Producing the Timeline X Trailer Music

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Lewis Whitworth

To improve my electronic music mixing skills I learnt a range of production and mixing techniques from various sources which I applied to the Timeline X trailer music.

Before mixing the Timeline X trailer music I researched mixing techniques from Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio by Mike Senior. The book focuses mostly on using these mixing techniques in the context of standalone songs however the mixing techniques still apply to the Timeline X ‘commentary’ trailer music. The 2 techniques which I adopted were level balancing and equalization.

In terms of level balancing Senior writes ‘Try to zero in on what the level of each new instrument means for the mix as a whole, and be aware that a good balance usually involves some kind of tradeoff: on the one hand, you want the track loud enough that you can hear all the things you really love about the individual sound; on the other hand, you need to keep the track low enough in the mix that is doesn’t obscure the merits of more important instruments that are already present.’ (Senior, 2011, 127). In the Timeline X trailer music I made certain tracks louder than others whilst keeping the quieter tracks fairly prominent in the mix.

Below is a screenshot of the mixer for an early draft of the Timeline X Trailer music. The separate ‘Toms’ screenshot shows the toms playing at an earlier point in the song. The kicks and bass synths are the most important instruments because they give impact to the 80s vibe and provide a simple rhythm for the melody to sit on top of. The kick fader is higher than the bass fader however I have EQ’d the low end out of the kick drum as explained later in the equalization paragraph. The harpsichord and soft lead synths provide the melodies and are the next most important instruments . The soft lead synths sit slightly below the bass and kicks to give them more space in the mix. The harpsichord is set at the same level as the basses due to the input gain being fairly low which will be raised in the final mix. The least important instruments are the toms and snare which support the kicks and bass synths in the rhythm. The snare has a moderate amount of input gain which will be slightly lowered in the final mix. The toms and snare are set to the lowest level to give space to all of the other more important instruments.

Faders

With regards to equalization Senior writes ‘The main purpose of equalization at mixdown is to address frequency domain problems with the mix balance. Although there’s a place for more subjective tonal EQ’ing at mixdown, this should be a secondary consideration. ‘ (Senior , 2011, 188). Senior continues to explain the psychological phenomenon called ‘frequency masking’ when he writes ‘To put it simply, if one instrument in your mix has lots of energy in a certain frequency region, then your perception will be desensitized to that frequency region of the other instruments. ‘(Senior , 2011, 172). When EQing different instruments in the Timeline X trailer music my aim was to create a stable frequency balance and maintain the timbre of each instrument in the mix whilst avoiding ‘frequency masking’.

The screenshot below shows my approach to EQing the kicks. I removed a moderate amount of very low end frequencies to make space for the bass synths resulting in a more balanced low end between kicks and bass synths. I slightly raised the low frequencies of the kick to give the kick slightly more impact whilst not making it too overpowering in the mix. I removed a small amount of mid and high end frequencies to make a little more space for the lead synths, harpsichord, snares and toms.

The screenshot below shows my approach to EQing one of the bass tracks. I removed a moderate amount of low end frequencies to make space for the impact of the kicks resulting in a more balanced low end between kicks and bass synths. I removed a small amount of mid and high frequencies to create a little more space for the lead synths, harpsichord, snares and toms. Due to the bass being one of the most important instruments I boosted the upper mid and high end frequencies by a moderate amount to improve the timbre of the sound whilst avoiding ‘frequency masking’ in the harpsichord, snares and toms due to them not taking up much space in the upper mid and high end frequencies.

Before producing the Timeline X trailer music I researched production techniques from a YouTube tutorial called ‘FL Studio Synthwave Tutorials: Make 80s influenced music in FL Studio’ by Nigel Silva. Nigel provides his step by step approach to creating synthwave by showing in the order to work on instruments, 80s composing styles and effects to apply on each instrument.

Nigel begins by pointing out that setting the tempo between 100 and 109 is best suited to 80s music which supported my decision to set the tempo to 108.

