Caleb Dorsch

Annie Hendrick
Ryan Lienesch

DCC Capstone Proposal:

Progress Poets Debut Album Creation

PROJECT MAIN IDEA

Our capstone project pursues several goals in the realm of digital media. Our group aims to produce a complete album experience utilizing digital technologies. Not only do [...]]]> Bryant O’Brien

Caleb Dorsch

Annie Hendrick
Ryan Lienesch

DCC Capstone Proposal:

Progress Poets Debut Album Creation

PROJECT MAIN IDEA

Our capstone project pursues several goals in the realm of digital media. Our group aims to produce a complete album experience utilizing digital technologies. Not only do we wish to produce several musical compositions compiled into an album, but also create an image for our project in the form of album art, posters, and a documentary highlighting the production process.

PROJECT FORMAT

The result of the project will take the form of a produced album, art, posters, and a documentary. The album will consist of 7+ songs implementing digital software technologies as well as the musical talents of our group. Drawing inspiration from the lyrics and emotion of our music, we will create album art that will attempt to reflect the same feeling of the music we produce. The documentary will provide coverage of our journey to the completed product. With so many digital technologies at our disposal, we are attempting to explore and fuse the multitude of creative outlets we have been exposed to throughout our lives and especially DCC. We are not placing an emphasis on one aspect over another, but striving for a balanced project in which each element contributes to the overall meaning and effect of the piece.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

We chose to collaborate on this creative endeavor because each group member possesses a different skill that we thought would appropriately complement one another. The four of us have developed a strong friendship that we knew would allow us to be honest and motivating to one another along the process. We each wanted a final capstone project that would be enjoyable, challenging, and rewarding. The outcome of our desires was this project.

The Album

The album will most likely contain between 7-14 original compositions which will be the work of the four group members. We do not know the direction or genre of the music as it depends on the feeling once the lyrics are written. However, we do know we will incorporate both original acoustic instruments, and digital instruments from software such as Garageband, Audacity, and Ableton Live. The smooth composition of the two types of instruments is inspired by bands such as Imagine Dragons and Two Door Cinema Club. The album we be mastered and placed onto a CD with possible CD art as well depending on our budget and/or time to implement our creative ideas.
The set-up of our band will most likely consist of Bryant with lead vocals, Ryan with vocals and ukulele, and Caleb with guitar/bass and probably every other instrument we will use. Due to each member currently learning the Garageband/Audacity programs, we plan to all contribute in creating and playing the digital instruments for each song. The album will be recorded primarily with the DCC and MITH audio recording equipment as we know staff from both programs well.

The Artwork (Annie)

The artwork for this project will be a result of the musical component. We are still seeing where the emotion within the music leads us, but one idea for album artwork includes song lyrics on pages with descriptive and telling backgrounds and images that encapsulate the reader and listener and provide them with an understanding of the feeling in the piece. We also want to have an album cover that reflects all of our personalities and what individually intrigues us. I will be responsible for working with us through the artwork, getting the group’s feedback and giving them new material to critique.

The Video Component (Annie)

The video component of the project will consist of different segments. Not only will the video capture creative developing/recording of the music, but also insight to the minds of each group member.  We don’t expect the project to run 100% smoothly, and we want to capture each moment. Instead of a full documentary, I will be aiming to create a “behind the scenes” music video, which will include description of the creative process as well as actual clips of the music video and singing. This will be a more manageable task to take on since I am still learning how to shoot and edit video. If it doesn’t take long, we plan to make multiple music videos/behind the scenes videos.

Skills and Tools (Annie)

I will mainly be producing the visual components of our capstone project, which includes album artwork and design as well as the documentary. In terms of the design work, I will be using programs such as Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator to create digital artwork. I worked with some of the Adobe Suite in high school, and I took ARTT255 where I learned more of the skills and tools that I need to effectively use these programs. In terms of the filming, ARTT255 also provided me with an overview of video editing software such as Adobe Premiere. I have worked in iMovie and Premiere before, but my projects have not been as extensive as this project will hopefully be. I am expecting to learn throughout the process and I know I have DCC mentors I can turn to for advice and information. I have already checked out the DCC video camera in order to become more familiar with the basic functions of how the camera works.
I will be actively working with my other group members in order to receive their feedback and criticism regarding the design, since it is a reflection of the musical component of our capstone project. I am looking forward to incorporating their creative ideas so that I can produce something that is a product of all of our imaginations. And although I predict I will be doing most of the filming for the project, I will share my knowledge with other group members so we all have a chance to work within multiple medias.
Although I will be focusing on the visual aspect of this project more than the musical part, I hope to be able to contribute to things such as songwriting and editing, as my other major is English and I enjoy creative writing. I expect to be doing things to more of that nature when it comes to the music production, but I am currently enrolled in HDCC208E (Digital Music and Sound) in which I am learning many skills, tools, and programs that will aid in digital music production.

