Rant #1

In this rant, I'm going to be talking about video game music, specifically one that got stuck in my head as I was thinking about this post. Super Mario Galaxy. I got this game for Christmas last year and I've played it so much that when I play with my cousins now, I'm whistling along with the music. As this music was playing in my head, I wondered, how did that come to be what we hear in the game today? Thanks to Wikipedia, I've learned more about SMG's music, and I'm going to share that with you!
At the beginning, Mahito Yokota (who was in charge of the composition of the music) wanted SMG to have a Latin style of music. This was because a Latin percussion instruments (like congas and bongo drums) had been used in past Mario games. He used these instruments and a synthesizer to make the sci-fi sounds for the game's theme song. The game's designer (Yoshiaki Koizumi) approved the song, but was told by another composer (Koji Kondo) that it was no good. A few months later three different options were shown to Shigeru Miyamoto. The first was orchestral, the second was orchestral and pop, and the last was pop. The orchestral music was chosen for the theme song (written by Koji Kondo) and it was decided that the game's soundtrack would be written for a symphony.
I thought just this itself was pretty amazing, but there still more things I have learned about the music!
Apparently the music was played at strange tempos so that it would match up with Mario's movements and the different sound effects better. A few themes from previous Mario games were used in various levels throughout the game. And probably the thing I think it the coolest, is that some of the music it is more interactive compared with other games. I never payed attention to this, but at certain points in SMG when there is an increase in tension, the Wii has the ability to adjust the speed of the tempo to match what is currently happening in the game. One example it listed was when you fight Bowser, the music will speed up as you get closer to him.
I thought writing about SMG music was very interesting. I think the sound in this game is really cool, even to down to the sound it makes when you click "Save" or "Don't Save". The soundtrack for this game is so perfect, it's hard to imagine what it would've been like otherwise.
I never noticed in great detail how much music has an effect on a video game. It provides the game with character. Super Mario Galaxy has definitely succeeded in doing this, the music is amazing!
It's neat finding out how one of your interests correlates with another interest that you have!

Just so you understand what I'm talking about, here's something you can check out!
(I swear I did not mean to rhyme!) Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNqEfB6IYmE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1bitZ9e4lY

Even if you just search "Super Mario Galaxy Music" on Youtube, you'll see others as well. Or you could just get the video game and play it! If you're into Mario, of course!

Is Music The Career For Me?

Music will always be a part of my life, and I can guarantee each of my classmates will say the same thing.
When I started writing this, I thought about my two cousins, Kristen and Abby. Both were really into music when they were in school. Now Kristen teaches in Winnipeg and has directed and played music on a number of cruise ships. Abby works in the movie industry. I think they are so cool!
As for how I will be using it, I'm not 100% sure, at least career-wise. I can't say for sure whether I will pursue a music career or not, so I will talk about possible careers I could see myself doing and why I may not go through with them.
I would really love to work with music within the movie industry. When watching LOTR Special Edition DVDs I saw some different careers that looked really interesting. The first was dealing with what we are learning about right now, expect it was with a concert band. (I'll get more of a feel with that once we start working with the band concerts.) I would enjoy this because I have more knowledge about concert band than I do for rock band. I know about the different types of instruments and how they should sound with the rest of the band. Listening to soundtracks like LOTR inspire me to want to be a part of that process. That type of music just overwhelms me and I love it so much, to think I could do that one day would be amazing. The second career I saw was dealing with sound effects. The people working on LOTR got to create sounds for things such as imaginary creatures and weapons. I would enjoy doing this for two reasons. One, you'd get to use your imagination and creativity, and I absolutely love doing that! Second, you'd get to experiment with a wide range of sound. You wouldn't be limited to a certain genre of sound, it would all be open for you to be influenced and inspired by. In the careers I've described, the thing I would probably enjoy the most was the feeling you would get once you saw the final product. That feeling you get when you're like "Wow, I helped make that!". (And winning an Academy Award wouldn't be too bad either, lol!)
Something that might hold me back from exploring these careers would be my confidence level. I don't know if I could handle all the stresses that would come with the job. Another thing is just because we've only just begun this course, and I don't think I've experienced enough yet to make a yes or no decision. After finishing the course, I will probably have a better sense of where music stands as a career with me. One other reason I might not pursue a music career is because I also really enjoy graphic design and photography, and may want to choose one of those as my career.
Well, that's my discussion on my future with music. I think it would be really cool to have a career in music, but if it doesn't happen, so be it. Music will always be around me, whether I'm making money off of it or not.

