Commercial Pop Track
Pre-Production
Session planning
First session planned was for 2nd March in 109, for composing a song in the style of The Weeknd and recording some ideas of synth parts
Once we’d decided to make a mostly electronic track, studio sessions were mostly for meeting and discussing ideas rather than recording.
Rehearsals
Main part that needed rehearsal was vocals
This involved writing and rehearsal sessions between Charlie and the vocalist, Ben
Track development
Began with ideas set down in 109
Developed from here, deciding on strong structure and instrumentation
Most parts were electronic: for example, software synths such as Serum were used for leads, pads and bass parts
Vocals were added last. Charlie and Ben (vocalist) wrote the vocal parts. The songs referenced for lyrics and vocal melodies were “Drag Me Down” (One Direction, 2015) and “STAY” (The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber, 2022), which are relevant due to their commercial success.
Arrangement decisions
Song structure is intro – verse – chorus – verse – chorus – bridge – final chorus
This structure was chosen due its use in popular songs such as “Blinding Lights” (The Weeknd, 2019)
Drums were influenced by 80s songs such as “Beat It” (Michael Jackson, 1982), particularly for its use of a drum machine. We decided to use Linn Drum samples to replicate the 80s nostalgia that is common in popular music.
Recording
Musician management
The only acoustic source in the song is the vocals, which were recorded at home by the singer for a comfortable performance.
Mixing
Mix plan/concept
The aim was to sonically match commercial pop
I used “Blinding Lights” (The Weeknd, 2019) as a reference when mixing due to its commercial success
Balance
Lead vocals brought to the front of the mix during verse and chorus
Backing vocals usually less present to avoid crowding, but some background parts took focus toward the end to build excitement
Sidechain compression was used on bass to make room for kick, and on pads to make room for vocals
Pan
Wide panning of synths to create an open atmosphere
Lead vocals, bass, kick and snare were kept in the centre, following pop conventions
Tone
Eq was used to match the tone of reference tracks
FX
Effects such as reverb and saturation were used in the mix
Gated reverb on the snare for the 80s feel that is common in contemporary pop, including the reference track.
Exciter on vocal in the final chorus to boost its presence.
Project Management
Time management
Started working on the track in early March; finished recording and started mixing 1st May
Main issue in time management was the vocals; recording was left to the last minute and made developing the track without a topline difficult.
Planning
We developed a clear plan for the track early on
Roles and responsibilities
Charlie took the role of organising recording sessions for vocals
The rest of us focused on developing the track together
Acoustic Track
Pre-Production
Session planning
The track had to be prepared for professional session musicians on 17th February
This meant recording guide vocals and guitar beforehand, as well as creating a rough drum track
Rehearsals
Rehearsals had already occurred in songwriter Mollie’s band
No rehearsals for the session musicians
Track development
Began by recording guitar (3rd February), with vocals as a guide for the track structure
Added drums and acoustic bass from the session musicians
Then decided to add final vocals and piano
Demo recording
First recording session functioned as a demo for further development
A video of the full band was also referenced, from which we used stem-split drums as a guide before recording a drummer
Arrangement decisions
The task of purely acoustic capture created a creative limitation for arrangement
This helped us decide to record upright bass, which ended up fitting well on the track
Some arrangement decisions were done on the fly, such as experimenting with vocal harmonies during the session
Song structure and composition was determined by the songwriter
Recording
Microphone choices
Drum mics were chosen for a straightforward setup under time pressure (only had 1 hour with the drummer) while retaining a quality image of the sound. For example, two mics on the kick for a well-defined sound by capturing the beater (kick in) and resonance (kick out) (Senior, 2008).
Two mics used on the bass: KM183 on a rubber band on the bridge to capture the bass tone, and a Delta 2 pointed further up to also capture the fretting.
The Warm Audio mics were chosen for vocals due their impressive clarity and presence on voice (Moon, 2019).
For piano, we used a close-mic stereo pair of large diaphragm condensers, but also ended up recording the mic that was being used as a talkback because it nicely filled in the tone of the piano.
