On this page, you can find the Culminating Experience (CE) Projects for all graduate students from the Berklee College of Music master’s program Music Production, Technology, and Innovation (MPTI) from 2015 – present. Click on any title for more information and access to the full paper and other deliverables (if available).
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NO JUICE RECORDS: PARTNERSHIP STRATEGIES
Jeremy Feng
2024In a world where innovative marketing strategies benefit both businesses and musical artists, it is becoming more and more common for businesses and artists to collaborate. Such collaborations offer mutually beneficial relationships through which audiences of each individual party are exposed to the services or products of the other party. These marketing collaborations have existed in forms of celebrity endorsements, clothing collections, fast food deals, and other product lines. The current project explores similar marketing strategies scaled to a local level. In this project, the author represents the music and media collective No Juice Records and explores the world of brand partnerships with the ultimate goal of preparing No Juice Records for their first brand partnership. The author studies successful industry partnerships, identifies No Juice Records brand values and potential target partners, identifies No Juice Records key audiences, develops an overarching marketing plan, and prepares a partnership pitch deck template. Ultimately, the project documents the journey and process through which the author sets up No Juice Records for their first brand collaboration.
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Origins
Emilia Gasparini
2024This concept album, developed in collaboration with a former Berklee student and an cover art illustrator, is based on the theme of the eternal question of human existence and the idea of other beings existing somewhere in the universe. The primary goal is to enhance audience engagement and comprehension by utilising Dolby Atmos technology, creating a 360-degree auditory immersive experience. This project harmoniously blends sound design with classical music, reflecting the author’s diverse background, and additionally, the production strives to incorporate and record instruments deriving from various traditions, including those less conventional, further enriching the project’s sonic tapestry. Throughout the project, various methodologies are employed to weave a narrative through music and visuals, aiming to captivate and immerse the audience. This work made use of tools such as creative production, hybrid recording, and mixing techniques. This album features achievements throughout the application of new techniques and involves collaboration with artists from different countries. The project’s conclusion highlights the acquisition of new skills, unexpected challenges, and its contribution to the fusion of storytelling, music, and technology, paving the way for an exciting future prospects in the world of audio storytelling.
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Taste and See: Expanding the Musical Palette Within Christian Genres
Kyler Hamilton
2024Gospel music doesn’t only have to resemble Hillsong praise and worship or Aretha Franklin at a Baptist church. In fact, the diversity of genres in Gospel music has steadily expanded into Hip Hop, Afrobeats, Urban Gospel and other areas in recent years. The author draws inspiration from these genres and a myriad of others namely: Classical, Electronic, Rock, Jazz, Funk and Alternative. This project presents an LP titled, Taste and See, that comprises seven songs written, produced, recorded, and mixed by the author. Taste and See showcases the above mentioned genres with a Gospel lens by using specific lyrical content and harmonic progressions. The primary objectives of this project were twofold: firstly, to engage new and young Christian audiences with Gospel music that allows them to stay pure and focused on God while enjoying a diverse range of music, and secondly, to broaden the musical palette of the targeted audience by presenting multiple genres within a single project where all songs transition seamlessly from start to finish.
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Mixing Mastery - A Journey in Search of The Truth
Hong Gu Kwon
2024In the rapidly changing music industry, the importance of the mixing engineer is significant, mixing is known to be a crucial part in the stage of music production. As such, the basic concept of this project is to focus on the author’s mixing portfolio as a medium that explores the special role of the profession and how the different skills are important in building a unique sound as a mixer. The portfolio includes 12 songs in different genres including, Hip Hop/ Indie Soul, Funk/Fusion, Live Piano, Jazz and Experimental Jazz, highlighting the consistency of the work quality while showcasing the author’s unique mixing style. By the process of making the author’s mixing portfolio, this project reveals the change in the authors endeavor and focuses on the importance not only the technical aspects but also personal growth. In conclusion, this project highlights the importance of developing the fundamental technical skills while the true innovation in becoming a successful mixing engineer comes from confidence and self-belief.