Thoughts on Music Technology #1

I have to say at the start of the year I was a bit scared. I didn't know anything and didn't know what to expect. (But that's typical Caitlin! Worry!) But now, I am really enjoying the class! Basically, the more I learned, the more comfortable I felt in class. I don't think I could have been put in a class with better people. Everyone is friendly and I know that if I need help with something I can always count on my classmates.
To start, I enjoy the routine we've worked ourselves into at the beginning of class, when setting up. (Minus hurting myself with the mic stands, not good!) I like how Mr. Jones decided to start using the snake once we got the new soundboard. It was a way to turn up the difficulty notch for setting up, compared to how we would at the beginning of the year. This way we communicate more with one another, when we need to know what a certain channel is labeled as. But it's quite hard to do that when it is SUPER CRAZY loud! It's frustrating at times, trying to yell across the room to get a person's attention, if we need to match up mics to channels or try to start a sound check.
Next, I'm glad to say I don't find the soundboard as confusing as I once did. I understand the main concepts, such as the input/gain, monitors, pan, speaker levels, and individual channel levels. But there as still a few things I'm not totally sure about. I get what the EQs (and frequencies as well, or are they the same?) are used for, it's just that we haven't altered them much. I think in future classes I will strive to work with them more, experimenting, to see its impact on the overall sound of the band.
Again, recording is much simpler than I thought it would be. The Zoom H4 is easy to use and it's cool how we can hook it up to the soundboard. The trouble I have when recording is being able to tell whether the sound is good or not. I may feel like it is good, but when I hand the headphones over to someone else, they may feel differently. That's an area where I'm still somewhat nervous. We haven't used Cubase a lot yet, and I'm having a hard time understanding it. There are many different controls and I don't really know how to use the majority of them. This again ties in with what I think sounds good and what may not. When changing the levels of a file, I'm uneasy, because I'm not sure that I'm doing the right thing. Sometimes it's hard to work as well because the band that isn't playing is in there doing random things. That's the only computer in the entire school that we are able to work on, and they are playing and goofing off while we are trying to listen and edit music. We eventually get them out, but 15 minutes later they're back in there doing the same thing. (AH!) I found it to be tough when I was doing my first acoustic mastering, because everyone was off watching Kyle's rockumentary and I was all by myself. (But I think it turned out okay anyways.)

I have to say that I really love our blogs! It's allowing me to express and share things that I probably wouldn't have revealed to others. I'm actually having lots of fun as I write these, especially when I listen to music at the same time! I also love reading what everyone else posts, it's very exciting! I'm looking forward to starting our websites, I have never really made one before, so it will be another new experience!
I am usually the type of person who quits something when I get scared, but I am really glad I took this class. It's cool to learn about something new, it's really interesting, and this is helping me grow as a person. It's bringing me out of my shell. Music Technology has definitely been a surprise, that is, a good one!

My Least Favourite Music

I won't be able to bash on a specific genre, because I like so many types of music. I'd have to say I don't like music where the artist is basically just talking. It seems like they aren't showing us what they are really capable of. I feel like they are being lazy, not giving the actual effort to sing. It doesn't feel like a real song. I can't think of this rapper's name off hand, but in his video, all he does is walk around, doing random things, mumbling something I can't even hear. The description I just gave could probably cover a handful of artists, lol. I find it hard to listen or watch music like this. One group that came to my mind when I started typing this was Scissor Sisters. I think they are very weird. I just don't like they sound of the vocals, it's bugging the heck out of me right now! The song "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" is stuck in my head and I'm going crazy! It's pretty bad, because my mom likes them, so whenever they came on the radio, SOMEBODY would turn it up. It was very annoying! And speaking of annoying, there are the billions of girls/girl groups that keep popping up like weeds. I like some of them, but many of them sound the same, sing about the same stuff, and look the same. Hmm, can anyone say cookie cutter?
You think you're listening to one group, but it turns out it was a new group that was just formed the day before! One example I could use would be Girlicious. They were formed from yet another TV show. I haven't heard any of their songs except one, and that's enough for me. I'm perfectly okay with the fact that I can't "get down on the floor" like you can. Those kind of lyrics just don't appeal to me. The last thing I don't really enjoy is the stuff like Crazy Frog. It's decent when you first hear it, but too many times and I'll be going crazy again! That's my least favourite music. I try to use this music as little as I possibly can. It's never my choice to listen to it. That's when your handy-dandy iPod (or other portable music listening device) comes to the rescue!

