Track 1 (Genre Specific Emulation)

17th – 24th February 2026 – Genre and song chosen, demo track created

The first stage for this section was to select an appropriate genre and reference track to recreate. As a group, we agreed to focus on the 1990’s britpop genre due to our shared familiarity with the production conventions associated with the genre. This prior knowledge enabled more informed decision-making when recreating sonic characteristics in mixes which often prioritise instrument cohesion rather than ‘polish’.

The song we chose is called ‘There She Goes’ by The La’s. This track was selected due to its seemingly minimal arrangement and lack of complex instrumentation, making it an appropriate choice for reproduction. However, further analysis revealed that despite its simplicity, the track relies heavily on subtle use tone and spatial placement, meaning that careful attention to detail was required to achieve an authentic result.

In preparation for recording, I spent the next few days listening to the song on repeat, familiarising myself with the arrangement, and identifying individual compenonents and their respective tone. Logic’s stem splitter also allowed me to focus on each individual part. This educated me on key characteristics of the track, such as the jangly, mid-focused electric guitar, and the relatively dry lead vocals. Although the stem splitter was useful for listening to the individual parts, it was difficult to use during the mixing stage, due to the artefacts and aliasing introduced during the process. The photos below show the guide track being recorded

I then recorded a basic acoustic guitar and vocal guide track. The purpose of this was to make the recording process more efficient, by providing a tempo-accurate reference to the musicians. This meant that there was less guesswork when overdubbing. This was particularly important for ‘There She Goes’, given its repetitive harmonic structure meant that performers may easily get lost without a guide track. The pictures below show this process taking place.

27th Feb – Acoustic guitar, bass and tambourine recorded

I was eager to commence the recording process as quickly as possible, therefore due to musician availability, the first tracks we recorded were all acoustic guitar parts, bass and tambourine. These were recorded to the guide backing track, and therefore the recording process was relatively simple. Aided further by research, we were already aware of the arrangement of all 4 acoustic guitar parts, and what they did throughout the song. Acoustic guitar was recorded using a mid-side recording technique, to allow greater control in the mixing stage, allowing us to control the mid and side information separately. In order to match tonal characteristics of the reference track, a Neumann KM184 was used for the mid microphone. This choice was made due to its slight high-frequency boost at 9kHz, which complemented the bright, jangly quality of the original guitars. The microphone was positioned close to the 12th fret, to emphasise upper-mid and high-frequency detail. This reflects the intention of treating the acoustic guitars as textural elements within the mix, rather than dominant harmonic components. The photos below show the mic setup

In the original, the bass guitar sits low in the mix, with much of the high frequency content removed, resulting in a more supportive low-end presence. Research into the band’s instrumentation revealed that a Fender Precision Bass was commonly used by the band’s bassist, informing the decision to use a similar instrument in this recording to maintain authenticity. However, due to the relative lack of clarity in the bass tone within the original mix, it was necessary to adopt a flexible recording approach.

To achieve this, a DI signal from the instrument and the amp, along with a mic placed on the cab were recorded simultaneously. This provided greater control during the mixing stage, allowing for adjustments to tonal balance as needed. Capturing both signals ensured that, despite the ambiguity of the original bass tone, options were available in order to ensure the bass sat right in the mix. The photos below show the guitar recording process, along with the amp sim settings used to achieve the final tone.

6th March – Drums and vocals recorded

In order to best replicate the original production, a vocalist was chosen whose tonal qualities resemble that of Lee Mavers. This was an important consideration, as vocal timbre plays an important role in There She Goes, particularly given the relatively minimal instrumentation and popularity of the track.

A member of the group recommended that we use the Sennheiser MD441, a dynamic microphone, to record the vocals. This was a decision informed by previous experience, as it had been used before on successful recordings with this vocalist. We were initially pleased with the vocal recording, as we were able to capture a very strong vocal performance, which matched many stylistic characteristic of the original vocal.

On reflection, I believe a condenser microphone would have been more suitable for the capture of the vocal. When working on my own mix, I became aware of the large dynamic range between the falsetto and louder sections, meaning that large amounts of compression had to be applied to reduce the dynamic range so the vocal sat correctly within the mix. A large-diaphragm condenser microphone, with its increased sensitivity, may have captured greater detail in the quieter passages and provided a more accurate representation of the performer’s dynamics This could have reduced the need for more aggressive compression during mixing, allowing for a more natural dynamic control. It is important to note that microphone choice alone would not have mediated this problem, a shift in vocal performance technique, where the vocalist increases distance to the mic during louder sections, would have also helped achieve a more balanced tone. The photos below show this process taking place.

