7. So close to victory

I am enjoying the genius project thoroughly, but I am starting to feel nervous that I will not finish in time to meet the deadline. I don’t think that I will be able to turn it in by Sunday June 5th because I still have a lot of blog posts to do. Right now I have about 3 blog posts left to do. I really regret not doing them in time because the work is starting to catch up to me now. I need to finish them by June 8th because that is my last day to complete late work to pass 10th grade. I think I will be able to do it by then if I really stay focused and on task. It is a lot of work but if I buckle down and dive into it I am sure that I am going to finish. Other than my blog posts I have done everything else for the Genius Project and the Year. I have also done the final product and the presentation for the Genius Project. For my final product I made a mixtape of my original songs and uploaded it to Soundcloud. I did this because anyone who has internet connection can hear it no matter where they are in the world through Soundcloud. Soundcloud is also absolutely free to stream music from. For my final presentation I did a Prezi that is describing my project. It will tell the audience what I learned, how I learned it, and what the outcome was. I also gave the link to my mixtape if anyone watching wanted to listen. Hopefully I can teach the audience about producing music and what it takes. This project gave me a deeper understanding of how long and how frustrating it is to create a radio quality beat. It also taught me how to use software that I probably would have never used if it wasn’t for this project. The Genius Project also gave me a new passion for producing Music. I really would like to continue doing it after the project ends. The only thing I did not like about the project is how it sounded like it would be less educational and school orientated. I should have expect it to be like that though because it has to have a certain level of educational value or curriculum to be considered a school project. Below I have linked my mixtape on Soundcloud so you could hear if you want. Feel free to leave me feedback on my songs by commenting on Soundcloud. See you in the next blog post!

https://soundcloud.com/neal-brick/sets/brick-daddy-back-in-style

4.Switching Software

So far so good it has been fun but exhausting making beats. The biggest change I have made in my plan is changing to Logic Pro X. Logic pro X is just way more refined and beginner friendly than FL. While FL is good, it also can be hassle sometimes. The main problem is that since I was using the free version of FL I could not save my projects. If I have paid for FL then I could have been able to save and reopen projects. The reason why this is a hassle is because if I want to make a beat, it has to all be in one sitting or without shutting off the computer. I found this to be a problem because once I had a melody and bassline that sounded great, but I accidentally closed the tab and it was lost forever. This made me angry and frustrated because I had worked for over 2 hours to perfect those sounds and with one mis-click is was deleted. I had gotten a macbook recently and I heard about a music making software called Logic Pro X. I knew that the pros used it and it was relatively cheap for what its is. I looked into the pros and cons between buying Logic Pro X and FL Studio, and Logic seemed to win on all levels. The main factor that made me choose Logic Pro was the fact that it is one hundred dollars cheaper than the paid version of FL. I went to the apple store and bought a version of Logic Pro for around $199. This may sound like lot of money to pay for software to make music, although a producer knows that good software is the starting point of a musical genius. Professional producers use Logic Pro X because of all the features is has to offer. The only problem I face now is trying to learn a new software. In some aspects the interface is similar, but since Logic Pro is for mac many of the function keys are non existent. For example in FL I could use the function keys delete or rewind a bar. Other than that my project has been going pretty smoothly. I think that I will be able to finish in time to pass 10th grade. I just need to be able to keep on track to finish my blog posts in time. Below is a screenshot of what Logic Pro X looks like if you wanted to see what the interface is. See you in the next post!

8.It has come to a finish....Finally

I have finally finished the Genius Project. After working hard for over 2 months the project has finally reached the ending. I feel very happy to know that the Genius Project was the last project of the year. It feels as if a ton of weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I was able to create my mixtape of original and trendy beats for my final presentation. I also accompanied the mixtape with a prezi to teach the audience what I did to make the music. I tried to make each one of the four beats have a different genre of rap. For example I made the first one a kind of underground rap beat like something that Logic would rap over. The second one was more of a chill beat that someone like Lil Yachty would rap over. The third beat was more of a 90’s Gfunk beat. That is a genre that someone like Tupac would have rapped over. The final beat I made was a Legend of Zelda remix. I doubt that anyone would rap over this beat, but rappers are always changing genres and surprising fans nowadays. I found this project to be frustrating because it was hard keeping up with the blog posts. Writing 400 meaningful words in 30 minutes is kind of hard for me to do. The Genius hour teacher expected me to do this so I struggled in class. Because I am not the fastest writer, I had a lot of blog posts to catch up on. Since I did not do all of the writing in class it really started piling up. About a couple of days ago I had 5-6 blog posts I had to do because I was very slow and procrastinated. It is a huge relief to know that I am done with the year. It is one of the best feelings you can have in school. I would recommend to the freshmen who are going to do the Genius project next year to be on track for blog posting. I would also tell them to stay focused in class and write as much as you can. I would want them to know this simple saying “The more you write in class, the less you have to write outside of class”. I put an emoji that to me represents being thankful that something has ended. This has been a fun experience, although it has also been very nerve racking and frustrating.

