Task 1: Three Minute Song Production (70%)
Task 2: 1000 Word Write-Up (30%)
Recording:
For this assignment, I made sure that the song had a quick introduction and harmonic shift to maintain interest throughout. After writing my song on Logic Pro, I started the process of recording in the studio. To lay the foundation of the song, I first recorded my acoustic guitar using the AKG-C414-XLS microphone, which captured the clear and neutral tone of the instrument. By placing the microphone in close proximity to the 12th fret, it picked up an even balance between the high and low end frequencies of the guitar, picking up both the clarity of the instrument and the nuances of the finger placements and string changes when playing.
After recording the structure of the song on guitar, I began layering my violin over the chorus and bridge of the song, aiming to create contrast within the music and to thicken the harmony and texture of the song. Similar to the acoustic guitar, I used the AKG-C414-XLS to capture the natural timbre of the instrument and maintain a warm sound when paired with the guitar. Due to the choice of polar pattern on this condenser, I used a cardioid polar pattern to capture a direct and detailed sound for both instruments.
For vocals, I used the Sontronics Orpheus microphone as it captures a warm and … The microphone’s clarity and ‘airy’ sound were a good fit for an acoustic song, especially when combining the elements of the acoustic instruments and vocals with the samples I programmed using plug-ins in Logic Pro. For my sampling, I used soft and delicate sounds, such as synth and piano, in order to fill out the texture of the music.
Because music has become more authentic and natural, it has moved away from EDM and ultra-pop of the 2010’s and has resulted in more acoustic sounds within songs. My influences for this song are artists like Adrianne Lenker and Lizzy McAlpine, who use acoustic instruments to capture a warm and pure sound within their music. With musical similarities to these successful artists, I feel the natural and acoustic sound of my song would do well commercially to a more relaxed audience.
Similar to artist Adrianne Lenker, and influenced especially by her song ‘Anything’, I used layering with acoustic guitar to both fill out the texture and the harmony of the song. To make the music more interesting, I used a mixture of spread and solid chords while using complex harmonies such as E major 7ths and C major 7ths to thicken the texture. Another influence on my song was The Verve’s ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’, which uses both synthesis and layering using stringed instruments to create an airy and dreamy soundscape within the backing track.
Mixing:
After recording, I continued with the post-editing and mixing of my song, starting with the guitar. With both guitar parts, the low root notes, and the high-end chords, I used compression with an increase in attack and delay to ensure the guitar sounded as clean and tight as possible. For EQ on both parts, I cut the low end and boosted the high end to eliminate any fuzziness from the recordings, and to give the guitar a light and airy sound similar to its original timbre. To finish the mixing on the guitar, I added a small amount of reverb and decay to mimic the distance of the instrument in the track and to give the song a more atmospheric and roomy sound.
The violins, which fill out the texture of the chorus and bridge, I mixed next. For the layered violins, I used EQ to cut the low end and boost the 1kHz middle frequencies of the instruments, which eliminated any unwanted room reflections of sound from the recordings and brought out the authentic resonance of the instrument and clean sound. I added compression to each violin stem to make them all tight with one another and to time the strings well enough that they blend with the background synth. To finish, I added a bit of reverb with increased delay to make the violins less dominant in the mix and to add more of an atmosphere within the background.
After programming the synthesis and making sure the levels were correct with the guitar and violin, I started on the vocals. To begin on the vocal line, I first worked on the EQ, cutting the low and boosting the mid range to make them stand out within the mix and against the other instruments. I wanted the vocals to rise above the other instruments, so in order to accomplish that, I added compression with a high threshold, attack and release to make sure the vocals were crisp and airy above the instrumental. In addition to increasing these aspects, I also incorporated a low ratio to maintain a relaxed sound. To finish editing the vocals, I added a touch of reverb to blend with the instrumental, and also used dynamic manipulation with a DeEsser, which toned down the harshness of the consonants within the vocal line.
After mixing each individual stem, I then began experimenting with different levels in the music. I made sure to maintain the violin and synthesis on a similar level in order for them to blend well into the background. I had also ensured that the vocals and guitar were competing with one another in order to gain a more balanced sound. I then bounced the tracks in 16-bit/44.1khz and made sure it sounded good as a WAV file. Please find the required video of my vocal recording below.
https://leedsconservatoire.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=05336541-fb86-45dc-8f34-b4330105adad