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Atlas: A Dual Journey in Music Production and 360 Degree Space Visualization
Chi-Hsi Liu
2024This project culminates in producing an extended play (EP) for the musician Synnx alongside a single track integrated into a Dolby Atmos format with an accompanying 360-degree video. This fusion creates a multidimensional artistic experience. The "Atlas" EP features complex orchestral arrangements and elements reminiscent of an epic cinematic soundtrack, conveying profound emotional depth and exploring complex themes. The endeavor required significant effort in both audio and visual dimensions, resulting in a thoroughly immersive space scene.
Several challenges arose throughout the project's development, including time constraints, technical difficulties, and communication issues with collaborating musicians. These obstacles were successfully overcome, creating a unique combination of music and visual art. This achievement underscores the creator's proficiency in music production and visual artistry. Chi-Hsi intends to experiment further with innovative methods of integrating visual elements with musical experiences in the future.
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Immersive Music Portfolio: Exploring Hybrid Studio Music Production with Dolby Atmos and Object-Based Audio Techniques
Shutong Lou
2024This project presents a portfolio of immersive music mixes created using Dolby Atmos, a cutting-edge audio format that allows for three-dimensional sound placement. The project showcases five tracks, originally produced and mixed in stereo, which were adapted to Dolby Atmos to explore the creative and technical possibilities offered by this advanced format. The innovative aspects of this project include the integration of creative movement within the sound field and the application of musicality-related spatial dynamics, both of which enhance the emotional and artistic impact of the music. Additionally, the project addresses the challenges of managing complex signal paths and balancing artistic innovation with established audio quality standards. The outcomes demonstrate the potential of Dolby Atmos as a future standard for music production, with implications for both the music industry and multi-media art forms. This project also opens avenues for further research into spatial audio technology and its application in creating immersive and emotionally engaging audio experiences.
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Exploring Liveness: Creating a Live Performance Combining Electronic Music and 4 Vocals
Hazal Odabasi
2024This project is a live show that seamlessly blends electronic elements with four distinct vocal styles. The primary challenge involved consolidating numerous tracks into a more manageable number. This required the creation of numerous new audio effect racks and synthesizer sounds to replace the original audio files used in the earlier stages of development. The goal was to achieve a highly dynamic live performance, where many elements heard during the show necessitate real-time triggering and modulation. This approach was deliberately chosen to ensure the music feels fragile and alive, capturing the essence of the moment. The intricate process of building the sessions was essential to maintaining this sense of immediacy and spontaneity, allowing for a unique and engaging auditory experience each time the show is performed.
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A Spiritual Journey Through Nonlinear EDM Music
Dylan Ornelas
2024The project explores the author's transition from DJ to produced artist, proficient in live EDM performance with live instruments and music production. The primary objective is to deliver a forty-minute live performance integrating live instruments, showcasing genres such as Drum and Bass, Tech House, and Deep House, alongside two other performers. This endeavor represents a pivotal moment in the author's career, contributing significantly to the live performance EDM genre. The author incorporated live artists, drum machines, and DJ turntablism into the live set. Outcomes include the live performances, seven remixes of non-original content, and three original songs, demonstrating the author's new capabilities. The most challenging aspect was applying music theory to the remixes and original songs while performing and rehearsing with live performers, and ensuring all technologies and MIDI devices were played correctly during the performance. The author acquired essential skills in music production, arrangement, live performance, DJ turntablism, and developed new industry relationships, resulting in a more well-rounded producer and performer. This project marks a significant milestone for the author and enhances the live performance aspect of EDM.
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Cosmic Quiet
Indigo Passariello
2024Cosmic Quiet is a virtual comic book prototyped and scored by the author. The narrative spans the Black diaspora, analyzing Black music in relation to American blackness and its role in global marginalization and cultural identity.
Participating in any artistic lineage requires study and respect for those in the field that have come before. The author’s educational background is in jazz studies, so researching afrofuturism and visual art was an important part of this endeavor. The biggest challenge faced by the author was prototyping in Unity. Eventually, the author transitioned from focusing on the interactive prototype to focusing on Midjourney renderings, the script, and the soundtrack.
Hopefully there is a future for this project in terms of possibly developing a series of interactive comics and different iterations of the concept in different mediums such as interactive exhibits, physical comic books, and a film series.
