1. Synopsis> Minimum 100 words or more, what is your work about/dealing with/trying to say or do? Explain the content/narrative/idea. The idea of my remix is to inspire self-purpose in a chaotic world, whatever that may come from. It starts out mellow to convey calmness, then a speaker says that disorder increases over time. This is when things seem to get kind of off pitch and it shows the chaos of the world through news reports and sirens. After this, I wanted to bring the idea of hope and self-purpose through a motivational speech and more energetic sounds. I wanted it to sound like the guy is almost yelling at the listener to wake up and start actually living a purposeful life without fear of the crazy world around them. The piece ends with a self realization of: “I have a purpose.”
GarageBand Essentials:
2. Briefly, how did you use/apply a software instrument* (*required) and an audio sound you recorded yourself* (*required) in your work? And to what end/effect? I used software instruments in the beginning called lounge vibes, a jazz sounding bass, and synth. These instruments show up again in the middle of the piece. I used an audio sound I recorded myself on synth to create a spacey sound and also again when everything gets crazy with an organ sound.
3. Where and how (and to what effect conceptually or formally) did you apply plug in’s/effect filters? How did you manipulate or change loops/sounds? Choose 2-3 to discuss. I used different amp sound effects to change the sound of the guys' voices and I also used pitch changing to alter the music to make things seem off. I also used echo and reverb, fuzz-wah, and stereo delay to make certain sounds sound like it was taking up a lot of space. Audio Form:
4. What audio structure/outline/layout did you use? Or better, how did you construct/compose all the parts of your audio? Remember “Pop music” formulas? My structure is an intro that is calm and mellow, then it goes into a speech that sets up the next part which is a crazy disorder with news reports and car crash sounds, then it goes into a more hopeful section and picks up speed to become more energetic and exciting as to make it seem like we have to live life to the fullest regardless of the chaos in the world. The piece ends abruptly as if there is another part coming to show that this is only the beginning.
5. Briefly, how did you try to create/apply audio “space.” Yes, this can be interpreted as creating a 3-dimensional space. Ex. How sound space is used in a movie theater. I tried to create audio space with echo, reverb, and panning certain sounds to the right and left.
6. Briefly, where/how did you apply/use The Holy Trinity (apply “other” religions if needed**) of Audio; 1. high end, 2. mid range and 3. low end/bass sounds and audio 4. textures? I used bass sounds through a jazz bass line loop and built on top of it, mid range music, and high end melodic synth. I used audio textures in the beginning after 20 seconds.
7. Briefly discuss the successful elements of your work (both in form and content). What parts are working well? (You can base these thoughts on the feedback received at the critique) I think the voices and the mellow tone to it is working well. The volume of everything seems balanced. The piece seems to take up space when I played it through my car speakers, it felt like the sounds were traveling around me. The class gave me good feedback on the whole thing sounding good. I think content wise, I like how broad my topic is because I can work a lot with the video to go in many different directions.
8. Briefly discuss the elements that could be better in your work. List the things you need to improve/fix/change/work on to improve the work? (You can base these thoughts on the feedback received at the critique) I think there could be more speeches to make my idea come across more clearly, but also I like the places where there is no talking. Also, it was suggested that I make the piece sound more major at the end or to sound more happy. It was also suggested that the ending may be too abrupt, but also some people liked it. Some people couldn't tell what the guy was saying at the end, but it might be a panning issue with it being played on speakers in a large room.