Nigel then moves onto working on instruments which he usually starts with the bass synth. Dan uses Nexus and SQ8L for the bass synths. I used SQ8L for my bass and lead synths due to it being free and providing a range of presets to work with. Dan creates a simple fast bassline then decides to layer two different bass synths to create a more full powerful sounding bass. I utilized these technique shown by bass tracks 1 and 2 in the screenshot below.

Nigel continues to EQ the bass at this stage before moving onto the next instrument and does this with every instrument he moves onto however this is a technique I left until after production. I produced the trailer music first, level balanced then EQd as pointed out in ‘Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio’ by Mike Senior.

Nigel then focuses on the drums starting with kicks. Nigel produces a simple kick drum pattern which is a composing style I made use of. Nigel layers two different kicks which is a technique I chose not to adopt due to my single kick sound having enough prominence in the mix. To make the kick sound more 80s Nigel adds a fairly strong but subtle reverb to the kicks which is a technique I utilized in the mix stage by setting the reverb to 40% shown in the screenshot below.

Nigel then works on the snares by producing a simple snare pattern that usually plays at the same time as the kick then layers two different snares to create a more punchy snare sound. I utilized these techniques shown in the screenshot below where I sent ‘SnareWhip’ and ‘Snare2’ from the channel rack into track 5 of the mixer.

Nigel moves onto lead synths where he produces a straight forward note progression consisting of a few quick notes leading to a long sustain of the 3rd note and repeating. Nigel advises viewers to play around with note progressions in the piano roll and find one that works best for their song. I utilized this technique shown in the screenshots below where I created note progressions as well as chord progressions in the piano roll for the lead synths and harpsichord.

Synth note and chord progression

Harpsichord note and chord progression

Nigel concludes his video with some mixing techniques like applying moderate compression via the compressor in the master channel and using ‘bitcrusher’ to add hissing to the mix. Nigel explains how 80s music has hissing to it so to emulate this hissing you can use various plugins like ‘bitcrusher’ to emulate the hiss sound in your mix. I chose not to adopt these mixing techniques and instead applied a very small amount of compression to maintain the moderate dynamic range as well as not using any hissing emulator plugin due to the mix already having enough components that give it an 80s vibe.

As a result of learning a range of production and mixing techniques from Mixing Secrets and the Youtube synthwave tutorial I produced the trailer music below

Sources

Senior, M. (2011) Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio. Burlington: Focal Press.

Timeline X Trailer Music Influences

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Lewis Whitworth

The Timeline X trailer music is by influenced by a range of artists/genres. The music is a combination of primarily synthwave with elements of Baroque.

Synthwave, also known as Retrowave or outrun, is an electronic musical style that emerged in the mid-2000s, influenced by 1980s soundtrack music. Synthwave is heavily inspired by new wave and the soundtracks of many 1980s films, videogames, cartoons and television shows and expresses nostalgia for the 1980s by attempting to capture the era’s atmosphere.

Baroque music is a style of classical music composed from the 1600s to the mid 1700s when orchestra was born. Baroque music is characterized by modern harmony and orchestral instruments such as the harpsichord.

I will be doing semiotic analysis of my influences based on Ferdinand de Saussure’s model of the sign. In semiotics for beginners David Chandler explains Saussure’s model of the sign in two components when he points out ‘a ‘signifier’ (signifiant) – the form which the sign takes; and the ‘signified’ (signifié) – the concept it represents.’ (Chandler, 2001)

I will explain how the signified of my influences represent certain eras or themes and how this is reflected in the setting/atmosphere of the Timeline X trailer.

Mitch murder is a synthwave artist who has released a number of EPs, albums and soundtracks. The signified or connotations of ‘Interceptor’ are sombre, night-time and the 80s. The 80s connotation which stands out the most is brought out by all of the the musical elements including synths, drums and bass which were common conventions found in popular 80s music. I maintained the 80s vibe throughout the trailer by using the LinnDrum – LM2 Samples that Mitch Murder uses in ‘Interceptor’ and often as his signature sound as well as various synths and basses. For instance during the intro part of the trailer that takes place at night in the industrial city I used these musical elements to create a dark bleak sound with an 80s vibe.

