Timothy	
  M.	
  Shull,	
  Jr.	
  
	
  

Berklee	
  College	
  of	
  Music	
  
Valencia	
  Campus	
  
	
  
Music	
  Technology	
  Innovation	
  
	
  
Master’s	
  Culminating	
  Experience	
  
	
  

	
  

Introduction	
  

	
  

My	
  time	
  at	
  Berklee	
  Valencia	
  has	
  been	
  one	
  filled	
  with	
  personal	
  growth	
  as	
  a	
  musician,	
  
a	
  technologist,	
  as	
  a	
  creative	
  artist	
  and	
  as	
  an	
  individual	
  in	
  relationship	
  to	
  the	
  world	
  
around	
  me.	
  	
  The	
  four	
  years	
  prior	
  to	
  my	
  time	
  here	
  were	
  characterized	
  by	
  a	
  struggle	
  
with	
  music	
  that	
  grew	
  out	
  of	
  personal	
  hardships	
  and	
  resulted	
  in	
  both	
  creative	
  anxiety	
  
and	
  performance	
  anxiety	
  and	
  ultimately	
  inactivity	
  and	
  writer’s	
  block.	
  	
  I	
  chose	
  to	
  
pursue	
  a	
  master’s	
  in	
  Music	
  Technology	
  Innovation	
  here	
  at	
  Berklee	
  Valencia	
  because	
  
I	
  felt	
  that	
  this	
  program	
  would	
  offer	
  me	
  the	
  opportunity	
  and	
  resources	
  to	
  more	
  
skillfully	
  use	
  technology	
  to	
  overcome	
  these	
  struggles.	
  	
  Originally,	
  my	
  plan	
  for	
  my	
  
Culminating	
  Experience	
  was	
  to	
  build	
  a	
  website	
  that	
  would	
  generate	
  algorithmic	
  
music	
  based	
  off	
  of	
  user	
  input.	
  	
  As	
  the	
  year	
  progressed,	
  I	
  came	
  to	
  realize	
  that	
  the	
  
Culminating	
  Experience	
  project	
  would	
  offer	
  me	
  the	
  perfect	
  opportunity	
  to	
  force	
  
myself	
  to	
  overcome	
  my	
  creative	
  anxiety	
  in	
  a	
  systematic	
  way	
  and	
  build	
  a	
  process	
  that	
  
will	
  help	
  me	
  in	
  all	
  of	
  my	
  future	
  creative	
  endeavors.	
  	
  	
  
	
  

The	
  Work	
  
It	
  is	
  for	
  this	
  reason	
  that	
  I	
  eventually	
  chose	
  to	
  change	
  from	
  my	
  originally	
  planned	
  
project	
  to	
  one	
  that	
  would	
  allow	
  me	
  to	
  focus	
  on	
  writing	
  music	
  and	
  developing	
  and	
  
refining	
  the	
  set	
  of	
  tools	
  that	
  I	
  am	
  using	
  to	
  make	
  music.	
  	
  For	
  the	
  physical	
  tools	
  that	
  I	
  
am	
  using,	
  part	
  of	
  the	
  project	
  has	
  been	
  to	
  develop	
  a	
  production	
  and	
  performance	
  
setup	
  that	
  can	
  be	
  used	
  to	
  create	
  high	
  quality	
  recordings	
  from	
  start	
  to	
  finish	
  outside	
  
of	
  a	
  studio	
  as	
  easily	
  as	
  it	
  can	
  be	
  used	
  for	
  live	
  performance.	
  	
  The	
  setup	
  that	
  I	
  have	
  
developed	
  uses	
  a	
  MacBook	
  pro	
  running	
  Ableton	
  Live,	
  Max	
  for	
  Live	
  and	
  Resolume	
  at	
  

its	
  core	
  with	
  a	
  UAD	
  Apollo	
  Twin	
  Duo	
  low	
  latency	
  thunderbolt	
  audio	
  interface	
  to	
  
process	
  incoming	
  audio	
  from	
  an	
  electric	
  guitar	
  or	
  bass	
  and	
  a	
  vocal	
  microphone	
  in	
  
real	
  time.	
  	
