MPR5C001R~001 Studio Portfolio 1 & Log Book TEMPLATE
1500 words
Please use the sections below to evidence your personal contribution to the production for the portfolio. Please include details for all the tracks produced as a part of this portfolio.
Provide rationale for any of the production decisions that you made as a group. Include any multimedia (pictures, videos, audio recordings etc) evidence to the relevant sections.
Consider the following:
Pre-Production
- Rehearsals
- Track development
- Demo recording
- Arrangement decisions
- Session planning
Recording
- Microphone choices
- Room setup
- Musician management
Mixing
- Mix plan/concept
- Balance
- Pan
- Tone
- FX
Project Management
- Time management
- Planning
- Roles and responsibilities
- Structure and organisation
Track 1 (Guitar-based band production)
Mic List:
C414: Vocals
SM57: Guitars
MD421: Bass
Drum-pack: Drums
PRE-PRODUCTION PROCESS
The recording session for guitar-based band production took place at room 422. The guitarist, drummer, and bassist were placed in the same room, while the vocalist was in the vocal booth to prevent bleed. With the band being based on heavy metal, we found it was important to separate the vocalist for this reason.
Unfortunately, instead of having two guitarists for this session, one of them was unable to make it, and therefore, we could only have one guitarist. However, looking back, this gave us more opportunities to implement overdubs.
RECORDING
• Drums
The drummer had not practised with the band prior to the session, which led to a lack of cohesion during the first few takes. This affected timing and structure early on. As the session progressed, the drummer became more familiar with the material and locked in with the rest of the band, improving overall synergy.
• Guitars
The absence of a second guitarist meant the intended layered guitar parts could not be recorded during the main session. To address this, the additional layers were overdubbed later. Due to the genre’s reliance on loud, distorted guitars, careful consideration was needed to prevent them from overpowering other elements.
• Vocals
Because of the intensity and volume of the guitars, the vocal booth was essential for maintaining clarity and isolation, allowing flexibility during gain staging and mixing. A C414 microphone was used to capture the breathiness and detail of the vocals, despite quieter sections and a slight risk of bleed.
• Bass
Recording the bass was straightforward, with no major issues. The main focus was ensuring the low frequencies were captured clearly, which was achieved successfully.
• Control Room / Production
As the vocalist was part of the studio group, responsibilities in the control room were shared equally. Although roles were not strictly assigned, communication was clear and everyone contributed to setting up, adjusting gain levels, and recording takes.
MIXING
Due to the clean recordings, mixing the track took less time than expected. To maintain a live feel, the mix was approached holistically by using subgroups rather than focusing solely on individual tracks.
EQ
EQ was applied both individually and on subgroups. Individual EQ helped prevent frequency overlap, while subgroup EQ helped maintain balance and cohesion without harsh differences.
Compression
Both individual and subgroup compression were used. The main vocal was levelled to control volume jumps and enhance presence, while individual drum compression helped shape dynamics.
Effects
Reverb and flange were the main effects used. Reverb created space between vocals and instruments, while flange was applied to backing vocals for added stereo depth. Reverb was also used on some drums and guitar.
Track 2 Live in the studio (jazz/folk ensemble)
[Overwrite this with the text pertaining to Track 2 live in the studio (jazz/folk ensemble). Use the file block below to upload your uncompressed audio.]
PRE-PRODUCTION
Players were set up much like the guitar band, except the vocalist was recorded in the booth while playing the acoustic guitar. Isolation boards were placed on either side of the drummer since it was the loudest instrument, helping to reduce spill into other microphones.
• Guitar
The acoustic guitar was played by the vocalist at the same time, which caused some bleed into the vocal mic. We tried recording it in stereo using a mid-side setup, but the vocal was too prominent, so we couldn’t use it. The guitar was mostly left natural to preserve its low-mid tone, especially since there was no bass to fill that space.