11th March – Electric guitar recorded

The final element to be recorded was the electric guitar parts, which are key to the sonic identity of There She Goes. Research into the original recording suggested that a Fender amplifier paired with single-coil guitars would be most effective in recreating the bright, jangly tone characteristic of The recording. Initial recordings therefore focused on capturing this sound through a miked amplifier setup.

However, achieving a close tonal match proved difficult, as the recorded signal lacked clarity. As a result, The DI signal was used during mixing, as this provided increased flexibility for amp adjustment for tonal shaping. This approach allowed for more precise control over the guitar tone and helped achieve a sound closer to the original recording.

7th April onwards – mixes shared in lesson for review and final mix changes carried out

The mixing stage proved more challenging than initially anticipated. Despite allocating extensive time to tonal adjustment and critical listening, slight discrepancies between our mix and the original recording remained clear, particularly in the electric guitar and vocal tones. Achieving the bright yet controlled guitar sound and the distinctive vocal character of There She Goes was difficult due to differences in equipment, recording environment, and performance.

Another challenge was achieving cohesion between the individually recorded instruments, which initially sounded disconnected within the mix. A shared hall reverb was applied across multiple elements to create a more unified sense of space and depth. In addition, bus compression was used to gently glue the instruments together dynamically, helping the mix feel more cohesive and balanced overall.

The photos below show the primary effects used in the mix

Overall, this project made me aware of the challenges of accurately reproducing a commercial recording. The project also highlighted areas for improvement within both my own mixing knowledge and our teamwork as a group. At times, clearer communication and more structured collaboration could have improved efficiency and decision-making during recording and mixing sessions. Despite this, the process significantly improved my understanding of recording, mixing, and collaborative studio practice.

Track 2 (Live In the Studio Stereo Recording)

stereo recording wmgtw Download

We recorded a 3 piece acoustic trio consisting of lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar and piano. This ensemble was suited for the stereo recording section, as the acoustic nature created relatively minimal volume difference between instruments, meaning less post-recording processing would have to be carried out. A spaced pair of ribbon microphones was initially used, with one microphone positioned towards the lead vocals and acoustic guitar, and the other directed towards the piano. This approach was intended to create separation between the instruments within the stereo field. However, during the mixing and review stage, several issues became apparent. The vocals appeared heavily weighted to one side of the stereo image, resulting in an unnatural spatial balance. In addition, the microphone placement caused the instruments to sound distant and lacking in presence. There was also significant bleed from the piano into the opposite microphone, making independent level control of the instruments extremely difficult during mixing.

Following evaluation of these issues, the decision was made to rerecord the ensemble with more extensive planning and research into stereo capture techniques. The ensemble layout was reorganised to better support stereo balance and depth perception, with the lead vocal and acoustic guitar positioned at the front, bass placed behind, and piano positioned further back in the room. This arrangement was intended to create a more controlled sense of spatial depth while reducing excessive overlap between sources.

A mid-side microphone technique was positioned directly in front of the lead vocal and acoustic guitar. This allowed these elements to remain centrally focused within the stereo image while also providing flexibility to adjust stereo width during mixing. In addition, a spaced pair was positioned level with the guitar and pointed towards the bass and piano in order to capture the wider ensemble and room ambience. This combination of techniques resulted in a more balanced stereo image, improved clarity, and greater control during the mixing process.

The mixing process for this recording was intentionally minimal in order to retain. the natural quality of the live ensemble performance. The mid microphone from the M/S setup was panned centrally to keep the lead vocal and acoustic guitar focused within the stereo image, while the side information was panned approximately 30% left and right to create width without sounding exaggerated or unnatural.

The spaced pair microphones, which captured the piano, bass, and room ambience, were panned fully left and right to create greater separation from the central elements and were EQ’d to remove excessive muddiness and rumble at around 250Hz.

All signals were routed through a tape emulation plugin to introduce subtle saturation and gentle compression, helping to smooth transients and create a warmer, more cohesive sound. Finally, a plate reverb was added to the side of the M/S setup to increase spatial depth and help the vocals sit more naturally within the mix, while still maintaining clarity and presence.

The pictures below show the room and microphone setup, along with effects used during mixing.