Author: dhrick01

One very important aspect in the process of releasing music is mixing and mastering. This is important because it is the process that allows music to sound coherent, blended, and clean. To the average listener who knows nothing about audio engineering, there is no awareness of the mixing and mastering done to a song they listen to. However, if the mixing, mastering, and all the engineering to that song were stripped away, they would cringe! This is what my third source is all about. According to the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, subsequent to recording, mixing is the second step to making a record. This is where you “take each of the individual audio tracks we recorded in step one, and put them together to sound like a cohesive music production experience”. Although a vast majority of the creativity in music is in the musical ideas, many people do not realize that a lot of creativity can be employed through mixing. This is due to the use of various effects that may not seem noticeable, but bring a song to life! In essence, mixing is glueing individual recorded tracks together to achieve a cohesive overall product. Mastering however, is the final step to producing a record. According to my source, CRAS, “this is where we take the finished, mixed recording, and run it through some final processing which prepare the song for distribution”. This step is also vital because it is what allows a song to sound consistently good on various platforms, such as a phone speaker, laptop speaker, headphones, the car, and even live concerts. Without mastering, what might sound perfect on studio monitors sounds cloudy and poor in the car. This source breaks down the steps to mixing in mastering which is very important and helpful for my project.

Source: https://cras.edu/what-is-audio-engineering/

My fourth source is all about record labels. Although independent artists are on the rise, and releasing music independently sums up my experience, record labels obviously still play a huge role in the music that is released worldwide. This source explains how record labels work. This is very relevant to my project because my projects is centered around how music is made and published in modern times. In these modern times, record labels often have the upper hand and the last say on what, how, and when music is published under their label.

Also, this can be a controversial topic because it often results in feud’s between artists and labels. This source breaks down what record labels are responsible for and what they control. From A&R support, marketing and promotion, specialist support, distribution, label deals, licensing deals, distribution deals, branding, and more, this source informs us on the inter workings of a label which plays a very big role in the music that we hear everyday.

Source: https://spinnup.com/uc/top-faqs/how-do-record-labels-work/

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m finally a senior! However, in consideration of the amount of work left to do, it feels like I’m an underclassman. Nonetheless, I am on the home stretch towards graduation and earning my degree. With graduation slowly approaching I must begin to think about my capstone project. Without much thought, I instinctively knew that my project will have something to do with music. Given the fact that I’ll be working on this project for the next two semesters, it’s a good idea to choose something I find highly interesting.

Obviously, music can mean a million different things. I didn’t have a clue about what I wanted my project to be about specifically until I had a conversation with a classmate who told me he was using his own original music for his project. That got me thinking. I took that and stopped by my professor’s office the other day to ask some questions. After having that conversation, I became more aware of the fact that we are allowed to make our project our own and what we want it to be, as long as it satisfies the requirements of course. My professor had me explaining to him the process of how I produce, record, engineer, and publish my music. There is a great deal of importance in the engineering process that is very informative. The publishing process is also very relevant to my major simply due to the fact that involves copyright, advertising, campaigns, and appealing to and targeting an audience. My professor said I can use the exact process that I’m so passionate about and turn it into my capstone. After that conversation I had a slightly tighter idea and a lot more excitement. I haven’t officially decided what format to make my project but I’ve been leaning on a website. I also thought about the possibility of making a documentary. However, If I make a website I’ll plan on having multiple modes of media in it.