3. Off to a great start!

I am feeling very excited and and ready to take this project on. I want to do a good job in general but more specifically the final product. I want my mixtape to be heard by hundreds of people so I can get my name out as an excellent producer. I am most excited to start making beats using the new software I got. I recently downloaded FL Studio and I hope to produce beats that sound like a high budget production. High Budget production beats are most of the time radio quality. What this means is that most rap beats have the potential to be on the radio, it is just the hook is not catchy enough or the artist is not well known. I want to create radio quality beats using free software. I think that doing this would prove that you don’t need the best equipment to become a producer. Many people looking into producing always get detoured because software and recording peripherals can quickly add up. Professional Studios have thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment. This is because of all the foam padding on the walls, mics, stands, mixers, computers, speakers, software, and MIDIs. So far I just have a macbook and free software to start producing beats. I hope to eventually buy a MIDI and mic once I get the money. So far I am enjoying making beats and I could see myself getting into it more seriously in the future. I think that during summer when I have more free time, I am going to start producing more often. I am looking forward to also collaborating with other producers like Blas, Marcos, or Andres. All three of them are very talented already, and I hope to be as good as them soon enough. I am hoping that either one of the the of them would teach me how to use FL and a MIDI. This project still seems very fun and interesting to me. I hope that I chose a good topic that I won’t get bored of easily. I have faith that I picked a topic that will keep me engaged throughout the whole project. Below I have inserted a picture of a rapper named Meechy Darko. He is one of the rappers in a group called Flatbush Zombies. They are know for having unique lyrics and beats. I used this picture because he is giving a thumbs up. A thumbs up represents how I feel about the Genius Project at this moment.

6. Legend of Zelda?

After creating my new song (a legend of zelda remix), I started thinking about what other types of rap beats I should try to make or remix. I sampled part of the the title screen music for the original Legend Of Zelda. The Legend of Zelda remix will be called “Link’s revenge”. I want to name my track this because the main character in the Legend Of Zelda series is called Link. He is the main protagonist that tries to save the princes from the villain Ganondorf. I also want to add revenge to the title because it makes the name sound more appealing if someone were to scroll by it or stumble upon it. After all, the more views I am able to get on my soundcloud page, the more followers and fans I will be able to get. I want to get a loyal fanbase because then if I ever wanted to sell my beats then I would already have customers willing to purchase my tracks. Selling original beats and productions can make some talented producers large amounts of money. Some popular producers sell tracks and instrumentals on websites like BeatStars for anywhere from one dollar to forty dollars. Although I am not into making beats for money, it is nice to know that I have the talent to sell my beats if I ever want to in the future. I enjoy producing music because it is very hands on and creative. It also is a way for me to express my emotions by turning it into music. I have continued to use Logic Pro X because it has proven to be the superior software. It not only is easier to use than Fl Studio, but it also has more built in instruments I can use. I am not going to go too in detail about Logic Pro X in this blogpost, although if you would like to learn more about the software then you can look at my earlier posts. Anyways, I am looking forward to finish this project and having the year come to an end. This is the last project I have to do before I finish 10th grade. Is that not a crazy thought? Hopefully the audience likes my mixtape and wants more of my original beats. Below is an image of Link playing the spirit flute from The Legend Of Zelda. I will use different pictures for all of my tracks in order to help people differentiate which track is which. Thank you for your time and see you in the next blog post!
                                     

