A Most Creative Project: Producing a Sample-Based Record

Description
For my creative project, I originally decided to produce an original instrumental EP (Extended Play), its aim to bridge the gap between classical Choral/Orchestral literature and more modern Hip-Hop/Rhythm & Blues through the implementation of sample-based sounds and melodies. As

For my creative project, I originally decided to produce an original instrumental EP (Extended Play), its aim to bridge the gap between classical Choral/Orchestral literature and more modern Hip-Hop/Rhythm & Blues through the implementation of sample-based sounds and melodies. As the semester went on, however, I realized that my original focus was really putting a strain on my creativity. A broadening in scope was exactly what I needed to spark the creativity within me. I had to create what suited me at the time, or what was a reflection of my current environment. This change began to push me beyond what I believed I was capable of; the tracks for the EP seemed to follow effortlessly. For the first production on my EP, I sampled from an a cappella file that I found on a royalty-free music database. The file had a raw cut, sans instrumentation and effects, of a teenage girl singing an original Soul/Rhythm & Blues tune of hers named "Don't Go." Atop the vocal, I added an original drum kit and sub-bass waveform, sound-designed by me, and an airy synthesizer line. My second original production, titled "Dreams," is a production that exudes everything that I stand for and am inspired by with regards to music. This work is the kind of production that got me into producing music in the first place. It demonstrates simplicity and elegance in every sense. A Rhythm & Blues record (Monnie Riperton's Edge of a Dream), a simple, yet hard-hitting drum groove with drum sounds sampled from live drums, and bass-line were the only ingredients necessary to produce "Dreams." The video logs, an addition to the original productions, were put in place to track my progress throughout the semester. The observer gets to learn alongside me, from the inception and into the execution of the project, the facets of sampling, building a drum groove, and creating an arrangement. By including access to my workflow as part of this project, I wish to provide a dynamic, evolving tool for producers in the future.
Date Created
2015-05
Agent