MPR4C001R-001 Production Log Book 1 Template

Task 2: Production Log Book

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:

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Method 1 – Overdub Production

The main task for our group this semester is to complete two recording projects: a live ensemble recording and a multitrack overdub recording. Our group members consist of 1. Noah, 2. Lai, 3. Elliott, 4. Kian, 5. Harvey, and 6. Isaac.

After our discussion, we decided to begin with the multitrack recording because we believe this task is simpler compared to a live recording. Live recording requires considering the mutual influence and bleed between various instruments in the same space. Therefore, the experience we accumulate during the multitrack session—such as microphone selection and placement—can help us perform better during the live session. Of course, to have a good recording, you first need good performers. We began looking for a band; while Harvey is a guitarist in a band, our project rules do not allow group members to perform. Soon, Isaac found a band called “Jeanine” composed of students from our school who are his friends. Isaac shared their Instagram in our group chat, where they had uploaded some performance videos and songs on Spotify. A week before the recording started, I listened to their music; it leans toward Indie Rock, and the lead singer/guitarist has a very recognizable voice, which gave me the idea to highlight their vocals in the subsequent recording project. Their configuration includes electric guitar, electric bass, and drums. After discussion, we decided to first record a Guide Track containing vocals and guitar, then use that to guide the drummer to record the drum parts.

The first recording session began on 2025/11/11. After Jamie’s class ended at 8:30 PM, we continued our booking in Studio 113 so we could stay and record, which later became our regular group recording time. All members—Noah, Lai, Elliott, Kian, Harvey, and Isaac—were present. Our goal was to record the Guide Track (vocals and guitar) and use it to capture the drums. In the class that had just ended, Jamie instructed us on microphone placement for recording drums, so our preparation phase went very smoothly. Isaac had prepared a checklist of microphones needed for the drums and Guide Track in advance, and we agreed to follow that list. Some of these microphones, like the AKG 451B and SM57, were ones we had used in previous class exercises and felt worked well. And also in the mastercalss before I learned some mic list that master used,like AKG C414 so I also recommend this.

mic list Romesh Dodangoda used in ABBEY ROAD

At 7:30 PM, we began official preparations. Isaac and Kian went to the resource store to get the microphones and additional equipment, while Elliott and I set up the microphones for the drums, vocals, and guitar. Harvey and Noah followed the plan to reroute the patch bay and label the console; we assigned the Wallbox B drum inputs to SF1 and the Wallbox A guitar and vocal inputs to SF23 and 24. Afterward, everyone entered the live room to confirm the microphone placement, wallbox inputs, and foldback headphone settings. Returning to the computer, we opened the Pro Tools session, created tracks, and configured the inputs from the desk’s short faders. The band arrived around 8:30 PM; we first had the lead singer enter the booth, put on headphones, and began testing the foldback and metronome tempo. After consulting the lead singer, we chose to record the guitar and vocals simultaneously as a Guide Track. The process was very smooth; to be safe, we recorded three times and used the second take. Then came the main focus of this session: the drums. We used Pro Tools to send the Guide Track to the drummer’s headphones via Wallbox B, and he began practicing. We monitored the signal of every track and discovered the Kick Out signal was too hot, so Noah moved the microphone further back to make the drum sound cleaner and clearer. Both the group and the band shared their thoughts on the current drum sound and were very satisfied, so we decided to start the official recording.

Mic list(write by Isaac)

the patch bay after reroute

mic we used of Overdubbed drum

Harvey using tape to do the signal of drum tracks

when me and Elliott set up the microphones for the drums

Isaac do the final check

As the drummer played, our entire team monitored from the control room and felt the recording effect was excellent. We didn’t make any changes and recorded another take; I took some photos during this process. After finishing, we soloed each track and agreed that the captured material was very clean and high-quality. Specifically, the two C414 microphones used as overheads made the entire drum kit sound more three-dimensional, and we were very pleased with the result.

https://leedsconservatoire.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=747a6b19-0fe4-4954-99f2-b3cb00a8dfaa before recording drums https://leedsconservatoire.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=9a942c99-dc10-4797-94db-b3cb00a89888 drum test

Since we had about an hour left, we decided to try recording the guitar part as well. The lead singer/guitarist chose a Fender amp and connected his own pedalboard. We placed two microphones in front of the amp—an AKG 414 and an SM57. We recorded two takes of the guitar, and both the band and our team felt it was usable material. We spent fifteen minutes tidying up and ended the session. Finally, we arranged with the band to continue recording the bass and vocals next week based on the drums and guitar.

when Overdubbed Guitar record

The second recording was a week later on 11/18 in Studio 113, with Noah, Isaac, Kian, me, and Elliott attending. Isaac had scheduled the band to arrive at 8:00 PM, so we began preparations at 7:00 PM. Our plan was to use the existing drums and guitar to guide the lead singer in recording vocals, then record the bass, and if time permitted, consider double-tracking the guitar. For the vocal microphone, we used the same Sontronics Orpheus as we did for the guide track; I believe this microphone accurately reproduces the singer’s slightly deep voice with full high frequencies, fitting the song’s rich dynamics. We also added a pop shield to the microphone to effectively reduce sibilance in the recording.

