Summery/Evaluation

When preparing for a release I learnt that time and organisation are everything. I thought one month was enough time to prepare for the release. looking back this wasn't long enough. Afew things I was unable to do or do well because of the time I set my self.

• Distribution - On my release day not all of the streaming services had my release available. Next time I release I will submit my track 1 month in ahead of the release day rather than 2 weeks.
• Promotion material - When my release day came I had planned to release a short video to help with engagement on Instagram and Facebook. The person who was making the video said it would be ready but was unable to get it done. I will request it one month in advanced. This way if there are any issues with completion I have time to prepare something else.
• Promotion - By the time I had all my promotional material ready I was one week out from the release. Next time I release I plan to have all promo material 1 month in advanced as to promote the single properly I believe you need this much time.
• Email Lists & Blogs/Playlists/Radio - I underestimated how hard it would be to find relevant blogs etc. to send my track to. This will now be a constant task for me even when i'm not releasing so that I always have new audiences to expose my music to.
• Post release strategy - After the track released I have found that promoting the track with out over doing it and seeming spammy hard. Finding ways to promote the music in a way that doesn't seem like promotion will boost engagement with my track. 

Although my time planning was problematic there were things that went well for this release. 

• Distribution - I feel like the distributor I used (CD Baby) was a good choice because they have a lot of integrated tools & recourses to help market your release and they distribute to over 150 streaming services.
• Promotional material - I think I did a good job making sure my promotional material was cohesive with the artwork and the vibe of my release. 
• Email Lists & Blogs/Playlists/Radio - I have started to develop a knowledge of how to speak to these people and where to look for them. This should allow me to get more exposure from them for future releases. 
• Pre-save - now that I have artist pages on streaming sites I can utilise the pre save function on my next release campaign. 

With the research and lessons I've learnt from this release I am confident that I will be able to run release campaigns for my own and other artists releases. I will work on my time management so that I can work on each part of the release efficiently and to a high standard. My track is nearly at its first week target and I will continue to push it to reach this.

Music bio & Press kit

Antbhx is an artist from Birmingham U.K and has been making music in some way since 2010. Antbhx's music blends electronic and ambient sounds with head nodding drums to create music for people who like to chill to a good beat. He is a new artist finding his place in the scene and developing his sound.

Music is a big part of his life, from a young age he would skip class to learn instruments in his schools music department. This sparked an interest in electronic music composition and he began making beats for his and his friends' enjoyment. He has always shied away from releasing content but now feels it time to do something with the music he makes.

He is now developing connections with other artists & rappers to bring something new to his music. Be sure to look out for new singles and visual content from Antbhx. 

New Track titled Tubular! This track was the result of a period of insomnia. Riding through Birmingham at night and was fascinated how peaceful & quiet it is but now and then something would disturb the peace but no sooner had it disturbed the peace it was gone again. He reflected this in the track by making it calm but adding sections where it builds up with harder drums.

One liner: Hailing from Birmingham UK producer Antbhx blends electronic sounds with head nodding drums creating a chill vibe, be sure to look out for new content from him.

Music & Mixes; 

https://soundcloud.com/ant_bhx/tubular
https://soundcloud.com/ant_bhx/the-prospect-preview
https://soundcloud.com/ant_bhx/coolin-mix

Contact;
Email - antbhx@outlook.com
Instagram - antbhx
Twitter - antbhx
facebook - antbhx 
snapchat - antbhx
_______________

Below is a template for when I submit my track to blogs and radios.

Hello...

My new single is releasing on 21/06/19 and I would appreciate it if you featured it on your radio show. Linked is my press release with audio of my new single & press images and afew of my other tracks. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2qq5xj9z6928sww/Music%20Bio.pdf?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e65wjvy7ly5x9fw/AACqYR8tvGNlM6aZ6ZJYPor0a?dl=0

Thank you for your time 

Antbhx

_________________

A short written piece about the track the blogs can use.

This track was the result of a period of insomnia. I would ride my bike through the city at night and was fascinated how peaceful & quiet it is but now and then something would disturb the peace but no sooner had it disturbed the peace it was gone again. I tried to reflect this in the track.

