Project Plan

Project Plan

As an artist I tend to be a flexible as I can and I'm enjoying learning about the productions of different types of genres (RnB, Garage) and applying this to my general production abilities and knowledge. I do, however, only feel terribly confident producing progressive house and EDM tracks, perhaps because I have spent so long working on that genre that I've come to love it so much. In the future, when I'm making my way in the industry, I see myself crafting my songs the way I wish and perhaps taking on a more hands-on role (I might get bored sitting at a computer for hours on end, every day).






My EP will consist of 4 tracks: 2 EDM, electro house, 1 progressive house and I'm still undecided on the last, I would like to attempt a slower song, fit for more emotional lyrics, I'd set out for it to be really powerful. I chose to write/produce this style of music because I want to make an impact with the type of music I specialise in, but I'd also like to experiment and broaden my horizons, something I noticed a lot of producer doing as of late (David Guetta & Calvin Harris).


I plan to use this product as a series of demos for prospective labels A&Rs.

Beginners Guide To Synthesis

Beginners Guide To Synthesis

What is Synthesis?

Synthesis is the creation of sounds/synths. This can be done via a synthesiser, a synthesiser is a keyboard set out with various switches, dials and knobs, these would change the way a sound is presented by altering the pitch/frequency, waveform and the amplitude etc (I'll explain all of these). The digital equivalent will have pretty much all of the features of an analogue synthesiser (perhaps more), however, most of the digital synthesisers are not accompanied by a keyboard, which may make things more difficult for the producer as they don't have access to the keys right in front of them, unless they have the MIDI keyboard installed to their DAW. Every producer would need to learn the fundamental aspects of synthesis to apply to their constructing of a track, they need to know and recognise certain elements of a synthesiser (be it in analogue or digital form) so they are not spending their studio session pressing buttons hoping for a decent synth, being educated in this respect will make their producing process a lot quicker.

The Basic Wave Shapes

The wave shape of a synth will correspond to the way it sounds, for example, a sine wave (1 of 4 basic wave shapes) will sound smooth and perhaps wavy, this sort of wave is associated with a lot of bass sounds and lower pitch sounds as the lower frequencies will resonate slower and smoother than those higher than it. And you'll notice in the picture beside that the sound even looks smooth wavy as opposed to the 3 others. The next wave shape is the triangle wave. The triangle wave shape reflects a sharper more defined sound and offers a visual reference to its sharpness. The triangle wave is usually associated with higher pitched sounds than the sine wave because they operate at higher frequencies. The saw wave shape (like the triangle) is named for the way it appears. The wave actually looks like the teeth of a saw. The sound of a saw wave is sharper than a triangle and much sharper than a sine and usually operates at higher frequencies than the two. Saws tend to be used a lot in progressive house, EDM and dubstep tracks due to their sharp and impactful nature. Lastly, the square, probably the sharpest sound produced by our 4 basic shapes. It too reflects its visual counterpart that takes the form of a square. A square may sound similar to the sharper waves (triangle, saw) but may sound a bit tinnier due to its higher frequency nature and will most likely sound a bit sharper than the two. These are the 4 basic wave shapes but due to the freedom and variety EVERY producer has it is very easy to create variations of the shapes and some digital synthesisers (especially on logic) allow producers to merge wave shapes and create a completely different and unique, expanding their abilities.

Frequency/Pitch

Frequencies operate at a certain amount of vibrations per second (we call this Hertz or hz) so when I say 40hz it means that the synth, instrument or sound performs 40 vibrations per second. The human ear can hear from around 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz or 20 kHz. Anything above or below this is only identifiable by using technology.

