Since I’ve been loving you” by Led Zeppelin Because I really like the guitar in this song, and its a song I really like singing to because it’s intense.

Song Analysis

TOPIC MY RESPONSES
SONG TITLE Since I’ve Been Loving You
COMPOSER(S) Led Zeppelin
YEAR 1970
COUNTRY London, UK
If you could work on this song (change it), what would you change and why? I wouldn’t, it is perfection
What is the song GENRE? Blues Rock
What is the song KEY? C Minor
What is the song TEMPO? 120 bpm
What do you like about the RHYTHM? I like the slower ish tempo but that the song is still super intense
What do you like about the ARRANGEMENT?
What do you like about the MIX? I like how prominent the drums are in this song, and that there isn’t really rhythm guitar, just lead. It leaves it with a really stripped feel, but its still loud and intense
What do you like about the TIMBRE of some or all of the instruments? I like that the guitar is in a warmer (instead of gritty) tonality and that Robert Plant’s voice is kind of gritty (at times)
What do you like about the PITCH of some or all of the instruments or vocals? I think the addition of the bass is really good in this song, its not prominent, or a focal point of the song, it almost acts as a filler instrument, but I feel like not having it there would leave the song sounding like it was missing something
Are there particular TRACK(S) that stand out? I really like the ending, how it like tapers off in a like a vibrato-esque thing with the guitar
Finally, what do you like about the overall COMPOSITION? I like how free the vocals are. Like it feels like an improvised piece because of how much repetition there is without super clear chorus/verses. (He repeats “Workin’ from seven to eleven every night, It really makes life a drag” and “Since I’ve been loving you
I’m about to lose my worried mind” multiple times throughout the song, in like seemingly random places.) I also like the guitar solo right in the middle of the song. The lack of clear structure I think adds a lot to the emotion of the song.

“A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition and variation of sections.” wikipedia.org/wiki/Song

HookTheory for Learning About Song Structure

Holistic Songwriting’s Artist Analysis

  • This YouTube series dives into the songwriting web.
  • Marketing, Lighting, Music Videos, Image…

Mr. Le Duc’s Song Analysis Resources

Song Analysis: Do you feel about the same

Song Analysis: Do You Feel About the Same

Summary

I chose “Do you feel about the same” by R Stevie Moore because I really like his style in this song and how the feeling of the song is expressed by the tempo and the tone of his voice/instruments.

Song Analysis

TOPIC MY RESPONSES
SONG TITLE Do you feel about the same
COMPOSER(S) R. Stevie Moore
YEAR 1978
COUNTRY Nashville Tennessee
If you could work on this song (change it), what would you change and why? I wouldn’t, but maybe if his voice was a bit more gritty, it would add some pizazz. But I also like that its not, cause it provides contrast from the grittiness of the guitar(s)
What is the song GENRE? rock
What is the song KEY? F#major
What is the song TEMPO? 135bpm
What do you like about the RHYTHM? I like that it feels kind of slow because the main beat (downbeat? like how you would bop your head if you were listening to the song) is slower and the slowish feeling is enhanced by the way he drawls his voice, and the bass, but its not actually a slow song and you can tell that by the lead guitar over the top
What do you like about the ARRANGEMENT?
What do you like about the MIX?
What do you like about the TIMBRE of some or all of the instruments? I like the almost echoey/gritty sound of the guitar, I don’t think I’ve heard another song with quite that same tone/effect on guitar. Also theres a solo guitar that comes over the top thats a bit more clear, and it follows the melody of his voice in some parts which I think is a really cool way to highlight the melody
What do you like about the PITCH of some or all of the instruments or vocals?  I like how he drawls his voice, like extends certain notes, I feel like it adds to the overall feeling of the song
Are there particular TRACK(S) that stand out? I like the beginning/intro track where its like WOFSHFHISUHIS sound, especially cause then it breaks for a second and then the guitar comes in, It like makes the intro more powerful
Finally, what do you like about the overall COMPOSITION?

“A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition and variation of sections.” wikipedia.org/wiki/Song

HookTheory for Learning About Song Structure

Holistic Songwriting’s Artist Analysis

  • This YouTube series dives into the songwriting web.
  • Marketing, Lighting, Music Videos, Image…

Mr. Le Duc’s Song Analysis Resources

School of Rock – Week 11 – Updating Workflow – Mind Like Water

School of Rock – Week 11 – Updating Workflow – Mind Like Water

“‘Be shapeless and formless.. like water’ (Bruce Lee)” by Akinini.com is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

“Have a mind like water.”