  For	
  MIDI	
  input,	
  sequencing	
  and	
  live	
  triggering,	
  I	
  have	
  chosen	
  to	
  use	
  the	
  
Ableton	
  Push	
  because	
  of	
  the	
  benefits	
  it	
  offers	
  as	
  a	
  powerfully	
  integrated	
  Ableton	
  
Live	
  control	
  surface.	
  	
  During	
  my	
  work,	
  I	
  have	
  used	
  this	
  setup	
  extensively	
  for	
  
recording	
  and	
  production	
  on	
  my	
  own	
  and	
  with	
  others.	
  	
  As	
  the	
  project	
  has	
  
progressed,	
  however,	
  under	
  the	
  instruction	
  of	
  my	
  advisors	
  and	
  through	
  my	
  own	
  
realizations,	
  my	
  focus	
  has	
  shifted	
  away	
  from	
  the	
  technical	
  aspects	
  of	
  the	
  setup	
  and	
  
its	
  potential.	
  	
  The	
  concentration	
  of	
  the	
  project	
  is	
  now	
  on	
  my	
  writing	
  and	
  production	
  
process	
  and	
  the	
  ways	
  that	
  I	
  am	
  using	
  these	
  tools	
  to	
  combine	
  my	
  knowledge	
  and	
  
skills	
  with	
  Ableton,	
  Max/MSP,	
  Max	
  for	
  Live,	
  Pro	
  Tools,	
  synthesis,	
  songwriting	
  and	
  
instrumental	
  performance.	
  	
  The	
  music	
  I	
  have	
  chosen	
  to	
  write	
  is	
  music	
  that	
  is	
  cross-­‐
genre	
  stylistically,	
  combining	
  elements	
  of	
  indie	
  rock,	
  hip-­‐hop	
  and	
  various	
  styles	
  of	
  
electronic	
  music.	
  	
  In	
  my	
  experience,	
  the	
  general	
  approach	
  used	
  for	
  each	
  of	
  these	
  
styles	
  of	
  music	
  is	
  very	
  different.	
  	
  Because	
  I	
  learned	
  how	
  to	
  make	
  these	
  styles	
  of	
  
music	
  in	
  very	
  separate	
  social	
  contexts	
  and	
  I	
  also	
  generally	
  enjoy	
  these	
  styles	
  of	
  
music	
  in	
  very	
  different	
  social	
  contexts,	
  joining	
  them	
  together	
  has	
  presented	
  some	
  
difficulties.	
  	
  Because	
  of	
  this,	
  I	
  have	
  spent	
  a	
  lot	
  of	
  time	
  paying	
  close	
  attention	
  to	
  which	
  
production	
  approaches	
  and	
  creative	
  techniques	
  have	
  been	
  most	
  beneficial	
  to	
  me.	
  	
  
The	
  work	
  in	
  its	
  current	
  state	
  has	
  now	
  been	
  thinned	
  down	
  to	
  the	
  production	
  of	
  three	
  
pieces	
  of	
  hybrid	
  electronic	
  music,	
  instrumental	
  music	
  and	
  songwriting,	
  with	
  
particular	
  focus	
  on	
  one	
  song.	
  	
  Each	
  song	
  has	
  presented	
  its	
  own	
  difficulties	
  and	
  been	
  
finished	
  through	
  similar	
  but	
  unique	
  approaches.	
  	
  	
  To	
  assist	
  my	
  production,	
  I	
  have	
  

also	
  developed	
  a	
  number	
  of	
  Max	
  and	
  Max	
  for	
  Live	
  patches	
  that	
  I	
  have	
  used	
  along	
  the	
  
way	
  in	
  the	
  sound	
  design	
  and	
  creative	
  process.	
  	
