Music Composition and Audio Spectrum using LMMS and Adobe Aftereffects Gene- What we have done for our final project is compose a song in LMMS, based off of Piano Master’s song, Eastern Island Dennis- I did most of the LMMS composition, while Gene handled the Audio Spectrum in Adobe Aftereffects. However, we helped each other with our respective parts, so I had exposure to Adobe Aftereffects and Gene had exposure to LMMS composition. Brief recap of motivation- Dennis- Marching band, piano, general interest in music and VFX Gene- Piano, general interest in music and VFX, background in editing software Dennis Sun And Gene Sosankin

The Process- Adding VST Instruments Dennis- First challenge was getting better instruments- LMMS originally didn’t have a piano with the right sound Went to 4Front Piano to get and install a 3rd party VST Piano

The Process- The Process of Composition Dennis- The box in the top left is Song Editor, showing the entire song and instruments Box in top right is Beat-Bassline Editor, where you create beats that loop throughout the song, which you can add to Song Editor Bottom left box is piano roll, lets you input and edit specific notes for each instrument Box in the Bottom right is the Audio Editor, which allows you to change the qualities of the instrument, such as reverb, attack delay, decay, etc

The Process- Finished Composition Dennis- The finished product, which you will hear later.

The Process- Audio Spectrum Effects Gene- The “React” layer is where the majority of the editing took place. The frequency of the audio spectrum, amount of bands, and patterns of the wave were all edited in this layer. The start and end frequencies controlled which frequencies of the audio would be represented by the spectrum. This was a lot of trial and error to get the right amount and have it look aesthetically pleasing. The frequency bands affects how many bands are moving at a certain point. The more bands, the more movement and closeness of the spectrum. Maximum height dictated how erratically the waves would move. Thickness, softness, and color all changes the visual appearance.

The Process- Audio Spectrum Effects Gene- The side option affected which side of the circle the audio spectrum would be on or both. Polar coordinates and glow changed the shape and appearance of the circle. Didn’t change too much of either effects.

The Process- Particle Ring Gene- The Particle Ring itself is an mp4 file that I downloaded and placed in the background behind the actual audio spectrum. I modified the color balance of the particle ring to match the background and to make it more visually appealing.

The Process- Background & Overlay Gene- The image of the city is set on overlay so the background layer is on top. The background was made very transparent and I only shaded the outside edges to be darker and the middle of the particle ring to be more blue.

Final Product