5. Making progress!

Hey Neal here and i just wanted to keep you guys up to date on what I have been working on. I am currently making great progress on my Genius Project. I have started making the beats that are going in my final mixtape. I am still trying to find a name for my new song. I am thinking of something along the lines of "Choppa". I am also starting to learn how to use the the software better. The settings and actual uses of the program. I am still deciding on wether or not to use a keyboard MIDI or to use the one built in to the software. A keyboard MIDI is a external keyboard with a drumpad that plugs into your computer. With the midi plugged into your computer it makes it easier to record and make music that sounds consistent. I still have a lot of work to do regarding making the actual beats. I want to make multiple songs that go on a mixtape that I will upload to Soundcloud. I have only begun making my second beat. The first song is a trap style beat. Trap is a type of rap that started in the slums and has made its way to people all over the United States. I am feeling great about the project so far. I am a little stressed though with how much work it takes to produce music. The first song that I made took me a little over 3 hours in total. Although some of that time was spent learning the software, it still took a very long time. Even professional producers like Dr.Dre, Sonny Digital, and Young Chop take hours in the studio to make a professional and radio-worthy beat. You can usually tell when a song is going to go viral by the beat. If a song's beat makes you want to jump up and down and dance then chances are it is going to be big on the radio soon. I have had to make some changes to my original plan. I planned that I would make my music using Fl Studio, although I recently got a mac and started using Garageband. Garageband seemed much easier to use than Fl Studio. It is much more beginner friendly than its counterpart. Below I have linked a tutorial that I want to base my second song on. I want to make it sound similar but not exactly the same.

2. Proposal and Pitch

So far so good! I am on track and making progress on my project. My proposal for the project is to make multiple types of rap and hip hop beats and put them into a mix tape. I want to also upload the mix tape online to a music streaming service like Soundcloud. That will make my mix tape available to anyone in the world that wants to listen to it. My public pitch video went great. I was able to show why I am a good candidate to explore this topic. I think that I am a good candidate because I have a good taste in rap. I always know immediately if something sounds good or bad. For my project, I am planning on using beat making software to create my tracks. After doing a lot of research the best free beat making software I decided on one. I chose FL Studio 12 for many reasons. One reason is because it is very user friendly. It is forgiving to beginners and people who are unfamiliar with music making software. I would have liked to use Logic Pro X because it is the ultimate DAW. The word DAW stands for a Digital Audio Workstation. This is software that you can use to edit and create different sounds. While FL is good for doing things like creating average beats, Logic Pro X can make better beats because of the larger library of virtual instruments. Virtual Instruments are exactly what they sound like. It is when you can pick an instrument like a piano for example, and play it virtually using your keyboard or a MIDI. I also want to buy a MIDI so that I can be more efficient and accurate when I am playing virtual instruments. Currently I am using the keyboard on my macbook, and while that works well, I would prefer to use a MIDI so that it is more natural and easy to play. Keyboard MIDI’s are much more practical and easier to use than using a laptop keyboard. Going back to my proposal, I think that it clearly states what I am doing for my project and how I am going to do it. I hope that this blog post clears up any confusion you may have had about my project. If you still do not understand or would simply just like to view what I will do you can click the video below. The Video is my Public Pitch to let the audience know what I will be doing.

1. Intro to the Project

Hi, my name is Neal and my school is participating in the Genius Hour Project.  I have decided that due to my love of rap music I want to learn how to produce rap beats. I am very excited to start producing and creating my own tracks. Rap is a very big part of the Bay Area music and culture. Many successful rappers like Mac Dre, E-40, MC Hammer, and G-Eazy have come from the Bay Area. After doing some research, I found out that producing beats is quite simple to learn but hard to master. I also found out people sell beats to artist who need a track to put the lyrics over. I want to be able to make a track for multiple styles of rap. For example I want to make tracks showing drill rap, old school rap, and underground hip hop. I feel that this sample of the genres of rap shows the diversity of hip hop. I want to focus on rap specifically because I feel that it is generally portrayed as swearing and crime when it really is poetry with a beat. Producing beats in the 80's consisted of sampling records and using a turntable to create sound effects. Producing modern tracks consists of using soundboards and instruments to make unique sounds. I am still deciding if I should create my music by recording instruments or using pre-made beats found online. The pre-made beats can be found online on websites such as Beatstars or Sound cloud. You can find thousands of free sounds online. The basic drill rap beats consists of lots of bass, some hi hat, and no high vocals. The final mix tape that I make will be uploaded to Sound Cloud. I need to make all of my beats original and creative because a lot of drill rap for example sounds exactly the same. My beats should be easily recognized. I also want to have a trademark or catchphrase that I wanna play before the song starts. For example, I can say something like "DJ Neal, The best producer in the bay area". This will let people know that they are listening to one of my songs. My songs should sound original an unique. In order to create the tracks in need to use a soundboard and computer software. Some software like Garage Band has a built in synthesizer and keyboard. I can make the beats that way easily. I am excited to get started and dive right into this project!