― David Allen,  GTD

SUMMARY

I’ve been trying to finish this blog post for like three weeks but I kept stopping working on it cause I didn’t feel like I was absorbing the information properly. I’ve started using GTD for everything and it’s really helped me feel like my life/brain/thoughts are more organized.

PRACTICE ROOM (GUITAR LESSONS)

 

Screenshot from Mary Spender’s YouTube Channel

Watch Mary Spender: Powerful advice from 10 Professional Musicians you need to hear (14:15)

Screenshot from JustinGuitar.com
Screenshot from JustinGuitar.com
  • Screenshot from JustinGuitar.comBe curious about Justin.
  • Mr. Le Duc considers him the best beginning guitar teacher online. He’s not the only one that thinks this.  Check out some of the celebrity endorsements at justinguitar.com.

How interested in learning more about playing the guitar?

    • 1 (YUCK!)
    • 2 (not really)
    • 3 (sorta interested)
    • 4 (interested)
    • 5 (YES!)

Your score: 2

I like having this room because it reminds me to practice, but I take guitar lessons every week (for like 6 years!) so I don’t really need the beginning guitar videos.

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)

I watched Holistic songwriting’s video on how Billie Eilish and Finneas write a song, here are my notes

-Billie has a horror/ethereal/minimal aesthetic, which I think is captured very well in her song’s sound, as in horror (interesting sounds/effects like in horror movies), ethereal (high/layered vocals), and minimal (he explains this later on in the video but Finneas and Billie are very minimal in instrumentation/beats they use)

-“My future” uses a secondary dominant AND a 4 minor (Eb Eb7 Ab Abm)

-“Xanny” also does this, with a declining bass line (that also uses spooky effects) that adds to the chords to make them more interesting

-“lowering the root of a minor chord is the best way to add that augmented sound into your songs”

-you can have implied chords with vocal notes, Billie does this in Xanny, with the chorus, and then in the second verse the E is a strong dominant chord

-with her melody writing, there is a very distinct R&B/Jazz influence to contrast the modern sound of her chorus’s. She likes to use three note patterns (often the 1,2,3 in the key). Nursery rhymes are often written the same way (mary had a little lamb)

-Shes also rhythmically similar to nursery rhymes (placing most of her notes on the on beats)

-*a lot of pop music is written using 1 note melodies (look up?)

-she uses a repetition, but lowers it for a downward/darker feel

-kick on one, snare on three for a minimalistic backdrop/beat for billie’s vocals

-drums, bass, harmonic instrument, guitar (minimal instruments)

-Finneas uses storytelling in his production. there are lots of little details to create plot/story, and to add interest to otherwise simple tracks, like thickening up lead vocals w/harmonies, adding reverb to specific words or notes, or very slight background vocals.

-Plot (reason the events are connected, why) (in music this is the structure of the song, how one part transitions to the next)

-story (timeline of events, what happens next) (what happens within a section to keep it interesting)

-Billie draws inspiration from movies for a lot of her visuals in music videos

Holistic Songwriting by Friedemann Findeisen

Screenshot from Holistic Songwriting’s Channel at YouTube

An Example: The Swift Formula – One Note Melodies

From Holistic Songwriting’s How Taylor Swift Writes Melodies at YouTube
From Holistic Songwriting’s How Taylor Swift Writes Melodies at YouTube
From Holistic Songwriting’s How Taylor Swift Writes Melodies at YouTube

How interested in learning more about music theory and song analysis?

    • 1 (YUCK!)
    • 2 (not really)
    • 3 (sorta interested)
    • 4 (interested)
    • 5 (YES!)

Your score: 5

This is something I’m really interested in!

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)

Screenshot of Lyrics Melody and Chord Progressions from HookTab at YouTube

Explore the tutorials (but you do not need to watch all of them – just pick what looks interesting to you) from the:

How interested in learning more about HookLab and HookTab?

    • 1 (YUCK!)
    • 2 (not really)
    • 3 (sorta interested)
    • 4 (interested)
    • 5 (YES!)