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician and regarded as one of the most influential composers during the baroque period. The only instrument in this piece is the harpsichord which is a conventional instrument associated with the Baroque period. The signified or connotations of this piece are increased innovation and discovery, the renaissance and the theatre. Timeline X Takes place during the 1600s so to reflect the musical connotations of this piece and the 1600s I utilized the harpsichord. During the 1600s gameplay part trailer the harpsichord compliments the melody of the lead synths but isn’t at the forefront of the music because I wanted the 80s vibe to be the primary theme.

Vangelis is a composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock, and orchestral music best known for his scores for Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner. ‘End Titles’ use of spacious synths and basses in minor chord patterns creates a dark mood which creates the signified or connotations of dystopian, industrial city, futuristic and the 80s. The intro setting of the Timeline X trailer is a retro industrial city set in a dystopian 2084 so to reflect the musical connotations of ‘End Titles’ I utilized spacious synths and basses in minor chord patterns to create a dark dystopian theme.

Wendy Carlos is a composer and pioneer in electronic music best known for her musical album ‘Switched-On Bach’ as well as film scores for ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ‘The Shining’. The piece above is a reimagining of Wendy Carlos’ ‘Switched-On Bach’ which is an album released in 1968 and consisting of pieces by J.S Bach all performed on a moog synthesizer. ‘Switched-On Bach’ was the first of its kind to popularize classical music performed on electronic synthesizer. Furthermore to combine baroque music with electronic music. The signified or connotations of this piece are increased innovation and discovery, baroque music and electronic music. The connotations of this piece and ‘Switched-On Bach’ influenced my decision to combine baroque music with the electronic genre Synthwave.

Sources

Chandler, D. (2001) Semiotics for beginners. [Online] Available from: http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/S4B/sem02.html [Accessed 9^th December 2015].

Tailoring music to match the action on screen

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Lewis Whitworth

To reach the learning outcome of building new areas of creativity like producing music that’s tailored to the action on screen I will utilize ideas and terminology from ‘Hearing Film’ by Anahid Kassabian into the Timeline X trailer.

In ‘Hearing Film’ by Anahid Kassabian she introduces notion of the ‘attention continuum’ by asking the question ‘How much attention do viewers/listeners give to the music, in comparison to the dialogue, visuals and other elements?(Kassabian, 2001, 52). Anahid continues to explain how ‘Attention to music depends on many factors, including the volume of the music, its style, and its “appropriateness” in the scene’ (Kassabian, 2001, 52). Anahid summarises a range of examples along the attention continuum when she writes ‘In each specific case, the rest of the soundtrack and other aspects of the film define the limits of the music’s prominence’ (Kassabian, 2001, 55). In conclusion the ‘attention continuum’ focuses on the the level of attention the audience gives to music which is determined by other aspects of the film.

For the Timeline X trailer the music will be fairly prominent in the ‘attention continuum’ in response to the visual gameplay, text and transition shots. The aim is to create an equal amount of attention to the music and visual elements. For example the image below shows a transition shot from the storyboard where the music has an equal level of prominence than the visual element.

The music will be slightly more prominent at certain parts in trailer such as the Timeline X title shot below where the theme tune for Timeline X plays but in general the equal level of attention between music and visual elements remains the same throughout the continuum/trailer.

Kassabian later explains the term ‘Commentary music’ when she points out that ‘Commentary music, for example, might tell us that a seemingly romantic situation is actually humuorous, or that the daisy-filled meadow contains some unseen danger… ‘ (Kassabian, 2001, 59). Essentially ‘commentary music’ is music that comments on the action on screen.

