Post #6 - "Self Assessment" - (February 28th, 2017)

Recently, due to a multitude of reasons, my progress in this class somewhat halted.

Write-Path Ent. (Aldergrove based music label) opened a new studio right next to my house. So last week I walked down there and checked it out for myself. I met with the guys who run the place, They were super chill and encouraging in regards to my passion for music.

They offered me production lessons, and gave me a demo on how to put together a beat using a software called Cubase. It's quite an advanced software, and it looked much more involved than FLStudios. Regardless, I plan on getting the software and giving it a try for myself.

Since this experience, I've began working on a beat. It's a rather simple beat, but I'm quite satisfied for it being my first:  

http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=07966092162222157751

Overall, i'm making progress. But in terms of constant blog updates, I admit I've lagged behind. I spent the first few weeks just learning how to use FLStudios alone. After, I often spent classes simply messing around exploring different ideas, never really coming away with a finished product. But I am now beginning to gain confidence in my capability of making complete beats.

Post #5 - "Loops" - (February 17th, 2017)

Another good alternative for finding samples is to go to a website that hosts royalty free loops, samples, and acapellas. 

A website such as: www.looperman.com

Once you've created an account on the website, you can choose from the countless variety of loops under the "loops and samples" tab.

Under each loop lists all the information one would need when choosing to sample it. For instance, in the photo above, it's clear that its for a "Hard Trap and Trill" beat. Also, its recommended that it be used at 100bpm. This information is really important when you're gonna approach sampling the loop.

Post #4 - "SliceX" - (February 14th, 2017)

When sampling a song, you need to isolate specific parts so that they flow well together on the playlist. A good way of doing this is with the SLICEX plugin:

Once you drag the audio file into SliceX, you can begin to chop it up respectively,

The icon with the red circle around it is the Marker tool. You place it according to wherever you want the snippet of the song to start and end. For instance, (in the photo below) the red highlighted zone between "marker 1" and "marker 2" represents the length of the loop.

Now that you have the isolated loops, you can order them on the Piano Roll to achieve your desired sound.

Post #3 - "Edison" - (February 3rd, 2017)

Today I learnt the simplest way to sample a song on FLStudios using the Edison tool.

The first step is to search Youtube (or whatever site you prefer) for a video you want to sample. I found an old little-known song titled  "Rhythm - The World is a Place". Once you've found your video of choice, you need to convert it into an MP3 file. This can be easily done by copying the URL of your particular song and posting it onto an MP3 Converter website and then following the few short steps required to download your file.

Once you have your file, you can drag it into the Edison tool,

You'll know you've done it correct when the plugin shows a sound-wave similar to this:

At which point you can highlight and select which parts of the file you want to cut out:

Afterwards, you are then left with your desired snippet/sample.

My Sample:

http://www.filedropper.com/sample_10

Post #2: "The Basics" - (February 2nd, 2017)

Today, i began my producing process by learning some of the basics of FLStudios:

First off is the Channel Rack. It works by assigning different sound files to the "Rack". From there you can place them in whichever order you see fit. Naturally, you would want to order them in a way that stays in harmony with your desired rhythm/beat. It's important that you have a good ear for how to mix certain elements such as Kicks, Claps, Hats, Snares, etc...

Once you've created a pattern your content with, the next step is to carry over those patterns onto the Playlist. From there, you can order the individual patterns in whatever order best fits the idea your going for. The playlist is more-or-less the center of the program, and is where your song really comes together.

Post #1: "Installation" - (February 1st, 2017)

Today I began my Independent Project by firstly installing FLStudios onto my computer. It took roughly 30 minutes to complete the process.

http://getintopc.com/ is the name of the site I downloaded it from; after thorough research I am certain that it is a 100% safe and overall trustworthy website.

Besides a bit of dabbling with the program, I was unable to make any actual progress today simply due to the time it took to install. (Not to mention today's early dismissal.) However, today did help me get a little more familiar with the program, nevertheless, I still got a ways to go.