Case Studies
Electronic Music: Final Project
Challenge: The final project for my Electronic Music music class required us to write a song with several specific requirements. The requirements all had to do with concepts that we had learned in class. Some examples were compression, automation, using a synthesizer, and manipulating a sampled audio instrument sound and so on.
Action: The approach I took for this project was very enjoyable. I loved creating music in this setting. I started off just playing around on some chords on my Yamaha CP-30 with the Rhodes presetting. I found something that I thought sounded really interesting so I tried to come up with some type of catchy rhythm that would end up being the sort of base for the entire song. Once I had the main rhythm and some chords for each section the rest just came rather naturally. I just kept adding parts that made sense and filled out the requirements as I went. Making sure there were at least a couple real instruments that I used so I could have a mix of audio tracks and midi tracks.
Result: The result of the project was an overall success. My instructor was pleased with what I had created and I got a fantastic grade in the class. I even received accolades for my creative solutions in filling the requirements.
Spaceface: Christmas Party (Nice & Naughty)
Challenge: One of the bands I used to be involved with spent a lot of time working together on songs. We would eventually take them to the studio and produce them. Every year we used to release a Christmas song. Many of them had been more serious but I wanted to make one that was more silly and fun in comparison to the previous songs, while still making sure the song was successful and well done.
Action: I wanted to take the lead on creating the Christmas song for this specific year. I started out by just recording a guitar riff idea in my bedroom on my laptop with an acoustic guitar. After a small amount of production and some organization on my laptop, I had a song structure Idea that I really liked. It only took me about an hour or two to write all the parts and record them into a demo. I showed it to my band mates and I got some positive feedback on the demo recording I had made. About a month later we took it to the studio. We surprisingly recorded and produced the entire song within a day. It was primarily me and one other band member working together with the engineer so things went a lot smoother and faster than we had expected.
Result: I was really pleased that we were able to get the song done so quickly. We went into the studio the day after halloween and we had the song recorded, artwork finished, and released the song all before December 7th. The song also actually ended up being somewhat of a streaming hit that year for holiday playlists. It made a few really popular curated Christmas playlists on Spotify and ended up getting hundreds of thousands of plays within just a few short weeks. I really would consider this entire project a definite success. I felt that I had led the creative direction very well and I felt that the results were overwhelmingly positive.
❇ Christmas Party (Nice & Naughty) ❇ - Spaceface ft Andy Clockwise & Swimm
Modern Contemporary Art Soundscape
Hilma Af Klint
Group IV, No. 3. The Ten Largest, Youth
1907
Challenge: One of the projects for my Modern & Contemporary Art class at SAE required us to write a soundscape inspired by a specific piece of art.
Action: I chose one of my favorite pieces by one of my favorite artists. As I created my soundscape, I tried to imagine what being in the studio with Hilma must have felt like. I pretend I am in the room and listening to the small brush strokes as I watch the painting take form on the canvas that is stretched on the floor. As she creates, the shapes grow and the colors start to bloom. I try to match these inspirations with layers of melody and sound. As she adds more to the painting, the music crescendos. As she outlines the figures on the canvas the percussive elements dictate her strokes.
Result: The result of the project was an overall success. The teacher was impressed with the small artistic journey that I had led the class on. I am not sure that I gave Hilma's art the pairing that it deserved, but that creative process was certainly an endeavor in a new art form that I felt I grew from.
Creating Sounds for a 2D Video Game
Battle with Final Boss