Room setup
As all recordings were overdubs, bleed between instruments was not a concern
There was a preference for close micing, especially on drums and piano, as we were not interested in capturing the room ambience.
Mixing
Balance & Pan
Balancing vocals with backing vocals was an area of focus. We recorded many vocals tracks and harmonies, which made the raw stems sound very cluttered.
Vocals were triple tracked. I have placed one vocal in the centre and the other two panned left and right, using EQ and reverb to bring the centre vocal forward and the sides back
Tone
Tone was mostly controlled with EQ and compression, with subtle saturation. Some examples:
FX
Reverb used throughout: original recordings were very dry and needed ambience to sound more natural
Project Management
Time management
We made an early start (first session was 3rd February) giving plenty of time to develop the project
However, the final recording sessions happened much later. If we had arranged to record vocals and piano earlier, the mix would have been less rushed.
Roles and responsibilities
We would allocate roles at the beginning of recording sessions. For example, when recording drums, we decided that Charlie would set up the control room while Ben and I set up mics.
Structure and organisation
Organisation was overall effective. For example, we communicated effectively throughout the project and kept many backups of audio files. This led to a smoothly running project.
Location Recording
Pre-Production
Session planning
This involved booking a space and arranging a band to record.
We recorded Charlie’s band, Cab Driver, in the Rooftop Bar.
Rehearsals
Cab Driver rehearsed a song to perform live.
Recording
Microphone choices
Mic choices were made with the consideration that room ambience should be present, while minimising bleed to aid mixing. For example, the RE20 was effective in isolating the vocal, and the 414 room mics picked up ambience clearly.
Room setup
Lead singer / acoustic guitarist placed centre as focal point
Guitar and bass amps placed to create a balance and pan in the room
Stereo room pair placed far back to pick up more room sound, capturing the live ambience
We also ensured distance between the mics, following the “three-to-one rule” (Bartlett & Bartlett, 2016:108) to minimise phase issues.
Mixing
Mix plan/concept
The intention was to preserve the room ambience and feel of a live band
This meant keeping plenty of signal from the room mics in the mix, but also avoiding too much processing to preserve dynamics and occasional natural inaccuracies.
Balance & Pan
Centred the lead vocal as a focus
Panned other parts as they were placed in the room
Drew out the ambience from the room mics
Tone
Minimal alteration of the tone to preserve the authentic performance
However, some processing was required on the bass for more presence
FX
Added reverb from the Lexicon unit to increase the ambient feel
Kept low in the mix to not detract from the real room sound
Project Management
Time management
Only one session was required so time was less of a concern
However, if we had planned sooner we may have been able to organise a more interesting location
Planning
Process of planning involved finding musicians to record, deciding a location, arranging a time and booking a location and equipment
Not all of this went as expected; it took some time to find out how to book the rooftop bar which delayed the project
Roles and responsibilities
In pre-production, Charlie took the role of organising the band and booking the space
We were all involved in setting up the room
During recording, Charlie was playing with the band, so Ben, Alican and I were responsible for recording, gain staging and tweaking the room setup
Bibliography
Bartlett, B. & Bartlett, J. (2016) Practical recording techniques: the step-by-step approach to professional audio recording, 7th edition. Routledge.
Jackson, M. (1982) Beat It. Thriller. [Streamed]. MJJ Productions Inc.
The Kid Laroi & Bieber, J. (2021) STAY. STAY. [Streamed]. Columbia Records.
Moon, M. (2019) Warm Audio WA-251 Sound On Sound. https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/warm-audio-wa-251 [Accessed 7 May 2026]
One Direction (2015) Drag Me Down. Drag Me Down. [Streamed]. Simco Limited.
Senior, M. (2008) Kick & Snare Recording Techniques. Sound On Sound. https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/kick-snare-recording-techniques [Accessed 7 May 2026]
The Weeknd (2019) Blinding Lights. Blinding Lights. [Streamed]. The Weeknd XO, Inc.
