The Songwriting final projects have been posted.  You have the opportunity to vote for your favorite project(s).  It takes about 15 minutes to listen to all of them. The poll closes on Friday, May 31 at 8:30 am.  The winner will be announced during presentations later that day.
The songs and videos may not play properly if you try to view this page on your mobile phone.  Unfortunately, this seems to be a bug to which we have no current solution.  Also, if you encounter any problems voting, please let me know so that I can try to address them before the end of next week.

Get Up

It has been a long process these last two weeks. It was rough to record a lot of takes of our vocal tracks.  Our song is finally complete and it was great working with my producer/partner Eli.  We had problems at first.  We had to  rerecord about three times, which was annoying. The first time we did it wrong and Dr. Fletcher told us to do it over because there was too much clipping.  Then, when we did it over, the file didn't save properly. The third time we got it right and we were almost done.  Finally today we finished by adding auto-tuning and correcting clipping on other tracks and our song sounds great.  We want to thank everyone who helped us and who performed on our song with us.  Vote for us!!!

The Distance

Our final project was certainly a challenge. My partner and I had to create our own song using Garage Band. The song had no loops in it.  We recorded everything either as Midi or Audio. We wanted to be original and create our own beat, our own guitar progression, and our own lyrics. The part that took the most time was the recording. This was difficult for us because my partner and I had trouble trying to stay with the beat. It was also hard to play for a long amount time because we didn't have enough stamina to keep the guitar going.   Instead, we would play for several measures of the song and then we would pick the best measure and loop it. Recording the lyrics was difficult because my partner and I would sometimes mess up the words or the vocals would just not come out very cleanly. A lot of the times we had to delete the track and start over because the mic would pick up sounds coming the background. It was very annoying for us to record while other people were in the booth with us. Overall the project was challenging but it was also fun and a good experience.

Relax

In our final project, Jordan and I were focused on composing a jazz instrumental. Since it is an instrumental, we had to add improvised solos, which Dr. Fletcher played for us.  Jordan played the drums and a bass line on the tuba.  I played a harmony to match the bass line on my tenor saxophone. We chose to name the song RELAX to convey the overall mood.  When you listen, it seems like nothing else matters.  You may find yourself so relaxed that you dose off.  That's the effect it has on me.  Listen for yourself and see what you think.

A&R

We made many mistakes at the beginning of our final project. There were lots of changes that needed to be made.  The hardest part was finding or recording the right beats.  Later on after adding the beats we had to check for clipping. Then we realized our final project would not be complete without more vocals. We knew many mistakes were going to be made, but we also knew we could learn from them.

Final Gambit

For the last four days of Spring Phase, we were putting the finishing touches on our final projects. The title of my project is called "Final Gambit". For this song I made the beats for the B section by playing them in with a keyboard.  I also made the bass. My main problem was that I had no recorded audio tracks. I wasn't going to receive full credit until I fixed this. Jordan helped me by playing beats for the A section on a real drum set. Christian tried to help me with the intro, but the melody didn't go together. I put a lot of work into my project. I hope it will turnout well. I am looking forward to presentations next week.

Just Be Strong

During this week the whole class has been racing to perfect their projects. Brian and I have been working extremely hard to get everything just right.  The other day I stayed after school for half an hour working on our project. The pressure and nervousness from our deadline has been a great motivator for us to find new ideas. For example, we added new instruments including a Sub-Synth Bass, a Future Flute, four Big Electric Lead Guitars, and an Arena Run track.  We added sound effects for a transition, not to mention two brand new beats. Despite the huge headaches and sleepiness, I think we really pulled this off. 

Final Project Half Way Review

This week has been long and probably the week that I personally worked the hardest. We have finally been working on our own song. Recording in the studio was a new experience. It was weird hearing how we sound, on guitar specifically, and how we really aren't as good as we initially thought we were. My partner and I have been trying to assemble a more acoustic oriented song. The hardest part is writing meaningful lyrics, because now-a-days music is always about the same stuff  - money, drugs, and well anything that gives the body pleasure or makes you feel good. The lyrics I have at the moment are still in the making because I want them to be meaningful.

