Samuel Wright

March 6 2015
Senior Project

Compilation
The goal of my senior project was to record/produce a compilation album of the various
musical projects that my friends and I have. Home-recording is something I have been interested
in for a while but I havent had the money or motivation needed to research and buy equipment
until recently. Once I had the hardware that I needed I researched what DAW (Digital Audio
Workstation) software would be best suited for the music I wished to create. After that I was
faced with the daunting task of figuring out how to use the complicated software that I had
downloaded, and finally: making music.
When deciding what recording equipment I would need I took three things into
consideration: mobility, versatility, and price. At first I was considering getting an analog multitrack recorder as opposed to a digital recording system with my computer because I thought I
would only be recording punk rock and the simplicity of multi-track recording appealed to me.
This is a retro style of recording that I eventually want to explore, but after expanding my project
to include hip hop I decided that it would not fit my needs at this time. A digital system of
recording allows me to remix songs and produce hip hop beats more easily, as well as record and
manipulate simple recordings such as a punk rock song. The digital-recording system that I
assembled is also mobile, as I can easily fit everything I need to record (laptop, audio interface,
microphone, and cords) in my backpack.
After researching exactly what equipment I would need I was a little overwhelmed by the
estimated cost of it all. I had to get a microphone ($100), an audio interface ($100), cords ($30),
a MIDI controller ($100), and DAW software ($60-$300). Fortunately, I was able to find
everything I needed for much less at Music Go Around, a used music store on South College.
DAW stands for Digital Audio Workstation, and it is software that allows one to layer
recorded tracks, manipulate audio, and generally do everything needed to create high-quality
tracks. There are a lot of DAWs out there, and when deciding which one to purchase I took
versatility and price into account. There are free DAWs with limited capabilities ranging all the
way to $300+ DAWs that are extremely complicated. To try out my equipment I downloaded a
free DAW called Audacity. Simple software like this is definitely usable and very useful, but I
soon realized that I would need a DAW with more capabilities. After extensively reading online
forums and articles I decided that Cockus Reaper was the ideal DAW for me. The price is very
reasonable ($60), and it has all of the features that I need without being overly complicated and
overwhelming. After downloading this software I had to figure out how to use it.
The Digital Audio Workstation looked really complicated when I pulled it up on my
computer for the first time, and initially I was overwhelmed. I began experimenting with the
software, watching Youtube videos, and reading forums to get a better understanding of the

software and how to use it. I was soon able to use the DAW to make music, but Im still figuring
out how to do new things all of the time.

Initially the goal of my senior project was to record an album with Witchdoctor, the
punk/metal band that I play guitar in. We have played a few shows opening for other bands at the
Art Lab, and we have a short albums worth of original material. As I began experimenting with
my recording software, though, I found great enjoyment in producing hip hop beats and other
sample-based music. I then revised my projects goals to include a broader range of music styles
and artists, and shifted my focus to more on production.
Before this winter I was not familiar with making hip hop beats and other sample-based
music but I have friends who have been doing it for a while. Over the last few months I have
learned a lot about different ways to manipulate and remix samples and add drum loops. One of
the techniques that I have been using is called chopping and screwing. This is a remixing
technique that originated in Houstons hip hop scene in the 1990s. The style was pioneered by
DJ Screw and uses techniques such as slowing the audio to 60-80 beats per minute, skipping
beats, and record scratches. DJ Screws signature technique was playing two of the same record
at the same time with a delay of one beat between them, and then quickly moving the crossfader
back in forth. This creates the effect of a record skip, but the songs tempo would stay the same.
In the last few years chopping and screwing has been utilized in the creation of a new style of
music called vaporwave. Typically vaporwave features samples from 80s dance music, lounge,
new age, and funk, and is slowed down and altered in the classic chopped and screwed fashion.
Vaporwave is also an internet subculture and art movement similar to cyberpunk that has been
taken as a satirical critique of capitalism and yuppie culture. A lot of the music in my compilation
draws inspiration from this genre, as well as classic hip hop and trap. In addition to these
electronically produced tracks I have included some songs that I recorded with Witchdoctor.
The style of music that we play is not about good sound quality and tight performances.
We wanted to put an emphasis on emotion and the rawness of the noise in our songs and chose to
record in an unusual way that is intentionally low quality. Rather than recording every
instrument separately and layering the tracks we decided to place one microphone between the
drums and guitar, and one microphone about 4 feet in front of the vocalist and then play together
and record together. This made it so I had some control over the vocal level, but we could still
capture the intensity of a live performance.
Finally, some of the contributions to my compilation album were recorded with
individual tracks for each of the instruments. This is one of the most common ways of recording
music. I also added effects to these songs using virtual instruments and my MIDI controller. This
is a technique that I would like to become more familiar with, and maybe start to record my own
sounds to use in my electronic music.
As you can see, there is an extremely wide variety of musical styles on my compilation
album. This is a representation of the wide range of musical inspirations I have. I plan on
continuing to make music and collaborating with my friends, and Witchdoctor has more shows

planned at the Art Lab. Next year I will be taking music classes at Front Range to improve my
production skills and learn more about music theory. I chose this topic because it is something
that I really care about, and now that I have the equipment and basic knowledge to record music
I know that this is only the beginning.

References
Harper, Adam (December 5, 2013). "Pattern Recognition Vol. 8.5: The Year in Vaporwave".
"Givin It To Ya Slow: DJ Screw interview from RapPages (1995)", Press Rewind If I Haven't.
"Chopped & Screwed: A History:", MTV.com.