VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS Tadas Pukinskas Practical comparison of different production technologies and its impact on the artistic process: virtual vs hardware Bachelor final diploma work Music Production 6121PX033 Arts Supervisor: Georgios Sakellariou Defended: (Dean of the Faculty, Name, Surname) (signature) Kaunas, 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS Practical comparison of different production technologies and its impact on the artistic process: virtual vs hardware 1. SANTRAUKA ............................................................................................................................. 3 2. SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................. 4 3. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 5 4. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................................................. 6 5. COMPARISON ............................................................................................................................ 7 5.1 Physicality ................................................................................................................................. 8 5.2 Control ....................................................................................................................................... 9 5.3 Engagement ............................................................................................................................. 10 5.4 Duration of creative process .................................................................................................... 11 5.5 Quality ..................................................................................................................................... 12 6. PRACTICAL FINDINGS .......................................................................................................... 13 7. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................... 14 8. LIST OF REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 14 2 Tadas Pukinskas. Praktinis skirtingų produkcijos technologijų palyginimas ir jų įtaka kūrybiniam procesui: virtualumas vs įrangą: Muzikos produkcijos baigiamasis darbas / Darbo vadovas Georgios Sakellariou / Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, Menų fakultetas, Šiuolaikinių menų katedra. – Kaunas, 2020. 1. SANTRAUKA Šiame straipsnyje nagrinėjami muzikos sektoriaus pokyčiai, siejami su muzikos produkcijos technologija. Aš teigiu, jog technologija gali būti estetinė bei kūrybinė terpė muzikos produkcijai. Šiame straipsnyje nagrinėjamos virtualios (programinės) ir techninės įrangos muzikos produkcijos technologijos, jos galimybės ir tai, kaip tokie terminai kaip fiziškumas ir galimybė sąveikauti su instrumentu keičia darbo eigą. Taip pat tiriamas valdomumo faktorius ir jo įtaką garso savybėms, atlikimui bei kūrybiškumui. Tyrimai taip pat apima įtraukimo faktorių, kūrybinio proceso trukmę bei kokybę kaip meninio proceso aspektus. Išvados pagrįstos dviem kompozicijomis, kurios sukurtos naudojant skirtingą muzikos produkcijos technologiją ir paremtos papildoma literatūra. Tyrimai rodo, kad naudojant virtualią (programinę) ir techninę muzikos kūrimo technologiją gaunami estetiškai ir stilistiškai skirtingi rezultatai ir menininkui atveriama nauja kūrybinė dimensija. Reikšminiai žodžiai: estetika, produkcija, techninė įranga, technologijos, virtualumas 3 Tadas Pukinskas. Practical comparison of different production technologies and its impact on the artistic process: virtual vs hardware: Music Production bachelors' thesis / Supervisor Georgios Sakellariou / Vytautas Magnus university, Arts faculty, Department of Contemporary Arts. - Kaunas, 2020. 2. SUMMARY This paper investigates the changes in music sector, that are interlinked with music production technology. As I suggest technology can serve purely as an aesthetic and creative medium in production of music. Furthermore, this paper explores virtual and hardware-based music production technologies, its capabilities and how terms such as physicality and being able to interact with the instrument changes the workflow. I also investigate the factor of controllability and its toll on sonic characteristics, performance and creativity. Research also covers engagement, duration of creative process and quality as aspects of artistic process. Findings are based on two compositions, both made with different music production technology and supported with additional literature. Research shows, that utilizing virtual and hardware-based music production technology yields aesthetically and stylistically different results and opens a new creative dimension for the artist. Key words: aesthetics, hardware, production, technology, virtual. 4 3. INTRODUCTION “In the studio technical decisions are aesthetic, aesthetic decisions are technical, and all such decisions are musical.” (Frith and Zagorski-Thomas, 2012) From early pioneer works in the field of electronic music production to popularization of electronic music in 21st century there has been a distinct change in aesthetics and methodology of music production. Development of electronic music creation tools and availability of technology itself has allowed new types of music such as electroacoustic music, Musique concrète and Elektronische Musik to emerge and set foundations for modern electronic music. Current electronic music scene is ever-changing in style and aesthetics, and for the change to happen music production technology is a crucial factor. It is widely accepted that the spectrum of music production technology has increased vastly, and it now can be analog, digital, software-based, or somewhere in between. Considering rich history of music technology and its impact on modern sound it could be argued that the way listener experiences music has changed as every piece of technology advances the unwavering personalization of the musical experience. More importantly, the actual production and aesthetics of music have also been affected. Production process can be done by using external hardware or virtually while using a DAW, where a pre-composed piece of music can be played back. And while both hardware and virtual approaches have their own limitations and advantages it is equally important how both given approaches affect the artistic process and creative outcomes. While some research in this field focuses on practicality of technology (McIntyre, 2015) and its ability to simulate authentic and original sonic characteristics (Kaiser, 2017), hardly any focus is given to aesthetic impact of music production technology or on the creative footprint it leaves. It is important as it can help better understand stylistic distinctions of modern electronic music and where they come from, how physicality of technology aids musician in creative thinking and engages in artistic process, and potentially introduces new technical and creative possibilities. In this paper I will not try to prove superiority of any given music production technology as the debate is as old as the technology itself. Comparison of production technology is made with the aim to evaluate and better understand its impact on creativity, aesthetics, artistic process, methodology in use and differences in outcomes. In other words: technologies can serve to purely artistic or ecological specialization of new music (Dohnalová, 2016). The key to my argument is the 5 assumption that in music production technology is an artistic medium, as technological choices can also be aesthetic and creative. This paper will aim to compare the production technology in terms of effectiveness, limitations, and production methodology, while also focusing how these terms influence aesthetics, artistic process, and outcomes. Aesthetics of electronic dance music are closely connected with repetitiveness and usage of electronic sounds and technologies. Dance music is full of energy and resolves around the rhythm of the beat and as a reference point in understanding aesthetics in question I refer to music by Kraftwerk, Jean-Michel Jarre, Giorgio Moroder and contemporary electronic dance music and its sub-genres. This practical exploration between DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation) and hardware used in music production will be done by offering experience-based, action-oriented framework. The comparison will be done between two works composed using different music production technology. Both compositions will best try to implicate the same genre, structure, arrangement, and instrumentation. As I cannot prove correctness and objectivity of my statements about aesthetics and creativity, I will support my arguments based on how they affect my compositional decision and studio strategies. Similarities, differences, and arisen problems shall be documented in the paper while supplying firsthand reflections over the process. My assumption is that utilizing different music production technology may result in re-evaluated understanding of current day electronic music scene aesthetics and may introduce alternative creative dimension for music production practitioners. 4. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The late 1970s to 1990s bloomed with music technology such as cassette tape, 8-track tape, The Walkman, compact disc, new digital audio formats