BY: KATIE MORGAN.

My Evaluation - December:
Im going to talk about two of my soundtracks! (EMPSILLNES by Jakub Grygier and Zelda
x Ghibli Film Trailer).
For my soundtrack to the film EMPSILLNES by Jakub Grygier I did both primary and
secondary research. You can see a copy of my primary and secondary research on the
Research tab on my wixsite.
In my primary research about my work I included the following:
Microphone/ microphone stand placement
Instrument placement (clarinet)
Adding in different musical elements and effects such as:
Pitch
Tape Delay
Ambience
Sustained Notes
Sound Effects
Audio
MIDI/MIDI Instruments
I did this research because I wanted to make sure that I understood all of the components
that I was going to use in my track/mix. All of the components that I have used in my
soundtrack I have use before in my other tracks/mixes. Despite my using these elements a
lot still need to practise using because for different sound productions they can be used
differently.
Furthermore as you can see above I have took out some experiments. These experiments
were very successful as the outcomes were what I wanted, for example with the
microphone/microphone stand placement/Instrument placement (clarinet) the outcome
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was great. This is because the different placements sounded different. This is good to
know because say if I was to play a clarinet solo again this information will be very useful
as I will need to consider this when I am recording/mixing the clarinet solo. This is also
useful for other instruments. I might use other instruments in my future projects so this is
why I have kept this in mind.
For the microphone/ microphone stand placement I have a easy technique, which is to
move the microphone/microphone stand a little bit and the record a short sample. If this
does not work the first time I keep doing it until it works.
This then helped me for the rest of my project!
In my Secondary research about John Williams I included the following:
Who is John Williams?
What music composed by John Williams do I like?
The Star Wars Theme Tune Sections & Parts
The Star Wars Theme Tune Instruments/Instrument Families
Leitmotifs in Jaws

Harvard Referencing/Bibliography
I did this research because I wanted to have a better understanding of sci-fi film music in
general. Even though the Star Wars Theme Tune is orchestral I still listened to the theme
tune to get some inspiration. I have played in an orchestras before so I know what
elements and effects to use to make a successful piece of music that portrays the moods
and emotions that I intended to create for the moving image.
Plus there is also another technique that I researched about. It is known as leitmotifs.
Leitmotifs are simply dynamic changes in the music that relates to the moving image itself.
I have use leitmotifs in my Zelda x Ghibli Film Trailer soundtrack. I used them when each
scene changed. The music also changed to suit the different mood change. Despite there
being different mood changes in the film music the music is still the same genre and style
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as I was to make each part continue off each other. This worked very well like the rest of
my elements and effects that I have added in my work.
I have many different resources, materials and techniques in both of my soundtracks. I
used different elements and effects in my work because I wanted to make my work varied
and different.
I have used the following elements and effects in my work:
Pitch Correction/Shifting - I used this because somethings didnt sound right, so I changed
the semi-tones and harmonics of the sound and it worked. By me doing this it slightly
changed the track but not too much. I am very happy with my result.
Tape Delay - I love using Tape Delay because it makes a whole new world of sounds and it
is fun to use. Also Tape Delay can add tension and create atmosphere. This is very useful
and important in the type of music that I produce. Sci-fi/electronic music is meant to create
ambience and Tape Delay helps to create this effect very well.
Reverb - Reverb is an other effect that I love to use as it creates different emotions in just
one section of a piece of music. Reverb is also a very good effect to use in sci-fi/electronic
music as it makes the listener feel like they are there with the characters in the film.
Alchemy - In my soundtracks I have used Alchemy to transform and create a combination
of sounds, for example in my soundtrack for EMPSILLNES by Jakub Grygier I added
Alchemy at the start of the track to give the track a good way to start before the action/
fighting scene starts in the film.
EQ - I always use EQ as it an important element in music because you can keep or get rid
of any unwanted frequencies in your track/mix. Normally I would put EQ on every
instrument/audio track as it helps to make the different soundtracks sounds follow off each
other. But I dont EQ them too much!
Chorus - This technique allows you to change the intensity and rate with the mix. I used
this effect to bring my soundtracks to life and it worked successfully and Im glad.