• Vocals
The vocal mic also picked up some guitar bleed, even though we used a dynamic microphone to help limit it. Looking back, mic placement could have been adjusted a bit better. Still, it captured the breathiness and character we wanted, which works well for folk music.
• Violin
Recording the violin was fairly simple. The main focus was positioning the mic above the instrument at the right distance to avoid harsh frequencies while still capturing enough volume.
• Control Room
We all shared DAW control and gain staging responsibilities. I suggested the mid-side guitar setup, which didn’t work out, but everyone helped monitor levels and guide the recording process.
MIXING
The goal was to keep the mix raw and natural. Folk music benefits from a live, unpolished feel, so we avoided over-processing.
EQ
Only light EQ was used overall. The vocals got the most attention to reduce overlap with the guitar, while the guitars were left fairly natural to retain low-mid presence, adding depth in the absence of a bass.
Compression
Three compressors were used, mainly on drums and then reused on other instruments as needed. Outboard compression helped bring up the quieter violin sections without over-limiting dynamics.
Effects
The only effect was the Lexicon PCM22 reverb, sent to its own channel rather than an aux so we could EQ it. This helped prevent muddiness while still adding a sense of space to the vocals, guitar, and some drums.
Track 3 Remix track
For the Remix track, I wanted to emulate dark synth-pop, with a blend of trap and rock.
For the remix track, I aimed to emulate a dark synth-pop sound, blending elements of trap and rock.
Vocals
I kept the original structure of the song, so there were not many changes made. However, I altered the BPM to 100 to achieve a ‘slow rock’ feel. I chose to keep the structure because I liked the build-up as the track progresses and wanted to recreate it using synths and additional instruments.
Synths
I built most of the synths myself, including the bass, using ES2 and Alchemy. I created a soft, airy lead with a slow attack to make it more engaging. I then made a basic synth bass using square and sawtooth waves, adding noise to give it a gritty and distorted tone.
Live instruments
I added guitar recorded straight into the DAW and used the pedalboard plug-in to add distortion and grit to suit the rock influence of the remix. One track played slow chord movements to add texture, specifically grit and roughness. This part was not meant to stand out and was used mainly for sound design. A lead guitar was also recorded to support the vocal melody.
The second live instrument recorded was backing vocals. These played a significant role in the remix, as they were layered to build intensity as the track progressed. They worked especially well during the quieter section, creating a choir-like feel that helped emphasise the intensity I was aiming for.
Drums
For the drums, I used Logic’s instrument library to create a simple MIDI-based beat. I then used the ‘Separate by note pitch’ feature to split the drum parts and pan them accordingly. In the later sections, I used a loop that resembled a real drum kit, layered with a stereo electronic drum loop to add extra texture.
Structure
As mentioned earlier, I mostly kept the original vocal structure instead of rearranging it. While this caused an issue with the required length in the brief, it was solved by adding an extra section in the form of a break.
By working around the original structure, I was able to use layers to build dynamics gradually, leading to more intense sections that create tension. These build-ups also allowed for sudden changes in dynamics, making the track more engaging as it develops.
MIXING
Compared to the previous two tracks, I relied much more heavily on plug-ins for this remix.
Panning and creating a false stereo image
Using the tracks I already had, I duplicated them and applied sample delay, then panned them left and right to create a false stereo image that made the mix more interesting. This was mainly used on the lead, pad, and guitars.
Panning these elements also helped give them their own space, preventing them from being masked by other instruments.
Reverb
Most instruments were sent to a reverb bus, as I wanted to add space and help the track fit the genre I was working in.
EQ and Compression
EQ and compression were used on most tracks. Applying the project tempo to the vocals changed the frequencies that stood out, meaning the EQ had to be adjusted accordingly. The vocal tracks, including backing vocals, also jumped out at times, so compression was used to control this.
Chorus
Chorus was mainly used on the backing vocals, as I wanted them to sound blended rather than raw. To achieve this effect, they were also side-chained to the main vocal to ensure they did not overpower it at any point.