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Sandbox Sessions
Tahir Patwala
2024Sandbox Sessions, a collaborative effort with Alex Schindler, is an aspirational offering of natural scenery complimenting After Effects visual mastery all over major social channels. The great outdoors and natural elements will present audiences with the metamorphosis of the natural environment into a visual arts canvas, ultimately directed by these profound, yet graduated, effects. These effects in turn respond to elements that ground and center the music, elements like actually laying down on the ground and lovingly capturing the dance of sunlight on leaves, or the intricate patterns of flowing water. An innovative response to one of the big challenges we face, and a marvelous reminder of the interrelation between art, technology, and the natural world, and the power of social media to reach ours.
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"Electric Guitar and Beyond: An EP Exploring Six Genres with Analog and Digital Techniques"
Antonio Roccatagliata
2024In this master's project, the author explores the electric guitar's versatility across six distinct genres: pop/trap, techno, cinematic, psychedelic rock, and synth wave. By experimenting with analog pedals, amplifiers, and digital plugins, the author crafts unique soundscapes, pushing the boundaries of emotional and sonic expression. Each track showcases the electric guitar's transformative capabilities, blending traditional and modern production techniques. This EP highlights the author's creative journey in reshaping music production, using the guitar in innovative ways to generate original sounds. The project transcends conventional genre limitations, demonstrating the limitless possibilities of sound design and technological experimentation. Ultimately, it offers listeners a captivating glimpse into the future of musical exploration and the boundless potential of the electric guitar in contemporary music.
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RINGING: A Perspective of Art and the Artist
Lionel Rodriguez
2024This project encompasses the writing, directing, shooting, scoring, editing, acting, sound designing, and both stereo and Dolby Atmos mixing of a 17-minute experimental short film titled Ringing which narrates the story of a musician experiencing hearing loss. Drawing its visual style from films such as Metropolis, Nosferatu, and other German expressionist works, this project seeks to offer an innovative approach to independent audiovisual storytelling. During the creation of this film, significant challenges included developing a malleable storyline that could be restructured without chronological order to create new narratives. Additionally, the project faced the difficulty of honoring its inspirational sources while advancing newer methods of storytelling. The use of monochrome visuals, combined with experimental sounds from synthesizers, was crucial in achieving a cohesive aesthetic. With no dialogue, this film aims to transcend language barriers, allowing audiences from diverse cultures to appreciate it equally. The project strives to inspire the breaking of conventional rules in independent artistic endeavors.
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Sandbox Sessions
Alexander Schindler
2024As more forms of content move into the digital world, there remains a void in the world of live music performance. Platforms such as NPR’s Tiny Desk have succeeded in presenting high-quality video and audio by recording in an intimate indoor space. However, what if that same level of quality could be achieved while recording performances in lush scenes of nature? Sandbox Sessions aims to deliver this new medium of music video consumption by recording live performances with 4K video and professionally mixed audio. Through implementing various effects via After Effects, Sandbox Sessions will also feature subtle psychedelic visuals layered on top of the scenic background landscapes. The goals of this collaborative project between the author and his colleague, Tahir Patwala, include learning the nuances of live and post production for audio and video, delivering a professional and innovative product that is easily digestible for any viewer, and building a unique brand.
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Fractals
Vedant Shankar
2024This paper presents Fractals, an exploratory music project by the author, which aims to uniquely blend various genres across multiple sections. The distinctiveness of this project lies in the author’s experience as a versatile musician, with experience ranging from rock bands and big bands to chamber orchestras, coupled with proficiency as a producer/DJ. This background of musical experience allows the author to approach the blend of genres with a unique perspective. The collection of songs serves as a precursor for four separate EPs: The project is not just a musical amalgamation but also an academic inquiry into the evolution of these genres, including an analysis of influential works and a reflection on the potential for innovative soundscapes in electronic music. Through this project, the author endeavors to leave a personal stamp on the electronic music scene, showcasing a synthesis of diverse musical influences and creative experimentation. This endeavor aims to contribute a distinctive auditory experience to the electronic music landscape, underlined by the author's unique musical journey. This paper was written with the assistance from generative artificial intelligence. Additional information in Appendix II.
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Vocal production
Beti Strgar
2024Vocal production – a research and development of an original approach to vocal production
This project aimed to enhance the author’s approach to vocal production through a combination of research on vocal production and practical experiences gained from both producing vocals for others and being vocally produced by others. It involved a comprehensive exploration of the various stages of vocal production. Starting from the preproduction phase, which involves refining melody lines and lyrics and getting ready for a session, to the engineering and tracking vocals where the author selects the appropriate microphone for the singer and manages Pro Tools sessions, to leading and overseeing a vocal session, and finally the mixing stage where the author developed a vocal processing chain.