Get On Up

Working on my final project has been fun.  We are basically done but we just need to add the lyrics.  We had fun making it, but we didn't know how to start at first.  We wanted it to be something everyone wants to hear, that would catch their attention but we ended up making it motivational and it still was successful. The hardest part was making the beat.  It took us about two days to find some lyrics but it took most of the week to do the beat.  Our week as songwriters was hectic but we accomplished our goal with audio, loops, and midi tracks and people loved it.

Final Project

This week has proved difficult for me to come up with a beat. We liked the idea of something unique but cool that people could listen to. Our goal was to lift people up and inspire them that they could do anything no matter what. In our final project we added a few spoken lines that fit the mood of the song. For an example, the very last line is "Just be strong". Hopefully people get the message that Marcus and I tried to show in our song.   

Final Project

What I experienced this week was putting a whole song together  with lyrics. I believe this is the hardest thing we've done so far. My partner and I didn't know where to start. As we progressed each day we learned that we needed to add more instruments to make the sequence sound fuller. Our goal was to make a three minute song that sounded good.

Final Project: Advanced Audio Recording

This particular project has been very demanding on my mind. To succeed you really have to know how to plan your audio tracks and place them in the correct spot. For example, Brian and I were shooting for something strong and loud that would transition to something soft and emotional. Brian then recorded a short poem that he wrote in a studio and we added echos to make it sound like your conscious is speaking to you. Inspiration for this project came from listening to Ramin Dwardji's score for Iron Man and Hans Zimmer's score for Pirates of the Carribbean.    

Final Project

For the past week, we have been working on our final project. Each group must create their own music. For this week the groups went into the studio to record live vocals or instruments. I was the only person to work alone. While I was still able to pull it off, the most difficult part of the project was getting the right combination of instruments. I just couldn't think of the right mood. I had decided to use a set of orchestra strings, shakers, and tambourine. I created many of the loops myself. There are still a few things that still needs to be fixed, but I am on track. I'm looking forward to the last few weeks of Spring Phase.

Recording In The Studio

This week was my first time recording in a studio and I found it appealing. Certain parts of the recording process opened my eyes.  For example, when you record you can change the pitch or even the way it sounds. I recorded myself playing tenor saxophone and it sounded good, but when I put it in Garage Band I found new ways to enhance certain tones. It helps to have an ear for music.  You also need an idea of how you want it to sound. You can't just go in and start dragging loops and call it a song.

Final Project

For our final project, my partner and I made a song with a jazzy feel.  It came out to be an instrumental jazz piece. The completion process took approximately four days. For this song, we had to draw in and play in the different tracks using both midi and audio. This made timing harder because the primary way to fix a bad take is to re-record. Editing an audio track to fix timing can be difficult and time consuming.

Training for the Trail

Alfifie and Eli have created a nice soundtrack for a video that shows what it is like to train for SBP's annual hike on the Appalachian Trail.  The video footage was shot entirely on students' cell phones.  Try to spot which camera cuts are aligned with changes in the music and which are not.

Superman Sound Editing

Marcos and Byran have done an excellent job of sound editing for this old Superman Cartoon.  Notice how subtle changes in the volume of flying bullets and sirens correspond to changes in scene.  They have really left no stone unturned in their quest for perfection.

Basketball Video Take 2

Ricky's take on the basketball video is different in several ways from Jordan's.  First of all, he leaves in the original audio from the video clip.  The mood he creates is also quite different and works through contrast.  One doesn't normally associate soft acoustic guitars and light percussion with basketball, but it is still effective.  There is a lull in the action after the first missed shot that corresponds nicely to a pedal point in the guitar harmony.  Everything is on pause until the action resumes.

