Pre-production Stage:

PROJECT CONCEPT STATEMENT

Out of all the various mediums of art available to man, music production is still an area that I have deliberately left untouched. I had a strong belief then that dissecting the frog means killing it — if I study music just like I did with various mediums, my sense of wonder when listening to my favorite artists may change into something else entirely. Setting my feelings aside, however, MMS 172 had given me the opportunity to explore this uncharted territory along with a deep dive into multimedia audio products. 

As such, I will produce a cover of Cherry Wine by Grentperez for my final project. 

It will be my first time playing the guitar and consequently singing (sadly, my treasured Karaoke memories do not count). Not only did I choose this project to further grow my craft as an artist but the song itself is a reflection of my present state of mind — and to someone else. 

Instead of creating original music from scratch, I opt to do a cover instead. This is because in between learning how to sing and playing an instrument, creating your own piece is an entirely different ballgame. Given the short amount of time provided for the final project, an original piece is possible but it will definitely suck ass. As such, it is wise for me to do a cover instead. 

I am both equally terrified and excited as I embark on something that I would label as "new." I will be discussing below how I plan to tackle this project that I deliberately chose to be in.

PROJECT PLAN

The project can be divided into two main phases:

1. LEARNING PHASE
   The learning phase consists of learning how to play the guitar, how to sing, and mastering DaVinci Resolve Studio's Fairlight program. Upon writing this message, I had already enrolled myself in an online course teaching both guitar and singing fundamentals (Skillshare). I will utilize these online classes as a starting point for learning and then reach out to my musician friends to get further advice and coaching. 

Overall, I'm prioritizing learning the skills needed for the final project in the first three weeks, then continue practicing it until I eventually hit record for the production phase.

I still believe that DaVinci Resolve Studio is more than enough to handle a simple guitar cover. However, should I find the program lacking, I will consider using a Digital Audio Workstation for the project. For the DAW of choice, I am opting for industry-standard programs to future-proof the skills I will learn (e.g., Avid Pro Tools or Steinberg Cubase).

2. PRODUCTION PHASE
   The production phase will be accomplished in a single week. A single day will be allotted for recording and then the remaining four days until the deadline will be utilized for post. The cover will be immediately uploaded once I have successfully produced a quality cover of Cherry Wine by Grentperez.

LOGISTICS

MMS 172 Assignment 2: Pre-production