  	
  
	
  

Innovative	
  Aspects	
  
For	
  me,	
  the	
  most	
  innovative	
  aspect	
  of	
  this	
  project	
  is	
  the	
  production	
  approach	
  that	
  I	
  
have	
  developed	
  that	
  utilizes	
  all	
  of	
  the	
  software	
  tools	
  that	
  have	
  now	
  become	
  industry	
  
standards	
  but	
  combines	
  them	
  in	
  a	
  unique	
  way.	
  	
  This	
  attribute	
  of	
  my	
  project	
  is	
  more	
  
progressive	
  on	
  a	
  personal	
  level	
  because	
  I	
  feel	
  that	
  each	
  musician/artist	
  must	
  find	
  
their	
  own	
  path	
  and	
  negotiate	
  the	
  tools	
  they	
  are	
  using	
  in	
  their	
  own	
  different	
  way.	
  	
  In	
  
relationship	
  to	
  the	
  rest	
  of	
  the	
  world,	
  this	
  project	
  is	
  advanced	
  in	
  that	
  it	
  is	
  an	
  
interesting	
  application	
  of	
  a	
  number	
  of	
  new	
  tools	
  and	
  technologies	
  towards	
  the	
  
production	
  of	
  an	
  uncommon	
  synthesis	
  of	
  musical	
  styles.	
  	
  For	
  example,	
  many	
  people	
  
are	
  probably	
  using	
  z3ta	
  2+	
  combined	
  with	
  Ableton	
  Live,	
  but	
  to	
  increase	
  the	
  
customization	
  within	
  z3ta	
  2+,	
  I	
  modified	
  a	
  simple	
  tool	
  in	
  Max/MSP	
  to	
  be	
  able	
  to	
  
draw	
  and	
  save	
  my	
  own	
  wavetables,	
  a	
  feature	
  not	
  included	
  in	
  z3ta.	
  	
  	
  
	
  

New	
  Skills	
  Acquired	
  
The	
  main	
  skill	
  that	
  I	
  have	
  been	
  focusing	
  on	
  developing	
  for	
  the	
  past	
  few	
  months	
  is	
  the	
  
stage	
  of	
  creativity	
  in	
  music	
  that	
  comes	
  after	
  the	
  initial	
  ideation	
  phase.	
  	
  One	
  common	
  
creative	
  adage	
  is,	
  “write	
  hot,	
  edit	
  cold”.	
  	
  The	
  “edit	
  cold”	
  part	
  in	
  relationship	
  to	
  music	
  
can	
  be	
  a	
  very	
  large	
  and	
  hazy	
  phase	
  of	
  the	
  process.	
  	
  The	
  ability	
  to	
  develop	
  a	
  vision	
  for	
  
the	
  end	
  goal	
  that	
  remains	
  flexible	
  but	
  is	
  strong	
  enough	
  to	
  generate	
  a	
  plan	
  for	
  project	
  
management	
  is	
  an	
  essential	
  part	
  of	
  this	
  phase.	
  	
  Even	
  though	
  it	
  has	
  long	
  been	
  

recognized	
  as	
  such,	
  more	
  and	
  more	
  creative	
  rhetoric	
  these	
  days	
  is	
  pointing	
  towards	
  
creation	
  as	
  a	
  combinatorial	
  process	
  that	
  culls	
  various	
  sources	
  and	
  results	
  in	
  a	
  
patchwork	
  of	
  pastiches1.	
  	
  In	
  music,	
  one	
  extreme	
  of	
  this	
  spectrum	
  can	
  be	
  represented	
  
by	
  the	
  musical	
  mash-­‐ups	
  created	
  by	
  mixing	
  DJs	
  and	
  the	
  other	
  extreme	
  can	
  be	
  
represented	
  by	
  a	
  virtuosic	
  jazz	
  instrumental	
  solo	
  that	
  weaves	
  together	
  various	
  
quotations	
  from	
  any	
  number	
  of	
  sources	
  in	
  real	
  time,	
  on	
  both	
  the	
  micro-­‐	
  and	
  macro-­‐	
  
levels	
  of	
  melody.	
  	
