Electronic Studio Resources I: Final Project

Final Project

What we’re trying to do

Make a composition using both MIDI and audio tracks in Digital Performer. The requirements are listed below.

What to turn in

One Digital Performer project folder, with “final project” and your login as part of the folder name. Drag the folder into the DropBox folder for “Final Project” on the computer in the studio.
One Digital Performer project that has just one quad track containing the mixdown of your piece. Follow the mixdown instructions to create this project. Copy the project onto the CECM server, into this folder: /Users/Shared/K503/finalproj/. This is so that we can play these during the Tuesday class in room 302.
A program note, which should describe the basic musical ideas of the piece and any techniques you’d especially like us to notice. You must provide a complete list of any sound sources borrowed from others. Bring enough copies for everyone to see when we play the project back at the last regular class meeting.

After you turn it in

We will play your compositions during the last regular class meeting.
These projects will receive letter grades. A portion of the grade for the project will depend on you making regular progress, as demonstrated during tutorials. So don’t leave this all to the last minute — it won’t work!
Grades will be based on overall conception and execution, the quality of the source recordings, your sonic imagination, attention to detail, sensitivity to spatial (panning, reverberation) and spectral (EQ) qualities, following the instructions (including submission requirements), and completion of the program note.

Late projects will be accepted only with a valid medical excuse from a doctor, stating that you were incapable of completing the work. Loss of materials is not an acceptable excuse, so back up your data to at least two different places (e.g., thumb drive and CECM server)!

Requirements

There are no style constraints for the project.
Your piece must be at least 4 minutes in length, but no more than 6 minutes. We’d rather hear something of modest length that you’ve wrestled with and thought deeply about than something very long that seems thrown together casually. Plus, we have to be able to play back all these pieces on the final day.
Include at least a few MIDI tracks, playing K2600, Absynth, Battery, FM8, and/or DP virtual instruments.
Include some audio tracks, containing recordings you make yourself. These can be recordings of the K2600 MIDI tracks for the purpose of processing them further with audio effects.
Your piece must be an original composition, not an arrangement of other music, or even an arrangement of an earlier piece of yours. Avoid using sound made by others if you have not received permission to use it. (Keep in mind that a recording of old music that is in the public domain — any Baroque piece, for example — still carries the copyright of the people who made the recording. You would have to get their permission to use the recording in a derivative work.)
Even if you have received permission, be careful that you’re not using their sound as a crutch. This applies also if you incorporate a recording of one of your acoustic pieces. If you try to use this as a quick way out, it will show.
We strongly discourage you from making use of copyrighted sources for which you have no permission. If you want to release your music on a CD some day, this will cause you no end of trouble.
Your piece — both the MIDI and audio portions — must be thoroughly and thoughtfully mixed for 4 channels (i.e., “quad”). Read the instructions for setting up your project for quad mixing.
Your sequence must use some MIDI continuous data — such as pitch bend, aftertouch, controllers — in addition to the volume and pan controllers.
Your piece should sound like you worked it over and tweaked things until it seemed just right to you. That doesn’t mean that your piece has to sound smooth — it can sound noisy and rough, as long as these qualities aren’t the result of negligence. But listen for clicks at the edges of soundbites. These happen because of discontinuities in the waveform that can arise when a soundbite starts or ends abruptly. They can be very distracting. You can eliminate clicks by using fades.

Suggestions

Use the subwoofer to evaluate the low frequency content of your mix. If you listen all the time without the subwoofer, you may have lots of low frequency energy in your piece that you’re never hearing. When you play it on a system with better bass response, you’ll be surprised.
If you use the K2600, be sure to record the audio output of the K2600 into the computer before making your final mix.
The K2600 has its own (very complicated) internal effects unit. Don’t bother doing anything fancy with this unless you really want to, but do learn how to configure the K2600 so that you get the same effect each time you play your sequence. (Hint: Effects > CNTL > FX Mode = Master, then choose a Studio, and stick with it.)
Leave time for the final bounce, which is more complicated when you have MIDI tracks. Don’t leave it for the last minute!
Please pay close attention to the final mixdown instructions!