ADSR

ADSR stands for Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. The ADSR gives a producer the ability to edit their synth's appearance in the their track rather than just its fundamental sound (this they would create in a basic synthesiser) although the ADSR is considered a big contribution to the creation of the synth. The attack represents how long a producer would like their synth to sound before it reaches its peak, for example, a long drawn out attack could create a sweeping effect in a producers synth. The decay indicates how long from the moment a synth reaches its peak to the point where it remains at its fundamental level (sustain), this could be used,in conjunction with the long attack to create a sweep down effect drawing out the synth. The sustain function allows the producer to control how low or high they wish for their synth to present itself (amplitude-wise). This is something similar to what you would find on a basic synthesiser's volume/amplitude controls, but this is used in relation to the other functions of an ADSR and would fit better and blend well with them. As stated, the use of a sustain function is similar to a volume function so it allows the producer to conrol how loud they wish to present their synth. Finally, the release option allows the producer to design how long it takes for their synth to "drift off" or finish after the note has been performed. A good way to use this function (and a way that I use a lot) is to use minimal amounts of release, leaving a sharp, quick end, this is perhaps good for EDM drops. The opposite could also be done to give the synth a reverberated, echo-y sound. The ADSR gives a producer the ability to edit their synth even further and perfect their track even more.

Bibliography:

 http://thedawstudio.com/Tips/Soundwaves.html. Accessed 12/11/2014. Ben Harris.

Music Technology and the Project Studio: Sythesis and Sampling, Dan Hosken, Accessed 12/11/2014.

Business Plan

Business Plan

What's the Plan:

The idea is to stage a small gig, to organise the venue, line up, costs and how I'm going to promote it.

Venue:

KOKO

I will stage my gig in the KOKO club in Camden Town. The venue has an urban yet colourful feel, which could be a good appeal to a younger audience. The venue sits at the bottom of Camden high street and is easily accesible (via bus or tube). The whole venue has a capacity of 1400 so I can squeeze in a fair amount of people. I will organise the gig to take place during the summer. This allows a bigger audience as some of the customers will be away from college or sixth form. To hold it on the day before August Bank Holiday Monday (24th) gives those that work the opportunity to attend as most don't work on the Sunday and will have no work the next day, so they won't feel they will have to go home early, they can let their hair down and have fun. It is also likely to be hot so the audience will want to buy drinks, therefore selling more. I will contact KOKO via their website in order to receive a quote for the venue.

Promotion:

This whole marketing campaign will start about 6 weeks before the event, allowing time for tickets to go on sale with the event safely in the audiences minds.

KOKO sits at the bottom of Camden high street. So I'll hire someone to hand out fliers along the high street especially to those who are walking towards the bottom of it as this gives the customers the opportunity to check out the venue on their way to where ever.

Posters could feature something like this.

Placing posters around London will get the word around to those who aren't close by. Placing throughout North and Central London (where Camden resides) will put a focus on those who are more likely to attend as they are closer to the venue and won't have to travel too much. The posters will feature the whole line up, pricing (tickets, food, drink, so the customers are well aware of how much they need to pay), ease of access to the venue and the time it starts, it will be

clear to avoid confusion.

Stickers could be posted around North and Central London tube stations (such as Chalk Farm, the closest to Camden, Euston, Brent Cross and Tottenham Court Road) to target the closest audience during their weekly travels. This would attract a wide audience as most Londoners use the tube.

Social media! Almost everyone is using some form of social media like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Creating a post for Facebook and sharing it amongst my friends and then asking them to share with their friends and so on would get the word out to an extent, but certainly not as much as I need. The same can be done on twitter, in much shorter form (140 characters max) and hash tagging such as #KOKOBankHoliday or #KOKOBBQ gets news around to the same extent as Facebook but with less words, something the audience wouldn't find boring to read. Instagram is a means to be creative. Posting a picture representing the event on my own account (and then getting others to share) is one thing. But asking the whole lineup to post a picture of the event 2 weeks before will get word around to their followers (most likely their fans) who might just be "dying" to see them, therefore, building up a custom of those who will come to the event especially for the artists. Social media will target the younger audience which seems fitting for an indie rock night. Instagram could also be a way to promise behind the scenes footage of sound check and preparation as a way to boost my own account and perhaps build some sort of reputation.

An article in the Camden New Journal could be an effective way of pulling in an audience. I say 'could' because not many read the newspaper but, if the article features a massive picture of Jake Bugg, it could increase hype if a big name is to attend an event in the Borough.