I checked vocal mic on their web

Once the band arrived, we began recording the lead vocals. During the first take, the volume in the climax was too high and caused clipping, so we lowered the gain and reminded the singer to watch the loud sections. After completing several vocal takes, we had satisfactory material and moved to the bass. For the bass, we used two methods: recording the DI box signal and a two-microphone setup on the bass cabinet (one on the port, one on the cone). The bassist began playing, we found the appropriate gain, and started recording. In the first two takes, the bassist made some performance errors, so after communicating, we added a metronome to the drums and guitar in his headphones; we obtained a satisfactory recording after a few more takes.

Since there was extra time, the band suggested overdubbing the guitar to make the tone fuller. The guitarist used similar settings for his tone, and we tried overdubbing using a Sontronics Delta 2, an SM57, and a DM1-B (phase inverted) placed behind the speaker cone. We ended up with three new guitar tracks; while the second take sounded a bit muffled on its own, when played with the previous recording, the overall sense of space was much stronger. Both we and the band were satisfied with the guitar sound, concluding the recording portion of the overdub project.

overdubbing the guitar

https://leedsconservatoire.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=27250b4d-0c55-4c38-9018-b3cb00aac19f 11/18 after recording everything

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Method 2 -Live Band/Ensemble Capture&Mixing

Our third session was the live recording, also in Studio 113. The original band had a schedule conflict, so Isaac booked a student jazz quartet two weeks in advance, consisting of piano, drums, double bass, and electric guitar. They were to record Bill Evans’ “Beautiful Love.” Because the piano part is very important, Jamie guided us on piano mic placement before the session; we chose two C414s placed on the left and right. Noah and I were responsible for setting up the drum microphones; we used a simplistic setup for a more natural jazz sound. Isaac, Kian, and Elliott placed the microphone for the guitar amp (using a lower volume to minimize its impact), prepared the double bass placement, and set up the stereo recording for the grand piano. After finishing the foldback setup together, we returned to the console to configure Pro Tools. When the band arrived, we asked for their thoughts on the placement of acoustic walls, as this affects communication between members. I also join the set of walls.The final placement focused on the bassist and drummer to account for the guitar amp’s impact on the bass recording and the drum volume’s impact on other instruments.

our mic list for live

live piano mic set

live guitar mic set

live drum wall bax B

room check and set the acoustic wall

acoustic walls looks

our Bass mic set and also Bass DI box

https://leedsconservatoire.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=1d332798-bf2d-4147-b06a-b3cb00aac6f8 room set

We had the band members do a soundcheck while we monitored in the control room, finding that the double bass was too quiet. The bassist also reported he couldn’t hear himself clearly in the headphones. Consequently, Noah and Isaac entered the recording area to add a DI box to the double bass, which had a very obvious effect. We then began the official recording, which went very smoothly. We recorded a total of 6 takes; afterward, both the group and the band shared their thoughts, and we agreed that the third and fifth takes were the best. We chose the third take for our final assignment. The drummer’s solo in this version was brilliant, and the “conversation” between the drums and guitar after 4:40 made us exclaim how great it was while recording. After one more listen, the live recording concluded successfully.

https://leedsconservatoire.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=3b54d2e8-93ef-4400-ab1b-b3cb00aae20b final listen

On December 2nd after class, me, Kian, Isaac, and Noah performed the mixing for both projects. First, for the overdub project: we dragged the materials into a new Pro Tools session and began grouping and color-coding the recordings. We took turns operating, adjusting the overall levels and automation for the drums and then the guitar. I handled the vocal levels and automation; I raised the levels where the singer was too quiet and adjusted the volume of the beginnings and endings of words to match the emotion of the lyrics. We then panned the overheads and guitars to increase stereo width. Finally, we processed the bass level automation, focusing on enhancing the presence of the solo section. We then exported the master track with fade-in and fade-out processing.

Isaac had to leave early for other business, so Kian, Noah, and I completed the live session mixing. Overall, since we decided to retain more of the natural dynamic variations of the performance, we did not use much automation. We mainly adjusted levels so each instrument could be heard clearly, while using some automation to highlight their respective solos. For the drums, we lowered the volume of the hi-hats and toms because they were too prominent. We slightly increased the bass presence and layered the DI box recording with the microphone recording. We also panned the overheads and piano, with a slight offset for the guitar. We increased the room microphone level to obtain more natural reverb. Finally, we highlighted the piano’s presence by adjusting levels with reference to the original track. After completing all the work, we saved the project, and Noah distributed it to every member via email.

when we do mixng

https://leedsconservatoire.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=27d08faa-784a-4019-a0c9-b3cb00c5ed9f listen after mixing

Summary:

The two songs we recorded were Jeanine’s original “Wonderkid” (overdub) and “Beautiful Love” performed by the school jazz band (live). During this process, we used many different microphones and placement options. I personally really like the SM57 and C414, which appeared frequently in our recordings. I also learned many skills for working with people in the studio and communicating with artists. Sometimes we communicated with the musicians through hand gestures like thumbs-up while they were recording, which was very interesting. I joined different works in 4 sessions,and take most of the photes for the team,I am very satisfied with our teamwork and the two final recordings we obtained.