_________________

A peice to send to vloggers;

Hello...

I have a new track out and wondered if you wanted to feature it in your vlog. I've watched some of your content and I think the track could match your vibe.

Thanks 
Antbhx

Below is content embed for my track that can be put on websites such as blogs.

https://show.co/8GKQkki
https://fanlink.to/tubular

Is music worthless?

No, It may be virtually free today but it still valued, could you imagine a world you couldn't  listen to music of your choosing. consumers listen a song because they value the way they make them feel, they value & agree with the message it put out or we associate them with a memory. An artist makes music that is worth something to them, its worth the time they spent making it & the cost of the equipment they brought to make it. 

Musics monetary value maybe next to nothing these days but if you look back to the days of vinyl, CD & cassette people weren't impressed by how much you'd spent on your music but more by what you had in your collection, they were always more interested in the music. 

Saying this if artists markets themselves in a way that makes people want to buy into their brand then they can bring the monetary value back and "monetise the connection"(2). This is why the late unsigned rapper Nispey Hustle was able to sell 1000 physical copies of his mixtape 'Crenshaw' for $100 dollars each as well as having it up for free download. 

To round it off music has worth and an integral part of many aspects in our lives, "whats a movie without a good score/soundtrack"(3), a good BBQ without summer bangers. 

http://phil-cooper.co.uk/priceless-or-worthless-the-value-of-music-is-in-the-ear-of-the-beholder/ (1)  

https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2013/11/06/rapper-nipsey-hussle-and-the-100-mixtape/#7f6cb2d14bc0 (2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqfpvQQDH7I (3)

Artwork & promo material

This post contains the artwork for my single and promotional material stating the day its out and where it will be available. I will use this to promote the single on social media platforms. I will run Instagram story adds as you can target them very well, with things such as location, the hashtags people use, age and interests. they are also very cheap and get more engagement that other kinds of adds you can run.(1) 

I am also having a short eyecatching promotional video made to circulate on social media as this will help to draw people into following links to steam the track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7feO0-D_3R8 (1)

4 Week release strategy

Release date 21/06/19

Streaming goal -  100 streams across all platforms in the first week.

Pre release;

• Have artist accounts, distribution & PRS set up.
• Create facebook fanpage & start posting on it. 
• Find the story behind the music and tell it. (What inspired me to write it, where was I when I recorded it, was it in response to, was there any collaboration and what was the connection)
• Have a new music bio and press release written and ready to send to Blogs, Playlist curators, press outlets, radio, music websites and other music media outlets.
• Gather a list of contact emails to send the track & press release to.
• Create drafts of announcements for your social media updates/Bios for the release.
• Have promo material made for the run up to and after the release.
• Set all my social media cover and display picture to pics of the artwork.
• Find Spotify playlists that I this my song would suit and message the curator asking if they will feature my track.

The day of the release; 

• Set up a fanlink landing page so I can have one link for my track that will redirect fans to their preferred streaming method.
• Update all social media informing people of the release. Using insights I will target specific times for each site to maximise engagement with my audience.

Days following (30/40 days);

• Stagger posts reminding people the track is out for the next 30/40 days. I will do this because not all of my audience will listen to the track right away and this will encourage them to do so.
• Post snippets of the track and of other music i'm working on social media so that people will want to check out the track I have out and be interested in future releases.
• Use Instagram and Facebook ads to promote a captivating video paired with the track. 
• Message 5 people I already know each day asking them to listen to the track and give feedback.
• Ask content creators & vloggers to feature my track in their videos. By letting them do this for free if they put my fanlink in description my music will be exposed to there audience. 
• Cultivate new & old fans and develop a personal connection with them to turn them into a corefan. 
• Find college/university radio stations and ask them to play the track.
• Ask soundcloud pages to repost my track if I think it is similar to the tracks they have already posted. People are more likely to listen to something if they see it grouped with other music they already like.
• I will ask people who I see engaging with the track to send videos of them vibing' to it. This will give me more content to share and also get potential fans to see people already like this track.