Basketball Video Take 1

Here is the first example of scoring for a basketball video.  The music sets the mood for an upbeat game of street ball.  Notice how the music changes as the action in the video changes.  Jordan has also added the occasional sound effect to emphasize specific actions within the footage.  For a fuller explanation of this, read Bryan's post on Hard Hits Versus Soft Hits.

Trail Video with Multiple Cuts

For our Trail video we recorded the freshman as they tried to complete challenging tasks as a team. Everyone in class took videos with their phones and then we took some of the best ones and put them together.  Later on we added music that fit each scenario and task the freshman did.  This was called scoring for multiple cuts. 

Creating An Overall Mood

For this week of Songwriting, Sequencing, and Soundtracks, we were working on setting up the perfect mood for a video. This week we were editing a clip of the students playing basketball on the Lower Field. When we were done filming we had to add background music to the video. My approach with this video was to have a calm and peaceful setting, mainly using acoustic guitars with a set of shakers. For the second video, we were taking random shots of the freshmen preparing for the Trail. For this video, my approach was to have a type of flashback mood set with a ballad piano and a bit of southern rock piano. Dr. Fletcher said that I had the right approach for the Trail and a bit on the basketball shoot. I am looking forward with the next series of projects in the near future.

Week Two Summary

In this week I learned how to create a soundtrack for a short film of Superman. This was my first time learning how to create a soundtrack for a film. We also created a video without cuts of a basketball game that used music in the background. We also recored the freshmen outside training for the trail and added music behind the video. My favorite thing we did this week was creating sound effects for the Superman film.

Hard Hits Versus Soft Hits

When making hard and soft hits for a video or a movie you have to know the difference between them. You have to determine what fits best with the mood. A Hard hit is when an event in the video track strongly corresponds to an event in the musical sound track. For an example when the robot in our Superman video knocks a cop aside we used a hard thumping sound. A soft hit on the other hand is when the timing is less direct but still has some relation. For example, in our basketball video the intensity of the music increased roughly about the same time that someone started to drive to the basket. These are the differences between hard and soft hits.

Sound Editing for Superman

This week we tried to create sounds for a Superman video with other sounds from Garage Band. It was certainly a challenge to find sounds to match each clip. When Superman was flying, it was difficult looking for a loop that sounds like a flying or swoosh effect. We eventually used the sound a race car driving by. Another challenge was to trying to perfectly time the sound effect with the action that was taking place in the clip. An example was trying to make the sound of a gun shooting and pace it so it would sound like it was real. Timing was very important and me and my partner spent most of our time on this project trying to time the sound effects appropriately.

Movie Week

In class this week we were working with movies.  What we did with them was to create moods, edit sounds, and use existing audio.  We used all of these techniques while working on films  about The Trail, Superman, and basketball movies.  My favorite project was the basketball movie.  My partner Eli and I were working on the sounds for the movie and during the scene where I made a basket, we slowed the tempo and the mood down.   That was my favorite part.

Man of Steel: Sound Effects Editing

I had a great time making the sound effects for an old Superman cartoon. My partner, Brian, and I really dug deep in our minds to try to see what sounds go where. For example, the sound we used for bullets was a tennis ball being served repeatedly. We used boxes being packed to provide sound effects for the scene when Clark Kent rips off his clothes and becomes Superman. Timing was everything here. We probably spent 35 minutes trying to get every sound  effect right on cue. We didn't get all of them but the product was still surprisingly good.  

Scoring for Action

 For this project, we recorded video of ourselves playing basketball. Our task was to create a soundtrack enhance the video. This was a fun project and the class enjoyed my project. Matching the timing of the music with the video was a great challenge. By changing the tempo of the sequence, I was able to score and match up the sound with the changing action.

A Second Example of ABA form

Here Marcos and Bryan have created a clear example of ABA form.  They have used two basses, one in each channel, which I would normally not recommend.  What do you think?

Project 3: Creating our own loop

For project 3 we had a chance to go out and make our own loop. I thought to myself this will be very exciting for me and my partner because we have been wanting to try this out for ourselves. When we put in the beats from the piano and played it back we knew it was a club type vibe.  We also played it to the class and their feedback involved dancing, so we knew for sure it that was good.