Additionally, the study delved into the experiences of singers and focused on their needs to deliver the best vocal performances in the studio. The primary objective of this research was to deepen the author’s understanding of vocal production processes and refine methods for his future work as a vocal producer.
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Tightrope's The Way: The Production of a Concept Album
Ari Troper
2024The basis of this project is to record, produce, and mix 7 songs selected from a catalog of 53 demos written by the author’s band Tightrope for a long play (LP) titled The Way that blends genres and tells a story. The genres represented in this album consist of psychedelic rock, blues, funk, jazz, and pop, and are influenced by artists such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Crumb, and Tame Impala. The LP tells the story of a character who feels directionless as he embarks on his journey to find “the way.” Throughout the process of recording the album, arrangements were re-written, new parts were composed and recorded, and creative production techniques were applied. Perhaps the biggest challenge during this process was battling “demoitis,” the notion that one becomes attached to the sound and elements of the demos. In the future, the author intends to master the songs and market them. This project emphasizes the art of production, and how the author fused demos that were previously loosely connected to create one cohesive and compelling work of art.
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Life of a Yellow Kid: an audiovisual electro-pop LP
Luis Valdez
2024The basis of this project is to compose, record, produce and mix an eleven song album (LP) with a visualizer, logo and design for each track. The author designed all of the artworks for the songs and LP and produced videos and content for said LP. Also, the author combined all of his influences from electronic music and other genres to create something new to expand the limits of electronic music. This album was influenced by works of artists like Madeon, Porter Robinson, Louis The Child, Urboi, Medasin, Fred Again.. and The Weeknd. Song-writing, recording, sound design, creative production techniques, mixing, graphic design and audiovisual production were the skills and tools necessary for the completion of this LP. The main focus of the LP was to combine different genres of music, like Electro-pop, UK Garage, Pop, House and Drum and Bass. Also this album is about personal experiences of the author and it covers different feelings throughout the LP, creating a sunset literally and figuratively within the album.
This paper was written without any assistance from generative artificial intelligence.
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“Who I Am”: A Concept EP of Exploring Unique Self and Musical Identity
Ruolin Wang
2024This project is the author's debut EP, aiming to explore the question of ‘Who I Am’ from both personal and musical perspectives. While the theme is centered on the author’s journey, it carries a broader universal meaning. It intends to inspire people to delve into and embrace their authentic emotions and inner world, fostering self-awareness and defining what makes us distinctive and unique individuals. In the realm of music, it brought the author to explore and discover her unique sonic palette and musical identity as a songwriter and producer. While making this genre-bending 7-track EP featuring experimental pop, alternative rock, electronica, and ambient soundtrack, one challenge was defining the cohesive characters in the author’s music and maintaining the integrity of the existing styles, sounds, and general aesthetics. Taking the roles of singer-songwriter, producer, and mixer, the author developed solid composition and production techniques and utilized sound design skills to further enhance the personality of her music.
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It Came From the Ether - EP
Andy Whelan Vita
2024This project aims to explore genre fusion within contemporary music production, driven by the dual goals of advancing production skills and uncovering innovative compositional techniques relevant to musical endeavors. This project is important in creating a bridge between musical styles, in the hope of connecting different cultures through musical expression. Beginning with an in-depth analysis of diverse musical traditions such as Blue Note, Cadet, modern UK jazz, R&B, House, Hip Hop, and Flamenco, the focus was on understanding the distinct production and recording techniques associated with each tradition. This involved studying the techniques employed by notable engineers and integrating these insights into the workflow. The culmination of this project resulted in the creation of a short EP comprising five original compositions, complemented by a music video for one of the tracks. Throughout the creation of this project, production and engineering abilities were developed and technical challenges were overcome while expanding creative boundaries through collaboration. This project hopes to inspire future musical innovation and aims to push stylistic boundaries further, exploring new creative possibilities. It aims to provide valuable insights for musicians and producers navigating artistic musical integration, contributing to broader discussions in music in the modern era.
