Evaluating Achievement of Developing Personal Skills

In a previous post i described three aims in which i have set myself for the duration of the project in order to develop my personal skills as a sound engineer producing 5.1 music material:

1. Broaden knowledge of the mixing and mastering stages of 5.1 music production. 
2. Learn how to exploit the 5.1 mediums attributes to their full potential in remixing source material.
3. Develop investigative skills into cultural aspects relating to music reproduction.

I have achieved my first aim by providing summaries of the key difference between stereo and 5.1 music production preciously in my blog and in the main body of my dissertation. Not only this but not just in terms of studio music production but also live music production in the first few months of the development of my project concept. 

The second of my aims was achieved by applying the knowledge i had gained in researching the main differences in how each reproduction system is used in the separate stages of music production: How 5.1 music differs in the listening experience compared to stereo and the way in which studio effects are exploited through the reproduction system. I applied this knowledge practically in producing 5.1 mixes for two songs from contrasting genres. The reason for using contrasting genres was to again broaden my skills in mixing different instrumentation in 5.1, however it also served the purposes of the listening test as different genres are mixed differently and create different listening experiences.  

In trying to develop my investigative skills in terms of cultural aspects i produced a questionnaire to try and find out how people currently access and playback their music. This was in order to gain and understanding of what kind of impact does the way people access there music have on the reproduction system they use. In order to develop my skills in understanding the cultural side of things i also carried out research on different peoples states of involvement while listening or watching media. For instance a person with little knowledge 5.1 music and the way that it's produced will have an emotional response to the audio rather than someone with a lot of knowledge of the subject they will have a more analytical response according to (Media psychology  "is not yet there"- Introducing theories on the media entertainment to the presence debate by Christof Klimmt, Presence. Vol. 12 No. 4, August 2003, pg. 346-359).