PROJECT LOGBOOK —> WK 12

Laptop Recording Studio Logbook

28-05-22

Mix & master

I began this final blog before getting sick with COVID. I had done quite a few mixes and one master. Trying to get the track finished was becoming difficult as apart from being ill I don’t think I was hearing all that well. Having a week extension and break from it all gave me a fantastic opportunity to rest my ears and get some distance from the track. Coming in again with fresh ears was great… but also made me think I needed to start all over again!

I did go back into the mix and made a few changes before bouncing the final mix and doing a master over the stereo file.

This has been a wonderful course, I am really pleased to have had the opportunity to get back into my music on a regular schedule. The class exercises and lecture material has been wonderful. A chance to refresh my skills and learn some new ones. The biggest most important for me has been the critical listening. I have been able to fine tune my ears and increase my mixing abilities.

After time away from my earlier final mixes I wanted to try softening the slight vocal harshness also to get some more interest and movement in the last section of the song.

I spent a lot of time and tried many alternative mixes. This turned out to be not very beneficial as many times I fee I went too far from the original and actually mad it worse. I finally settled on using Soothe and Brauer Motion on the vocal buss.

Soothe was taking out the harsh resonant frequencies and adding sone very slight compression, it seems to make sounds softer, and warmer. The Brauer Motion I used in the harmonies section and the last vocal sections for a slight touch of movement within the stereo field.

The mixing process reminded me that sometimes having a digital non-destructive workflow can be a curse. Having the ability to go forward and back in time with creative decisions can be debilitating.

There is a lot to be said for the old days of destructive editing with cutting and splicing tape! Once the tape is printed or cut you are committed to that decision, I have found that at times this can be creatively freeing than an unending edit history.

Vocal buss Soothe and Brauer Motion plugin

After finally settling on a mix I proceeded to the mastering stage.

My final mix output levels were hitting 0 on the VU meters calibrated to -11, with the eldest short term hitting at 1-2dB above (-10/9dB).

I brought the stereo file into a new Logic session with my mastering plugin ins on the channel.

I use a simple gain, EQ, compression and limiting.

The EQ I used to take a few dB off some resonant frequencies and to boost gently some of the missing warmth.

The compression I initially tried using the multi-band, however I felt it was allowing me to change to mix too much.

I used the single band instead, this took a lot of excess harsh punch out of the transients that were peaking through, at about -6dB.

Finally the limiter is then attenuating the peaks.

The final master sounds warmer and ready for steaming.

Executive Summary

Since the early 1990’s I have been a DJ, listening and playing to house music. I have also spent the past 15 years building my skills as a sound artist.

Within this course I have applied my previous knowledge of dance music, recording, composing, and mixing within Logic Pro to create a short dance track.

Each week I have worked through the lesson and practice materials and then applied the learnt and revised skills to creating my track. I have recoded my progress in a series of 12 weekly bogs on my website.

From week to week my track has grown and changed from its initial inspiration to work with a particular vocalist (alto Willow Sizer) to incorporate slo-house dance elements. My selection of the RODE NT-1A for vocals along with my unusual vocal booth offered an expansion of my skills. It also provided a great learning experience of being better prepared for a vocalist session as I did not manage to get harmonies. Problem solving this omission provided the opportunity to be creative within the composition, however I the actual recordings would have worked much better. After feedback from my draft I focused on the repetitive dominate elements and worked on the EQ and dynamics of the low end sections. One of the most important learnings I have had from this experience is to constantly refer to my reference tracks. I don’t think I did this enough during the first half of the project. The final process of mixing and mastering again reminded me of how much I have learnt through this project and how much more I have to learn. Together with lifelong learning comes constant practice of the skills learnt. I have certainly begun this process with this project.

PROJECT LOGBOOK —> WK 11

Laptop Recording Studio Logbook

21-05-22

Mixing parts 1, 2…and many

The mixing process for me is the most fun, yet most challenging. It is very hard not to begin to almost re-write the track as each small adjustment culminates by a magnitude. Thankfully with version control a few hours of experimenting with automation, effects and other creative touches don’t ruin the original. With the shaker I definitely went down a rabbit hole of trying too hard to fix a simple problem. Lucky I could go back to a version I had pre obsessive effects manipulation!

