Emulation:

We picked the genre category “1960s/70’s Motown/Soul” and the track “Killing Me Softly” by Roberta Flack, arranging the track as a live performance, recording drums, bass, keys, and vocals, with backing vocals, acoustic guitar and percussion overdubbed.

To reflect its personal story, we used close-miking techniques to eliminate background noise and capture detail.

NOTE: We initially tried full overdubbing, but numerous tempo changes made it impractical. We switched to a live recording, keeping initial microphone setups.

DRUMS/PERCUSSION:

The sound of the overall kit is tight and intimate, with more emphasis on the kick and less detail in the snare, overheads, and hi-hat.​ To re-create this tight sound, we did the following:

• Isolated the kit with baffles in studio 113, reducing “washy” and resonant thickness so the drums appear front and centre without competing with the vocals.
• x3 mic set-up: kick in (ElectroVoice RE20), kick out (Sennheiser MD421-II), and a mono overhead (Rode K2).
• The RE20 was placed inside the porthole, capturing attack rather than muddiness/boom.
• The Sennheiser was placed outside the resonant skin, capturing the roundness of the drum without heavy sub-bass.
• The Rode K2 was placed above the snare, capturing a balanced snapshot of the overall kit, with its tube character adding ambience and warmth.

For percussion (tibetan bells and shakers), we used a Neumann KM184 overhead and a Xaudia Beeb directly in front.

Due to no fixed tempo, the drummer performed without a click, using listening breaks to refer to the track for timing.

KEYS:

A Fender Rhodes is used in the original track, but due to keyboard availability, we re-created its sound on a Nord Electro 6D.

We ran it through a Fender amp in the live room for tremolo and reverb, then captured the vintage Rhodes tone with a Xaudia GRX, adding a Neumann KM184 for extra clarity. Both mics were placed at the centre of the speaker cone.

Given the harsh Nord pre-set, a low-pass filter was applied to dampen high frequencies, resulting in a smoother timbre, particularly during higher improvisations in the keys part.​

At the start of the song, a rough click track cued the keys and vocals in, setting the pace despite the rubato intro.

BASS:

The bass in this track is deep and warm, and has a clear presence. We recorded the Ashdown amp cabinet in the vocal booth of studio 113, our player’s effect pedals, and used a SansAmp DI box. The cabinet had two mics:

• Solomon LoFREQ sub mic – for additional depth and warm
• Sontronics Delta 2 mic – for tone emphasis and vintage character

With the bass amp isolated in the vocal booth, the player relied on a balanced headphone mix. A gap in the drum baffles was also intentionally left to facilitate effective communication with the drummer.

The track contains several pauses, therefore, the keys and bass player required visual contact with the drummer for counting cues to ensure co-ordinated entries.

ACOUSTIC GUITAR:

The acoustic guitar is very crisp and detailed, giving finger-picked gentleness as well as direct presence.

We used the Neumann KM184 from the keyboard set-up and positioned it in-front of the guitar at a moderate distance. ​This placement avoided excessive string “twang” while allowing natural resonance, capturing the subtlety of the fingerstyle playing.​

LEAD AND BACKING VOCALS:

Roberta Flack’s vocals are conversational and controlled, building from breathy delivery to stronger belting. We recorded the lead vocal in the live room of 113, using a Warm Audio 251 (in picture), which we later swapped for a Rode NT1A (owned by Oliver).

For character and reverb, we patched the vocals into the WA2A compressor and the Lexicon.

When the vocalist started belting, we asked her to step back to keep mic levels in good range.

Refining the vocal harmonies required careful time and attention since we were trying to fit the emulation brief as much as possible.

​We recorded the harmonies with the NT1A as well, but since the singer had to leave early before the end of the session, harmonies were finished outside the studio.

MIXING:

• We edited and aligned overdubbed percussion to the live recording.
• EQ was used to shape the kick and snare, dull the hi-hat, boost percussion, remove ‘muddiness’ from the keys, and shape vocal harmonies to prevent frequency masking.
• We referred to the original track for panning information (eg: hi-hat is left, bass is right).
• All vocals were comped, pitch flexed, aligned, and sent to a reverb bus, which was controlled by automation (eg: turned on in choruses and off in the verses).
• Automation was used to balance volume of different harmonies across the track, and to bypass the spreader plugin in the verses.

Live Stereo:

We recorded a three instrument rendition of The 1975’s “About You“, including piano, flute, and vocals.

We chose 3 stereo set ups: one by the piano (blumlein pair), one in the middle (coincident pair), and one by the vocalist (mid-side pair). In the mix, we blended all these variations together.

