Method 1 – Live Band/Ensemble Capture
For our live recording assignment, we recorded the band Jeanine with their original song ‘Nails’. I took on a primary organisation and communication role, due to my existing connection with the band. I was friends with the band’s manager and had previously seen them perform live so knew this was a strength. As a group, we agreed that a live performance would result in enhanced performance quality and the overall sound of the recording.
I was aware that they rehearsed regularly and were confident in performing any song within their repertoire, so there was no need for specific rehearsals for this performance. Jeanine also had a file full of demos; as a group, we concluded ‘Nails’ was the best choice.
Recording in studio 422 meant that we could utilise the vocal booth to our advantage (as Louis, the singer, was also the guitarist). Our main goal was to capture the best natural live sound we could before mixing. We placed Louis in the vocal booth with his amp placed in the live room between the drummer (Will) and bassist (Oscar). To avoid any sound bleed from the bass and drums, we decided it was best to DI the bass. This allowed the band to perform together, though the tactical separation allowed for better vocal clarity and dynamic control. Vocals were recorded using a large-diaphragm condenser AKG C414, and placed in the vocal booth to further reduce bleed. We also set up a pop shield after the first few takes to soften any plosives. The guitar amplifier was recorded using a combination of a dynamic Shure SM57 and a large-diaphragm condenser AKG C414, allowing us to blend the focused mid-range of the dynamic microphone with the fuller bright tone captured by the condenser. As for drums an AKG D112 dynamic microphone was used on the kick drum to emphasise low-end punch, while Sennheiser MD421 dynamic microphones were used on the snare top, low tom and mid tom due to their ability to handle high sound pressure levels and provide a focused, controlled sound. We added a wallet and packet of tissues to the mid and low toms as they were particularly resonant. The drummer requested that we did not use a high tom. Our overheads consisted of two small-diaphragm condensers; Oktava MK-012 microphones captured the overall kit and ambience of the live room yet allowed us to maintain control and clarity in the mix.
Session planning was organised as a group: we booked a five hour session, giving ourselves one hour to set up equipment before asking the band to arrive. We kept clear and ongoing communication with the musicians throughout the session using the talkback system. This was particularly important when adjusting headphone mixes, as well as between takes where we regularly checked in with the band to see how they were feeling and to explain any microphone or setup adjustments that had been made. We encouraged the band to come into the control room to listen to every few takes. Such involvement allowed the band to give feedback on their performance and the overall sound. We focussed on clear planning, time management, and organisation. The session was structured to ensure efficiency, with roles pre-assigned to allow a quick and effective setup and to minimise confusion once the band arrived. My responsibilities included: communication, working the desk and setting up certain equipment, specifically the DI box for the bassist and the vocal booth for the singer. Polly and Seb were responsible for micing up the drum kit whilst Will handled the setup of the guitar amplifier. Although individual roles were initially given, responsibilities became more flexible as the session progressed, allowing the group to respond quickly to technical issues and support one another when needed.
The main aim of this project was to achieve a clear and balanced representation of the live recording rather than a fully polished final mix. The focus was on ensuring that each instrument could be heard clearly while preserving the natural energy and feel of the performance. Fader levels were balanced carefully to prevent any element from dominating the mix, with particular attention given to vocals, which required several adjustments to sit comfortably within the track. Panning was kept simple, with the drum overheads panned from the drummer’s perspective to create a basic stereo image. No EQ or effects were used.
Method 2 – Overdub Production
For our overdub assignment, we recorded the artist Angelina X and her song ‘Songbirds and Snakes’. The four recording sessions were based around a demo that Angelina had produced herself in Logic Pro. This demo, alongside written sheet music for the bass parts, provided clear guidance on tempo, structure, and the overall feel of the track. In preparation for the session, Angelina shared the demo and relevant parts with the instrumentalists in advance. She specified that she was happy for the drummer (Nate) to improvise, as the original demo did not include drums. This allowed the drum parts to develop naturally during the recording process.