Guide to writing a music bio - https://blog.landr.com/music-bio/

How to contact the right playlist curators https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-O3eBhJI-U, https://chartmetric.io/)
Make the track available for free download in exchange for email. https://backstage.show.co/2draVZct0wfK4p8AYY0bDp/campaigns
Tips for post release promo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjXcfB3T29k&list=PLanR-2oSzljlSHsSYMoVJvbP82GdBEtpT&index=3&t=0s

Release Research

Statics show that most music is consumed online via streaming services and 'people are less likely to pay for physical copies.'(1)This means that when I release music it needs to be on as many available streaming services. "Smaller artists with less buzz will benefit from releasing additional singles before releasing a album"(4) As I am a not very well known artist releasing more singles before attempting to release a album would help create a buzz for the album. This article states how releasing singles in a structured way could be the best release strategy. "Give your audience content monthly and don't waste your material by dropping it all at once"(1) Staggering content will mean I will alway have music to release and can create a release schedule. Music videos can be used along side releases to help the music tell its story. "Try using videos to explain each single" (1) videos produced should be relevant somehow to the vibe of the song. 

"Lead single, Deep Diver, The B-side, The bouns content, The Collaboration, The featured artist track" (2) These are types of singles that could be released in staged to compile as an album at the end of the release. When releasing these singles I need to thing of a hook for each one "find a hook and make everything swirl around it."(2) "Depending on the scope of your campaign you might even need 1-3 months of preparation"(2) I need to leave time to promote the release in ways such as "Press, Radio and pre savers." It would benefit me to have a song out now so that I can set up a pre saver for my next release.

This venn diagram show all the key parts of promoting yourself a independent artist. 

"The music industry is build on appearances. you need a modern functional site you can update yourself." I will look into online website makers as they are simple to run yourself and still look clean and professional. Aswell as having a website alot of traction can be built up using social media. "Your content calendar is a crucial component to your social media success"(3). As with the releases I need to have a upload schedule for all social media platforms. (https://cyberprmusic.com/musicians-guide-to-marketing-plans-part-1/ This website has a "Musicians guide to each social media platform)

"Email is still the most vital asset you will build for generating revenue."(3) Email is the next step to turning fans on social media to customers with email. I need to create a professional looking email and come up with ways to capture fans emails. 

Once my track is released I will message micro influencers. These are influencers/vloggers that have from 1000 to 50 thousand followers on their platform. Because these influicers have a smaller following a lot of them are more engaged with there following. This means there followers are more likely to check out something they're promoting compared to paying/asking a bigger influencer. I will approach people who's content I think my track could fit in with.(5)

(1) https://burstimo.com/best-release-strategy/
(2) https://diymusician.cdbaby.com/music-promotion/it-all-starts-with-a-song-10-strategies-for-releasing-a-single/
(3) https://cyberprmusic.com/musicians-guide-to-marketing-plans-part-1/
(4) https://sonicscoop.com/2019/01/16/6-crucial-steps-to-planning-a-successful-album-release/
(5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_UxfdcLCYI

Session plan

I will be running a session for a band made of Drums, Bass, 2 guitars, keys & vocals. I will be running the session in MB studios. 

Layout;

• The drums and guitar one will be in one live room one.
• I will put guitar 1s amp in a separate room using tie lines so that there is no bleed on the drum mics.
• I will have vocalist the vocal booth.
• The Bass will be DI'ed into the desk into the control room.
• The keys will be be in live room two & DI'ed into the desk.
• Guitar two will be in live room two with a amp.

Drum Mic Positioning/Selection;

• I will be using the Glyn johns technique as you can achieve a big sound with minimal micing. (https://www.recordingrevolution.com/the-glyn-johns-drum-recording-method/)
• I will have a kick mic so the attack and fullness of the kick & I have more control over it when mixing.
• For the over heads I will use Rode NT1000 Condenser microphones as there large diaphragm & cardioid polar pattern works well with the glyn johns technique.
• For the kick I will use the ATM250DE as it can capture low frequencies well & its hypercardioid dynamic element means it can pic up the attack of the beater. I will position the mic inside the bass drum & off centre it as it strengthens the low end. (https://blog.audio-technica.com/5-quick-tips-miking-kick-drum/)

