Diploma in Music Performance & Production
Unit 8 Project Proposal
| Candidate Name | Isaac Hill |
| Candidate Number | 10626277 |
| Pathway | UAL level 3 diploma in music performance and production |
| Project Title | Composing for DOOM Eternal |
| Section 1: Rationale (approx. 100 words) | |
| Throughout Project 2 at College, I realised that I really enjoyed composing, and since the end of that project I have only wanted to compose more music. That is why I have chosen to compose video game music for my final project of Year 1. However, I have also learnt from project 2’s mixing and production segment that I was not very good at mixing, this only made me want to get better at it, which is why I am choosing to compose for DOOM as it Requires a lot of production to sound professional. To get better at mixing I will have to research production techniques online and try to incorporate them into my music. | |
| Section 2: Project Concept (approx. 200 words) | |
| For this project I am going to be writing two Heavy Metal compositions for the video game Doom Eternal, this will take me the entirety of the project. To make these two compositions sound professional I will use my skills of music production and composing to make my music sound more professional, this is because incorporating professional mixing and production takes the music to an advanced level because allows you to bend sounds in your music to your own will. The original music in DOOM Eternal uses a lot of guitars and drums, as I am a pianist and may struggle with playing these instruments myself so I will need to collaborate with other musicians. I will be composing from the computers at college using Logic and MIDI, I will be using the studio facilities at college to record the guitar parts of my composition. I will promote my music through social media by posting links, clips and images of my work. To promote my work to my target audience of DOOM players I will post my composition on social platforms such as Reddit and Facebook. The final form of my work will be presented by syncing my composition over some gameplay footage. These compositions will be released on YouTube and SoundCloud. I will research how the soundtrack was made and what inspired it as well as the development and history of the game as well as mixing and production techniques to help me. | |
| Section 3: Evaluation (approx. 50 words) | |
| I will evaluate all my work on my compositions and practical skills weekly on my digital space, I will do this in the form of text based journals on my website. I also will host focus groups for peer feedback for other opinions on my music. | |
| Proposed Research Sources and Bibliography (Harvard Format) | |
| Atlas Obscura. 2021. With Musical Cryptography, Composers Can Hide Messages in Their Melodies. [online] Available at: <https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/musical-cryptography-codes> [Accessed 8 March 2021]. Collins, K., n.d. Game Sound. Cambridge: MIT Press. Game Rant. 2021. Doom Eternal: The Evolution of Doom Lore. [online] Available at: <https://gamerant.com/doom-eternal-lore-franchsise/> [Accessed 8 March 2021]. GDC, 2017. DOOM: Behind the Music. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4FNBMZsqrY> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. Gordon, M., 2016. DOOM: Behind The Music Part 1. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua-f0ypVbPA> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. Gordon, M., 2016. DOOM: Behind The Music Part 2. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g-7-dFXOUU> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. Gordon, M., 2020. Live Stream: DOOM Eternal Music Quarantine and Chill. [broadcast] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lQUuXKW4FQ> [Accessed 25 February 2021]. Ism.org. 2021. Writing Music for Animation, Video Games & Virtual Reality. [online] Available at: <https://www.ism.org/images/images/Accompanying-notes.pdf> [Accessed 8 March 2021]. KIWI TALKZ, 2021. #81 – Mick Gordon Interview (DOOM, Killer Instinct, Mixing, Composing, Game Awards, Royalties etc.). [interview] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLmlps4-0Dg> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. KNOTFEST, 2020. DOOM Eternal Composer Talks Metal. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idXj3Ou7D80> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. MARKS, A., 2017. COMPLETE GUIDE TO GAME AUDIO. 3rd ed. [Place of publication not identified]: CRC Press. Sweet, M., n.d. Writing interactive music for video games. 1st ed. Morgan, B. and Morgan, B., 2021. The Evolution of DOOM. [online] Gameskinny.com. Available at: <https://www.gameskinny.com/qc5ph/the-evolution-of-doom> [Accessed 8 March 2021]. NewMusicBox. 2021. The Self-Promoting Composer. [online] Available at: <https://nmbx.newmusicusa.org/the-selfpromoting-composer/> [Accessed 8 March 2021]. Noclip – Video Game Documentaries, 2016. Mick Gordon on Composing DOOM’s Soundtrack. [interview] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bthei5ylvZ4> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. Produce Like A Pro, 2016. Mick Gordon Interview – Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro. [interview] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bsXuaIVMB4> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. Quick Peeks, 2020. The Art of DOOM Eternal [4K]. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viSX1gowetk> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. SoundCloud. 2020. DOOM Eternal Original Game Soundtrack (OST 2020). [online] Available at: <https://soundcloud.com/doom-slayer-1/sets/doom-eternal-ost-2020> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. Thomas, C., 2017. Composing Music for Games. 1st ed. New York: Routledge. URM Academy, 2017. Mick Gordon | URM Podcast EP149. [podcast] URM. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmUvKe0wlgI> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. |
| Project Action Plan and Timetable | |||
| Week | Date Week Beginning | Activity / What you are intending to do – including independent study | Resources / What you will need to do it – including access to workshops |
| Week 1 | March 8th | Research behind the music of DOOM using a variety of multiple media formats such as; interviews, podcasts and live streams. composition techniques and beginning to form my own research ideas. | Note pad to record information on and also a device to access the internet. |
| Week 2 | March 15th | Research techniques of producing the DOOM soundtrack and develop ideas from OST (original sound track) and concept art. Start composing by Wednesday, begin with chord progressions and foundation of the music. | I will need a notepad to document my ideas and internet connection to access videos. Develop ideas for both composition 1 and 2. I will also need MIDI and Logic to start composing. |
| Week 3 | March 22nd | Start promotion strategies by creating new Instagram and finding online forums interested in my DOOM. Begin adding depth to the composition with more instrumentation. articulation and dynamics. Must have written guitar part by now to give to Ben the following week. | I will need logic and MIDI to work on my composition, as well as pen and paper to develop ideas and take notes. |
| Week 4 | April 12th | Research mixing and production techniques. Make sure composition 1 is finished by the end of the week. I will post my work on Reddit and ask what I can do to improve it. Also get Ben H. to play in the guitar part that I will give to him and record it. Ben will play along to a pre- recorded track of the composition. | I will still need access to Logic and MIDI for composing. We will also need an electric guitar and a audio interface to record the guitar. |
| Week 5 | April 19th | Begin composition 2 with finding the foundations to the composition; chord progression and foundation. | Begin composition 2 with finding the foundations to the composition; chord progression and foundation. |
| Week 6 | May 3rd | Begin to add more instrumentation and articulation on the composition. Also begin writing the guitar part to give to Ben H the next week for collaboration. | I will also need access to an electric guitar and an audio interface to record in the electric guitar. I will also need access to logic and MIDI for my composition. |
| Week 7 | May 10th | My promotion should be done by now with my work being advertised on my social media. I will also finish composition 2 by the end of the week. On this week I will carry on researching production and mixing techniques. | I will still need access to Logic and MIDI for composing. |
| Week 8 | May 17th | I will spend my second to last week mixing both tracks in the final stages of my compositions development. | I will need access to Logic and MIDI. |
| Week 9 | May 24th | On my final week I will be adding my final touches to the composition. I will also have all my work uploaded to sound cloud and YouTube by the end of the week. I will also record my own gameplay and sync my composition music over it and upload it to YouTube. | For this final week I will only need access to Logic, MIDI and the internet to upload all my work and finish it off. |