• Blumlein –> x2 AKG 414 XLS
• Coincident –> x2 Neumann KM184
• Mid-side –> Rode K2 and Aston Spirit

To isolate the piano and vocalist/flute better, we positioned a baffle in between the blemlein and mid-side pair.

We patched the central coincident pair to the Lexicon, enhancing the ambience of the room with reverb.

MIXING:

• We used automation to blend the stereo mics together. The blumlein pair (nearest to the piano) was kept steady as the ‘track backbone’, whilst adjustments were made to the Aston Spirit (mid-side nearest to singer) to control vocal and flute levels.
• The flute was reduced in closer mics and lifted in more distant pairs (eg: coincident pair).
• Automation allowed us to switch between EQ settings for flute and vocals, enhancing clarity without conflict, and to blend in reverb from the Lexicon.
• Microphones were panned according to their stereo pairs.
• Subtle chorus was added to the piano for warmth.
• In the master track stack, we applied light compression and EQ for balance and a de-esser to the vocals.

Remix:

NOTE: Track was started at university and finished at home due to isolating before surgery to avoid illness.

We recorded the Nord 6D, bass guitar, drums (refer to pictures above for set-up), and egg shaker (using Neumann KM184) in the spare time of our 113 emulation recording session. We improvised to a 120bpm click and came up with a simple dance-like progression: Db, Gb, Bb, Ab with added 7ths and sus4s.

The piece aims to capture texture and energy from electronic music through the dance-style piano, synths, and driving drum riser. Significant influence was drew from Fred again..’s music, such as ‘adore you‘. His production style involves chopping, rearranging, and manipulating vocal samples, alongside original custom drum sounds. I incorporated similar techniques in my track.

At home, since I only own a Shure SM58 and a Focusrite Scarlett, I used it to record found sounds around the house (see video):

My twin sister also played electric guitar to fill out the beat-drop after the chorus. I placed the SM58 directly in-front of the cone on her Marshall amp. She added pedals and effects to contribute to the overall ambience.

MIXING:

• The vocals, keys, bass, and drums from recording in 113, and the found drum/percussion sounds, were compressed to even levels.
• The bass guitar audio and my bottle spray hi-hat were sent to the plugin, Step FX, to create rhythmic but subtle background texture.
• EQ was applied to the Nord to bring back volume and brightness.
• I used EQ on the motorbike riser to increase “airiness” and filter out the low rumble of the engine. I also used Pitch Shifter to make it cut through the mix better like a proper riser.
• To make the backing vocals more interesting, I added the Step FX plugin to create tremolo echoes.
• For synthesis, I used an upright piano with chorus effects (to double the Nord 6D), and created arpeggiated mallet bells. There is also a pad drone in the background for added fullness to contrast the staccato percussive elements.
• The lead vocals were pitched using Flex Pitch to match the new key of Db major. I then applied compression, EQ, and a de-esser, which then got sent to a reverb and echo bus.

Management / Improvements / Roles:

PROJECT MANAGEMENT:

• Due to tempo changes, we recorded live rather than overdubbing, prioritising musicianship and real time interaction.
• We recorded ‘Killing Me Softly‘ using both full takes and sectional tracking for variety and accuracy.
• We shared mixes via OneDrive and co-ordinated through our Instagram group chat.
• Long sessions ensured quality (eg: emulation was 6 hours, stereo was 4 hours), with strong musicians brought together in single sessions due to early planning.
• We refined work with tutor feedback.
• While waiting on vocals for the remix, I developed ideas using Roberta’s original vocal (using logic stem splitter).

IMPROVEMENTS:

• For ‘Killing Me Softly‘, we could have arranged a full-band rehearsal in advance to achieve a more cohesive recording.
• We should have recorded the emulation track earlier, allowing more time to focus on developing and mixing the remix.
• In ‘About You‘, there was an imbalance between the vocals and flute levels. Next time, we should either: separately record vocals and flute, make the singer step back when beginning to play flute, or just get another musician to play/sing appropriately in the stereo set-up.

ROLES:

• Roles were not assigned specifically, but instead developed naturally over the course of the sessions.
• In ‘Killing Me Softly‘, as it was a full band set-up, everyone helped set up microphones and instruments. Since I was on keyboard, Oliver, Marz, Hannah, and Timmy were in charge of recording, outboard gear, and logic management.
• In ‘About You‘, me and Hannah were the performers so Oliver, Marz and Timmy recorded.
• Everyone attempted to reach out to musicians, organise and book studio sessions, and mix files so there was equal distribution of work.