In this reflective summary, I am going to refer back to my individual project learning outcomes address whether the learning outcomes were met alongside exploring the successes and issues that arose during the project.

Addressing Learning Outcomes

To make it easier to refer back to the learning outcomes, I have provided them below:-

• [LO1] Mix vocals better via implementation of industry-standard vocal mixing techniques
• [LO2] Implement the production approaches of key record producers in my work
• [LO3] Acquire guitar tone using analogue equipment prior to recording

Addressing LO1, there were a number of industry standard vocal mixing techniques implemented during the mixing process to ensure I was continuing to learn how to mix vocals in a more effective manner.

Firstly, I used a variety of compression techniques to control the dynamic range of the vocal takes used within the tracks. As covered in [From Demo to Completion] each individual vocal channel is compressed, EQ’d and is routed to either the ‘Main Vox’ bus or the ‘HarmVox’ bus (harmonies), where it is further compressed, EQ’d, tape saturated and is sent to a reverb bus.

Acquiring a better grasp of how different compressors treat the harmonic content of different the human voice in a variety of ways was important for me to understand, as I’d need to find one that’d be particularly.

Addressing LO2, I was inspired by many of the producers I had researched prior and during recording sessions, which led to me implementing many of their production approaches.

One of which was Steve Albini. Though he was not particularly in mind prior to the recording stages, as my tracks became ever more Rock/Alternative (‘Wait’ & ‘Role Models’), it became obvious that I should research how Albini approaches working with artists, how he treats instruments prior to and during the mixing process alongside many of his moral stances to acquire a better grasp of his production approaches.

The idea of “getting the most out of the equipment without making the equipment the focus of attention” (Tingen, 2005) really struck home with me, as all I wanted to do was capture what was in my head with the best method possible, by any means. Whether I was using a FET-styled compressor, an 1176 blue-stripe clone or Pro Tools’ own 7-band parametric EQ wasn’t the point – it would be best suited to make the record sound how it should sound. As Albini mentions in the SoS article, it comes with knowing your equipment, from how it manipulates the harmonic structure of the sound source to how you can use its controls in a variety of ways to get the sound you want. Therefore, I needed to understand and experiment how the compressors I had access to worked according to the sound sources I fed it.

Anton Newcombe’s production approaches were also an inspiration to the way I decided to tackle the recording process. His ‘do-it-yourself’ approach, inspired by Jesus & Mary Chain, pushed the idea of promoting expressionism through my music via the utilisation of the tools I have access to. This not only means the range of plugins I have installed on my computer but those on other’s computers, the spaces they work in, their skillsets, their instruments – their minds. Pete and Thomas [Sessions with Pete…] told me that my music was going very much in a Brian Jonestown Massacre route and recommended that I listen to their material. After having listened to ‘Their Satanic Majesties Second Request’ it became evident that I very much wanted to replicate the vibe they had created, which could be done in a multitude of ways. One of which was the inclusion of many real life ‘ethnic’ percussive elements – such as the Djembe, to which I decided purchases buy two different sizes of. Listening to ths album also reminded me that I had an egg shaker and tambourine, again, further adding to the psychedelic vibe of the track ‘What To Do’.

Nigel Godrich’s approach to working with people was an extremely important inspiration for me, as it gave me the confidence to understand how everyone is different when it comes to social interaction, working for someone and giving up their ‘ego’ for the greater cause. For example, upon recording Anthony it seemed he was quite nervous and on edge, despite us having an established 2-year relationship. Whether this was due to participating in a recording session, being in a rush from work or just in general feeling anxious, it became my responsibility to create an atmosphere he was comfortable with so that I’d be able to get the best performance out of him. I did this by offering him a drink, sitting down for a while and just catching up – just to take his mind off the recording session. When it came to discussing the kind of vibe I wanted for the track, I made it clear that I wanted his ‘take’ on the sound – his own little spin – otherwise, I could just do it myself. I wanted him to leave his mark and his ideas on the record. I believe this made him feel much more confident, relaxed and meant we both vibed off each other and created great ideas. When it came to making suggests to him, I made sure to suggest ideas as opposed to saying “no, this isn’t how it should be done”, it was more like “what about if you slided up to that fret?”, “oh wow, yeah that definitely suits the vibe of the song doesn’t it?”. Positive reinforcement alongside constructive criticism meant we enjoy working together and meant our relationship in the musical sense was successful in terms of being on a similar creative wavelength. This is really what I got from Nigel Godrich – not necessarily the way he works with technology, but more about establishing relationships and communicating with creative minds.

