Commercial Pop Track
Acoustic Track
Location Recording
We used Logic Pro X for producing all tracks
Acoustic Track- ‘Bruise’ by Mollie Greene
Pre Production
Rehearsals
Mollie Greene and her pianist Evie had rehearsed the song several times beforehand, reducing recording time for each member.
Track development
The track is emotional and powerful, so capturing expressive, raw vocals was key to enhancing it.
Mollie’s reference/inspiration for the song:
Demo recording
Arrangement decisions
Intro to Verse:
Softly played acoustic guitar opens the track, building into the fuller chorus as more instruments enter.
Choruses:
The choruses are the song’s high impact sections with all instruments creating a loose and open sound.
Bridge:
The bridge adds the most dramatic feeling, supporting the song’s emotional journey.
Session planning
Most recording was done during Tuesday 4–6pm studio lessons, allowing Dan to give in person guidance. A separate session in 104 was used to record piano.
We gave these sheets to the session drummer and bassist who came in to play on the track.
Recording
Microphone choices
Drums:
| Kick In | AKG D112 |
| Kick Out | ATM 250 |
| Snare Top | SM57 |
| Snare Bottom | SM57 |
| Rack Tom | Sennheiser MD421 |
| Floor Tom | Sennheiser MD421 |
| Overhead Left | AKG 414 XLS |
| Overhead Right | AKG 414 XLS |
Double Bass:
- Sontronics Delta and KM184
Acoustic Guitar:
- 2x AKG 414 XLS and DI box
Vocals:
- A blend of both the WA U87 and the WA 251
Piano:
- 2x AKG 414 XLS and a KM184
Room setup
Drums:
Double Bass:
We used a rubber band to attach the KM183 onto the double bass so we could pick up more of an isolated and natural sound.
Sherry (2008)
Video of Simon showing us how to do the poor man’s mic setup
Alican wrote a demo bass part for the double bassist to take reference from.
Vocals:
The vocal session added double and triple layers for depth, plus a whispered take for intimacy and air.
McKenty, F. (2017)
Piano:
Bartlett and Bartlett (n.d.)
We used the 3 to 1 rule which minimised phase cancellation of the piano capture.
Acoustic Guitar:
- We recorded Mollie’s guitar in 104
Musician management
Having produced some of Mollie tracks previously made the process more familiar and easier to contact and organise sessions with her.
Mixing
Mix plan/concept
Mixing before/afters:
Drums (before):
Drums (after):
Double bass (before):
Double bass (after):
Aimed to balance the double bass so all notes were clear in the mix
Acoustic Guitar (before):
Acoustic Guitar (after):
Piano (before):
Piano (after):
Vocals (before):
Vocals (after):
Balance
The initial balance I set in the mix already had a lot of clarity before adding EQ.
Pan
Tone
I added a recorded acoustic snare sample which i recorded in 104 with an M201. This gave more body to the snare transients.
Proof
FX
I wanted this to be a fairly dry sounding track but I added delay to the acoustic guitar which provided more movement to the mix.
POP TRACK- ‘Better Off Without You’ by CABS ft Ben Saunders
Pre-Production
Rehearsals
There was no rehearsing due to the whole project being written and recorded simultaneously by the group.
Track development
Initial group ideas:
We analysed current pop charts and chose to create a track inspired by The Weeknd, focusing on an electronic sound. This meant producing most of the track using VSTs and MIDI.
Reference for general structure + sonics:
Reference for Synths:
Reference for drums: (to get 80’s style drum production with the use of some linndrum samples)
Reference for lyric themes and performance:
Backing Vocal reference and vocal melody’s:
Main reference for vocal style/mix chain:
Using relevant commercial pop references for the track was very important for the final outcome of the production and utilising the elements from the references such as hooks, catchiness, and song length to making commercially viable.
Demo recording
No demo but here’s a pre-mix
We decided to get rid of the electric guitar in the final production as it reduced the overall quality of the song.
Arrangement decisions
I recorded blinding lights audio into logic and then stem split the drums so we could write over the parts making it quicker to get a full arrangement. Having a full structure with the drums aligned with a typical 3 minute song length for a pop song making it easier to go more in depth on creating catchiness and variation in a shorter song length.
Session planning
Our workflow was efficient, reducing studio time; for example, the lyrics were written in 90 minutes.
Session dates:
We also had our first writing session in 109 in which we wrote over the blinding lights drums.
Recording
Microphone choices
Vocals:
- Recorded with a Rode NT1A
Electric Bass:
Synth Bass:
Sub Bass:
Drums:
All the drums were recorded electronically with MIDI sounds which helped us stay in the electronic genre/vibe of the song. We also use a few snare linndrum samples to achieve the 80’s Michael Jackson sound.
Cowbell:
Synth Pads:
Lead Synth and Plucks:
Wobbly Bass:
Keys:
Wobbly Lead Synth:
Room setup
The whole production was produced in studios 109, 108b, and 420 using VST’s in logic and with Ben’s VST’s. The vocals were produced and recorded in Charlie’s bedroom.
Musician management
Because the song was predominantly written/produced as a group this meant it was easier to get parts recorded such as at home. This also reduced the need for booking loads of studio sessions.
