This week I have been working on finalising the EP
I have album artwork and have been finishing off the final touches of my EP.
I have mixed and mastered all songs, there are a few things I don't like with the final product, but I think because it's my own work, and I have listened to them hundreds of times, I'm being a perfectionist, to other listeners, they may sound really good, and not notice the minor imperfections in the tracks like I do.
The tracklist is:
Track 1: Intro/Prelude
Track 2: Roads
Track 3: A soul Rediscovered
Track 4: Carpe Diem
Track 5: Time
I have chosen this order as roads is about exploring memories. but looking towards the future in the near distance. A soul rediscovered is about rediscovering oneself and having all these memories back. Carpe Diem is a happy track, in the style of future bass, and puts across that you are living in the present, and everything is good. And time showcases how time is the biggest healer.
So the whole EP tells a story, I am happy with the EP so far, I haven't had enough time to add interludes between each song, although this was a nice idea. I completed the project on time and stuck to my deadlines all the way through, and made what I set out to make. I have 4 tracks, an intro, and a music video.
I think I will be able to market this to multiple audiences.
here is the whole EP in one track.
Overall I am happy with the project as a whole, the music video looks professional and fits well with my initial project plan.
With the intro prelude
The prelude sounds nice but could use extra elements, and I would have liked to make it fit into roads smoother, but it does work, and I think it is similar to how artists such as NERO and Pendulum have done it.
With Track 1: Roads I think I have used too much reverb and added too many effects, in general, making it over-processed, the vocal stand out nicely. If I were to make this song again I would use fewer effects and not put reverb on so heavily as I feel it muddy's up the mix. I could also have made the mix sound less competitive, the drop comes in loud and dominant, and there is a big difference between the verse and the drop, you can tell where you are in the song. In some of my songs, it's difficult to tell the difference. I also think the vocal chops could stand out better.
I could have added more variation to the drop, but that may have overcomplicated it and it does sound good and is a vocal dominant song so this doesn't really matter.
I have learnt lot's of techniques through the process though and in the future, i will take these notes on board and learn from my mistakes.
But overall the song is sounding great and I'm probably being a bit of a perfectionist.
With track 2 "A Soul Rediscovered" I think the vocals are mixed really well, I would have added more elements o the track but my computer broke, I have learnt to always back up data.
The chorus comes in and hits hard, it is nice sounding, overall I think it turned out great. this track is more about the vocals/lyrics, so the backing track was supposed to be fairly simple, so the vocals stood out. I could have added more effects on the vocals, and made some vocal chops. I don't think it sounds as professionally mixed as time, but this is something i am going to learn and build on along the way.
Track 3: Carpe Diem
I think I needed to add something else at the start to fill in the frequencies, even white noise used correctly would help fill the space. Although it does sound good, I am impressed seeing as it was my first future bass song. I used elements from Illenium and Eckle to make this track, the breakdown part is my favourite as it uses acoustic drums, and just kind of goes off unexpectedly, you wouldn't expect it to but it fits nicely overall think the mix and master sounds really good, there is always room for improvement though, it doesn't sound as good as some professionally made songs, and songs like Illenium makes, but it is a good attempt. This song is the third as it showcases the act of being in the present, and looking at the future, after a struggle which the two precious songs are about.
Track 4: Time. I am very happy with "Time", I think out of all of them this sounds the best, is mixed and mastered the best, and just sounds professional. I could see it being played on the radio in the summer. I struggle with mixing so I am impressed with how this turned out.
The automation and effects and when everything comes in is perfectly crafted with precision and sound great, I went for a sort of tropical house low drop, rather than a heavy in-your-face kind of drop.
The build-up is great and reminds me of a Calvin harris track, or a typical club song. I used a spectrograph to make sure all the frequencies are being used up.
I think why this song is the best I have mixed, is that although it's busy and has a lot going on, it is also very simple, everything typically has its own place in the mix, and nothing is competing, whereas roads has so much going on.
This is the album artwork for the EP titled "Carpie Diem"
I chose the name "Carpe Diem" as it means "to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future." and I feel this is what the overall story of the EP is about.
The album artwork showcases the whole universe inside a tree, meaning the world is at your fingertips.
Here is the music video for "A Soul Rediscovered"
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have reflected on my work and designed an album artwork that reflects the message I want to put across, I have used different techniques and serif affinity designer to create this. I am happy with the final outcome of the EP I feel the mixing and mastering quality is decent, and I have learnt a lot more about that throughout the whole process.
The project is complete and I am excited for the next step in promoting it and finalist releasing it. I am happy with the music video. and have met all the deadlines and constraints of the project, I have created what I set out to create, 4 songs, and a music video. And seeing the end result is really nice.
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