Addressing LO3, as covered in [oasjoisjdisojdosd], I used a few different ways to alter the sound of the guitar during the recording stage.Firstly, I had to decide what kind of tone I was wanting, this being a crunchy distortion that I wanted to get from my Vox amplifier. I knew that I wanted to use my Fender Jazzmaster, as the edition I have uses rosewood for the fretboard which gives a darker, less jangly sound than most Jazzmasters. Pairing this the vox amp would thus create a lovely mid-range crunch that I was looking for to create a shoegaze/ambient rock/film-like feel.

Firstly, I had to decide what kind of tone I was wanting, this being a crunchy distortion that I wanted to get from my Vox amplifier. I knew that I wanted to use my Fender Jazzmaster, as the edition I have uses rosewood for the fretboard which gives a darker, less jangly sound than most Jazzmasters. Pairing this the vox amp would thus create a lovely mid-range crunch that I was looking for to create a shoegaze/ambient rock/film-like feel. I then decided to capture the sound with a Beyerdynamic M201 – a microphone I had used back in 2012 to get one of the greatest distorted guitar sounds I had ever recorded. I knew that it’d exaggerate the crunch of the distortion in the 2-5 kHz frequency bands, so it made sense to record with this microphone. For clean tones, such as the verse rhythm guitars in ‘Wait’ or the lead guitar parts in ‘What To Do’ all I’d have to do is back the gain control from the 12 o clock position to around 8 o clock and move the volume control to around 11 o clock to compensate for the reduction in volume. I wouldn’t need to change any of the EQ options on the amp as the guitar treble control was set to a level that wouldn’t over-exaggerate the higher frequencies so that they’re too abrasive but wouldn’t also attenuate the clarty of the high-frequency bands.

When it came to effects I would use, I decided to use my Line 6 DL-4 on the Sweep Echo settings, which is a modulation effect that ‘sweeps’ through the frequency spectrum with a resonance boost to over-emphasis the frequencies it passes through. I used a short delay time to create a ‘wall of sound’ with a medium feedback delay setting so it lasts a substantial time but not too long that it becomes muddy.

Successes/Problems Within Role

Starting with successes, I’m pleased with how I was able to adapt as a producer when it came to working with many of the individuals I collaborated with. With Pete and Thomas, I ensured that I listened to everything that they had to say; from advice, suggestions, recommendations, creative tips, alongside helping to provide advice to them on how to approach the music we were making. I felt that I learned how to communicate ideas across in a much more usable way – rather than just saying how I’m imagining it done, working together with whomever I’m collaborating with to create something greater than the sum of two parts. I’m satisfied with how I was able to ease the minds I was working with into recording/creative settings, so that not only would I be able to get the best performances out of them, but we also had a fun time doing so. Many of us had great conversations about leadership, communication and how people function in social settings, which not only made us closer together as friends and creative minds alike, but meant we were engaging in the exchange of thoughts, which means a lot to me.

With regards to problems within my role, one of which was managing collaboration. Pete (drummer) is a 40-year-old, full-time working, single father of two, which meant that not only am I not one of the priorities in his life but also meant that we couldn’t collaborate as frequently as we could have if say we lived permanently in the same city. However, there were only one or two instances where we had to reschedule – he was extremely flexible and was willing to help in any way I asked. However, Pete happened to catch pneumonia a few days prior to our recording session, which meant that we couldn’t pursue as expected. My first instincts were to let Anthony know not to come down and to contact the other drummers I had contacted back in the first few weeks of the assessment. I contacted a close friend called Ross, who said he’d be more than willing to record drums for me when he next made it down to Nottingham – however, we were unable to get a response from our old college to book some dates in the studios. I thus looked into different way alternative artists work with using a mixture of acoustic instruments and electronic instruments such as Gorillaz, Death in Vegas, The Kills and Kasabian. From this research, I concluded that I should use the drum demos we had recorded and treated them in a lo-fi, distorted yet powerful way to reinforce the rock-like feel I was going for with ‘Role Models’ and ‘Wait’. Looking back, I feel like this was the right move to make, as I could have perhaps moved to MIDI drums, where there could have been the potential for there to be a lack of rhythm, pace, energy and feel, so using our previous drum takes was a much more sensible option I feel.

References

Paul Tingen (2005) Steve Albini: Sound Engineer Extraordinaire. [online] Sound on Sound. Available from: http://www.soundonsound.com/people/steve-albini [Accessed 26 April 2017].