Your score: 4

The actual videos weren’t super captivating to me but I feel like they contain information that is helpful. Also I checked out HookTab and it seems really cool! Especially for quick transposing and trying out different chord progressions easily.

OUTSIDE (PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

  • Set a timer
  • Spend 15 minutes in this ‘room’
Image from bananatreelog.com

  • Go for a 10-minute walk, if it is safe to do so 
    • Reflect on how you structure your day to maximize your production of the  D.O.S.E. happiness brain chemicals
  • Writing a small paragraph reflection for 10 minutes
  • DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS, AFTER YOU ARE DONE

How interested in learning more about outside productivity and the brain?

    • 1 (YUCK!)
    • 2 (not really)
    • 3 (sorta interested)
    • 4 (interested)
    • 5 (YES!)

Your score: 4

I didn’t do this room this time but I like it being there.

STUDIO (SONGWRITING)

Screenshot from Holistic Songwriting at YouTube
Screenshot from Holistic Songwriting at YouTube

**Watch Holistic Songwriting: Do THIS with every song you write | Hit Song Architect S1E3

How interested in songwriting, song structure, and music production?

    • 1 (YUCK!)
    • 2 (not really)
    • 3 (sorta interested)
    • 4 (interested)
    • 5 (YES!)

Your score: 5

CONTROL ROOM (RECORDING & MIXING)

Soundtrap mixing and publishing at Clark Eagling’s YouTube Channel

Watch Clark Eagling: Soundtrap tutorial 5 – Arranging the song, Mixing and adding effects

Watch all five videos in the playlist, if you are interested.

How interested in recording, engineering (sound effects, EQ), and mixing?

    • 1 (YUCK!)
    • 2 (not really)
    • 3 (sorta interested)
    • 4 (interested)
    • 5 (YES!)

Your score: 5

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

I learned a lot from the video I watched on Holistic Songwriting, I think those types of videos are really interesting.

School of Rock – Week 10 – GTD – Getting Things Done – Part 2

School of Rock – Week 10 – GTD Getting Things Done – Part 2

Image from BiggerPlate.com

Teens are overwhelmed, partly because they don’t yet have the skills to manage the unprecedented amount of stuff that enters their brains each day.  – from LifeHacker.com

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

“You can do anything, but not everything.”

― David Allen, (GTD) Getting Things Done for Teens: Take Control of Your Life in a Distracting World

SUMMARY

I did this blog post, and I am going to figure out my GTD system.

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

I skipped this room! I know what the guitar strings are already 🙂

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)

Screenshot from Animated Book Summary And Review at YouTube

You are going to learn to develop your own version of David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) process in this ‘room.’

What I’ve learned is that it is important to write down all of your thoughts (which is actually something I do frequently!) to help get distracting things out of your head. Also something I think that might help me from the reading portion was the “timed sprints” where you set a timer and focus on doing something for a set amount of time, and not worrying about completion. I struggle with procrastination quite a bit.

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)

Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk

‘Maps’ from 19:57 to 21:16 of the video

Screenshot from Animated Book Summary And Review at YouTube

Examine Two GTD Maps: Basic and Detailed

  1. Detailed map by guccio@文房具社 icensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
  2. Basic map from BiggerPlate.com embedded below

GTD-based Trusted System

Image from Trello.com
  • Examine and pick a trusted system from the 4 options listed below to ‘capture’ your work
    • trusted system is your method for managing your tasks in a way that you consistently get things done

Mr. Le Duc Creating a Trello Account and Add GTD Template Tutorial (3:45)

      • You can get the free Trello app at the Apple Store or Google Play
    1. Your phone
    2. Paper and pen or pencil
    3. Examine LifeHacker.com’s GTD Resources

OUTSIDE (PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

 

OPTIONAL EXERCISE

Image from GoodReads.com
Image from GoodReads.com

 

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

I learned different ways to get things done, and a problem I solved was putting all of my items into the GTD template on trello.

Week 9 – GTD – Getting Things Done – Part 1

Week 9 – GTD – Getting Things Done – Part 1

 

“Day 092/366 – To Do List” by Great Beyond is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Your toughest work is defining what your work is! –  Peter Drucker

SUMMARY

I’m going to write my summary now with what I would like to accomplish because I know that otherwise I will forget, I’m going to try to get the majority of my late work in School of Rock done.