  The	
  creative	
  process	
  that	
  I	
  have	
  developed	
  around	
  this	
  idea	
  and	
  
refined	
  during	
  the	
  course	
  of	
  this	
  project	
  is	
  one	
  that	
  takes	
  as	
  source	
  material	
  any	
  
musical	
  idea	
  that	
  I	
  have	
  generated	
  at	
  any	
  time	
  over	
  the	
  past	
  year	
  and	
  combines	
  it	
  
with	
  any	
  other	
  idea	
  made	
  during	
  this	
  time.	
  	
  This	
  process	
  is	
  then	
  iterated	
  to	
  create	
  
large	
  structures	
  and	
  repeated	
  until	
  enough	
  source	
  material	
  has	
  been	
  generated.	
  	
  
From	
  there,	
  the	
  source	
  material	
  is	
  arranged	
  and	
  re-­‐arranged	
  until	
  it	
  feels	
  complete.	
  	
  	
  
Over	
  the	
  course	
  of	
  the	
  year	
  I	
  generated	
  over	
  70	
  Ableton	
  Live	
  sessions.	
  	
  These	
  
sessions	
  varied	
  in	
  size	
  and	
  complexity	
  and	
  source.	
  	
  For	
  instance,	
  for	
  some	
  of	
  these	
  
sessions	
  I	
  worked	
  with	
  the	
  intention	
  of	
  sequencing	
  a	
  MIDI	
  drum	
  beat	
  by	
  hand	
  (i.e.	
  
not	
  playing	
  it	
  with	
  drum	
  pads,	
  but	
  drawing	
  in	
  the	
  notes)	
  that	
  sounded	
  as	
  close	
  to	
  the	
  
sound	
  of	
  a	
  real	
  drummer	
  as	
  possible.	
  	
  Some	
  were	
  created	
  during	
  collaborative	
  music	
  
production	
  sessions	
  that	
  included	
  network	
  synced	
  instances	
  of	
  Ableton	
  Live	
  
combined	
  with	
  live	
  processed	
  guitars	
  and	
  real-­‐time	
  drum	
  sequence	
  programming.	
  	
  
From	
  there,	
  once	
  I	
  had	
  amassed	
  a	
  large	
  resource	
  of	
  these	
  sessions,	
  I	
  exported	
  WAV	
  
files	
  of	
  each	
  idea	
  and	
  created	
  a	
  spreadsheet	
  with	
  information	
  including	
  key,	
  tempo,	
  
qualitative	
  descriptions	
  and	
  other	
  pertinent	
  details.	
  	
  I	
  then	
  created	
  Ableton	
  sessions	
  
and	
  combined	
  anywhere	
  from	
  3	
  to	
  7	
  ideas	
  and	
  set	
  them	
  back-­‐to-­‐back	
  to	
  listen	
  and	
  

compare.	
  	
  After	
  trying	
  different	
  combinations	
  and	
  re-­‐arranging	
  the	
  ideas,	
  I	
  began	
  
creating	
  large	
  Ableton	
  sessions	
  with	
  each	
  track	
  from	
  the	
  source	
  sessions	
  combined.	
  	
  
In	
  these	
  sessions	
  I	
  created	
  new	
  potential	
  song	
  sections	
  by	
  trying	
  out	
  combinations	
  
of	
  each	
  clip	
  in	
  Ableton’s	
  session	
  view.	
  	
  From	
  there,	
  I	
  created	
  rough	
  arrangements	
  
and	
  then	
  systematically	
  refined	
  them	
  by	
  working	
  one	
  section	
  at	
  a	
  time.	
  	