Arrangement decisions focussed on building around the preexisting demo. In our first session, we recorded drums, followed by a bass session, a piano and vocal session and finally a re-recording session for refining and adding parts. The order of these sessions was not ideal, as issues with the original bassist meant finding an alternative and scheduling him for a separate date (we had wanted to do this in the same session as the drum recording). Furthermore, in hindsight, starting with piano and vocals may have been better as we found we ended up having to hand edit out-of-time parts to fit.
Polly operated the desk in the studio109 for our first session and Seb, Will, and I were responsible for micing the drum kit using an AKG D112 dynamic microphone on the kick drum, the snare top was recorded using a Shure SM57 dynamic microphone, while the snare bottom was recorded using a small-diaphragm condenser Oktava MK-012 to capture additional brightness. The low and high toms were miced using Sennheiser MD421 dynamic microphones, which provided a focused and controlled tone. Overheads and hi-hats were captured using small-diaphragm condenser Oktava MK-012 microphones to capture the ambience of the drum kit. Seb sorted the headphones and Will did mic adjustments; later in the session, I took over some of the recording.This ensured an efficient and organised start to the overdub process. For the second session, Will and I arrived early so that I could set up the DI box and talk back mic for the bassist and Will could set up the pro tools session. Another issue with the bassist meant calling in a favour with a mutual friend. We all took turns recording on pro tools throughout the session and managed to extend it due to the issue with the other bassist. For the third session, We were back insStudio 422 and I set up the vocal booth while Polly and Seb mic’d the piano and Will set up the pro tools session. Piano was recorded using a stereo pair of small-diaphragm condenser Calrec CM1051c microphones to capture a balanced and natural stereo image (where we made sure to turn the snare drum off that was in that room to avoid unwanted vibrations.) Vocals were recorded using a large-diaphragm condenser JZ Vintage V67, selected for its clarity and warmth, as Angelina has quite a sultry Kate-Bush style tone to her voice. We had also pre-booked a mixing room to sort out the live recording so towards the end of the session I stayed and recorded vocal harmonies and ad-libs with Angelina while the others went to mix our other project. After we had finished recording vocals and completed the initial basic mix for ‘Nails’ we moved to another mixing room and decided to start mixing ‘Songbirds and Snakes’. Here, we realised the bass and drums were out of time from the piano and vocals. Though we tried editing, we decided another session to re-record the bass was the most time-efficient option before everyone went home for Christmas. In this session we were in studio 422, Polly and Seb set up the DI while Will and I worked the desk, quickly re-recording the bass parts to fit better. We also decided to try adding some guitar for additional texture but as we didn’t have enough time to set up again, we recorded the guitar through a DI into pro tools.
For the recording of ‘Songbirds and Snakes’, microphone choices were selected to allow flexibility and clarity across multiple overdub sessions while maintaining control over individual sources. For the drum recording, we were in studio 109 and used an AKG D112 dynamic microphone on the kick drum, the snare top was recorded using a Shure SM57 dynamic microphone, while the snare bottom was recorded using a small-diaphragm condenser Oktava MK-012 to capture additional brightness. The low and high toms were miced using Sennheiser MD421 dynamic microphones, which provided a focused and controlled tone. Overheads and hi-hats were captured using small-diaphragm condenser Oktava MK-012 microphones to capture the ambience of the drum kit.
As we were only required to complete a basic mix for this project, the focus was on ensuring that each instrument could be heard clearly, while preserving the natural energy and feel of Angelina’s writing. Fader levels were balanced carefully to prevent any element from dominating the mix, with particular attention given to the bass and drums, which required quite a bit of editing due to timing errors. Polly focused more on editing the piano and vocals while Will edited the drums and I the bass. Panning was kept simple, with the drum overheads panned from the drummer’s perspective as well as the piano to create a basic stereo image. No EQ or effects were used, allowing the recording to remain as natural and unprocessed as possible.
