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MPR4C001R-001 Production Log Book 1 Template

Task 2: Production Log Book

1500 Words

Please use the sections below to evidence your personal contribution to the production for the portfolio. Please include details for all the tracks produced as a part of this portfolio.

Provide rationale for any of the production decisions that you made as a group. Include any multimedia (pictures, videos, audio recordings etc) evidence to the relevant sections.

Consider the following:

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Method 1 – Live Band/Ensemble Capture

For our live capture-based production session, we recorded a jazz ensemble, consisting of drums, piano, bass saxophone, and vocals. Unlike our metal overdub recording session, we figured a jazz ensemble would benefit largely from being recorded live, as live recordings emphasize the spontaneity and organic groove of a song more, which captures what jazz music is all about.  

I met this jazz ensemble from initially meeting the pianist through a friend. This led to me going to listen to them play during their group sessions, as well as going to see the pianist alone on his many solo practices, where I eventually asked if he wanted to get recorded. 

This session was booked for 6 hours, however, was tough to organize, due to the scheduling difficulties of the ensemble. They cancelled the first session, and it had to be rescheduled for 2 weeks later at 6PM on the 19^th of November in studio 113, which, due to constant studio demand, made it very difficult to find a time slot. However, my attendance at their group practices gave our group a good idea of what microphones will be needed to fit each of the players’ style, making that aspect of organization a lot easier. 

For this session, I arrived early, before any members of the ensemble, to prepare microphones, and set up the room for the ensemble to come. With another group member, we positioned all the mics stands where each musician would go and connected the mics to the wall box using XLR cables. Furthermore, using the studios moveable acoustic panels, we created a small room in the corner of the studio for the saxophonist, where he would get little to no bleed from other instruments, and had space to move around while playing. Finally, we used the small vocal room to mic up the bass amp, which was also done to reduce bleed from other instruments. 

In terms of the drumkit, the Sontronics DM1B mic was selected for the kick drum, to capture smooth low end, well suited for jazz. For the snare, the Senheiser MD321 was selected for its more open tone, likely from its extended frequency response. For the two overheads, we used 2 AKG C451s to capture the cymbals and toms, because of their ability to capture fast transients and subtle dynamics, which is also common in jazz drum recordings. Finally, we used a single Beyerdynamic M160 as a mono overhead, aimed towards the kick drum to capture the entire kit, which helped balance out the sound, and produce a more cohesive recording. 

We recorded the bass through a Hartke LH-500 amp into a cabinet, which was then mic’d up with a JZ V67 microphone, which was done to capture a warm low-end bass sound, which felt natural for a jazz session.  For the vocals, we used an Electro-Voice RE20, for its smoother response, specifically designed for vocals. The piano was planned to be recorded using two AKG C414 microphones for stereo sound, but, because there was only one, we decided on using two C451 pencil microphones in a coincidence pair, and one AKG C414 in the middle, to capture the low end, the high end and the piano as whole, creating a balanced sound overall. Finally for the saxophone, we used the t.bone Ovid system clip on microphone, to give the saxophonist the ability to move around as he is playing, and for its ability to focus its sound pickup to minimize bleed.  

When everyone was eventually set up, we left the ensemble to go to the mixing room, to route everyone to the desk, adjust the gain and do soundchecks, before we started recording them. During recording, I was sat at the mixing desk, making sure none of the levels were peaking, and adjusting whatever sounded too quiet or too loud. We recorded around 3 takes of their first song, before they decided to move on and try another song they brought. After we finished recording, we decided that we liked the first recording of the first song the most and decided to go with that one. After this, me and another group member stayed until late to make sure all microphones were where they needed to be and packed up correctly. We also wrapped up all XLR cables, reset the mic stands, reset the mixing desk, and put back the acoustic panels.

Lastly, for our mixing session for this recording, there was not too much we needed to do since we did everything during recording, however we slightly adjusted the levels to create a nicer balance between all instruments. Finally, we bounced the mix, and sent it to everyone, submission ready. 

Bibliography – Live Band/Ensemble Capture

Samson Technologies (n.d.) Sound tips for the jazz band director: Microphone guidelines. Available at: https://samsontech.com/blog/sound-tips-for-the-jazz-band-director-microphone-guidelines-for-performance-recording-and-broadcast/ (Accessed: 17 November 2025).

JazzEdNet (n.d.) Recording tips and tricks: Microphones and microphone placement. Available at: https://jazzednet.org/resources/recording-tips-and-tricks-microphones-microphone-placement/ (Accessed: 17 November 2025).