  The	
  next	
  
step	
  was	
  to	
  export	
  each	
  track	
  into	
  Pro	
  Tools	
  to	
  begin	
  mixing.	
  	
  At	
  this	
  point,	
  if	
  
necessary,	
  I	
  also	
  continued	
  the	
  process	
  of	
  adding	
  tracks	
  or	
  parts	
  until	
  the	
  mix	
  was	
  
finished.	
  	
  	
  
With	
  this	
  process,	
  I	
  can	
  very	
  easily	
  separate	
  the	
  ideation	
  stage	
  of	
  music	
  
making	
  from	
  the	
  editing	
  stage	
  of	
  music	
  making.	
  	
  The	
  reason	
  why	
  this	
  particular	
  
process	
  is	
  so	
  invaluable	
  to	
  me	
  is	
  because	
  it	
  allows	
  me	
  to	
  use	
  the	
  instantaneous	
  
inspiration	
  that	
  comes	
  from	
  free	
  improvisation	
  but	
  then	
  look	
  back	
  on	
  it	
  from	
  a	
  
macro-­‐view	
  and	
  find	
  new	
  associations,	
  ultimately	
  refining	
  the	
  work	
  and	
  smoothing	
  
out	
  the	
  rough	
  edges.	
  	
  To	
  explicitly	
  state	
  this	
  process	
  may	
  seem	
  like	
  it	
  puts	
  into	
  
words	
  what	
  other	
  people	
  do	
  intuitively.	
  	
  However,	
  it	
  is	
  exactly	
  this	
  explicit	
  
understanding	
  through	
  which	
  I	
  have	
  become	
  much	
  more	
  confident	
  in	
  my	
  
musical/artistic	
  personality.	
  	
  	
  
What	
  I	
  have	
  not	
  mentioned	
  in	
  the	
  discussion	
  so	
  far	
  are	
  all	
  of	
  the	
  technical	
  
skills	
  that	
  I	
  have	
  developed	
  over	
  the	
  course	
  of	
  this	
  year	
  that	
  feed	
  this	
  ability	
  and	
  this	
  
process.	
  	
  These	
  skills	
  include,	
  but	
  are	
  not	
  limited	
  to:	
  sound	
  design	
  using	
  Max/MSP,	
  
z3ta	
  2+,	
  FM8,	
  Massive,	
  and	
  countless	
  other	
  plugins;	
  electronic	
  music	
  production	
  
using	
  Ableton;	
  effective	
  and	
  creative	
  use	
  of	
  various	
  MIDI	
  controllers;	
  studio	
  
recording	
  skills	
  that	
  allow	
  me	
  to	
  confidently	
  work	
  in	
  large	
  or	
  small	
  studios	
  and	
  work	
  

with	
  high-­‐quality	
  mics,	
  mic	
  pres,	
  and	
  other	
  equipment;	
  music	
  production	
  and	
  
processing	
  using	
  Pro	
  Tools;	
  and	
  mixing	
  and	
  mastering	
  using	
  a	
  wide	
  assortment	
  of	
  
plug-­‐ins	
  and	
  outboard	
  gear.	
  	
  Without	
  the	
  advances	
  I	
  have	
  made	
  this	
  year	
  in	
  these	
  
technical	
  areas	
  that	
  were	
  prompted,	
  guided	
  and	
  aided	
  by	
  the	
  teachers	
  here,	
  I	
  would	
  
not	
  be	
  where	
  I	
  am	
  with	
  my	
  own	
  creative	
  process.	
  	
  	
  
	
  

Challenges	
  
When	
  setting	
  out	
  on	
  this	
  project,	
  I	
  knew	
  that	
  I	
  would	
  have	
  to	
  face	
  the	
  issues	
  with	
  
creative	
  anxiety	
  that	
  I	
  have	
  struggled	
  with	
  and	
  the	
  hindrances	
  that	
  they	
  present	
  to	
  
my	
  productivity.	
  	
