Artistic Vision and Technical Minimalism. Opportunity Or Paradox?
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Konstnärligt examensarbete Artistic Vision and Technical Minimalism. Opportunity or Paradox? Författare: Eber Calderon Handledare: Patrik Ahlm Examinator: Professor Jan-Olof Gullö Termin: VT21 Ämne: Musik Nivå: Kandidat Kurskod: 2MU80E Abstract The aim of this study was research how avoiding the use of modern music production tools like virtual instruments, samples, loops and amp emulations would affect my work as a songwriter and music producer in terms of creativity, artistic expression, efficiency and overall sound quality of the production. The project consisted of writing, producing and mixing four songs in different genres, using only a single, a Shure SM7b dynamic microphone and an Audient ID4 audio interface to record all of my sources. In the following step I compared the songs I created for this project to other songs I have created using to unlimited tool and looked for differences and similarities. The results obtained were for the most part positive. As an effect of minimizing the number of choices available in the creative process I was able to write and produce songs faster, while exploring my limitations as a musician, songwriter and producer. Keywords Creativity, mono recording, music production, recording technology, songwriting. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Axel Asp for his participation as a cellist on the song “My Mistakes”, to Anders Rydholm, Tobias Rydén, Hans Erik Holgersson and Patrik Ahlm for all the tips and knowledge I received during my time at Linnaeus University and my partner Malin Johansson for her patience, support and help during the last three years. Table of Contents 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ............................................................................................... 1 1.2 Foreword .................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Purpose ...................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Earlier Research ........................................................................................ 3 1.5 Method ....................................................................................................... 4 2 The Process ....................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Lyrics .......................................................................................................... 6 2.2 The Recording & Arranging Process ....................................................... 7 2.3 The Mix ...................................................................................................... 8 3 The Results ...................................................................................................... 10 3.1 Technical Limitations.............................................................................. 10 3.2 Efficiency ................................................................................................. 11 3.3 Originality and Technical Quality .......................................................... 12 3.4 Artistic Expression .................................................................................. 14 4 Discussion ........................................................................................................ 15 4.1 Findings ................................................................................................... 15 4.2 Critique of Study ...................................................................................... 16 4.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 16 4.4 Future Research ...................................................................................... 17 Appendix ................................................................................................................. 19 1 Introduction This is a study about the relationship between music creation and technology. Here I explore what effects minimizing the use of modern technology have on the process of producing music, from song idea to final product. 1.1 Background Ever since I was a little boy I have been very interested in songwriting and music production. I was born in 1980 and by the time I was nine years old I had already written my first song. In 1989 recording equipment wasn’t as accessible as it is today. Back then you would need a big console, a tape machine, microphones, a treated room and of course knowledge of how to use all of these to be able to record your songs. Moreover, you had to be able to play instruments and sing in tune if you wanted it to sound good. In those days there was no Autotune or virtual instruments that could do the job for you. Fast forward thirty years, into today's digital world, and you find that any music enthusiast with a computer and an audio interface can create great sounding music. The evolution of recording technology literally grants us access to a drum track recorded at Abbey Roads Studios, samples of Freddie Mercury’s piano or even virtual musicians that can execute your musical ideas for you, if you just type in the right key and basic chords. As a music creator, I find myself using these tools more and more. Even being a guitarist, I find that more often than not, I use a virtual guitar player plugin with prerecorded patterns to help me create my songs. This is simply because it makes it easier and faster to go from a song idea to a final 1(22) production, and the same goes as for virtual drummers, percussion loops, synth and bass sounds and so on. At the end of the day, it feels like I have created music combining building blocks of preexisting sounds and patterns that when put together ended up being a song. I honestly don’t think that there is anything wrong with that. Because this is just one way of creating music using the tools that are available to me, but even though I believe these are great tools that speed up the creative process and help achieve professional results without the need of great recording equipment or knowledge of it. I also think that the fact that everybody has access to the same tools and presets has led to a lack of distinctiveness and uniqueness in many if today's productions. 1.2 Foreword It is a fact that technology has always influenced the way music sounds and the way it is created. For example, in the 1950s music was not created the way music is created toady. Where most of the music we hear on the radio is created using a computer at some point, if not throughout the process. This is why we can associate songs to a period in time, even if we didn’t live in that specific time period. The sound, the technology used and the songwriting style of a song, suggest if it’s from the 50s, 60s or 90s and so on. My interest in finding out how technology can affect the process of creating music led me to do this study, in which I wrote and produced four songs in different genres using nothing but one microphone and a budget audio interface but no modern tools like samples, virtual instruments, loops or amp emulators. 2(22) I was interested in finding out the effect that technology has over my ability to write and produce music. And at the same time, I wanted to see if changing the tools I use to create would affect the way I go about creating or the outcome of my music in any way. Once I was done with my productions, I compared the results with other songs I have created in the past using software and look for differences and similarities in terms of artistic expression, way of working and overall sound. 1.3 Purpose The purpose of this study was to find out if and how technical limitations affect my artistic creativity, process and output in terms of efficiency, originality and technical quality? These are some of the questions I aimed to find the answer to by the end of this project: • How will changing/replacing the tools I use affect my songwriting? • Which songwriting/production method works better for me? • In what way will the equipment used influence the sound quality? 1.4 Earlier Research There are other studies that focus on similar subjects for example the one that served as inspiration for my research: What is the relationship between creativity and conflict in a studio recording environment? (2020) by Evelina Kyrk at Luleå University of Technology. Kyrk goes into the studio with the band Baron’s Court and follows the recording of their album in search of unexpected conflicts that may arise during the process and how they lead to creative decisions that affect the 3(22) outcome of the music. In her research, Kyrk describes that conflict does not necessarily mean a dispute between two or more people making a creative decision, but that it could also be a problem with for example a musical phrase that is difficult to execute and makes the musician in question think in a creative way to overcome the obstacle. Other examples of conflict could be the lack of time, or a technical issue with the recording equipment. Essentially anything that can push the musician or the producer in question to come up with new creative ideas to solve a problem and directly affects the music being made. Following Kyrk’s study, I aimed to create a conflict between the way I am used to writing and producing music and the tools I use in the process. Another study that touches on the subject of technology playing a role