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

Image of David Allen at TED Talk
Screenshot from David Allen TED Talk

In this ‘room’ you are going to try Getting Things Done (GTD).

STEP 1: MAKE A LIST

Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk

Classes:

School of Rock

Algebra 2: I’m quitting this class next session

Chemistry A: Start it etc

World History A: Start edgenuity class

STEP 2: NOTICE WHAT YOU NOTICED

Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk

I’m starting with trying to catch up with School of Rock, because the next session at Avanti starts on the 16th.

STEP 3: SET A TIMER

https://giphy.com/gifs/time-clock-konczakowski-d3yxg15kJppJilnW
  1. Set a timer for your first task
    1. Decide how long you think it will take before you start
  2. Start working
  3. Repeat this process for 45 minutes for as many tasks as you can complete, then take a 15-minute break
    • Get up and get a drink of water
    • Get up and go for a walk
    • Every 20 minute blink your eyes 20 times while looking at least 20 feet away
      • This is good for your eyes

Start steps 1 through 3 again, repeat for your school day

OUTSIDE (PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

David Allen image
Oct. 2020 Lucidchart interview with David Allen
Image from FastCompany Magazine, https://www.fastcompany.com/3026827/the-brain-hacks-top-founders-use-to-get-the-job-done
Image from FastCompany Magazine, https://www.fastcompany.com/3026827/the-brain-hacks-top-founders-use-to-get-the-job-done

David Allen says to

  • Store ideas externally to stay focused on the work at hand.
  • Clarify the intended outcome of each project.
  • Review ideas frequently to determine the next best action.
  • Decrease stress by appropriately managing your commitments.

These things can help you stay more organized and less stressed.

  • Then, go for a 15-minute walk, if it is safe to do so
  • Write a few sentence reflection
  • DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS, AFTER YOU ARE DONE

OPTIONAL EXERCISE – Literally, read the article and go for another walk 🙂

 Katia Verresen homepage
Katia Verresen, kvaleadership.com

“I coach C-suite executives and rising stars from the earliest startups to Fortune 100 companies. My passion is to help ambitious leaders achieve their full human potential.”  – Read more about Katia…

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

What I learned is that it is important to pay attention to when you feel like you have the most energy in the day, and that tracking it to show a pattern can help you to know when you will be the most productive. Also it is important to keep your emotions in check to that you can use your mental energy to its fullest ability.

 

 

Microphones and Recording Project

Summary

I recorded my voice in front of a few different microphones to see how they impacted the sound and tone of my voice.

Microphone Audition Podcast

My Favorite Microphone Specifications (PLACE MIC. NAME LATER)

My favorite microphone with my voice was the SM58. it is a cardiod dynamic microphone and it is the most widely known vocal mic  in the world.

Terms and Concepts

Microphones

  • Dynamic- The sound waves from a sound source move a diaphragm that transmits signals. Can’t pick up high frequencies very well. Very durable. Less feedback.
  • Condenser- Called so because collecting electricity was though as “condensing” it. Has a electric current (amplifier) ready to receive any sounds that hit the diaphragm right away, which makes it able to pick up higher frequencies. Lighter Diaphragm.
  • Think of  spastic person that is always ready for something to happen (C) vs a half asleep person that you need to yell at to wake up (D)