  Eric	
  Maisel	
  is	
  a	
  PhD	
  psychotherapist	
  who	
  has	
  written	
  books	
  about	
  
the	
  issue	
  of	
  creative	
  anxiety.	
  	
  In	
  his	
  book	
  Mastering	
  Creative	
  Anxiety2,	
  he	
  outlines	
  24	
  
generalized	
  sources	
  of	
  creative	
  anxiety,	
  which	
  include	
  the	
  anxiety	
  of	
  failing,	
  the	
  
anxiety	
  of	
  ego	
  bruising,	
  and	
  the	
  anxiety	
  of	
  surviving.	
  	
  Most	
  people	
  experience	
  some	
  
levels	
  of	
  basic	
  anxiety	
  at	
  the	
  very	
  least	
  as	
  a	
  result	
  of	
  physiological	
  mechanisms.	
  	
  I	
  
have	
  struggled	
  with	
  varying	
  degrees	
  of	
  difficult	
  and	
  sometimes	
  overwhelming	
  levels	
  
of	
  anxiety.	
  	
  As	
  an	
  adult,	
  this	
  issue	
  has	
  become	
  deeply	
  intertwined	
  with	
  my	
  
professional	
  and	
  artistic	
  pursuits	
  as	
  a	
  musician.	
  	
  It	
  is	
  for	
  this	
  reason	
  that	
  I	
  knew	
  that	
  
I	
  had	
  to	
  take	
  the	
  opportunity	
  of	
  the	
  Culminating	
  Experience	
  to	
  work	
  to	
  overcome	
  
this.	
  	
  I	
  have	
  found	
  that	
  the	
  solution	
  to	
  this	
  for	
  me	
  lies	
  with	
  technology.	
  	
  Ableton	
  Live	
  
presents	
  an	
  important	
  solution	
  to	
  problems	
  at	
  the	
  stage	
  of	
  ideation	
  by	
  providing	
  me	
  
with	
  the	
  ability	
  to	
  quickly	
  and	
  easily	
  prototype	
  many	
  musical	
  ideas	
  and	
  
subsequently	
  trying	
  many	
  combinations	
  to	
  further	
  develop	
  them.	
  	
  When	
  combined	
  
with	
  the	
  Push,	
  I	
  can	
  interact	
  with	
  Ableton	
  in	
  a	
  more	
  tactile	
  mode	
  of	
  creation	
  that	
  is	
  

closer	
  to	
  the	
  improvisatory	
  nature	
  of	
  idea	
  generation	
  with	
  the	
  guitar	
  that	
  I	
  am	
  used.	
  	
  
The	
  next	
  problem	
  is	
  the	
  issue	
  of	
  sound	
  quality.	
  	
  Sound	
  quality	
  is,	
  for	
  me,	
  an	
  
important	
  subconscious	
  aspect	
  of	
  feeling	
  like	
  an	
  idea	
  should	
  be	
  pursued	
  further.	
  	
  
This	
  is	
  where	
  the	
  MacBook	
  and	
  the	
  UAD	
  Apollo	
  Twin	
  come	
  in.	
  	
  With	
  these,	
  I	
  can	
  hear	
  
the	
  ideas	
  in	
  a	
  high	
  quality	
  sound	
  format	
  instantly	
  and	
  I	
  can	
  combine	
  acoustic	
  
instruments	
  and	
  vocals	
  with	
  ideas	
  generated	
  within	
  the	
  software	
  domain.	
  	
  I	
  do	
  not	
  
have	
  to	
  demo	
  the	
  ideas	
  in	
  a	
  low-­‐quality	
  format	
  and	
  imagine	
  what	
  it	
  is	
  going	
  to	
  sound	
  
like	
  when	
  I	
  have	
  the	
  chance	
  to	
  record	
  them	
  in	
  the	
  studio.	
  	
