I have really enjoyed this module. Creating music is a big passion of mine, and I was glad we were assigned it as it took my mind off my other two modules, which I felt had no relevance to Music Technology (SM 2021 SME Marketing and IM 2030 Video & Sound Techniques).
I decided to create a modern day soul instrumental song (similar to the style of Little Beaver), as I am a big fan of the genre (both modern day and soul from the 1960s and 1970s).
I started using Cubase to create the MIDI backing of my composition, as I am well versed in using the MIDI features of that program. Despite my lack of keyboard playing skills, I managed to play all the parts I needed.
I then imported the MIDI file into Logic Pro, with which I recorded the live parts of my composition.
However, I did run into trouble with this module. Every time I booked a Logic studio something went wrong; in my first session I was unable to record anything through the hardware, even when I asked for assistance from a technician (who was equally as perplexed by the problem). The second session was the most successful, despite the fact that I had to wait over an hour for my studio to be free as a class had overrun and would not let me in.
In the third and final session, in which I wanted to work on both this module and IM 2030 Video & Sound Techniques, I was unable to gain access to the facility because it had been double booked by the equipment stores staff - I had been given a booking receipt by the equipment stores staff with the wrong name and I.D. number, which made gaining access to the pre-booked studio an impossibility. Luckily all I needed to do was bounce my composition down to a sound file, which I was able to do in the Macintosh labs. Unfortunately however, this meant I was not able to get a true grasp of the levels of my various instruments because I had to make my final mix on iPod headphones on an iMac and not through studio monitors on a Mac Pro (which I would have very much preferred).
It was when we were inducted into the studios in the MPC that we found out that one of the technicians is an Apple certified Logic Pro instructor. It was the opinion of every member of my course that he should have taught us this module, as it seemed to us that he knew more about the software than our existing tutors.
If I had been given more time to complete this module then I would have tried to replace the software instruments with their live counterparts, and I would have recorded a vocal line (provided I had written lyrics in time). Perhaps I could have presented it to my class by playing it live with other musicians - this would have taken a lot of time to set up however. I am presenting my composition at 4.30pm today - I will make another post with how it goes.
Eric Clapton playing a Gibson Les Paul Standard.
Slash playing a Gibson Les Paul Custom