JazzEdNet (n.d.) Recording tips and tricks: Microphones and microphone placement. Available at: https://jazzednet.org/resources/recording-tips-and-tricks-microphones-microphone-placement/ (Accessed: 17 November 2025).

Appendix – Live Band/Ensemble Capture

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Method 2 – Overdub Production

For our overdub based production session, we decided on recording for a harmony based metal song, which involved us recording a metal drummer, 2 electric guitars, one playing the lead line, and the other playing the harmony, and a bassist. We decided to record a metal song for our overdub session, because songs in the metal genre are often a lot more precise and technically challenging, which is beneficial, since we can rerecord and refine any parts that we need to. 

The session was booked for 6 hours on November 13^th from 5-11PM, and all equipment was planned beforehand, to make sure each microphone was best suited for each instrument. I arrived early to assist with bringing in microphones, setting them up for the drums, and routing them to the desk, using the wall box.  

We decided to use studio 104 for this recording, as it was a smaller room, and therefore, had more controlled acoustics, which was important for recording a song with a prevalent use of cymbals. After the session, I stayed until late to pack everything up, and made sure nothing was left behind.  

The drumkit was positioned close to the entrance of the live room, while the bassist and guitarists were positioned around the corner of the live room, by the vocal booth. This was done intentionally to try and reduce bleeding from the drums as much as possible. 

The first thing we did when we got to the studio was mic up the drumkit, and we used a close-up mic technique on everything to ensure a clear sound on every part of the kit. For the kick drum, we used a dual microphone technique on the inside and outside of it, to balance room ambience with lower frequencies from the inside of the bass drum. The Audix D6 was placed inside the kick, while the Solomon LoFReQ sub kick microphone was placed on the outside resonant head for support. If I were to do something differently, I would experiment more with the distance of the subkick, to create a nicer balance between the two microphones.  

For the top snare mic, we used an SM57, and for the bottom snare, we used the BeyerDynamic M201. For the toms, we used 3 separate Senheiser MD421 mics. All these mics were chosen mainly for their ability to effectively read high sound pressure levels. For the hi hat, we used the AKG C451B, because it is generally known for having a brighter and highly detailed sound, and a very smooth top end. Finally, we used 2 AKG C414 microphones for our overheads in a spaced pair for stereo sound, to capture mainly the cymbals, as well as the rest of the kit.  

We then mic’d up the guitar amps, using the Beyerdynamic M160 on the center cone of the amp, giving a harsher and dirtier sound, and the AKG C414 XLII on the side of the cone of the amp, which gave the guitars a bassier sound. For the bass guitar, although we set up using an orange terror 500 bass head, and used DI to send it to the desk, the recording was ultimately not used, and was eventually recorded using a home set up at a later date, resulting in a more comfortable set up for the bassist, as well as a better tone.  

After all microphones were set up, I then set up the click track on track 24 on the mixing desk and routed it through to the drummers’ headphones using the AUX send. We then routed the instruments to the desk, adjusted the gain, and sound checked the instruments to make sure nothing was wrong, and nothing was peaking. Then, we started with recording a drum take, so the rest of the musicians had a feel of the song. After this, we started doing takes with the rest of the instruments, until we recorded a couple of successful takes. For the duration of the takes, I was sat at the mixing desk, making sure all the levels were not peaking, and adjusting if a musician was suddenly playing too loud or quiet. After this, we started to refine the takes we had, by rerecording certain parts, such as many of the electric guitar takes and drum takes, until everyone was satisfied.  

Lastly, on Tuesday 18^th November, at 11am in Studio 113 during our mixing session for the recording, we first discussed what we were going to prioritize in the session. We started with adjusting the levels of each instrument, and used automation to balance out specific parts, as well as panned our drums by having the cymbals left-right, and the snare drum with the toms also left-right. Finally, we bounced the mix, and sent it to everyone, submission ready. 

Bibliography – Overdub production

iZotope (2021) Microphone placement 101: How to get a great sound. Available at: https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/microphone-placement-101-part2 (Accessed: 7 November 2025).

Drummerworld (n.d.) How to mic drums. Available at: https://www.drummerworld.com/articles/news/how-to-mic-drums/ (Accessed: 7 November 2025).

Sweetwater (2020) 8 microphone placement techniques used by the pros. Available at: https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/microphone-placement-techniques/ (Accessed: 9 November 2025).

Tecnare (n.d.) Microphone techniques for different instruments and vocals. Available at: https://www.tecnare.com/article/microphone-techniques-for-different-instruments-and-vocals/ (Accessed: 9 November 2025).

Appendix – Overdub Production

Overdub session Videos (Copy URL if not opening)