  Another	
  major	
  problem	
  
that	
  I	
  have	
  encountered	
  is	
  the	
  question	
  of	
  where	
  to	
  go	
  with	
  an	
  idea.	
  	
  Thanks	
  to	
  
increased	
  digital	
  storage	
  capacity,	
  I	
  can	
  generate	
  ideas,	
  save	
  them	
  for	
  as	
  long	
  as	
  
necessary,	
  and	
  revisit	
  them	
  as	
  often	
  as	
  I	
  want	
  to	
  see	
  if	
  they	
  work	
  with	
  more	
  recently	
  
created	
  ideas.	
  	
  The	
  final	
  hurdle	
  presented	
  is	
  finalizing	
  a	
  piece	
  of	
  music	
  to	
  a	
  
professional	
  level.	
  	
  This	
  is	
  where	
  Pro	
  Tools	
  and	
  mixing/mastering	
  plug-­‐ins	
  come	
  in.	
  	
  
With	
  these	
  tools,	
  I	
  can	
  take	
  arrangements	
  and	
  refine	
  them	
  to	
  the	
  level	
  of	
  commercial	
  
release	
  all	
  on	
  my	
  laptop.	
  	
  This	
  is	
  something	
  that	
  I	
  did	
  not	
  feel	
  I	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  achieve	
  
prior	
  to	
  my	
  time	
  here	
  at	
  Berklee.	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
One	
  unexpected	
  challenge	
  that	
  I	
  encountered	
  was	
  the	
  need	
  to	
  re-­‐learn	
  how	
  to	
  
work	
  with	
  others	
  on	
  my	
  own	
  music.	
  	
  Because	
  of	
  my	
  personal	
  journey	
  with	
  my	
  own	
  
music	
  creation,	
  before	
  coming	
  to	
  Berklee	
  Valencia	
  it	
  had	
  been	
  a	
  long	
  time	
  since	
  I	
  had	
  
worked	
  with	
  others	
  on	
  my	
  own	
  music.	
  	
  This	
  project	
  has	
  made	
  me	
  realize	
  that	
  I	
  
cannot	
  do	
  all	
  of	
  these	
  tasks	
  on	
  my	
  own	
  and	
  that	
  I	
  need	
  help.	
  	
  It	
  has	
  also	
  made	
  me	
  
realize	
  that	
  the	
  end	
  product	
  is	
  greater	
  than	
  the	
  sum	
  of	
  the	
  parts	
  when	
  other	
  people	
  
are	
  involved.	
  	
  I	
  have	
  worked	
  with	
  Ben	
  Cantil,	
  Ben	
  Houge,	
  Ganavya	
  Doraiswamy,	
  Ian	
  

Kagey,	
  Michael	
  Sean	
  Harris,	
  Ryan	
  Renteria,	
  and	
  Will	
  Clark	
  at	
  varying	
  stages	
  of	
  this	
  
project.	
  	
  The	
  work	
  that	
  I	
  have	
  done	
  with	
  these	
  collaborators	
  has	
  been	
  both	
  fulfilling	
  
and	
  invaluable	
  to	
  my	
  progress.	
  	
  Another	
  unexpected	
  challenge	
  has	
  been	
  time	
  
management	
  and	
  the	
  process	
  of	
  alternating	
  between	
  helping	
  others	
  on	
  their	
  
projects	
  and	
  then	
  returning	
  to	
  my	
  own	
  work.	
  	
  In	
  many	
  other	
  areas	
  of	
  my	
  life,	
  time	
  
management	
  is	
  not	
  an	
  issue.	
  	
  Being	
  adaptive	
  to	
  the	
  ups	
  and	
  downs	
  and	
  differing	
  
demands	
  that	
  my	
  time	
  here	
  has	
  presented	
  is	
  a	
  skill	
  that	
  I	
  have	
  been	
  forced	
  to	
  refine	
  
because	
  without	
  it	
  l	
  would	
  not	
  have	
  been	
  able	
  to	
  keep	
  up.	
  	
