Case Studies, Bibliography

Case Study 1
My EXP involves interviewing different artists and musicians and part of my research will involve how experienced interviewers making their interviews stand out and how what type of questions they ask the guests they choose to interview. In this video, experienced television presenter Zane Lowe interviewed Justin Timberlake and asked questions in relation to his recent album which is something I can do with one of my guests as one of the musicians I am interviewing (Jayfo) has released two single in the last couple of months and I can ask question in terms of the process of making those songs and why he chose to release those songs etc. Also, the environment will play big part in making the final product in video stand out and make people want to click on the video. Depending on who I am interviewing, I will choose a location that relates to the guests profession and what they are successful in so the people who watch the video are aware of what they are about to watch. The way this interview is set out is very much natural and almost like a simple conversation which is definitely something I will apply to my project within interviewing because it'll make the guest feel comfortable and it makes the final product look even more professional and not so forced.


Case Study 2
During the last year I have been able to figure out my style as an artist and in this EP it will show the progression I have been through in comparison to last year. I have been looking at artists that I admire such as Michael Jackson, Prince and Justin Timberlake, this is because I love the way the instrumentation, vocal dynamics and structure is used. For example, in the song "Love Never Felt So Good" by Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson, I love the use of instruments used such as the piano because it gives a very happy and joyful feeling when listening to the chords and when I listen to the song, it just reminds me of positivity and the song just has a very positive vibe. One thing that catches my attention in this song is the use of layering in the chorus which makes the song sound fuller and brighter which makes me want to sing along. The technique of layering is definitely something I will use in music in that stand out moments of the song such as chorus and pre chorus. Also, in the process of making this song one thing I learnt is that in Michael's sessions he would usually have two versions of one song, he would have a first idea of a song and then he would have a different version of the same song, this is in relation to the production, it would be completely changed into a different type of track. This is something I will add to my practice as I have learnt that this is an affective way of not limiting my self and my ideas and playing around with the songs and experimenting to get the best version of the song possible. A lot of this music (soulful pop) originates from the 1950's/20th century from mainly the African American community where singers would use real instruments and their own vocals to sing about what was going on at the time in terms of social issues such as: racism and political issues. However, this specific from Jackson also comes from the era of disco in the 1970's/1980's where artists would talk about having fun and partying. Over the years, this type of music has continuously been replicated and used as it has a very positive vibe and an energetic flow.


Case Study 3
Charlie Puth uses a very good technique in his music where he uses beat boxing on top of the instrumental that he already has and he explains how the technique of using beat boxing and layering it with the software instruments will create a lot more of a natural sounding instrumental as its from the human body, however, one thing I could struggle from doing this is that my beat-boxing isn't that good so I would have to do as couple of takes before hand in order to try and make the takes a good standard. I feel like this would help me a lot in my future projects as I have been stuck on creating tracks using just software instruments rather than real instruments and since I will start using more real instruments to create more of a live performance but still use a mixture of software and real instruments. Also, he mentions using different distances from the microphone to get a different feel, especially when it comes to harmonies in a track or vocal layering's because its an effective way of creating an ambient choir or make it sound like there's more than one voice in the track which is also something that I will experiment when making my music and try out something new.




Case Study 4
I looked at this interview that was very interesting in terms of the way it is set out. The interview is outside which is in a way unusual in my opinion because most interviews are set inside but this is what makes the interview stand out. Also, I love the way in this interview how there's a very good conversation flow and one thing I have learnt from watching all of these interviews is that it doesn't  necessarily have to be about just the musicians music or career, it can also involve talking about a musicians private life up to a certain extent if they are okay with it as it will fill in a lot of gaps in terms of what the audience want to find out about the artist in relation to how their music has affected their personal life and also more in depth questions such as to what point have you been close on giving up or did your family support you on your road to success and sacrifices that took place during that process or was it more of a personal belief and self support. These types of questions are the ones that motivate people when they watch these interviews to live their life to the fullest and not be scared to make sacrifices and follow their dreams and this is something that will make my interviews stand out and be something to remember. I took part in a workshop last week which involved our teacher Keith talking about interview techniques and how to approach interviewing any artist. He explained how it is important to not try to be something that your not, this means that the best way to get the best out of interviewing an artist is to be yourself and try not to act "cool" otherwise if you try to come across as someone that your not you wont get the right answers out of a musician and you can create a wrong impression of yourself. He also said many interviews may contain an element of controversy that the musician might have been through or may have been through whether it might be saying something on social media that offended a certain audience or something along those lines. However, this doesn't mean you cant bring it up, its almost as if you have to work your way up to that one question to make it a smooth transition from question to question and not to make the artist think your interrogating them.