Song writing project 4

I have been working on how to create beats and combine them with other elements in a song. It takes some time to create something to which people would actually listen.  Songwriters these days use many different means for expressing themselves. You need to add layers such as bass, harmony, and percussion because otherwise the song would sound flat and incomplete.


           



           

Perfect Timing

For project 2b, my partner and I drew in the notes to make precise timing. We did this in order to see where specific notes are placed and how it looks when they are in place on the grid. Playing in the notes can sometimes result in an inaccurate experience but also has a human feel. Drawing in the notes makes accurate timing but can sometimes sound mechanical.  Which technique you should use depends on the situation.

Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones

For the 2013 Spring Phase term, the students of Songwriting, sequencing, and soundtracks were given a copy of "Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones".  It tells about how difficult his early childhood was when his mother left him due to mental illness. It also speaks of how difficult it was with Elvera, his stepmother and how she neglected and humiliated Quincy.  It tells of how he ran with other gangs and stole from anywhere for survival. He was homeless, and music was his only escape.  I am looking forward to finding out what happens next.

Christian & Agustin's Project 4

This is an example of students learning about AB form.  Can you detect when the sections change?  It might not be as easy as you think, but listen to the drum beat underneath, which Christian and Agustin created during their previous project.

Welcome!!!

Thank you for visiting our new blog buzztracks.  Students who post to this site are participating in a class called Songwriting, Sequencing, and Soundtracks at St. Benedict's Prep School in Newark, NJ.  During Spring Phase (roughly the month of May), SBP students study one subject for five hours a day.  For this class, students are using music technology including Apple's Garage Band software to create loop-based sequences that will either become stand-alone songs or background music for video.  They are also studying the life of performer/composer/producer Quincy Jones and how he has influenced American music for more than five decades.

We hope our students' posts will document this month long process for posterity.  Please check in regularly because we will also be posting our student's compositions and examples of work in the class on a weekly basis.

Frankenstein Beats

This past week we've learned several different techniques to help us master GarageBand. One of the techniques that is very useful for me is the "Frankenstein" method.  Its name is a great way to express the nature of the technique, because as Frankenstein was created from several different beings the loop is created from several different loops. The technique allows you to take a piece of one loop and combine it with another loop to create your own new and unique beat.

Learning about Quincy Jones

This past week I have been learning about the prodigiously talented and amazingly protean Quincy Jones. I have not yet finished reading his autobiography, but what I learned so far is that he is was very determined as a child to learn about music. He would do anything for knowledge. I see myself in Quincy, because I feel the same way about soccer.

Project 4: Creating Form

Project 4 was a very fun process to go through.  Our task was to make a song that had an "A" section and a "B" section. At first, my partner and I had no idea what we were going to do.  We sat at the computer for about 20 minutes trying to figure out what type of music we were going to make. Then it hit me, I got the idea of making music that would accompany the ending credits of a movie. So we took an electric guitar, bass, a synth piano, and congas to create the final project.

Frankenstein Beats

Working in class only for a week has been fun and somewhat challenging.  Our second project, which was informally called Frankenstein.  I learned how to take beats from other loops and put them together to form my own.  This class is not how I thought it was going to be.  It is more complicated and looks like it will get even harder these next few weeks.  I think I am ready.

Project 3: Using the keyboard to create your own beat

In project 3, we had to know key words such as click track, enhanced timing, quantization, metronome, and count-in. We had to start a new project and play a beat using the keyboard.  Once we played something in, if there were errors we had to drag notes manually or use enhanced timing.  This beat became the start of Project 4.

Project 2B Perfect Timing

In the Project 2B, our job was to make a beat by drawing in notes and aligning them to the grid. Once we finished our beat we were satisfied.  It was pretty cool making our own beat and choosing what we wanted to do, like extending it longer or cutting the beat in half. My first time making beats on the Mac was cool.  In the future I hope to get better at it.