Introduction

For my senior thesis, I will be creating a 10 track mixtape entitled Sincerely (stylized as sincerely,). The project will be composed of multiple different artistic elements which include in-studio music-related work, graphic design experience, and a better understanding of shooting and editing video. This project is a collaborative piece with fellow TCNJ students as well as musicians and artists from the Willingboro and South Jersey area. The idea of sincerely, comes from my passion for music and desire to break into the music scene and entertainment industry. A project on this scale has been a thought of mine for the better part of a few years, and now after taking all the courses Interactive Multimedia offers in this field, my interning experience, networking, and at-home practice, I feel that I am capable of putting something like this together. I am incredibly excited to see the final version of this come to life and be released onto the world. The fact that it will go from a small idea in my head into the phones and ears of everybody listening in inspires and drives me to complete it as best as I can. The listeners I am hoping to reach music lovers in general with this project. The niche market I am that I am aiming for, however, is the underground rap fans of music who enjoy conceptual and storytelling works of art. I believe that while my creation may find a place with a specific group of people, it will still be easily accessible for all to enjoy. This is the primary reason why I believe there will be people interested in my LP. It’s not too often we find an album that follows a specific structure and tells a story. The most recent example we had of something like this was Tyler, The Creator’s latest project IGOR. His project was not only a breath of fresh air, it scratched an itch that not most people thought they had. While each song is able to easily stand on its own, when played in the order it was meant to be consumed in, it tells an ongoing and failing story of a relationship. While my project does not depict a specific relationship, it focuses on something that is just as easy to relate to, a coming of age tale. This LP sees me recall the past while hoping for a brighter future for my friends, family, township and myself. In each track, an aspect of my life will be portrayed in a professional and creative way. By being the executive director on the project, I am allowing myself to be the primary creative force pushing the album forward. However, I am also gaining valuable professional experience by collaborating with fellow artists in multiple art fields. Almost every single endeavor within the music industry is one that must follow be both professional and creative. For your work to be respected it must be professional. However, you can not sacrifice uniqueness and what makes your piece interesting for the sake of it being accepted by the masses.

Context

(SECTION UNDERCONTRUSTION)

Technical Strategy

Software

The mixtape will be recorded, produced, mixed and mastered within Logic Pro X primarily. Some aspects may require me to use Pro Tools or FL Studio depending on who I am working with and the scope of the specific track. Within any of the multiple DAWs I may be using, the consistent aspect in each are the plugins I will be using. These include but are not limited to: reverb, delay, distortion, retro-color amongst many more. For the visual aspect of the project, the promotional/music video, I will be using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to create the accompanying artwork for the LP in collaboration with Chance Gayles (a fellow IMM student and a very close friend and contemporary of mine for the past 8 years). Finally, the promotional/music video will be edited in Adobe Premiere Pro. This portion of the project will be assisted by Risha Mody and Sarah Witty. They are two fantastic film creators that I have gotten close with during my time here at TCNJ.

Hardware

Most of the thesis will be based around my MacBook Pro and an external hard drive. However, I will be using several different microphones such as condenser and dynamic in order to record vocals and instruments. Speaking of instruments, pianos, guitars, and drums will either be recorded or sampled in most if not all of the listed tracks. And finally, a small video camera will be used to record the promo video and my iPhone 8 is going to come in handy to document some of the progress.

Skills

I  have experience in working with most of the previous software stated earlier, with that either being the DAWs, plugins and some of the applications within the Adobe Suite. I know my way around the piano and I am currently relearning the guitar. In aspects I lack, I am outsourcing aid from fellow students, friends, and people from the South Jersey area. My senior thesis is not just a passion project either, it is also a longe learning experience. While I have some knowledge of mixing and arranging, this aspect of engineering continues to elude me. The senior thesis gives me plenty of time to gain a better understanding of these aspects, learn new tactics, pick up more efficient habits, and overall improve as a producer and hone my skills.

Aesthetic Strategy

The visuals and sonics will be influencing each other in order for the entire project to feel as cohesive as possible. While other people may have a say in how an element may be working, and how it could possibly work better, I will have the final say on how each element of the project will be executed. I also have a rough outline of how I want the project to be portrayed, so my goal is to use that initial concept as a blueprint for the next few months.