For the Timeline X trailer the music will act as commentary music and be tailored to the action on screen as opposed to a standalone track.

The music will be tailored to the action on screen by having different musical components come in to match what the visual element is conveying. For example the image below shows a gameplay shot from the storyboard where the drum, lead synths and baroque musical components support the battlefield atmosphere.

The music will also be tailored to cuts between shots. To elaborate the music is synchronized to the cut that moves into the next shot. For example the image below shows a series of gameplay shots where the kick drum plays on the arrow between each shot.

I will utilize the ‘attention continuum’ and ‘commentary music’ into the Timeline X trailer to create more of a coherent trailer where the music and visual elements work together throughout the trailer as opposed to a gameplay trailer that cuts and edits standalone tracks into certain parts.

Sources

Kassabian, Anahid. Hearing Film. New York: Routledge, 2001. Print.

Existing video game trailer research (from research proposal)

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Lewis Whitworth

To underpin my video game trailer analysis I will apply the notion of the ‘attention continuum’ as written by Anahid Kassabian.

In ‘Hearing Film’ by Anahid Kassabian she introduces notion of the ‘attention continuum’ by asking the question ‘How much attention do viewers/listeners give to the music, in comparison to the dialogue, visuals and other elements?(Kassabian, 2001, 52). Anahid continues to explain how ‘Attention to music depends on many factors, including the volume of the music, its style, and its “appropriateness” in the scene’ (Kassabian, 2001, 52). As you go further along the attention continuum music demands less attention from the audience whilst other soundtrack and visual elements demand more. Anahid summarises a range of examples along the attention continuum when she writes ‘In each specific case, the rest of the soundtrack and other aspects of the film define the limits of the music’s prominence’ (Kassabian, 2001, 55). In conclusion the ‘attention continuum’ focuses on the the level of attention the audience gives to music which is determined by other aspects of the film.

Kassabian, Anahid. Hearing Film. New York: Routledge, 2001. Print.

Power Drive 2000 Pre-Alpha Teaser Trailer

Power Drive 2000 is an 80’s themed arcade racer that succesfully reached its kickstarter funding goal of $52,114. In terms of video the fast paced cutting gives the audience a view of the different gameplay environments and emphasis on high speed chases.In terms of the soundtrack the music is the only component present in the trailer. The music is tailored to the video by matching the action on screen for example the hi hat crash when the light flashes and the toms that act as a transition for the intro and outro.

Overall the music and visuals work symbiotically to create intensity and reveal the neo 80s atmosphere to the player. Multiple gameplay environments are shown as a taster of what the player can experience. For the Timeline X trailer I aim to draw the music matching picture aspect. In terms of the ‘attention continuum’ the primary attention throughout the entire trailer is the visuals and music.

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon Official Trailer

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is a comedic first-person shooter that parodies 80s action movies. In terms of video the trailer uses different types of video clips from real world footage to cutscenes then gameplay. A VHS style filter is used throughout the trailer to reflect 80s technology and intense VHS blurs act during transitions between clips. The fast cutting to different types of combat reflects the fast paced action of the game. In terms of the soundtrack the music fits the atmosphere but isn’t tailored to the action on screen. The sound effects include VHS static/interference, lo-fi 80s soundds during cut scenes and in game sounds for the gameplay. For the dialogue the 80’s ‘trailer guy voice’ is narrating the story aspect whilst the characters from the cut scenes and gameplay also speak. Summing up the trailer using a range of 80s conventions to parody 80s action movies.

For Timeline X I aim to apply the 80s VHS video filter to contribute to the atmosphere of Timeline X. In terms of the ‘attention continuum’ the primary attention in this trailer is the visuals and dialogue with less attention on music and sound effects.