Polar patterns

  • Omni- Sounds are picked up equally from all directions. Used mostly when sound is being recorded, and not for live situations. You don’t want a lot of background noise because the mic will pick up everything.
  • Cardioid- Unidirectional. Sound is only picked up from one direction. More sensitive to sound coming from the front, less from the sides, and none from the rear. Hyper cardioid is even less sensitive to the sides and a little sensitive to the rear. Loud stages or weak singers. For cardioid, place monitor(s) behind the mic. For hyper, place slightly to the side.
  • Bi-directional- Most sensitive to sounds coming front the front and the rear. Less sensitive to sounds at the sides. 
  • Transduction- Converting sound energy into an electrical signal or an electrical signal into sound energy.
  • Voltage- The sensitivity
  • Phantom power- The power from the mixer or recorder for a condenser microphone. Between 12 and 48 volts DC.
  • Sensitivity- Output level. Voltage of output signal when exposed to a certain sound level. Can be expressed as decibels below one volt. Most microphone signals are less than one volt so a negative number is used (-50dBV). Higher number means microphone is more sensitive (-30dBV) and a lower number means a less sensitive microphone (-70dBV). This number is meaningless unless you know what sound pressure level (SPL) it was tested with. Most are tested at 94dB/1 Pa.
  • Frequency Response- The range of sound a microphone can reproduce and how sensitive the mic is at certain distance. Flat response, equally sensitive to all frequencies. Shaped response, more sensitive to some frequency ranges, adds clarity to vocals. When made less sensitive to low frequencies, picks up less background noise. Some microphones let you adjust frequency response.
  • Transient- An abrupt change in level. Like a cymbal’s crash or a singer’s T’s or CH’s.
  • Placement- If the sound source (mainly vocals) is farther away (3-4 ft), the voice is still clear but you get more room noise, which may be good if you want reverberation. Move the sound source even further to get more reverberation. About half a foot away from the mic, is the normal place for a vocalist. You get less room noise and the voice sounds even clearer. Picks up subtle changes in the voice. Moving the sound source to right in front of the microphone will increase the bass (proximity effect), as well as giving the voice a more intimate feel. A pop filter will be needed to prevent some words from “popping”. Like the singer’s P’s.
  • Proximity effect- The increase in bass when a sound source is moved closer to the microphone.
  • Output- More sensitive mics have higher voltage than less sensitive mics. 
  • Characteristics- Sensitivity, Frequency Response, Output, Maximum sound pressure level.
  • Noise rating- The signal (sound source) to noise ratio measured in decibels (dB). Noise is any sound in the background you don’t want. Electricity vibrates at 60dB so you want the ratio of the signal and noise to be higher than that. Preferably 90dB or higher.

Hardware

  • Clips- Holds the microphone to the stand
  • Stands- Holds up the microphone so the speaker doesn’t have to hold it. Height can be adjusted.
  • Windscreen- Reduces breathing and wind noises
  • Direct Box- Connected to the mixer. Balances various outputs an inputs from the microphone and the mixer.

What I Learned

I learned that different types of microphones and how they process sound waves does effect how it sounds to the ear. it was pretty hard to get all the tracks to line up and I am not excited to try and do that with my song.

Fundamentals of Sound in Post Production

Tools for Mixing

  • Adobe Premiere Pro
  • Adobe Audition
  • Avid ProTools
  • Apple GarageBand
  • Audacity

NLE – Non-linear editor like Audacity, GarageBand, Adobe Audition, Avid Pro Tools, etc.

Equalizer – An equalizer boosts or cuts the amplitude of certain frequencies which alters the harmonics or overtones resulting in the change of the character of the sound.

First Order Filters

High Shelf – This type of equalization, called a first order filter, is the simplest kind of equalization to perform using electronic components. This is found on your basic consumer hi fi systems.

Low Shelf – Cut the sound of the low frequencies in our recording below 100Hz, for example.

High-pass Filter – Lets all the high frequencies pass, eliminating all the low range.

Low-pass Filter – Lets all the low range pass and killing off the high frequencies.

Second Order Filters

Peaking Filter or Parametric Equalizer – Target a more specific range of frequencies. This is often called the and it has three settings:

  1. The frequency, which is what frequency you wish to target,
  2. The gain: how much you want to boost or cut that frequency
  3. The Q, or quality factor, which is how wide the parabola of the adjustment will be.
    • High Q values will have a steeper slope.
    • Sometimes Q is expressed in octaves – the more octaves a Q has the more wider and gentler the effect.

Notch Cut or a Band-stop Filter – Really high Q filter used to completely eliminate a particular frequencies. Used to eliminate constant frequency based noise like a electronic hum or to prevent feedback in a live audio setting.

Graphic Equalizers – Commonly found on mix boards, they behave the same way as parametric equalizers except instead of selecting specific frequencies and changing the q value, all the frequencies are presented as sliders with a predetermined interval and q value.

Why do we use equalizers? – Essentially three main uses:

First: Fix inadequacies in the recording: Microphones aren’t perfect and some have a specific frequency response and you may want to use the equalizer to compensate and create a flatter response.

  • You can also target specific hums with a notch filter and eliminate them or use a high pass filter to cut low range rumble caused by wind noise.