Guitars;

• The guitar 1s amp will have 2 mics, one will be a SM57 close to the amps speaker for a punchy sound. A second condenser mic about 8ft from the amp to add some room ambience. This will make the guitar cut through the song and sound full.
• guitar 2s amp will have a Rode NT1 mic about 12 inches away placed at a 45 degree angle. This gives a clean sound focused on mids and highs, which is good for backing guitars.(https://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/tech-tips/how-to-mic-guitar-amps-and-cabs-in-the-studio)

Vocal:

• I will audition a few vocal mics with the signer. Rode K2, Neumann KMS 104, AKG C314 & a SM58. We will choose the one that we believe will sound the best.

To Do;

• Set up drum Kit and get it sounding nice.
• Set up amps.
• Set up microphones, headphones & patching.
• Set up two TVs and camcorders so the vocalist & bassist can see the band and vice versa. 
• Do line checks and set up a gain stage & audition vocal mics.
• Go for practice takes 7 get everyone comfortable.
• Get a good drum take & then bass take. This acts as a bed to build the rest of the track on 
• Then focus on guitar and keys.
• Then add vocals.

Musical Jargon Glossary

Acoustic Treatment - These are things that are designed to absorb, diffuse or reflect sound and a specific way. 

Harmonic - This is a multiple of the fundamental frequency.

Audio Frequency - sounds that the human ear can hear between 20 & 20kHz

Partials - This is the name given to harmonics and the fundamental frequency together.

RMS - This stands for Root Mean Square and is used to measure magnitude of varying levels.

Room Modes - This is acoustic resonance that happening in every room and is unique to each room. 


dB - This is how you express how loud a sound is. Boosting the signal by 6dB will double it.

Hertz - This is the unit of frequency.

Wow & Flutter - This is where mechanical imperfections cause speed variations at different frequencies. Variation at higher frequencies can be heard as distortion. 

Listening Models

Passive Listening;

This is when you listen without doing anything or interrupting. In music it would be when you're listening to music but its not your main focus. When you listen to music while you do house work this would be seen as passive listening.

Active Listening;

This is when you listen with full concentration and you are responding to what you hear. If you sit down and listen to a LP start to end this would be seen as active listening because you are digesting the album and seeing it as a work of art that will trigger a response inside of you.

Empathetic Listening; 

This Is when you listen and respond in a way this builds understanding and trust. In music this could be seen as a concert or club night as you are listening to the artist and responding as a crowd through cheering, crying ect. ect. 

Critical Listening;

This is when you're listening an making judgements at the same time. In music this can be applied to the making of a track because most of the time you're making decisions of what sounds good and what doesn't on the spot. When you're mixing a track you use critical listening because you have to listen intensely and make small changes.

Hearing Loss

Noise Induced hearing loss is when our hearing is damaged by exposure to sound

Short term

Short term hearing loss occurs after exposure to loud noise such as a concert. This loss of hearing is a protective mechanism known as the Acoustic Reflex.


Long term 

Being exposed to dBs above 80 for a long period of time can cause permanent hearing loss as can regular exposure above 110dB for a minute. 


This exposure can cause an infection called tinnitus. 'It is an awareness of sound in the ears or head which is not from an external source.' (1) It can be described as a h igh pitched whistle, ring or buzz. 



The best way to combat hearing loss is to wear ear protection. As a consumer foam ear plugs will do but for musicians & technicians they're no good. High fidelity earplugs &  Custom moulded ear plugs are able to reduce noise while keeping clarity. Also take regular breaks from loud noise where you can and don't stand to close to loud speakers. 

(1) - https://www.hearinglink.org/your-hearing/tinnitus/what-is-tinnitus/

Auditory Perception

To be able to hear we need two things. 

1) A Pressurised sound wave
2) Hair Cell

This pressurised sound wave travel through the external ear and hits the Tympanic membrane (eardrum). This vibrates back and forth and causes 3 bones (Malleus, Incus & Stapes) to vibrate aswell. 