  For	
  me,	
  mental	
  and	
  
creative	
  energy	
  is	
  a	
  limited	
  resource	
  from	
  day	
  to	
  day	
  and	
  time	
  constraints	
  add	
  to	
  
this	
  tremendously.	
  	
  For	
  many	
  of	
  these	
  issues,	
  the	
  act	
  of	
  intuitively	
  dealing	
  with	
  the	
  
problem	
  has	
  helped	
  me	
  to	
  find	
  solutions	
  in	
  a	
  more	
  efficient	
  way.	
  	
  	
  	
  
	
  

Future	
  
This	
  project	
  has	
  grown	
  from	
  a	
  simple	
  exercise	
  into	
  a	
  holistic	
  learning	
  experience.	
  	
  I	
  
have	
  chosen	
  to	
  discuss	
  this	
  project	
  here	
  in	
  a	
  way	
  that	
  reflects	
  my	
  subjective	
  internal	
  
experience	
  in	
  place	
  of	
  describing	
  technical	
  details	
  because	
  I	
  feel	
  this	
  more	
  
accurately	
  communicates	
  how	
  important	
  this	
  project	
  is	
  to	
  me.	
  	
  Because	
  of	
  the	
  time	
  I	
  
have	
  spent	
  here,	
  I	
  have	
  learned	
  to	
  incorporate	
  technology	
  into	
  my	
  life	
  as	
  a	
  creative	
  
individual	
  and	
  an	
  aspiring	
  professional	
  in	
  a	
  way	
  that	
  is	
  more	
  seamless	
  and	
  more	
  
intuitive.	
  	
  To	
  assimilate	
  to	
  ever-­‐changing	
  technologies	
  is	
  to	
  make	
  them	
  work	
  on	
  our	
  
own	
  individual	
  terms	
  instead	
  of	
  those	
  dictated	
  to	
  us	
  by	
  the	
  user	
  manual.	
  	
  The	
  future	
  
of	
  this	
  project	
  is	
  creating	
  more	
  music	
  with	
  this	
  understanding	
  and	
  this	
  fearlessness;	
  
it	
  is	
  incorporating	
  this	
  method	
  of	
  music	
  production	
  into	
  my	
  daily	
  life;	
  it	
  is	
  moving	
  

this	
  music	
  over	
  into	
  the	
  realm	
  of	
  performance;	
  and,	
  finally,	
  it	
  is	
  using	
  this	
  project	
  as	
  
a	
  stepping-­‐stone	
  outside	
  of	
  myself	
  to	
  be	
  able	
  to	
  connect	
  with	
  others.	
  	
  For	
  the	
  lessons	
  
that	
  I	
  have	
  learned	
  during	
  this	
  project	
  to	
  become	
  second	
  nature,	
  I	
  must	
  make	
  them	
  
part	
  of	
  my	
  everyday	
  practice.	
  	
  It	
  is	
  in	
  this	
  way	
  that	
  I	
  can	
  let	
  go	
  of	
  the	
  things	
  that	
  have	
  
been	
  mental	
  barriers	
  and	
  allow	
  them	
  to	
  become	
  a	
  source	
  of	
  inspiration,	
  motivation	
  
and	
  creativity.	
  	
  	
  
	
  
	
  

Footnotes	
  
	
  

1.	
  	
  Popova,	
  	
  “Networked	
  Knowledge	
  and	
  Combinatorial	
  Creativity,”	
  

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/08/01/networked-­‐knowledge-­‐
combinatorial-­‐creativity.	
  
	
  
2.	
  	
  Maisel,	
  Mastering	
  Creative	
  Anxiety	
  –	
  24	
  Lessons	
  for	
  Writers,	
  Painters,	
  
Musicians	
  and	
  Actors	
  from	
  America’s	
  Foremost	
  Creative	
  Coach	
  (California:	
  New	
  World	
  
Library,	
  2011)