Skills and Tools (Ryan)

Although it was mentioned how each member would be assisting the project above, there are a few ways that I would add my skills to the mix. As previously stated, I would be adding my voice as a backup vocal to help give songs a more full sound. I’ve been in choruses and musicals my whole life, and I’m excited to finally get my voice into a project I can listen to over and over. I’ve also been attempting to learn how to play the ukulele, and by the time we start writing the music, I’ll hopefully have enough skill at it to lend that extra acoustic sound.
There are a few more ways as well. I’ve been writing songs since I was in high school, and it’s something I very much enjoy. I know I’ll be good at writing the lyrics and then being able to find the instruments/sounds that truly capture the emotion of the song. I’ve also been learning how to use basic music editing programs. I know I’ll be playing a major role in the editing of songs once the music is recorded. I have a pretty good musical ear and will enjoy playing around with the songs to create something fun and interesting.
Aside from all that, I’m just excited to work on a project that really stretches our abilities and sets such a high bar. I’m totally a team player, and I know we’ll work together really well to create something amazing.

Skills and Tools (Bryant)

I will be contributing to this project mostly with vocals, song creation, and simple guitar playing alongside with Caleb. However, I can also offer several different things. Networking within different groups is one thing I can offer our group. Having access to some popular and influential members such as the people on the cheerleading team, I can easily spread the word about our music.

As I said, I have been playing the guitar for a couple of months now, and have started writing simple finger-picking progressions that are definitely good starts to songs which Caleb is assisting in making a fuller sound from them. I also enjoy writing lyrics as much as Ryan and Caleb do, and I think we each give songs a unique feel, which is important when trying to make a progressive and evolving sound, not just a stereotypical genre. As with any band, the lead vocals assumes a large responsibility for the sound of the music, and I believe both my training in choir and performances throughout my life will help stage us for success in the recording process.

The writing of lyrics will probably be the most difficult skill to both exercise and develop. The ability to manipulate words to convey a fresh idea with so much emotion while still being rhythmically appealing is definitely difficult. Luckily, creative processes do not have to be the sole act of one person, so Annie’s experience with poetry and her ability to write in general should help.The ability to produce digital music is a skill I am readily developing. Not only have I been personally experimenting with the Garageband app for iPad but I also learned valuable skills in Audacity and Ableton Live from HDCC208. I have been able to create a mix from samples already, and catchy samples are not difficult to find or manipulate. Professor Rodgers has also been a valuable tool because she knows of our capstone, and has placed me in helpful groups throughout last semester, such as the Vocal Group for recording samples. Being in the Vocal Group I learned how to record and maximize the pick-up pattern of a mic, the importance of the acoustics of the room, and the importance of recording at the proper clarity and levels. I am extremely excited to have fun with my friends in producing this album.

Skills and Tools – Caleb Dorsch

As the only member of the group that is primarily trained in performing multiple instruments, I will lend my guitar and bass performances to the album. I also have a moderate grasp on music theory, which will be used to lead the group in the construction of the songs. My plan is to purchase Pro Tools 10 recording software by Christmas time and use that as the primary method of recording, as I already have experience with the software. In the event that this would not work out, any and all recording software that DCC is in possession of would still be of great service.

One of my main focuses during this project (in addition to performance) will be to research and increase my knowledge on the subject of audio engineering. Since it is not a field of study that the University of Maryland offers as a major or minor, I would love to learn about it while I am here. This would encompass both the mixing and mastering processes as well as different mic-ing techniques. Some of this knowledge has been already learned in Professor

Rodgers’s Digital Music and Sound class, but I would love to learn more. There are also a variety of digital instruments available on the iPad that I would love to experiment with, given that they fit the sound we’re looking for.

Although I will have the ProTools software, a quiet recording space may be required to ensure the best performances can be captured. I have experimented with sound recording in my dorm room and was quite surprised with the result, but certain sounds may require a different environment when recording. As mentioned above, DCC/MITH audio recording equipment may be required as I may not have the funds to purchase an interface or high-quality microphones after the purchase of Pro Tools 10.