Method 1 – Overdub Project
Pre-Production Phase:
For the overdub project we decided to record a version of “It’s So Easy” by Guns and Roses. This involved drums, bass, guitar and vocals.
We decided to record this piece ourself, so we each learned the parts for the drums, bass and guitar, alongside an external vocalist who already knew the song.
We started by creating a template of the song using stem separation tools on Ableton and since the song wasn’t quantised to a click, we went over to Logic Pro to quantise it, before bouncing the stems onto pro tools, this was done to maximise the strengths that each daw presented.
Since we had the template we planned to record the guitars first using our studio time.
Recording Phase:
Guitars
We ran the guitar through an amp and recorded the output through the following microphones,
AKG D112
Shure SM57
Sennhieser MD421
Alongside a DI input.
These were places pointing at the cones as close as possible with one also positioned behind the amp to capture the sound from the back of the cones also.
Drums
The microphones used for the drums were
2x Shure SM57 for the snare top and bottom
AKG D112 for the bass drum placed by the beater
Audix D6for the bass drum placed by the hole of the resonant side skin
2x Sennhieser MD421 for the rack and floor toms
2x Oktava MK-012 as overhead left and right
AKG C451 B for the hi hat
Bass
for the bass recording we ran it through a compression pedal and DI’d it taking a mono output.
Vocals
For the vocal recordings, we used a spaced pair microphone technique, using a Shure SM7B alongside a Neumann U87. This dual-microphone approach was chosen to capture a wide, open, and spacious vocal sound, combining the SM7B’s strong midrange presence and natural rejection of room noise with the U87’s clarity, detail, and air. These microphones allowed us to achieve a balanced blend of warmth, articulation, and spatial depth within the vocal recordings.
We recorded multiple full takes of the vocals, carefully listening back after each pass in order to identify weaker phrases, pitch inconsistencies, and moments where the energy dropped. Any sections that did not meet our desired standard were re-recorded individually, allowing us to focus on refining difficult passages without requiring the vocalist to repeat entire takes unnecessarily. This process also helped us to manage the physical strain placed on the vocalist, which was an important consideration due to the demanding, loud, and high-energy nature of the song. By recording in shorter, targeted sections where needed, we were able to preserve vocal quality while still capturing strong and consistent performances.
All instrumental parts were recorded to a metronome, ensuring timing and allowing for easier editing and layering during the post-production stage. The guitar solo was given attention, as it played a prominent role within the track. We re-recorded the solo multiple times in order to achieve the most accurate and expressive performance possible. Where necessary, we recorded specific phrases in isolation, letting us to focus on perfecting technical passages, bends, and rhythmic precision.
From the planning stage, we had already decided that comping would be used as a primary editing technique. This allowed us to assemble the strongest possible performances by combining the best sections from multiple takes. We had to ensure that every edit point was smooth and musical, with transitions that were seamless and natural.
Post-Production
During post-production, we dedicated a significant amount of time to comping both the guitars and the vocals.
For the vocals, multiple takes were recorded for each section of the song. We then comped extensively across the entire vocal performance, selecting the strongest sung lines for every phrase and verse. Each edit was carefully crossfaded to avoid clicks, pops, or noticeable transitions, resulting in a cohesive and polished final vocal take.
For the rhythm guitars, comping was completed in clearly defined sections. Because the structure of the song had been fully outlined during pre-production, this process was relatively efficient and well-organized. For the guitar solo, however, a more detailed approach was taken. We comped together the best performances from both the beginning and ending sections of the solo, ensuring maximum musical impact. In addition, timing adjustments were made by stretching and aligning audio where necessary, allowing the solo to sit tightly within the groove while still preserving its expressive feel.
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Method 2 – Live Band / Ensemble capture
pre-production
For the live recording session, we brought together a small group of jazz musicians and planned to record a relaxed, improvised jam. The ensemble consisted of piano, bass, drums and guitar, creating a traditional jazz band setup that allowed for both harmonic and rhythmic freedom. The main aim of this session was to capture an organic and natural performance rather than a tightly arranged studio production.
Because the session was based around a jam, we did not need to create a strict structural template within the DAW beforehand. Instead, we allowed the musicians to lead the direction of the music themselves. This approach gave the performers the space to interact naturally with one another, respond in the moment, and develop ideas freely as the piece progressed. By avoiding rigid pre-planned sections, we were able to preserve the spontaneity and expressive qualities that are central to jazz performance.
When setting up the room, we also gave careful thought to microphone placement and sound isolation. We positioned isolation panels in front of both the guitar amplifier and the bass amplifier, primarily to reduce unwanted sound bleed into the drum microphones. This helped to maintain greater control over the individual tracks while still allowing the band to perform together in the same space. In future sessions, we would also consider placing isolation panels around the piano, as this would further minimise spill into the other microphones and provide even cleaner recordings of each instrument.
Recording
Below is the microphone list
Drums
AKG D112 placed in the hole of the resonant side skin on the bass drum
2x Sennhieser MD421 for the rack and floor toms
2x Oktava MK-012 as microphones for the hi-hat and ride
Shure SM57 for the snare top
2x schoeps cmc 5u for the overhead left and right
Guitar
The guitar was run through a Fender Twin Reverb amplifier to achieve a clean and warm tone suitable for the jazz style. We recorded the amp using a Sennheiser MD441 and a Shure SM57, both placed close to the speaker cones to capture a direct and focused sound. Using two microphones allowed us to have clarity with midrange presence, helping the guitar sit clearly in the mix.
Bass
The bass was recorded through a preamp and taken through a DI from an Ashdown amplifier and matching cab. This provided a clean and controlled low-end signal while keeping character, giving us a solid bass tone without the use of mixing.
Piano
The piano was recorded using two AKG 414 microphones placed at the low and high ends of the strings. This stereo setup captured a wide image of the instrument, ensuring clarity across the full range and a spacious sound within the mix.
Whilst recording, we considered the use of a metronome, however we decided against it for a few reasons. We didn’t want to have the noise of the metronome put off the musicians from giving their best performance and we also were conscious of taking up their time with us having to set it up since we only had headphones for the drummer, purely for communication purposes.
We recorded three takes of their jam, giving them notes on improvement in-between them. We did this in order to comply with the length of the project required and in order to encourage the musicians as they were sometimes worried about their solos and the quality of them.
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Future Considerations
During this assignment we ran into a few issues which we will learn from. The main one for us was project management. Having a lack of time to record parts turned out to be an issue with the overdub project, since, we only did one session with our vocalist and spent a lot of time re-recording guitars. this meant that while the guitar comping sessions were smooth, the amount of time taken purely on comping the vocals was very straining and also spread over and impacted the time we had to record the live ensemble recording. in the future, we will do multiple sessions with musicians, rather than relying on post-production to fix mistakes, as to not take up valuable time.
Despite this, I believe during the time we had, we did do productive sessions and worked well as team, making sure that the work was done, but importantly having fun whilst learning. this ensured that we were always motivated for the project which gave us passion behind the art we were creating.
