The different sources I could use when it comes to research vary in style and the different things that they can portray. The different types I can use are;
- Books, newspapers, magazines, etc.
- Websites
- Blogs
- Social Media
- Informative
- Personal accounts from professionals
- Messaging
- Recording/notes of communication
- Videos
- Tutorials
- Documentarys
- Own knowledge and opinions
The first thing I did, when looking for good sources to research into, was search for the best books for electronic music production on google. This worked surprisingly well and I found multiple books that I may look into to find useful information to help me understand my project a lot better. The three that stood out the most to me, for the production aspect of my project, were;
- Andy Farnell – Designing Sound
- This book stood out to me, mostly because I’ve always had a big interest on using synthesisers, such as Serum, to create widely different sounds, using the different routing of each little part of the software to try and make something new. This book would be great as I would find a lot of different techniques that I could use within my project to try and help me create a unique and effective sound.
- Bobby Owsinski – Mixing Engineer’s Handbook
- This book stood out to me, mostly because it’s based on the one aspect of producing that I’ve always found difficult. Mastering the final mix. This book goes into detail on how a professional mastering engineer would go about mastering different tracks and projects, and how they manage to make a professional product at the end of the process. (Since writing this, I have found that this book is in my college library)
- Mike Senior – Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio
- This book stood out the most to me. Simply because I myself work mostly out of a small studio in my bedroom, with equipment that wouldn’t exactly be classed as “professional quality”. This book is full of information that could really help me make the most out of the equipment I’ve got, and get as close to a professional sounding, release ready product. Seen as though the one thing I’m striving for the most in my project is a professional, high quality end product, I think I will most definitely be using this book as a main source of research in my essay. (Since writing this, I have found that this book is in the college library, and so this will mean that I will be most probably using this book as a source.)
The next think I wanted to find was a source of research for what I should be doing now as an artist, to get my name, my EP, and the pre-release singles as well known as possible to my target audience. Immediately, the first thing that came to my mind was to message ‘DivKid‘ on FaceBook, also known as Ben, my old production tutor that I used to get one to one tuition with thanks to my college. He has often, in the past, been a great source of information when it comes to the techniques used in production, as well as how to get into the music business in different ways. He has himself had to some great success when it comes to being a producer, he has worked with large labels, such as Sony and Warner, travelled the world, working with different people in different environments, and has a ongoing blog in which he describes and gives tutorials on production techniques, etc. This would actually be a great source of information on almost every aspect of music production actually, but I will probably be most likely using it in this context.
My personal favourite artist & producer, in terms of style and sound design, is NLMT. He is a Bass House and Bassline producer from England, who has, during the past year or so, began to rapidly grow in terms of how many people listen to his music and follow his releases, social media, etc. I personally see him as a huge inspiration to my own work, as well as how I approach my own work. His style, as you can probably tel by listening to some of my music compared to his, is something I draw on a lot for inspiration, especially when it comes to my sound design. NLMT actually has a YouTube channel in which he goes over some of the techniques he uses as a producer to achieve the sound and style he is aiming for. These videos have actually proved very useful to me already, and helped me to succeed in creating, what I believe is, my best track so far. The two options I have for getting information based around NLMT’s style are;
- Direct Messaging NLMT himself and inquiring about his opinions on my sound design and my track, as well as how to approach presenting myself as an artist.
- Using the videos he has posted on YouTube to take each piece of information that he gives during the video, and research into it to find what would be most useful to me as an artist.
My final potential source of information, comes from a website. More specifically, the D4 Music Marketing website has a page with the 15 things that they believe are the most important things that any musician or artist must do successfully to become a successful musician. They go into slight detail about how each of these things are important and tips on how to do them well.