Line Up:

I want to event to have an indie-rock feel so a suitable headliner would be Jake Bugg. With 2 albums behind him and another on the way he is perfectly capable of sustaining a 60 minute set, maybe even longer. This also gives him the opportunity to promote his upcoming LP.

A good support act with the same genre to give off the whole indie vibe is Palma Violets. Palma Violets have a more rock feel which is a good way to liven up the crowd before Bugg comes on, a shorter set is much more suitable for them as they don't have as big a back catalogue as Bugg (they have only got 1 studio album).

An American indie band called Hundred Waters would be a suitable first opening act as they are known in the states but almost unknown mainstream over here. It would involve paying for their flights and accommodation, but as they aren't massive over here I'm fairly sure they're not expecting 5* service.

The reason for choosing the indie-rock theme was to attract a fairly wide audience (age-wise), a lot of people of varying ages will enjoy the music on display during the event.

Tickets:

KOKO has a capacity of 1410 people so a sale of 1200 tickets will be satisfactory. 1000 Tickets will be sold online via KOKO's website and other ticket sales sites such as ticketmaster and lastminute.com. 200 tickets will be kept aside for on the day box office selling on a first come = first serve basis. Decreasing the amount for online sales and putting some aside for box office sales will increase demand as it adds exclusivity.

With a £22,000 payout, to break even and profit tickets will be sold at £20 per online sale and £25 per box office sale. Different prices between the 2 sales enhances exclusivity as it suggests that because the box office tickets are more expensive they are limited (which they are). 

£20 x 1000 = £20,000. £25 x 250 = £6,250. Of course this doesn't include profits made from food and drink sales.

Costs:

As stated in the email, in order to hire KOKO out for the event it will cost £14,000 plus VAT which is allocated to £5,000 for the venue and £9,000 for bar staff and sales (drink included). I have emailed all 3 acts' booking agents (2 of them under CODA)
Jake Bugg - Waiting for Quote
Palma Violets - Waiting For Quote
Hundred Waters - £2,500 max for flights and accommodation. Waiting for Quote
BBQ Food - £1,000
Posters, Fliers, Stickers - £550 (quote from website)
Security - £1,000

Total = £22,000 maximum (unfortunately this includes estimates from the acts as I was unable to get a reply from the booking agents) maximum.

The whole event will be funded by sponsorship from H&M. In return their logo will be featured (heavily) on my posters, fliers and stickers. The idea behind getting H&M to sponsor the event fits with the August/Summer-y theme I'm trying to achieve. At the time H&M will want to promote their summer clothing line and possibly leading to their  autumn range. Getting some members of staff to wear certain pieces of clothing designed by H&M could be a good way to obtain/secure sponsorship too.  

Paper Work:

The boring bit. A contract will be signed between myself and the agents/managers of the acts to cement their performance and to ensure they will be paid. Signing for the venue to assure KOKO that it will be taken care of and to leave it in the state it was found will be taken out, this contract will also state the legal side, which will make sure that if any illegal activity takes place (underage alcohol selling, violent altercations) that a fine could be headed my way.

Tech & Security:

KOKO has an in house technician, so they isn't a need to hire one. They also provide necessary technology (microphones, amps, mixer etc). So forking out for that isn't required. I will hire 20 security guards to ensure everyone in the venue is safe and to man the doors.  

Timing:

The whole stage will need to be set up by 3pm latest. This will allow the acts to perform their sound check quickly at 4pm before doors open at 6.30. Doors opening at 6.30 will allow the audience an hour and a half to buy drinks, food, go to the toilet and settle in their seats before Hundred Waters takes to the stage at 8. They will perform for 30 minutes with a 15 minute break following before Palma Violets takes to the stage at 8.45. They will play for 45 minutes, something they are perfectly capable of with their back catalogue. Another 15 minute break (perhaps longer, to build anticipation) will follow after P.V and then Jake Bugg will perform his 70 minute set.