DAC Capstone Collection

Stephen Jensen

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 2020

Abstract

Project Title: Odyssey (Original Composition)

Name: Stephen Jensen

Major: Digital Arts & Culture

Expected Graduation: May 2020

Project Medium: Music

Technology and Software Used: Studio One (recording), Addictive Drummer 2, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro

Artist Statement:

The primary goal of this project is to be able to showcase more original songwriting that I could potentially bring to the table if I am working with other musicians, vocalists in particular. I also wanted to take this project as an opportunity to work on original music since I mainly work on either music covers or band endeavors in my time dedicated to music.

When it comes to the genre of metal music, a lot of people have preconceptions about what a song might sound like when you tell them you make that kind of music. I want to give the audience a perspective about the genre they will not hear as often, and that is a more melodic aspect. I try to make sure the listener feels empowered by what they are hearing. When you listen to this track, you still hear a lot of staples in the genre (heavy guitars, intense drums), but you also get to hear some more interesting soft and melodic dynamics too. This is nothing new in the genre, just something that is not utilized as much as it should, and I think it helps give people a different perspective.

Typically, my creative process with writing original music occurs when I am working on another music project like a cover song. I will be messing around with ideas and accidentality stumble upon a riff or melody I think could have the potential for a full song. I then typically record the idea on my phone quickly as a reference for later. This project, which was originally meant to be a three-track EP, was showcasing ideas I wanted to turn into full songs.

The biggest challenge I encountered while working on this project was losing it entirely. After wrapping up recording my third and final track for the EP, my old Macbook Pro unexpectedly bit the dust, causing me to lose everything. I switched from a Mac to a PC, and using Studio One for recording instead of Logic Pro X. Because of this, I had no way of transferring anything since I switched from Mac OS to Windows. With my limited time window, I decided to just pick one song to redo out of the three. Within a couple weeks, I gave myself a crash course to learn Studio One by forcing myself to dive right into it. I also looked up a few YouTube tutorials for quick references, as well as have a close musician friend of mine give me better production tips over a Discord video call. Overall, I am kind of glad this happened, as I have made myself become a better producer in a short amount of time, and it shows when you listen to this song and compare it to songs I uploaded just a few months ago.

Odyssey (Original Song) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zGkpt6aNlI

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