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Vibe Till We Evaporate: An Innovative Fusion of R&B and Electronic Music
Kai Wu
2024This project titled Vibe Till We Evaporates which is an album in contemporary R&B, neo-soul, electronic, and alternative music, it is an album containing thirteen songs and aims at capturing the modern sound in the contemporary R&B and electronic music world. The purpose is to deliver an album that interacts with different genres and musical influences, combining them together to create a journey and immersive musical experience to express the author's inner world of self-discovery. The project will show the creative process of the author's approaches, as well as the author’s artistic production and mixing style, and it will also emphasize on the most important elements in R&B genre. Additionally, the album will be composed, written, produced, and mixed by the author, the final project will be a full length LP that has thirteen songs. This project focuses on the diversity of contemporary R&B through the base in the genre’s fundamental characteristic.
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Las Memorias de tu Jardín
Luis Sergio Zavalza
2024This culminating experience project focuses on the creation of a six-song album composed, produced, recorded and mixed by the author. The album is designed to serve as an homage to those affected by neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's within his family, keeping their stories alive. The inspiration behind this project stems from the deeply personal experiences of the author's relatives who have battled these diseases, set against the backdrop of their home country, Mexico.
Each song in the album incorporates a unique blend of sonic elements carefully chosen for their relation to the environment and context of the referred people, including musical instruments and techniques from different regions of the country.
This holistic approach to music composition and production seamlessly integrates cultural and personal elements, creating a touching and multifaceted soundscape, while honoring the lives and memories of his loved ones.
By merging music, cultural heritage, and storytelling, the project aims to keep these memories and stories alive through the songs.
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Sentimental: Uruguayan Indie Pop EP
Damien Alvarez de Toledo
2023The Basis of this project is to write and record an extended play (EP) in order to express beauty mainly in the genres of England-originated Indie-Pop with influences from Uruguayan Rock. This project intends, in this way, to perform a cross-cultural bridging by combining English and Uruguayan genres of music respectively. The EP will contain 6 songs.
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All 'Round The World
Gustavo Baez
2023This project combines multiple cultural expressions, sounds, and art forms from various countries, portraying the influence of culture in music and history by creating an extended play. The basis of the project is to represent different cultural images through the combination of sounds and genres from various countries and a series of techniques that allows the listener to have a unique listening experience. Different musical ideas and expressions merged in the various records to represent the concept of crossed cultures. Creativity and innovation are key aspects. Cross-culture plays a significant role in the music industry. Responsible for incredible diversity and innovation in creating and recording a record, extended play, or album. Ethnicity, age, and many more are critical for creating any art form.
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TINTEÁN: An Interactive Installation to Encourage Exploration of the Everyday
Kevin Cleary
2023This Culminating Experience project involved the composition, construction and operation of an interactive multimedia art installation. Visitors to this installation heard a musical piece when inside the installation, and were able to physically interact with various objects placed within. These interactions triggered changes to the music heard. The purpose of this project was to encourage exploration and curiosity in everyday settings. All music used in the installation was original, and the interactions will be mapped to changes in the music using a combination of hardware sensors (light, pressure, capacitance) and software (Arduino, Ableton Live). The space used was fashioned to resemble a campsite, in particular those found at typical camping music festivals, using objects commonly found in these spaces.
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Afro House At Berklee: A Study of African American Female Representation in House Music
Chelsea Comeau
2023In the international dance music scene, women and people of color are underrepresented in positions of producers and DJs. Often women are singers and limited in their access to knowledge, skill set, and visibility while DJs are highly celebrated. The purpose of this project was to develop DJ techniques, production proficiency, and live performance skills in order to provide diverse cultural compositions and sets to create unity through sound, vibration, and visuals. In addition, a song in the style of Afro House and R&B, was written and recorded in order to create visibility for underrepresented groups and create a narrative that is unique to the artist. Certain influences such as Sade, Alicia Keys and Black Coffee will be studied and represented. The artist’s objective was to evolve from a singer into an electronic musician, producer, and DJ in order to bridge the gap in disparities in gender and race in the music industry and the international dance music scene. The completion of this project provided representation, a new perspective of women in production and a blending of culture, genres, and music. As a result of developing the skills and expertise in production and performance, the artist will be equipped to continually create representation and change in the music industry.