Case Study 5
I am thinking of performing with one of my classmates "Purple Rain" by the one and only Prince. I just to do this because a lot of people aren't performing this year and I figured that it would be a good chance to perform a song that is one of the best songs of all time by one of my favourite artists of all time. In this performance I'm analysing the way he uses fog and lighting to make his performance stand out. The use of the Purple lighting evidently relates to the lyrics of the song "Purple Rain" which creates a very intense and dramatic atmosphere which is something I could most definitely  use is my performance to create that same vibe. Also, Prince has a lot of interaction with the crowd which makes the audience feel a lot more engaged and part of the performance in terms of knowing that the performer is aware of the fans and also making the fans sing along is also a technique that he uses which makes the moment much more memorable and interesting for the performer as it also is for the crowd. One specific technique I will definitely use is to use the whole stage by walking around in certain parts of the songs rather than stay in one place because staying in one place can be a bit boring for the crowd whilst walking around and audience interaction can be seen as much more intimate. This is also to do with his personality as well in relation to have the confidence and the relaxation to interact, but I have a very outgoing personality which will also allow me to interpret this into my performance which in my opinion is needed to make the performance referable and special which can lead to future opportunities in the music industry as you never know who is watching or listening.







Case Study 6
When it comes to recording my interviews I have to look at different videos to see what mic placements are the best to capture the sound of the voice. I am thinking to use the microphones above the head without the camera capturing that shot and as it also shows in this video, the microphone can pick up the voice really well.. Also, one thing that is very important when it comes to interviews is the mental state, by this I mean what can effect the interviewee mentally and depending on the artist, something that is in the way someone's personal space for example a microphone, can be quite uncomfortable and invading which can most likely cause the person to not be relaxed and cause the interview to not flow the way it should do. In terms of editing the recording, I will just have to add compression so that the recording doesn't pick up too many plosives otherwise it will sound unprofessional and the people who hear the recordings will find it quiet annoying and I wont get the views and credit. Additionally, it is important to make sure two microphones are being used so the voice from the interviewer and the interviewee can be picked up to get a good quality recording.




Case Study 7
In this case study I was looking at different videos related to mixing and mastering in order to get my music sounding professional and to make the tracks from my EP sounding as balanced as possible. I don't necessarily stress myself out when it comes to mixing but I always make sure that I use panning in my tracks to create enough space in the track for every instrument and vocal to stand out. Also, I make sure to bounce the track as a WAV file so that the track is in the best quality possible. In my research, the video I researched went into detail in regards to mixing and I learnt a lot of things from these videos such as using the Multipressor effect on logic, when it comes to making songs, I like to use samples from Spice so I can use it as a foundation for the track and I build my ideas around the track, furthermore, in this video the guy talks about using a Multipressor which helps to balance out different frequencies in a track such as: bass, mid etc... If I use any time of sample it will be really helpful to use this as I can cancel out any frequencies or increase any frequencies in the track to get the sound that I want. This is very important when it comes to editing music and also coming to the final stages of music producing you want to make the sound of the track be as professional as possible, this will benefit me a lot in the long term because when it comes to bigger projects I will be able to confidently use more tools and editing effects on logic to create more dynamics in the track and I will be able to experiment a lot more when it comes to making different genres and types of music. 

Bibliography
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Frascogna, X. and Hetherington, H. (2004). This Business of Artist Management. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications.


Kimpel, D. (2005). Networking strategies for the new music business. Boston, MA: Thomson Course Technology PTR.

Klickstein, G. (2009). The musician's way [electronic resource]. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Zollo, P. (2003). Songwriters on songwriting. New York: Da Capo Press.

YouTube. (2019). The Basics of Mixing a Track | Logic Pro X. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/5clxt2xacjw [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].

YouTube. (2019). Justin Timberlake: New Music, Touring & Fatherhood [P1] | Beats 1 | Apple Music. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rll790aP60Q [Accessed 15 Mar. 2019].

YouTube. (2019). Mixing with Multiband Compression | Logic Pro X Multipressor Tutorial. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/xNcq4KVf0lQ [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].

YouTube. (2019). Audio Recording Tips: Shotgun Microphones. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/WO1-G-K67zg [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].

YouTube. (2019). Prince - Purple Rain live at Super Bowl XLI HD. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/lElCzhjiPX8 [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].

YouTube. (2019). Purple Rain 1985 Syracuse. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/x8L-S2umLfM [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].

YouTube. (2019). Kendrick Lamar Meets Rick Rubin and They Have an Epic Conversation | GQ. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/4lPD5PtqMiE [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].

YouTube. (2019). See Charlie Puth Break Down Emotional Hit Song, "Attention". [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/IU8BEMi8UyM [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].

YouTube. (2019). Charlie Puth Reveals Layers Of New Single "Attention" | On Air with Ryan Seacrest. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/-qdLwfRooz8 [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].

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YouTube. (2019). Shawn Mendes - Nervous. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/DGzy8FE1Rhk [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].

YouTube. (2019). Prince & The New Power Generation - Cream (Official Music Video). [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/rrbFQEcpJ3A [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].