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Commercial Pop Track

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Pre-production

Worked with the songwriter Bella, the song is a 6/8 ballad pop track. Had a useable demo that we could record to, this included vocals, MIDI piano, electric guitar bass and drums. Quantised the piano and adjusted the levels and we started recorded as soon as possible. We wanted drums done first, we created a mic list before the recording and stated who will do what during the session, I was doing mic setup.

Recording

11th March

Wanted the drums to be a solid foundation to the song, close miking each part of the kit means we have a mostly isolated signal for each one. Although beforehand, we were not entirely sure how much of the kit he was playing, it’s easier to mute a mic in the mix than setting one up during recording.

Throughout the session, we’d ask the drummer to try different items to dampen the snare and kick to find the tone fit for the song. Tuning the kit is important for maximising sound quality, resonance and projection (Sound on Sound, 2010).

14th April

Prior to the piano recording, as a group we wanted to add an a free-time intro, we found that the song didn’t have a particularly strong start.

PIANO- Schoeps Stereo pair

ROOM- Delta 2

Wanted a clean, hi-fi recording of the grand piano, as it plays an integral part in the song. Room mics to capture natural reverb.

24th April

Solomon recorded the guitar track at home with his rig. Used the reference track and demo guitar to set the right tone, before having the final takes he showed us his demo and we agreed we thought it fit the track better than the old one.

27th April

Still thought the track needed an extra lift, so we added tambourine, shaker and a clicks recorded through a small diaphragm condenser.

Vocals and BV’s were led by Solomon as he had the most experience in that. Demo had some harmonies and double tracking but not fully fleshed out, he used How Deep is Your Love by BeeGees as inspiration for the BVs.

VOCALS- WA87, rich in mid range frequencies, emulates industry favourite NeumannU87, detailed and articulate.

Mix

DRUMS:

Tight, commercial mix- all processing is not ambitious, safe and stylistically appropriate for a slow song. Drums toned and shaped during recording, the mix only amplifies that. On the DRUM bus there is some saturation and reverb to accentuate playing as I would describe the drums in this quite soft.

PIANO:

Avoided over processing the piano, emphasis on maintaining natural sound, automated the volume throughout the song to make it fit around the vocals. Room mics only picked up some of the natural reverb, more room noise, added reverb with a short decay to help it out.

GUITAR/BASS:

Blended the DI and amp signal for bass, warm EQ, soft compression, did not want to risk squishing the bass as this is a slower, lyrical song. Only slightly EQ’d guitar, added a retro tone to verse guitar and cut the lows/boosted mids for chorus so it stood out more when played. Reverb and delay bus to add more space.

VOCALS/BVS:

Acoustic Track

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Pre-production

‘Bugs in grass’ is a song that was written by Max which he played in one of our seminars. The original demo had vocals, drums, acoustic guitars and bass and we decided to keep that instrumentation whilst also adding a reed organ, 12-string guitar and a resonator guitar with a slide. Before starting any recording, we double checked that everything was in tempo in order to have a sufficient guide track. We looped a part of the demo drums that was in time with the metronome and muted the bass as we wanted to change that entirely. We also re-recorded the acoustic guitar in time to that drum loop in order to have a complete demo track.

Recording

9th February

16th February

For this day we recorded drums and double bass with the session musicians. We went with a mono recording for the drums which Max did in his demo recording.

KICK IN	KICK OUT	SNARE	OVERHEAD	ROOM
RE20	DM1B	SM57	WA251	AKG C414

DOUBLE BASS – AKG C414

We chose a limited mic setup for the drums to achieve a more natural sound which emulated the reference track. Having two kick mics reinforce the sound, despite wanting a warm mono recording, having the kick recorded clearly would make it easier to mix. Using the WA251 ensured a warm and bright capture, perfect for the hi-hat and symbols. The double bass was bowed, so we wanted to capture its full frequency range, hence why we chose a condenser microphone. Before recording, Solomon created the lead sheet to give the session musicians which we should have arranged prior to save time. The rest of us help set up the mics and the Logic session.

10th March

Replaced acoustic guitar demo with a new recording. Also recorded a 12-string guitar for texture and shimmer. Re-recorded vocals.

