Production Log
This log will aim to document my personal contribution to the collaborative studio portfolio, providing detail on my creative, technical and organisation skills across the tracks we chose. Instead of detailing the production processes this log will evaluate the intent behind key musical and production choices and reflect on the collaborative working practices. For our project we did 2 tracks both being covers of established rock song, adding up to approximately 10 minutes total. The only contributors to this portfolio were myself, and the rest of my group, alongside guest musician Harry Preston. Who, was initially invited to perform as a drummer, but ultimately recorded piano, bass, and piano parts on short notice due to the unavailability of other musicians. This required adaptation from the group and would influence many arrangement and production decisions.
My role within the group was mainly focused on the production and technical parts of the project. Including overseeing recording from the control room, supporting engineering decisions during tracking, as well as assisting with organisation of sessions. I also contributed to the practical setup of recording equipment, including cable management, microphone placement support, and sourcing instruments from the university facilities to use in the recording sessions.
Before beginning the practical studio work, our group would engage in structured discussions on the overall direction of the project. Our first decision involved whether to create original material or to produce cover recordings. We chose to focus on covers, as this allowed us to prioritise performance quality, arrangement, and production values without the constraints of song writing.
Further decisions were made regarding genre and the practical requirements of each recording session. Things were quickly complicated by scheduling constraints, as two members of the group were unable to participate in person for an extended period of approximately one month. Reducing the available time for group collaboration, which placed additional pressure on the remaining members to progress the project. Creative decisions had to be made rapidly. Requiring a more decisive and flexible approach to session planning, particularly in arranging studio time and securing musicians within this time frame.
My primary contributions during this time consisted of supporting decision making from a production perspective, helping to ensure that sessions were booked and a decision was made on what tracks we were going to cover. The songs we eventually chose were Creep by Radiohead and Zombie by The Cranberries. Partly this decision was made because they are both fairly simple songs and, because both tracks were widely recognised and likely familiar to a broad range of musicians. Reducing the need for extensive rehearsal or detailed pre-production. Additionally, their arrangements could be effectively realised using standard studio equipment without requiring specialised instrumentation. This allowed the group to focus on capturing strong performances and making educated production choices, rather than dedicating limited time to complex arrangement planning or logistical challenges.
The first track we would begin working on was Creep, with myself having the job of taking out the bass and electric guitar from the university to be used on the recording, transporting them to the studio. As well as being behind the desk, ensuring the levels were correct and the recording went smoothly. While the tracking of the drum part was captured effectively, issues would arise during the recording of the guitar part. The signal that was picked up had a noticeably muffled sound to it, with a lack of clarity addition of unwanted static from the amplifier. I would be the first to identify the issue and notified the group. To address this problem, I entered the live room and invited Harry to listen to the playback directly along with the rest of the group, ensuring everyone had a clear understanding of the issue before attempting to resolve.
I would take the lead in working out the issue by adjusting microphone placement and checking cable connections to rule out loose or faulty signal paths. Through a process of trial and error, the problem was partially resolved however, due to the time constraints of the session and the need to record additional instruments, it was not possible to fully correct the problem or re-record the part within allocated time of the studio session. Forcing us to try and work around these issues and correct them appropriately in post-production.
This situation highlighted a problem within the group as we were not the best organised, and didn’t have clearly defined roles to work in, delaying decision-making. Reflecting on this issue, I believe having more defined allocation of responsibilities and better communication would have allowed technical issues such as this to be addressed much more quickly, therefore also reducing the pressure of having limited studio time.
Harry the drummer had lost his voice at the time of the session creating issues with communication from the desk to the live room more challenging. As a way to compensate for his inability to raise hit voice he made hand signals, to indicate when he was ready, when to cut the recording, or relay any issues to us. This created another challenge we had to work through as a group, with the situation demanding us to communicate in the most efficient and direct way in order to avoid wasting crucial time to work on our portfolio.
The next track recorded was Zombie, which we again began with tracking the drum part, followed by guitar and bass. Drawing on the technical issues encountered during the recording of Creep, we paid greater attention to signal quality and microphone placement, learning from this error. As a result, the guitar and bass recordings did not present the same issues with muffled tone or unwanted noise. When working on this track the issues the group were facing in terms of communication noticeably improved as everyone seemed to eased into things more after reflecting on how we approached the last track and became more comfortable overall.
Zombie benefited from a slightly cleaner recording. Which in hindsight made it so less processing and production techniques had to be applied to it. This reinforced the importance of capturing strong source material and how effective tracking decisions can have a massive impact on the flexibility and quality of the mixing stage.
After the recording stages, I would shift more heavily toward production and post-production decisions, particularly during the initial mixing stages of both tracks. Given the limitations imposed, especially on Creep, the focus during mixing was on achieving clarity and balance while also working within the constraints of the recorded material. This proved to be a challenge but also the limitations we had to deal with forced us to become decisive and adapt as group to combat this.
With the approach taken for this portfolio, a particular emphasis would be placed upon balancing creative intention with the practical limitations of studio-based collaboration. Working within a small group required flexibility, communication and awareness of how decisions could impact the wider production processes. This project would develop not only my technical skills, but also ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and contribute within a group environment.
Throughout the development of this project, my role within the group became more defined. I would begin taking a more proactive role in identifying technical issues, making communication as smooth as possible between the live room and control room and supporting decision making when time restrains required swift action. This highlighted the importance of leadership and clear communication in a collaborative environment. Woking under pressure showed the value of flexibility and problem solving when collaborating with musicians and producers of varying levels of experience. As well as adapting to unexpected variables, such as musician availability and communication barriers. This strengthened my understanding of studio etiquette while also reinforcing the importance of maintaining a calm and solution focused approach in this setting.
Conclusion
Reflecting upon this project as a whole, many areas of improvement have become apparent looking back. In future projects it is clear to me that clearer allocation of roles prior to the sessions would have resulted in less time lost and a less chaotic and pressured recording process. Giving the responsibility of specific technical and organisational tasks to certain members of the group could allow issues to be addressed more quickly and prevent avoidable compromises. As well as more thorough planning into the aspects of pre-production regarding things such as microphone choices could have reduced the technical issues like those experienced on Creep. While these challenges were a valuable learning experience, if we had addressed them earlier more though could have been put into the creative decision making on the tracks.
Despite these limitations, overall, this project was successful in bettering my practical understanding of collaborative studio work. Showing me the importance of adaptability, clear communication and compromise. All invaluable skills with the context of professional music production. The insights that this project has given me have ultimately changed my approach to future recordings and collaborations, because of this I now feel more equipped to work within these settings and also more confident in my abilities as a whole.
*Below is photo evidence of the microphone placement for the guitar and bass recorded on both tracks, also the Pro Tools session for Zombie.
