https://soundation.com/user/jaltrumpet/track/game-hype
Soundation Project
When I began creating
my Soundation track, I never imagined writing music with an electronic
feel to it. As I explored the library of free sounds, I began creating
multiple tracks in the rock and roll, symphonic, and calypso styles. In
one of my final attempts of creating a worthy two minute project, I
chose to move to the electronic techno feel as there are many loops
focused around synthesized sounds. While there is not much inspiration
to why I wrote this piece, laying down each pre-existing track started
to remind me of a stadium jam similar to “Are You Ready For This.” The
90s jock jam started to become the framework to my final project as I
looked for MIDI sounds such as synthesizers and orchestra hits, and
digital audio files of cheering crowds to keep the stadium jam
inspiration. I wrote this composition in ABA form with elements of the B
section being heard in the A section.
Working with the
software had its ups and downs throughout the creative process. Much
like Noteflight, Soundation is also universal composition software that
can be accessed anywhere through the Internet on a personal computer.
When I first started with the software, I ran the flash version. While
the loops worked smoothly in this version, I was limited from using my
MIDI keyboard without having to download extra plugins. Switching to
the Chrome version seemed to solve this issue and I was free to explore
the use of the MIDI keyboard with this software. The MIDI capabilities
in this tool seem to be unlimited whether using a plug-and-play keyboard
or importing MIDI from an existing file. Using a keyboard became a
simple process when creating a soprano line. Much like using a keyboard
with other software there are timing and sensitivity setbacks that I
wish Soundation offered a better quantization feature. Importing MIDI
was a final minute option in my composition, as I wanted to create a
clean bass line. This allowed me to use Sibelius to write a bass line
to paste into my MIDI tracks. The use of loops became the highlight of
my composition despite its limitations due to style, tempo, and key.
While there are tools to edit tempo, the adjustments I tried to make in
previous works did not seem to line up with my composition. One of the
limitations I had was the use of recorded audio. While I wanted to
record crowds cheering, I was not allowed to use recorded audio in my
publication without upgrading versions.
I believe Soundation
and comparable DAWs are a great way for students to explore and create
music beyond the traditional music setting. There are opportunities for
lessons to be created using this tool where the teacher can lay down
pre-existing tracks using loops and the student improvise or compose a
melody over those tracks. After discovering that I can import existing
files, one way I would like to use this software is to create a team
composition between my elementary general music students and my band
students. While my elementary students may not have the musical skills
to compose using notational software, they can be creative by laying
down loops on individual tracks. From there, my band students can go
into MuseScore or Sibelius and write melodic and harmonic tracks to
paste into the composition.
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