ACOUSTIC/12-STRING GUITAR	VOCALS
x2 Neumann KM184 AKG C414	Sontronics Orpheus

Chose to redo the guitars since we had to quantise the drums, at parts it felt like the drummer was playing alongside the demo guitar and then playing to the click so we decided it was best to do the guitars again to the new drums. We chose the KM184’s for its transparent, accurate, and “bright” sound (Neumann, 2018), alongside the C414 in between, we were able to capture the guitar’s higher frequencies which would be able to cute through the mix. The same setup was used for the 12-string guitar, however this was recorded twice, so we were able to have a left and right. Maximising the capture means maintaining the authenticity of the guitar, using a combination of large and small diaphragm condenser microphones enables that.

The song is heavily influenced by folk and blues, having a warm sounding vocal was important. We wanted clarity but not too much brightness in case it came across as harsh, this mic allowed us to have a smooth and balanced response across the spectrum. Vocals were comped during the recording process to save time, Max also felt that in the chorus of the song he sounded better in the demo, opting to keep that.

Mix

Overall, I wanted to have a raw and authentic feel to the track. It’s heavily influenced by folk, blues/bluegrass so I wanted to ensure I was not over processing anything during the mix.

VOCALS	DRUMS	AC. GTR	12STR. GTR	RESONATOR	DOUBLE BASS	REED ORGAN
Compression- parallel compressed to maintain the clarity without losing the natural dynamics. De-esser with high threshold, sibilance = harshness. EQ- Warm, cut lows, boosted mids. Dry	Removed room mic since it did not quantise properly. Compression- also parallel, the kick initially had little to no presence, whole kit needed to be pushed forward in the mix. Relatively dry and grounded, supports the track.	Light compression. Slight cut in the high mids, slight boost to low mids- balances out the 12 string.	Similar to acoustic guitar, more send on reverb bus, slight boost in high mids for shimmer. Stereo widener to maximise.	Similar compression. Buried further in mix, panned soft left. Cut 10kHz- too much room noise.	Slow, light compression to match the bowing. Warm EQ with depth.	Supports the mix texturally. Retro tone EQ- emphasis on warmth .

Location Recording

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Pre-production

Decided to record the conservatoire Big Band- by contacting the MD, we got The Venue for 16th April. On 13th April, we looked at the location rigs to practice for the day. Mic list was made, we agreed on stereo miking the band, I made a floor plan so we had an idea how we would set up.

Recording

16th April

Ended up using two Focusrites to record instead of the console we practiced on as we found this was easier. Each mic chosen based on the tone and frequency range of the instruments. Generally no issues, however I could’ve organised its better as we nor the band new what they were playing on the day, we were limited to only 6 minutes and I forgot to tell the MD we don’t want to do a vocal tune. The band knew only the week of that they were being recorded and some members were missing. Some microphones were not available due to high demand on the day, the room mics we ended up using were Delta 2s.

Mix

Joe Carrell (2024) speaks about standard way a big band is panned, industry standard, mix engineers and directors are familiar with it. Aiming for a live recording sound, the reference track was recorded in a studio with some isolation, but the modern mix was my goal. Compression on each instrument (a part from kick) is light, with relatively medium release. EQ used to accentuate parts and minimise others, not cut (Audio Recording, 2011). Enveloper used in attempt to kill room space, reverb only on room mics to enhance ambience but it is buried in the mix, essentially using them as reverb for the track.

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Bibliography

Audio Recording (2011) ‘Mixing horns, trumpets, trombone & sax – EQ techniques for best clarity’, AudioRecording.me. Available at: https://www.audiorecording.me/mixing-horns-trumpets-trombone-sax-eq-techniques-for-best-clarity.html (Accessed: 7 May 2026).

Carrell, J. (2024) Mixing a BIG Band. YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/cc_AH36xTr0 (Accessed: 7 May 2026).

Dean, O. (2025) ‘Let Alone the One You Love’, The Art of Loving [Album]. Capitol Records and Polydor Records.

Neumann (n.d.) KM 184 (Series 180) – Miniature Microphone. Available at: https://www.neumann.com/en-us/products/microphones/km-184-series-180 (Accessed: 7 May 2026).

Sound On Sound (2010) ‘Engineer’s guide to tuning and damping drums’, Sound on Sound, August. Available at: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/engineers-guide-tuning-and-damping-drums (Accessed: 7 May 2026).

The 8-Bit Big Band (2023) ‘Super Bell Hill’. Available on streaming platforms (Accessed: 7 May 2026).

Young, N. (1972) ‘Old Man’, Harvest [Album]. Reprise Records.