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A Daunting Transition

Overview

Challenges make a journey rewarding. I, like many, encountered tasks in my placement that I initially struggled with. The one that stands out the most to me was getting used to a new digital audio workstation (DAW) that I had never used before. To learn about the improvement in this area of my placement, I will undergo the process of reflection. This was alluded to in the book Reflection, turning experience into learning, edited by David Boud, Rosemary Keogh, and David Walker, in Chapter 4 titled “Debriefing in Experience-Based Learning.” The authors describe the term ‘debriefing’ as, “that phase in experience-based learning where purposeful reflection by an individual or group takes place.” (Boud et al. 1985)

Likewise to the term ‘Debriefing’ following the structure of a reflective model can help dissect any challenging experience encountered in a workplace. Consequently, I will be following the Gibbs’ reflective learning cycle to achieve this reflection.

Description and Feelings

As shown in the image above, each stage helps to break down into detail the event that occurred. I will begin with the description and feelings. Coming into my placement working as a Music and Sound Assistant for the company Score Draw Music, I was excited to develop new skills in composition and sound design. Having studied composition at university for two years prior, I believed I had a fair amount of knowledge in this area. Bear in mind that this knowledge was only accumulated using a completely different digital audio workstation, or DAW. The DAW I use (Ableton Live) and the one used in the workplace (Cubase) are both put into comparison in the images below:


Ableton Live Interface

Cubase Interface

As you can see, both have similarities like many DAWs. However, some people who compose music will know that learning to work on a new DAW is like learning a new language. It takes time, patience and preparation to achieve fluency in software like both of these. When I first began working on Cubase in the placement, I felt anxious and stressed because I was given a task to complete in a certain amount of time and not being ‘a natural’ in using this software was going to be a hindrance.

The initial task included composing an Irish jig around a recorded flute melody. So, I began using trial and error to see what I could initially find that I liked the sound of on Cubase. After the day was over, I went home that night onto the website Steinberg.net and found the title: 

“LEARN CUBASE WITH IN-DEPTH VIDEO TUTORIALS”

From this website, I was able to watch 7 videos on beginner cubase work to give me sufficient knowledge. These videos helped me find the whereabouts of instruments and enhancements I wanted to include which made the transition to this new DAW less daunting. Luckily my previous knowledge in music composition from Ableton helped with using audio effects because I was familiar with names such as reverb and compression. I felt much more at ease after practicing using Cubase and watching tutorials. If a certain part of the tutorial did not make sense to me, I was able to communicate with my fellow workers in Score Draw Music who put me on the correct path.

Evaluation and Analysis

The Positives: 

  • Learning new software has helped boost my repertoire. I can now comfortably compose on 3 different DAWs which can boost my chances of being employed by a music production company. 
  • I was able to independently discover techniques to help complete the task. It was only when I felt something was not explained properly did I ask a coworker for directions.

The Negatives:

  • Because I am still familiarising myself with Cubase, the tasks take longer than needed to complete. 
  • The feedback I have received always refers to the fact that I need to push myself further to make my compositions more dynamic as I am still finding where every enhancement is on the software and what it does.

The positive outcomes are a result of me taking the initiative to learn Cubase outside of work hours. I put my knowledge to the test each time I used the software and gradually noticed myself becoming more fluid with my workflow. The negative outcomes are a result of the fear that I could overwork a piece of music and ruin the entire composition. Additionally, the strenuous amount of work to learn new software and compose an entire piece causes me to lose motivation easily and get distracted by something else. However, this can be combated over time.

Conclusion and Action Plan

I am happy with how I overcame this challenge. Instead of banging out a plain, uninspiring composition due to a lack of knowledge from Cubase, I researched more about the software and found it to be exciting to learn and easy to find common ground with the DAW that I use. I know now how important it is to find out what software a company uses before you begin working for them. If you have this knowledge you can create music with fellow composers in the workplace and you’re already off to a good start. In terms of the music I created, the feedback I was given had constructive criticism included which can now prepare me to make an action plan to avoid facing this challenge in the future. I am glad I was given critiques to fill out my composition more and make it sound richer because knowing this for future projects can help me succeed in this field. “The primary motive to produce a project should be a love for music,” (Zager, 2011) is a quote from Music Production : For Producers, Composers, Arrangers, and Students by Michael Zager. This bluntly states why I should not lose motivation during a compositional task if I am working on something that I enjoy and aspire to do for the rest of my life. 

Bibliography:

Boud, D., Keogh, R. and Walker, D. (1985) Reflection, turning experience into learning. Kogan Page. Available at: https://search-ebscohost-com.queens.ezp1.qub.ac.uk/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat02616a&AN=qub.b18994799&site=eds-live&scope=site (Accessed: 1 April 2022).
Zager, M (2011) Music Production : For Producers, Composers, Arrangers, and Students, Scarecrow Press, Blue Ridge Summit. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [1 April 2022].

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