Second: Use EQ when you’re mixing audio sources that are competing in a similar frequency space .

  • A common occurrence when mixing voice over with a background music track, if you cut the background music in the 1200 HZ range, the sweet spot of human voice, you can make some more room for dialogue or voice over tracks:

Third: Making the track sound better – or just different.

  • For instance boosting the bass frequencies on a dialogue track, say around 160 hz will add power to human voices, but too much can make the track muddy and unintelligible.
  • You can add a bit of presence by boosting the 5kHz range but again too much will cause ear fatigue.
  • Sibilance or ess sounds can be found between 4 and 10 kHz, you can boost this for more of a clear sound or cut it to get rid of harsh ess sounds.

Instrument Frequencies – Refer to a mixing instruments chart available online that give you a general guideline for which frequencies to target depending on the instrument.

Dynamics

Dynamics – General loudness of a passage of music from piano which is soft to fortissimo which is loud and forceful.

  • Dynamics in sound engineering is same concept – the dynamic range is the difference from the very soft to the very loud. Sometimes we need to compress that range – to make the difference between soft and loud passages smaller.

Compressor – Makes the difference between soft and loud passages smaller.

  • Compressors help smooth out sudden increases in volume caused by momentary changes of distance from the mic or just natural changes in volume.
  • Compression makes the audio sound more powerful and louder than it really is.
  • A compressor works by essentially squashing down sound that goes above a certain threshold, based on a pre-set ratio of 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, or higher.
  • 2:1 compression means for ever 2 dB increase in volume above a threshold like -12dB from the input, there will only be a 1 dB increase in output volume. 2db goes into the microphone and 1db comes out the speaker.
  • A more drastic compression would be 4:1, for each 4dB increase of input there would only be 1 dB increase in the output.

Compressor Attack and Release – determine how quickly or slowly they kick in.

  • Too fast and you can get a pumping sound, too slow and spikes in the audio can slip through.
  • Once we have compressed the dynamic range, we can safely boost the entire track to make everything generally louder if desired.

Limiter – A limiter essentially prevents peaks from going over a specific target generally used for broadcast and they have very short attack and release times.

  • A limiter has a high compression ratio of 10:1, 20:1, or even 100:1.

Expander – The opposite of a compressor.

  • Expanders are generally only used for the quieter parts of the dynamic range.

Noise Gate– A noise gate is one kind of expander. Essentially like a high pass filter except for amplitude.

  • Anything louder than the threshold will get through, anything lower than the threshold will be expanded down into nothing.

Multi-band Compressor – Combines the best of EQ – the control of harmonics and overtones with the control over dynamic range that a compressor has.

  • A multi-band compressor breaks the track into different bands of frequencies which you can independently apply compression.

Fast Fourier Transform or FFT – A noise reduction tool that works by first taking a snapshot of your audio waveform – creating a profile of the unwanted sound. Then using various settings you can subtract the offending noise from the entire track.

  • Chirping – Too much FFT processing can result in something called chirping which is squirrely weird digital bird sounds. You can avoid chirping but not completely removing background noise.

Delay

Delay – Repeating of an original audio signal numerous times.

Combing – By repeating the audio with a delay of 15 milliseconds or less, we get an effect called combing where interference patterns created resemble that of a comb.

Chorusing – With a delay of 15-35 milliseconds we start getting chorusing effects where the brain is starting to perceive more than one voice or instrument is being sounded.

  • Chorusing filters can also vary the pitch and timing of the delays for more effects. This may be useful for creating bizarre and other worldly characters for your audio.

Echo – Beyond a delay of 35 milliseconds and we will begin to perceive an echo effect.

Reverb – The mixture of a large number of random and decaying echoes.

  • Advanced digital reverb generators can even simulate the time and frequency response of a specific rooms like concert halls. Echo and reverb can give your audio track a sense of space – whether that’s a large cavern or even a small hard room.

Pitch Shifting – Take a wave and squeeze the time, this is adjusting the frequency. Make the time shorter and the frequency will go up. Stretch it out longer and the frequency will go down.

Phase Vocoders / Sinusoidal Spectral Modeling – Stretch and squish waveforms making things like auto tune possible.

The Science and Engineering of Sound

Sound Wave – A vibrational disturbance that involves mechanical motion of molecules transmitting energy from one place to another.

