The Module
Throughout this module, I have learned how to work and perform in groups and as a solo artist as well as how to setup equipment and use the sound desk to a certain extent. During the first semester of this year, we worked in groups to practice for a group performance, we then worked in duets to build our confidence before we began performing as solo artists.
We also worked a lot on the health and safety aspects of setting up sound equipment which includes knowing that wires should be around the sides of the room and often taped down leading to the sound desk to avoid performers or technicians falling over them as well as knowing to coil excess wire so no one trips over them. It is also important that all the equipment is set up correctly to avoid anything falling on top of the performers or technicians etc. Another thing is to ensure that all levels should be turned down when the speakers are turned on or off to avoid putting anyone in danger of losing their hearing to the sudden loud noise they can make.
2/4/2019- ‘Fags N’ Booze’
For this performance, I first of all introduced myself and my song which is called ‘Fags N’ Booze’ which follows a simple verse chorus structure. Overall, this performance was decent but could have been improved in terms of preparation. My vocals were relatively weak especially when they cracked a few times on the higher notes, but with more vocal warmups before the performance, I would have been more accurate in terms of vocal pitch and power.
I accompanied my vocals with electroacoustic guitar which was plugged into the DI box. I feel I played the guitar quite well maintaining a steady tempo throughout, however, with more practice in my spare time, the guitar playing would have been cleaner and more tight without any little mistakes. The audience consisted of a few class mates, the technician and the lecturer; I was comfortable around these people so performed confidently. I was also comfortable with playing the song as it was an original piece meaning I’d had plenty of practice. To improve my performance in the future, I will attempt to engage with my audience more rather than singing to myself, this will also help my performance in terms of projection.
The equipment I used includes speakers, monitors, electro-acoustic guitar, jack-lead, SM58 microphone, microphone stand, guitar stool, XLR cables and DI box which were all set up and connected to the sound desk. We had a quick sound check to see if the levels were right. Watching over my performance, I feel a little echo and reverb would have improved the overall sound.
4/5/19- ‘Baby’
I performed this song at The Old Courts in Wigan for a gig. Overall, the performance went well. The video itself was a bad recording due to the surrounding background noise as it was recorded in a public place where people talked over the music that was being performed. In terms of effects, the technician added a bit of reverb and echo on the vocals which definitely improved the sound and quality of my vocals overall.
In terms of health and safety, the fire exits were clearly labelled and lit up green around the room and rest of the building so I performed in a safe environment. The jack-lead and XLR cables were all also neatly kept on stage to avoid any fallings over.
I could’ve improved this performance again by being more organised and having a lot more practice so I felt more confident performing it to an audience. I should have warmed my vocal cords more thoroughly to enable a better sound.
7/5/19- ‘Golden Hour’
I performed ‘Golden Hour’ in the TV Broadcast Studio at university. We each had a slot booked so we could film our own original songs. The equipment and overall outcome was very professional with high quality sound recording and high definition film footage. There were around four or five cameras which were on wheels meaning they could be moved around the front half and sides of the studio to capture different angles through the lense. Here, health and safety was important as it was dark and all bags within its reach would have to be moved incase the technicians manning the cameras fell over a bag in the dark.
To improve my performance, I needed to warm my vocals up more to improve my singing voice as I sang a few flat notes and the overall sound was weaker than usual. I also need to rehearse this song more considering it was the only time I’d performed it; I realised I needed to do a lot more practice to ensure my guitar playing was a lot tighter. I was also advised from someone from Sound City to have space within the song structure for more variation as the song was very repetitive with limited change as it followed a simple verse, chorus structure with a bridge but no breaks or alternating sections.
Finally, the sound desk was in the other studio so it was important to communicate with the technicians as only they could hear when the people in the studio were ready to record.
Alice music 