How To Create A Radio Advert

To Create a radio advert you will need to use a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). The programme we used for this project was Logic Express 9.

Equipment:

- Apple Mac Mini- Apple Keyboard- Apple Mouse- Computer Display- Monitor Speakers- Line 6 MIDI Keyboard- Condenser Microphone- Pop Filter- XLR Cable- Microphone Stand- Logic Express 9Logic

Logic Express 9 is a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) sequencer and Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) Software which allows you to sequence instruments, sounds and recordings, edit vocals, mix different instruments so that you have a balanced piece of music when it is completed, as well as automation and Quantising.

During the creation of a radio advert you will use these tools to create an instrumental and a recording of a vocal so that it will sound professional when it is completed. The tools/features in

Monitor Speakers (Fostex)

Computer Display

Line 6 MIDI Keyboard

Apple Keyboard

Apple Mouse

Apple Mac Mini

Logic Express 9 allow you to create an audio product to a professional standard making sure everything is in time (Quantising)

Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)

Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) involves you using a piece of hardware such as a MIDI Keyboard to send signals to your computer via a USB connection. MIDI allows electronic musical instruments and computers to connect and communicate with each other. MIDI does not send sound to your computer as it only sends a signal to your computer which it converts into sound.

In the process of creating a radio advert you will use MIDI and a MIDI Keyboard to record electronic notes when using a synth or electronic piano. You will need to make sure that the input setting within Logic Express 9 is set correctly so that the signal is being received and converted into a sound file and being recorded. You can use a MIDI Keyboard to easily find a good melody or chord you like which you will use in your radio advert. This increases your workflow and makes the whole production process much easier.

Software Instrument / Audio Channels

In Logic Express 9, you can use different Software Instruments to create different sounds that you want to use. If the input of the MIDI Keyboard is correct as mentioned in the section above, then you will be able to use your MIDI Keyboard to record notes and melodies using the software instrument you have chosen. The software instruments allow you to create different sounds for a particular project so that you don't waste time changing settings on a MIDI Keyboard trying to get a desired sound.

In Logic Express 9, you can also create Audio Channels which allow to record vocals for your advert. The process of setting up the microphone and the audio channel is similar to the process of setting up a MIDI Keyboard input. You need to make sure that the input is set correctly so that the computer can receive what the microphone is picking up. Make sure that your speakers are turned

off while the microphone is on & you are recording to avoid feedback. This will allow to create a clear sounding vocal for your radio advert.

The Transport Bar

Logic Express 9 has a Transport Bar at the bottom of the software which contains the Play, Stop, Pause, Forward and Rewind, and Record functions. In the transport bar you will also find the metronome & the tempo function which is measured in BPM (Beats Per Minute). The tempo of the track can be changed using this function which will speed up or slow down your track. The metronome is a tool used to keep in time with the tempo of the track when recording using MIDI. The metronome clicks in time with the track while you are recording allowing the speed of what you are playing to fit with everything else. If you change the tempo of the track then the speed of the click of the metronome will also change.

The Inspector

The Inspector element is a feature within Logic that allows you to pan an individual audio channel/software instrument channel, adjust the volume using a fader and allows you to add inserts onto an individual track. The inserts are a helpful tool allowing you to edit an individual track without affecting other tracks. For example as it is a radio advert the audience will need to be able to clearly hear the vocals. To allow this, you can add an insert in the inspector element such as adding Channel EQ, Compression and Sample Delay to make the vocals stand out meaning you can hear them clearly.

On the inspector there are two buttons, one with an M and one with an S, that allow you to mute or solo an individual track. This is helpful as you may want to listen to vocals separately when listening for any mistakes the vocalist may have made. There is also a pan/balance knob which allows you to pan an individual track in the right or left channel.

You might also want to use the inspector element in Logic to EQ your drums or bass if the kick is too punchy or the speakers are struggling with the amount of bass. If you insert a Channel EQ setting, you can EQ the selected instrument until you are happy with the final result. You can remove these inserts at any time or bypass them to compare the difference before and after the insert is/was applied.

The Tool Box

Logic has an extensive tool box which allows you to easily make changes to recorded MIDI notes if there are any mistakes, draw in electronic notes on the piano roll and erase any notes you do not want in your advert.

Pointer Tool: The pointer tool is used to select different notes, move notes to different places on the bar, change the length of the note and select different MIDI regions. The pointer tool is one of the tools which is used the most in Logic.

Pencil Tool: The pencil tool allows you to draw in electronic notes if you do not have access to a MIDI Keyboard. Using this method means you will have to experiment with the placement of the notes and make sure that they are in time with the rest of the track.

Eraser Tool: The eraser tool is a tool which allows you to delete certain notes in the piano roll if you are not happy with them.

Velocity Tool: The velocity tool is used to change how the notes sound. The bigger the velocity, the harder a note will sound. For example if you increase the velocity of a drum note or a guitar note, it will increase the amount the drum is hit or a guitar is plucked giving it a louder and harsher sound.

These are the most common tools used in Logic when dealing with MIDI notes, however, there are more which can be seen in the screenshot of the tool box on the right.

Quantising

Quantising is the process of editing notes if there are any mistakes to make sure the notes are in time with the tempo of the track. This means that any MIDI notes will fit the track and not sound out of place because they are out of time. Quantising means that there are no imperfections in what you are making. This process means that the notes conform to a grid. Logic moves each note to the closest point on the grid.

We did not have to use this feature when making our radio advert because we used the pencil tool, as mentioned in the previous section, to draw electronic notes in and we worked out the timing ourselves. This is more complicated and could be less accurate than using quantisation so I would suggest using the quantisation method instead.

Automation

Automation is the process of creating a setting in Logic to automatically make a change to any selected track without you personally having to touch the programme. You can use automation to fade in and fade out any particular sounds at any point that you want it to using Logic as well as bypassing Channel EQs and Panning at certain points.

You may want to use automation to automatically fade out certain things if they cut off at the end so that it sounds smoother within the mix. For example this is what we did while creating our radio advert when we added a sound effect and it cut off at the end so we used automation.

Piano Roll

The piano roll is a common feature used frequently by music producers to make changes to MIDI notes, draw in and erase notes using the tool box. In the piano roll there is a full scale piano which means you can easily locate where the notes are. It is helpful to people without great keyboard/piano knowledge as in Logic it shows you where each C note is located.

During the creation of our radio advert, we used the piano roll frequently to accurately create a drum beat, guitar & piano melody in separate tracks. We made sure this was in time by using the grid pattern within the piano roll.

Evaluation

To evaluate, I think we were set this task because we were using Logic which meant we were getting used to the software while working on a project. I also think we were set this task because it is what we may get asked to do in the workplace if we were working for a company and it is realistic to the industry.

I believe this task was successful because the final product we made was produced to a professional standard using many different techniques to create a radio advert. I believe we added the correct inserts to improve the sound of the drums, the bass and the vocals creating a balanced mixed for all three versions of the radio advert.

The Logic skills I think I need to improve on is the use of more tools in the tool box such as the velocity and quantisation tools. I could also improve on my use of the MIDI keyboard to record notes within Logic instead of drawing notes in using the pencil tool.