Compression – Push of air molecules creating a peak of high pressure.

  • Reducing a signal’s output level in relation to its input level to reduce dynamic range.

Rarefaction – A trough of low pressure.

Longitudinal Wave – The repetition of compression and rarefaction creates a longitudinal wave or sound wave.

Wave Form – Changes in air pressure created by the sound wave against time.

Wavelength – Distance between two peaks of a wave.

Velocity – Speed in a given direction.

Amplitude – The magnitude of a sound wave or an electric signal, measured in decibel’s.

Frequency – The # of times per second that a sound source vibrates, expressed in hertz (Hz).

Hertz – Unit of measurement of frequency; numerically equal to cycles per second (cps).

440 Hertz – The standard musicians use to tune instruments, which corresponds to the A note on second space treble clef.

Phase – Factor in the interaction of one wave with another, either acoustically or electronically.

  • It also references, in a multiple microphone recording, the place a microphone samples the sound wave in relation to another microphone sampling the same sound wave.

Fundamental  Frequency – The lowest frequency a sound source can produce.

  • In other words, it is also called the first harmonic or primary frequency which is the lowest, or basic, pitch of a musical instrument. an example is 440 Hertz.

Harmonic – Is a multiple of the fundamental frequency,  For example, 880 Hertz is the first  harmonic of 440 Hertz.

Octave – The interval between two frequencies that have a tonal ratio of 2:1. For example, 880 Hertz is one octave above 440 Hertz.

Envelope – Describes the shape of a sound over time.

Attack – The time it takes for a sound to build up to full volume.

Decay – How quickly a sound levels off to a sustain.

Sustain – The ongoing sound.

Release – How quickly the sound decays or dissipates after the note is released.

Infrasonic – The range below the frequencies audible to human hearing.

Ultrasonic – The range above the frequencies of human hearing.

Pitch – The subjective perception of frequency – the highness or lowness of a sound.

Sound Frequency Spectrum – The range of frequencies audible to human hearing: about 20 to 20,000 Hz.

Bass – The low range of the audible frequency spectrum; usually from 20 to 320 Hz.

Midrange – The part of the frequency spectrum to which humans are most sensitive; the frequencies between roughly 320 Hz and 2,560 Hz.

Treble – Frequency range between roughly 5,120 Hz and 20,000 Hz, the highest two octaves audible to human hearing in the sound frequency spectrum.

Equalization – A signal-processing device that can boost, attenuate, or shelve frequencies in a sound source or sound system.

Decibel (dB) – A relative and dimensionless unit to measure the ratio of two quantities.

  • Decibels are not a static unit measurement, it’s a comparison measurement and you always need a reference.
  • Soft whisper around 30 dB SPL to freight train at 100 ft from 70dB SPL up to a jet takeoff from 200 feet registering at 120 dB SPL.
  • Safety regulations – 85 dB and below you will be fine for 8 hours.
    • Cut that time in half each 3 dB you go up.
  • Every 3 dB higher doubles the signal strength.

Recording and Mixing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terms

  • Rough Mix
  • Panning Tracks
  • EQ Effect Presets
  • Graphic EQ
  • Master Output Level
  • Volume and Pan Automation
  • Compression

My Composition

Summary

I wrote a song type thing to demonstrate that I learned and can apply the different requirements to projects and that I understand how they work and what they mean.

21st Century Skills Demonstrated

I had to problem solve a lot during this project. I didn’t work with anybody so it was easier to work. I’m not very good at working with other people I think. I liked all of the informational videos! They were really interesting. In the future I really hope I can figure out how to manage my perfectionism and ideas so that I can actually get songs or projects in general done.

Timeline

Monday- Brainstorm + vague melody/tempo etc decisions

Tuesday-

Wednesday-

Thursday-

Friday-

The Composition

 

Reactions to the Final Version

Some of my peers said that I needed better transition from the first part to the second part, and that the vocals in the first part need to be louder.

Evaluation of the Final Version

For the foundation of my song I used a beat made from Soundtrap. I had guitar to provide rhythm. I think that I do need to equalize all the different sounds and remove background noise, as well as make some of my transitions better.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

I learned that its hard for me to get anything artistic done because I’m scared that it’s going to be horrible. The main problem I had was with looping the second guitar part. I eventually figured it out though!