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EXS24 - This an instrument sampler. In other words you can make your very own
instruments. I found some Apple Loops that I liked and I turned them into instruments to
give my soundtracks more content. They also gave my soundtracks a better structure!
AutoFilter - With the AutoFilter effect you can change the distortion and control the
envelope and the LFO. There is also a setting called filter, which allows you hide the
music. What I mean by this is that you can change the music a certain way that is very
effective. This known as ducking because the levels of an audio signal is reduced by the
presence of the other signal that is playing.
Compressors - I have used compression throughout my work as it plays an important role
in music in general. However if you over compress then the soundtrack will peak and thats
not good. So I only use a little bit of compression. This way it will not peak and the track
will sound of a professional quality/standard.
Bitcrusher - Bitcrusher is basically distortion as you can control the drive, resolution and
downsampling of the mix as a whole. This is useful if you want to create a robotic feel to
the music or if you want to create a piece of sci-fi music.
Tremolo - Tremolo is part of modulation as it allows you to control the rate and depth of the
music. It also allows you to change the smoothness, offset, symmetry and phase of the
music. By using modulation in my work it has made a whole new range of sounds that are
different from all of the other sounds that I have created with the other effects in Logic.
Phaser - This is another form of modulation as you can control the sweep, LFO and
feedback. You can also control the output settings. Again this effect can create many
different sounds!
Ensemble - This is a third type of modulation. You can control the LFO, voices, stereo
spread, phase, volume compensation and the output settings of the whole track/mix. This
is very useful, like the other types of modulation.
Exciter - This is a specialized plugin effect. It allows you to control the frequencies, signals
and harmonics on the track. I love this effect because it makes the soundtrack feel like
there is a lot going on at once, but not too much.

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Mixing Console - I used a mixing console to mix my soundtracks. See other write ups/
evidence video o my wixsite to see how and why I mixed my soundtracks.
Here are some screenshots to how I have used these techniques in my work:

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All of the elements that I have used are effective in different ways as they help to portray
different moods and genre within the music and film. Even though music has a set genre
sometimes there can be more than one genre even if the creator didnt produce the music
for that genre, for example, my main genre is sci-fi/electronic however I could change the
genre to action/adventure without noticing. But others who listen to my soundtrack might
notice the other genres that I created with these elements and effects. Likewise this is a
very good element to have in your music as it can create different imagery and emotions in
the listeners mind.
Moreover this element and the all of the other elements that I have used in my
soundtracks have been very successful because they sound the way that I want them to
and they sound great in both of my tracks and mixes.
I researched about John Williams I was inspired by his work. His work varies in style and
genre so I learnt about from listening to his wok, especially The Star Wars Soundtrack.
Also by my listening to this soundtrack I could find a way to make my music sound
professional like his work. Despite me learning quite a lot from my research I still have
areas of improvement. I will develop my skills overtime as I still havent used all of the
effects and plugins in Logic yet. But, in my next project I will use the others. I ones that I
have mentioned above are the main ones that I use. They are basically my comfort zone
as I know what they do and how to use them. Using the effect/plugins that I havent used
before will be challenging however I will try to use them in my work even if it takes me
some time to learn about them.
I have developed some key skills this term, which are how to use a mixing console/
outboard equipment correctly and successfully!
Throughout my own projects and group projects I have learnt a lot, especially with the
group projects as we teach other new key skills that we need. Plus the people in my have
the same specialism as me so it was easier to discuss things with each other. They have
played an important part in my work as they helped my mix some of my work and I helped
them mix some of their work too. Plus all of the things that I have done and learnt I will
remember them for my next projects, so I can improve.
Ill look forward to my next film project!
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