Proposal

Candidate Name:

Jensen Cameron Barnes

Candidate Number:

10579675

Pathway:

UAL Level 3 Music Performance & Production

Project Title:

Collaborative Project – Producing an EP

Rationale:

When I first came to Bradford College to join this course, I knew little about production, and more about live performance and playing instruments (Guitar, Bass, Drums, etc), but I knew that I wanted to follow it as my career and I wanted to be a mastering engineer, however, after learning more about the modern industry, I found that mastering is a dying industry as technology is beginning to replace the skill, and so I decided to become a composing producer, after beginning to learn more about production, creating my own standalone songs or backing tracks for other artists. I decided to do this during project 2 as it was focused on composing and I found that I enjoyed composing through a DAW more than I enjoyed performing.

Concept:

For this collaborative project, me and Lea have decided to work together and combine our different skills to compose and produce an EP with at least 3 songs, each of which will showcase our different strengths. We will have to research into the different elements of music, e.g. rhythm, melody, etc. We will also have to research how these different elements are used in the different types of music we are creating, e.g. a house track would have a completely different sound to an acoustic track because the elements of music are used differently. We will need access to a DAW, e.g. Logic Pro or Ableton Live, recording hardware, e.g. Microphones or Audio Interfaces, promotion material, e.g. social media or posters, and a platform on which we can release the EP, e.g. streaming services or CDs. We already have access to a DAW and most of the recording hardware, however, we still need to create social media pages and other promotion material, and decide how we want to release the EP. We will start by brain storming ideas for each song, then producing and composing each song. Meanwhile, we will promote the EP before we finally release it.

Evaluation:

Throughout this project, we will be working together to complete the project, however, we will be working on different aspects and we will need to research, document and evaluate individually on the tasks we do. For example, Lea will be focusing more on composition where as I will be focusing more on production, therefore we will need to focus our written work on what we will be focusing on. We will complete our portfolios by photo copying our scrap books, taking screenshots of our digital work, typing directly onto our portfolios, we could also use audio and videos.

Action Plan:

  1. Complete Primary & Secondary Research
  2. Brainstorm ideas for each song
  3. Work in Ableton Live 9 to quickly compose & produce multiple versions of the ideas we choose to continue as songs
  4. Decide on a structure for each song & sequence the tracks properly with effects, etc. Beginning with our first song,
  5. Then our second song,
  6. Finally our third song.
  7. Use the properly sequenced & structured songs and begin the songwriting for the lyrics using ideas and notes from the producing sessions and record all vocals.
  8. Finish up each track and create a final mastered mix.
  9. Release the EP and evaluate our work and finalise our portfolio.

Research & Bibliography:

  • Interview Heather Melgram (Singer Songwriter / Lea’s Sister)
    • YouTube. (2018). Eric Spike – Feelings Get Deeper (feat. Heather Melgram). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH2eKfuGiqA [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018].
  • www.youtube.com
    • YouTube. (2018). 20 Ableton Tips You Need To Know – Pt 1. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3-FYgpbG3I [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018].
  • www.musicradar.com
    • Arblaster, S. and Music, C. (2018). 50 production secrets from the pros. [online] MusicRadar. Available at: https://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/50-production-secrets-from-the-pros-625534 [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018].
  • www.productionadvice.co.uk
    • Shepherd, I. (2018). Ten Top Tips for Reverb You Can Really Relish – Production Advice. [online] Production Advice. Available at: http://productionadvice.co.uk/reverb-you-can-relish/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018].
  • www.artofcomposing.com
    • Artofcomposing.com. (2018). Free Beginner’s Composing Course. [online] Available at: https://www.artofcomposing.com/courses/free-beginners-composing-course [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018].