Cochlea

The Stapes is attached to the oval window which is a part of the cochlea. The Cochlea is like a coil that contains fluids. The vibration causes fluid to move towards the tip of the Cochlea.


When it get to the tip it goes back round and pushes out the round window. It then goes back and forth from the Round window to the Oval window. 

This movement causes hair cells in the Cochlea to move back and forth and that transmits a electric impulse to the brain via the auditory nerve. Hair cells closer to the tip of the cochlea respond to lower frequencies as do hair cells closer to the base respond to higher frequencies.

Partial

Fourier Analysis; 

This is a way of breaking down complex waves into partial parts.



Partial;

Partials are simple sine waves that when put together make up a more complex wave. 
















Harmonic Partial;

These are whole number pure sine waves multiples of a certain fundamental frequency. Although they are harmonic during there attack they have a lot of harmonic and inharmonic partials that fade away very quickly. 

Instruments such as Bass, Guitar and Synths are made up of harmonic partials.








Inharmonic Paritals;

These are multiples of a certain fundamental frequency that isn't a whole number. The solid line on this graph shows the inharmonic partial in comparison to where the harmonic partial would be. 

Instruments such as drums are made up of inharmonic partials.

Loudness

This shows how tracks got louder as time went on and dropped again when streaming services started to penalise artists by creating a standard Lufs level.









Compression is when a signal is made more constant in dynamics. Input level above the threshold is compressed by a set about decided by the ratio/limit you set.










New York Compression is where you blend a heavily compressed version of a signal with the original signal to get a punchier sound. It works well on drums.

https://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/quick-tip-punchier-drums-with-the-new-york-compression-trick--audio-12885


This is the difference between the loud and quiet parts of a track. 

https://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/future-musics-guide-to-mastering-understanding-dynamic-range-and-compression-574533 

Lufs are a unit of measurement used to measure the perceived loudness of a track. the closer to 0 the lufs the louder the track will seem.

https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/what-is-lufs-and-why-should-i-care/

Frequency masking is when a sounds frequency masks the frequencies of other sounds. The yellow sound would have frequencies around it that mask the green and orange sounds. The effect of the masking is less on the Blue and pink and gets less and less futher from the main frequency.

Harmonic partials are whole number multiples of the the fundamental frequency. These partials get quieter and quieter the further up the frequency spectrum. These a pitched sounds.

http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/sonicg/terms/harmonic.html












Inharmonic partials are multiples of a fundamental frequency that isn't a whole number. these sounds usually don't have pitches.

This graph shows us our ears sensitivity to sound at difference frequencies and is measured in phons. The dips show where the ears are most sensitive and the high parts show were the hearing drops off.




http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Sound/phon.html

Frequency masking & Temporal masking 25/01/19

Frequency masking is when a sounds frequency is masking the frequencies of other quieter sounds. The frequencies masked are usually around the root frequency of the signal and the effect of the masking is less as you get further from the root note.

Using complimentary EQ can help relive this masking. Slightly cutting the dominant sound and boosting the masked sound will give the masked sound more room to be heard. Side chain compression also helps with frequency masking. Eg a 808 bass and a Kick drum both sit in the low end and the bass will usually mask the kick. Putting a compressor on the bass, adjusting the settings and sidechaining it to the kick (or something that follows the pattern of the kick) will make the level of the bass duck when ever the kick hits allowing it to cut through.

To hear the effect of frequency masking on your mix switch it to mono & work on fixing the masking in mono. Also it is a good idea to spend some time mixing in mono because many mix issues are more pronounced in mono. One of Hip Hops biggest mix engineers spends 80% of his time on a mix in mono due to this reason.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cur-1Fxtidg

Temporal masking is what occurs when our ears hear a strong loud sound. The frequencies the made up this sound will be masked for a short while after hearing it by our ears. This is to protect them from the harshness of the sound. This means if a sound is played after at a similar frequencies is wont be heard because the threshold of hearing has gone down for these frequencies. (This whole process happens in milliseconds)

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0993/3800/files/Frequency_Masking_Production_Music_Live_grande.png?v=1476524600

http://www.ques10.com/p/30210/explain-what-is-auditory-masking-and-temporal-mask/