Mixing
FX
We added an automated eq sweep on one of synth bass sounds from 500Hz to 80Hz to create a transition effect into the last chorus:
Mix plan/concept
Mixing before and afters:
Drums/Percussion (before):
Drums/Percussion (after):
All bass sounds (before):
Bass sounds (after):
Keys (before):
Keys (after):
Pads (before):
Pads (after):
Synth leads and plucks (before):
Synth leads and plucks (after):
Wobble synths (before):
Wobble synth (after):
All Vocals (before):
All Vocal (after):
The vocals have been tuned with melodyne to intonate with the other instruments and to compete with commercial pop tracks that are heavily tuned.
Balance
It took a lot of attempts and intensive listening to get a suitable balance with the vocals and the rest of the sounds.
Pan
High end lead synths are hard panned with more low end pads being more central. BV’s are also panned across stereo field.
Tone
The vocals could have been recorded in a better environment which made getting a smooth vocal tricky when adding processing.
Location Recording- ‘Lighting’ by Cab Driver
The track was recorded in the roof top bar.
Pre Production
Rehearsals
Cab driver did an acoustic set with ‘Lightning’ the day before the session which helped get a better performance as they were well rehearsed.
Track development
Track was written 5 months ago and has become more mellow and soft since me and the band wrote it.
Demo Recording
Session planning
I pre booked all the mics, amps and recording rig a week in advance to ensure we could get all the equipment we wanted.
This shows me getting in contact with timetabling to book out roof top bar.
We also did a mixing session with Dan the week after in our timetabled group session.
Recording
Microphone choices
| Lead Vox | RE20 |
| BV | Sennheiser MD441 |
| Acoustic Guitar | AKG 414 XLS |
| Electric Guitar | SM57 |
| Bass Guitar | Active DI Box |
| Bass Amp | SM57 |
| Room Mic Left | AKG 414 XLS |
| Room Mic Right | AKG 414 XLS |
We wanted to keep the track list minimal so we could listen in more detail to individual microphone captures.
Room setup
We opted for a spaced stereo AB technique with both mics set on wide cardioid to capture lots of room ambience.
Musician management
I asked and confirmed with the band in our group chat informing the song choice, location, and session date/time.
Mixing
Mix plan/concept
Mix before and afters:
Acoustic Guitar (before):
Acoustic Guitar (after):
We used stem splitter to get a more isolated guitar.
Bass (before):
Bass (after):
Backing Vocal (before):
Backing Vocal (after):
Electric Guitar (before):
Electric Guitar (after):
Lead Vocal (before):
Lead Vocal (after):
Really happy with this isolation
Room Mics (before):
Room Mics (after):
Had the lexicon reverb heard here sent to all tracks but for the rooms I wanted less low end which cleaned up the mix
Distressor for Vocals and DL 241 for Bass Guitar:
Balance
Initial balance that was printed in after a mix session as a group. The main thing I turned up when I started mixing individually was the acoustic guitar which added more drive to the song.
Pan
I panned the two guitars left and right which created more width in the mix.
Tone
I had more room to add more low end to the bass as nothing was clashing with it.
FX
We used the lexicon to enhance the depth of the natural reverb on the two room mics.
I added automated pedal effects such as chorus and flanger to the electric guitar in the bridge for variation.
Overall Project Management
Time management
Timeline for whole process in semester 2
Planning
Overall planning for all tracks was stronger compared to the previous semester one project. All members felt more organised and felt like enough time was planned to achieve a strong outcome.
Roles and responsibilities
| Charlie | – Co-wrote the lyrics for pop track – Organised contact with Mollie Greene, Cab Driver, and Ben Saunders – Booked roof top bar for location recording – Assisted in production/engineering and pre production mic list plans |
| Ben | – Assisted in production/engineering – Assisted in mic list and room setup for location recording |
| Sophie | – Assisted in production/engineering |
| Alican | – Assisted in production/engineering – Played guitar on the pop track |
Structure and organisation
Sessions were almost always planned and booked in advance and communication between the group was very strong with the application of a group chat.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bartlett and Bartlett (n.d.). Available at: https://soundclass.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/7/5/25752611/practical_recording_techniques_.pdf.
Lizzy McAlpine (2022). Lizzy McAlpine – ceilings (Official Audio). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOxmA-nKfbU&list=RDSOxmA-nKfbU.
McKenty, F. (2017). [ URM BLOG] Recording Vocals? Always Do These 5 Things. [online] Unstoppable Recording Machine. Available at: https://urm.academy/recording-vocals-always-do-these-5-things/.
michaeljacksonVEVO (2011). Michael Jackson – Beat It (Official 4K Video). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRdxUFDoQe0&list=RDoRdxUFDoQe0&start_radio=1.
OneDirectionVEVO (2015). One Direction – Drag Me Down (Official Video). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwgf3wmiA04&list=RDJwgf3wmiA04 [Accessed 6 May 2026].
Sherry (2008). Double Bass – Poor Man’s Mic Setup – SM-57 & Four Elastics. [online] TalkBass.com. Available at: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/poor-mans-mic-setup-sm-57-four-elastics.482357/ [Accessed 6 May 2026].
sombr (2025). sombr – 12 to 12 (official video). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZgUiR31m-Y&list=RDcZgUiR31m-Y.
TheKidLAROIVEVO (2021). The Kid LAROI, Justin Bieber – STAY (Official Video). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTJczUoc26U&list=RDkTJczUoc26U.
TheWeekndVEVO (2019). The Weeknd – Blinding Lights (Official Audio). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHI8X4OXluQ&list=RDfHI8X4OXluQ.
TheWeekndVEVO (2022). The Weeknd – Out of Time (Official Video). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fDzCWNS3ig&list=RD2fDzCWNS3ig.
