Project and Portfolio I: Audio Arts

This piece was created as the final project for the first of seven portfolio courses in the FSU Audio Production program. In this piece, I experimented with synth instruments, key changes, and interesting time signatures. I stuck with a mostly electronic feel with the synthesizers. I used the drums and supporting instruments to put most of the focus on the odd time signatures. I think this piece came out sounding kind of like an electronic video game soundtrack, even though it may be a bit complex in some parts. My original influence or inspiration was to try to create a piece with an odd meter that you could still dance to. Although, I think the second half does a better job at getting your feet moving.

As I’ve mentioned, the meter is odd and even changes with the key change. We start the track in 9/8 with a bit of a slower and happier feel, then transition to 7/8 for the second half to push it along and add some mood. The drum sounds are based on a standard electronic or even hip-hop feel, and it is backed up by a subtle acoustic drum sound. The bass sound used is an electronic synth bass with a bit of a rough feel, and definitely helps contribute to the moodiness of the second half.

This piece starts in Eb Major for the 9/8 section and transitions to the relative C Minor for the second half in 7/8. The chord progressions are [Eb, Ab, G minor, Bb] and [C minor, F minor, Bb, G minor] respectively. The melody in Eb Major is relatively simple and uplifting. The melody transitions to a Blues scale in C Minor and is definitely denser as well. Both of the melodies follow a rough arching shape, but the Eb Major melody is mostly rising motifs. One thing that I wanted to achieve was to make the melody stand out enough from the rest of the piece without having it overpower everything else.

This piece includes recorded audio for the supporting acoustic drum sound (track 27), and recorded guitar notes as a base for a sampler track (track 26). The guitar sampler track mostly contributes to the rhythm while following the basic format of the harmony. In addition, I used two original synth sounds to support the base harmony pad. Each original synth was used for a specific half and contributes to each specific feel. The first half featured a bright bell synth with an arpeggio effect added (track 25). The second synth was used to further set the mood for the second half by adding a “windy” style dark pad (track 24).

For processing, most of the effects (dynamic and time-based) were used for the supporting synths and recorded audio tracks. There is also compression used for the kick drum, snare, and bass guitar. A majority of the tracks received at least some minor EQ as well. The recorded audio track for the acoustic drum sound used a noise gate to give the recording even more clarity. There is both reverb and delay shared between the original synth tracks, the sampler track, and the recorded audio track (track numbers listed above). This was used to give a better blend between the different sounds.

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I hope you enjoyed listening to this portfolio piece and reading about the creation process. As always, please feel free to leave a comment and feedback down below. Thank you!