Design Stage: Songsmith Unit

In this Unit's design stage, you will develop two different possibilities or demontrations using any two different music software.

Each demonstration will;
- Last between 30-60 seconds
- apply most of the techniques and styles available in the software
- You have the option of either adding lyrics or not
- All the beats generated must be original and not editted from other songs


After the two demonstration development is completed, you will be required to write a detailed report comparing the two softwares used.(ONLY IN LESS THAN TWO PAGES)

- Describe the advantages of each software ( write this in two paragraphs)
- Describe the disadvantages of each software( write this in two paragraphs)
- Describe the similarities of the two softwares(write this in one paragraph)
- Explain how & which software meets your design specs mentioned in the investigate stage( write this in one paragraph)
-Justify your choice: From the two softwares used, which one will you use to create your final product and why?(Write this in one paragraph )

Any references and sources should use the APA standard referencing style and should be shown at the end of the last page.

APA Citation Activity

Go thro the following information in the following link

http://citationcenter.net/style_guides.php5?page=apa


Write different references using the citation genrator below

http://citationcenter.net/ctool.php5

Answer the APA citation activity in the following link

http://library.sullivan.edu/old/CSS/APAquizpp1_files/frame.htm

Investigate Stage: Songsmith Unit

Please respond to the following activities in word word ensuring that it does not exceed 5 pages of font 12 Times New Roman. Keeping a process journal will be compulsory. Ensure that entries are made to process journal and carry it with you for checking in all the CT lessons.

Introduction
Music software has been used to produce music for different situations. Many issues in our society have been addressed through the power of music. The use of music software therefore has made it easy to produce music of high quality and solved the address the many problems of the society.


Problem Description:
In this unit you will be a music producer and you will be tasked with the problem of using any music software to produce music for your client or a group of clients.
a) Identify and describe what your clients problem is. (200 words).
- Who have you identified as your client?
- What issue is to be addressed as stated by the client?
- How is the problem addressed currently in the society?
- What challenges are faced by your client/clients currently before the IT solution is introduced? Give examples where possible.

b) Design Brief: (100 words)
• What will you create to address the problem identified above?
• Why do you think this is the best solution?
• What is your motivation in using this IT solution?
• What are the benefits/advantages of creating the stated product?

c) Secondary Research
For our better understanding of software use in music production, an indepth research should carried out. In your research, all sources must be written in the standard APA format of citation ( see examples of citations in http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_apa_format_examples.shtml ). I will expect to see the following sources for your research.
- 6 Internet sources.
- 3 Books sources.
- 2 Newspaper sources
- 2 Magazine sources.

Below are some areas of research expected. Each information obtained should be summarized or written as briefly as possible with sub-headings.

- Who was the producer, what was the software used to produce the first song using music software?
- What are the different music production software in the market?
- What are the steps taken when producing music, using music software?
- What are the benefits of using producing music using music software?
-What are the disadvantages of using music software in music production?
- What are the different careers/jobs created by the introduction of music software?
-What careers/jobs have been lost or in danger of disappearing as a result of introducing music software?
-What are the different techniques and styles that can be achieved using music software?
-What policies and laws have been in place in regards to software usage in music production?
-Name some online training companies that train how to use music software and discuss their impact.



d) Primary Research
Interview/ Questionnaire: Part of data collection involves primary data collection. You will carry out an interview to establish the impact of producing music using music software . (Your interview document should have the following headings: Name of the interviewed, his/ her position, place of interview and date)
- Identify a person within school or outside who has produced music or will produce music.
- Develop 10 open ended questions that you will need to ask.
- Set an appointment and interview that person or use a questionnaire
- Write down all the responses from the interview process or summarize the responses from the questionaire.

e) Design Specification
Design specification describes the details of what the final product should have based on the client problem. For examples; how long with the music last? which will instruments included in product etc.

-Outline some of the design specification that we want to see in our final database product. (Minimum of 10 specs)

f) Test Strategy
Any product must tested before being handed over to the client or users.

- Describe the different strategies that you will use to test the product once it is finished.

Music Production: Case studies

Some music producers have used music software to produce music that addresses some societal problems. Research for atleast four such producers stating the following;

-the name of the producer or company
-the problem addressed
-the software used and why
-the benefits and challenges of using the software
-Any reviews from the listeners of the music

Post this on the blog and ensure that every respond is very brief,.
N/B Copy and pasting will be penelized. This work is due on 8th Dec 2010

More resources for the unit

http://www.audio-tool.net/arforfree_best_freeware_of_sound_editing_main_features.html

http://www.goodkatshare.com/kat-mp3-recorder

http://www.magix.com/us/samplitude-music-studio/detail/

The Songsmith: The Problem

You will need to brainstorm on a problem in the society that a Song production may address. Identify a client or clients that you will need to produce music for him/she/them.

Remember at the end of the day you need to solve a problem.

Download any free music production software and start working on it. You may want to download the Songsmith software produced by Microsoft and try out its features.

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/songsmith/download.html

UNIT TITLE: The Songsmith

AOI: Community & Service

AK Focus: Ethics

Unit question: How has the use of music software impacted the music production?

In this unit we will examine the impact of using music software in music production.

Your task today is to research for different music production software and compare them in terms of

• File Size
• Limitations
• merits of the software.
• Whether is suitable for MAC or PC
• Editting

Post all your finding in this blog.

Evaluate stage : Banking Data

The evaluate stage is due 24th Nov 2010. Always refer to the assessment rubric when responding to this task

You are expected to evaluate the product/solution against the design specification in an objective manner based on testing, and to evaluate its impact on life, society and/or the environment.

You are expected to explain how the product/solution could be improved as a result of these evaluations.

Students are expected to evaluate their own performance at each stage of the design cycle and to suggest ways in which their performance could be improved.

Please use the questions as a guide to your evaluate stage.

a) How did you perform in each stage of the design cycle? What were your strengths and what were your weakness? How did you address your weekness? How did the results of testing help you? (100 words minimum)


b) What are some of the improvements that you would make to your product following the feedback from testing?

c) what were the views of the client? and How did or will the database impact on your client? What were the strengths and weakness of using the database as stated by your client? (70 words minimum)

d)Which stage of the design cycle did you perform well and which stage did you perform poorly and what were your reasons? How did solve those weakness as a student? (70 words Minimum)

e) Reflect on one the area of interaction: How does the database created relate to the Area of interaction? What are the strengths and weakness of using database in the stated area of interaction? (60 words Minimum)