My Favourite Music

My favourite music falls under four genres. The first is alternative/punk. My favourites are Relient K, Paramore, and The Used. I first heard Relient K when they came out with their Mmhmm album, with songs like "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" and "Be My Escape". Just now I've gone back and listened to some of the other songs on that album, like "The One I'm Waiting For". Awhile later on the radio I heard "The Best Thing" and I knew I had to get the album (Five Score and Seven Years Ago). Other favourites off this album include "I Need You", "Must Have Done Something Right", "Give Until There's Nothing Left", and "I'm Taking You With Me". Now, I have their latest album (The Birds and The Bee Sides), which I've just started listening to, but already love "The Lining is Silver". I really enjoy this group because many of their songs absolutely and perfectly capture how I feel in my life right now. I just love that! Paramore came into my life when my sister got their 2nd album, Riot. I like it because there is such contrast in these songs. Something like "Misery Business" is so fast and driving, while right after it, "When It Rains" plays, which is much slower. Any song on this album is a good one for me! But I'm probably most attached to The Used if I had to pick out of these three. It was in grade seven when I heard "All That I've Got" on the radio. So, I got my parents to by this album (In Love and Death), ha ha! The songs on this album were with me through a bunch of different problems in the next few years to follow. Yes, again with the feeling, that's how I like music, full of feeling. I got super excited when Alesha showed me the video for their new single last year, "The Bird and the Worm". Lies For The Liars has many amazing songs, such as "Pretty Handsome Awkward" and "Smother Me". I would list more, but it would be a long list! The Used is just that good, lol. The second genre is soundtracks. I love soundtracks because they throw me into my favourite movies without having to watch them. Some of my favourite soundtracks are The Lion King, Rhythm of the Pridelands, LOTR, and Footloose. The third genre is metal. I like these kinds of songs because they are versatile for me. When I'm happy, these songs make me even happier because I like them so much. And when I'm sad/angry, they help me to vent. My favourites here are Bullet For My Valentine, Killswitch Engage, and System Of A Down. I began to listen to Bullet For My Valentine when I heard "All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me). Many of the songs of their album The Poison have a driving beat, and I like that. My favourite song would have to be "Room 409". I've just been listening to Killswitch Engage for almost a year. I have about 20 of their songs, and at one point I was able to name a song was without looking at a title. I thought that was pretty crazy! And 9 of their songs are on my Top 25 Most Played on my iPod! My favourite song would have to be "As Daylight Dies". I think I started listening to System Of A Down a few years ago, when I saw their video for "Question!". I have the Mezmerize album. Their lyrics are a bit strange, but I just think it sounds so cool. A couple other songs I like are "BYOB"and "Violent Pornography". The last genre, and probably the one I get most excited about, rock! Pretty much 80's rock, love it! It's so much fun listening to 80's Hair Nation on Sirius radio! My parents have a lot of these CDs, that's why I love it so much. I've grown up with it. I really am into this kind of sound, compared to some of the new stuff coming out. It just makes me feel so good inside. I think I really like the fact that this kind of music, made 20 years ago, is still able to draw in new fans, like myself. My absolute most favourite band is Def Leppard! I can guarantee that I will never get sick of these guys! And on a 100 Greatest Rock Artists of the 80's, Def Leppard is number 13, which is my favourite number! It all makes sense now, lol! Some of my favourite songs are "Hysteria", "Animal", Armageddon It", "Pour Some Sugar On Me", "Rocket", "Miss You In A Heartbeat", and "Bringin ' on the Heartbreak". Other bands I also listen to are Bon Jovi, Journey, Foreigner, and Whitesnake. All I have to say is, thank you mom and dad!

What is Music?

Caitlin's Dictionary.com attempt:

Music: a creative process through which sound and silence is explored to produce something with a purpose, such as expressing thoughts, experiences, or emotions.

To me, music is something that captures you for a number of reasons. There are many reasons why I get captured. Music inspires me to be and do better in my life. When I listen to instrumentals, especially in soundtracks (LOTR, HP, The Lion King), I really am driven to play at that level of musicality. Sometimes music makes me think of someone I know, how wonderful they are, and how I can't live without them and it makes me want to be better for those reasons. Ah, getting emotional in school, not good! That's another reason why music captures me, it makes me feel something. Whether it's shivers during a classical piece or tears during a sad song, I listen to it. Music is a big way for me to relieve stress, so I even listen to the angry songs, let it all out, and afterwards I feel better. On a happier note, I like tunes with a good beat. Even if the lyrics may not be my cup of tea, I like what's driving the song. And since I am more on the shy side, when I'm by myself, music let's me come out of my shell. It lets me be another person. I sometimes sing and dance to it. (But you guys better not tell anybody!!!) As you can see, I consider a lot of things to be music. As for how I use it, three words, all-the-time. On my morning bus ride, I'm sitting there with my iPod, and you guessed it, on the way home too. Even when I writing a big test, there's always a song playing in my head as I write. I listen to music when I study, because it's supposed to help while doing it, and that's a big thumbs up with me! I also listen to music when I go to sleep, because it takes my mind away from worrying and it helps me relax. Music is so important to me, I can't imagine getting on the way I do without it.
After writing this, I'm going to try be less judgemental of what others listen to. Everyone has their own opinion of what music is. It shouldn't matter what anyone listens to, as long as that person enjoys it, for whatever reasons, but most importantly because they enjoy how it sounds.

Concert Pictures!