Red Dead Redemption Gameplay Introduction Trailer

Red Dead Redemption is an open world, western action-adventure game. In terms of video slow motion shots of the scenary act as establishing shots to introduce the viewer to the world of Red Dead Redemption. The video shots tend to be 3-5 second cuts howing a range of gameplay activities with in game and cinematic shots. In terms of the soundtrack the music provides a western atmosphere but, like Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, doesn’t tailor to the action on screen. The sound effects are all in game. The dialogue is mainly from the narrator. The narrator’s voice has a low pitch, well spoke western character to it that describes and matches the gameplay activity on screen. In conclusion the trailer gives the player an idea of what they can do in the world of Red Dead Redemption by giving a balanced cover of story, gameplay and the game world.

For Timeline X I aim to adopt the structure of this trailer by showing the player a balanced view of story, gameplay and the game world. In terms of the ‘attention continuum’ the primary attention in this trailer is the visuals, dialogue and sound effects with less attention on music.

For ‘attention continuum’ in the Timeline X trailer my aim is for the audience’s attention to shift between music, dialogue, visuals and sound effects as opposed to all of these aspects overwhelmingly battling for the audience’s attention at once.

Ken Blair guest lecture overview

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Lewis Whitworth

This week me and my 3rd year Audio production course received a guest lecture by Ken Blair. Ken is a recording engineer, record producer and and owner of BMP. BMP is a recording company specialising in classical, jazz and acoustic music.

Ken began by the lecture by briefly talking about his various roles over the course of his career in sound recording. For the lecture Ken focused mostly on his role as Recording Engineer.

Ken pointed out differences between recording classical and pop records. Firstly with classical recording the microphones are generally more distant from the sound source because the aim is to pick up the acoustics of the room/hall. Ken explained how the room/hall sound is a common convention in classical music. Secondly with pop you have the mix set up right before you start through a large number of placed microphones. Finally with classical you record entire takes as opposed to pop records where artists do overdubs. Ken let us know that since 20 years ago classical record labels have been making fewer records and as a result Ken has been working with music publishers

Ken then went through a range of recording locations around the world he has worked on. Within these locations Ken spoke about some general rules of thumb like setting up the microphones first before the musicians arrive. Ken showed us a picture of an engineer, producer and client sitting at a control room desk and explained each persons role.

Ken moved on to a range of hall recording examples which for him typically take place in London. Ken made it clear that it can be a long day of work moving between Lincoln and London. When recording in music halls around London Ken highlighted various amenities such as soundproofed cable holes in the walls which made an easy link between the control room and recording equipment in the hall.

Ken ended his lecture by speaking about ways of getting into the industry. Ken stressed the importance of recognizing and grabbing chances. Furthermore to have perseverance and go for the opportunity even if it looks impossible. Ken spoke about his past in the 1980s and how he wrote letters to 50 studios and only 1 Caribbean studio got back to him offering work experience. In the interview Ken as told by the interviewer that you should wear to an interview what you wear when doing the job. Ken explained how we need to do stuff in order to build a portfolio. In terms of working in the studio Ken expressed how its just as important to be good at what you do as well as getting on well with colleagues like musicians and to quote Ken ‘somebody needs to play mum’ in order to create strong relationships. Furthermore Ken pointed out how the genre of music determines how you express yourself in some actions for example in studio talkback you. In terms of CVs Ken advised us to make a skills based CV for audio industry related jobs and to justify each skill with examples.

An audio production student asked Ken what kinds of skills in a skills based CV he would seek in audio engineering. Ken responded by that the skills would be based around experience in recording, editing and having an easy to work with personality.

I learnt a range of valuable lessons and advice. In terms of lessons I learnt to make my CV skills based for jobs in the audio industry. For me highlighting skills related to video game sound design/music composing such as technical skills in Pro Tools and FL Studio. I also learnt that I need to build a portfolio of work by doing stuff so in my case doing anything related to video game audio.In terms of advice I learnt the importance of recognizing and grabbing opportunities regardless of whether it looks impossible. Furthermore I learnt that having an easy to work with personality is just as important as having the skill set required in any audio related job.

Audio project 1 – Timeline X gameplay introduction trailer