"Speed of Sound" is a song by British alternative rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their third album, X&Y. Built around a piano riff, the song builds into a huge, synthesizer chorus. It was released on 23 May 2005 by Parlophone Records as the lead single from the album. "Clarity" is a song by German/Russian electronic dance music producer Zedd. It features vocals from British singer Foxes. The song was written by Zedd, Matthew Koma, Porter Robinson and Skylar Grey and was released on October 2, 2012. .
Assessment Task One.
Songs are created using complex tools and techniques. All songs have each of the instruments and vocals recorded on a different track. They are then 'mixed' together to produce the final song. 'Mixing' is when all the individual tracks of a song are blended together to get the best possible sound. For example, both 'Speed of sound' and 'Clarity' by Coldplay and Zedd respectively would have had each instrument and vocals recorded in an isolated booth. Then the audio engineer would then mix all the tracks to make one final song. 'Processing' is the next complex technique used in the creation of songs. This is when the input levels can be set for each track to set up the initial volume. Parts of the song can be made louder or softer, while also correct any problems with the frequency response of the track. Processing allows for the optimum sounding song to be created, making sure that the flow of the song is smooth. Compressing is also part of processing. It enables certain parts of a song to be compressed. For example if a singer, or a musical instrument is too loud, it can be compressed to suit the track. Software such as Final Cut Pro or Mixcraft would have probably been used in the creation of the song as they are popular software in the music industry. The video promo for "Speed of Sound" was shot on a Los Angeles sound stage.