Listening to my track agains the 2 professionaly mixed and mastered reference tracks is at times a little disheartening. they both sound very full, loud and warm without the harshness I feel I have in my track at the moment.

More work is needed.

Chambord. “Wonderland.” 2022. Track 1 on Wonderland. Kindisch, https://wearechambord.bandcamp.com/track/chambord-wonderland

Solar Kings. “A Kings Strut.” 2022. Track 1 on Saraswati. DowntempoLove, https://downtempolove.bandcamp.com/track/a-king-strut.

After siting with this rough mix for a week and listening to my reference tracks, there is a lot of work still to be done. The energy is very centred and the shakers are still very harsh. The keys are lost in the mix as well as the baseline. I feel it needs some more movement and width. While I happy with the vocal being very present and centred, I think it is a little too harsh or forward and could use some sweetening up.

On this second session mix I have got the shakers with more width and interest, yet hopefully not as repetitive. The keys and bass line are in better balance and the mix sounds a lot more full. The vocals are still pretty forward and are actually starting to sound shrill to me at times. I feel the break down, second keys part and the last section of the vocals could do with some movement. Everything sounds quite centred and a bit flat compared to my reference tracks.

PROJECT LOGBOOK —> WK 10

Laptop Recording Studio Logbook

14-05-22

Middle section

Chambord. “Wonderland.” 2022. Track 1 on Wonderland. Kindisch, https://wearechambord.bandcamp.com/track/chambord-wonderland

This is a ‘Slo House’ dance track. The BPM is 116, it is a dance floor mix that goes for 6 1/2 minutes. There are quite a lot of percussive elements within the drum section. This is a typical 16 bar intro for a dance track with the minimal rhythmic introduction. This allows a DJ to mix out of the previous track and into the new one without a lot of clashing and heavy percussion. From bar 17 on the track is driven forward by the 4/4 kick and clap sounds. Every 8 bars another percussive element is sparingly added. These sounds are quite subtle, consisting of rattles, shakers and cabassa. In the 7th (also sometimes the 3rd) bar of each section of 8 there is a percussive choice made that surprises the listener and keeps them interested. This ranges from a single cymbal crash, to removing some elements from the sound. The vocal does not come in until the 2min12s or bar 65. The hook in to vocal is very simple and repetitive, there are no middle instruments. This style of hypnotic slo dance music achieves interest and excitement by removing the driving drums, bass and percussion sounds that were built up in the introduction. There are a few minimal very short pad sounds that almost act as stabs and there is a faint muddled plucky guitar part that doubles the bassline. In the breakdown at 3min50s (bar 113) the drop of most of the percussion and bass reveals a section of swirly keys and pads. Effects used on the vocals also account for interesting middle frequencies and almost take on a melodic element.

Solar Kings. “A Kings Strut.” 2022. Track 1 on Saraswati. DowntempoLove, https://downtempolove.bandcamp.com/track/a-king-strut.

The tempo of this track sits at 105pm, it is in the ‘House’ genre but is no where near the typical 120bpm driving beat. Instead this track is very laid back and funky, while it is in straight 4/4 time, there is a lot of swung feel to it. Shakers begin the rhythmic introduction of 4 bars before a strong kick and clap take over. Interest is maintained throughout with the addition (and often times subtraction) of many different percussive elements. Pulling from African sounding percussion instruments, they are introduced every 4 or 8 bars. Each of the elements introduced sits within their own frequency and rhythmic area and hence adds to the track without saturating it. Melodic elements begin quite early in this dance track at just under 1min (bar 25). Small repeated melodic motifs of 3 to 4 notes are played and at 1min30s (bar 40) a brass section is introduced for a bar. This is an interesting addition to the very loopy percussive groove. It is almost a bit incongruous to the vibe of the track, but I like it a lot. This little one bar phrase is repeated sparringly (once every 8 bars) until bar 57 when a new section of instrumentation is introduced. Within this instrumental section bars 65-73 are very melodic with string like pads and the brass instruments. This actually is the section of the track I like the least. For me the groovy deep energy becomes over crowded and a little cheesy.

I’ve started mixing my track, I feel I have a good idea of the arrangement. There is definitely work to do in the balance and fine details of the finished track.

PROJECT LOGBOOK —> WK 9

Laptop Recording Studio Logbook

07-05-22

EQ & Compression

I have used both EQ and compression in my track,in fact I have used quite a lot of processing. I am fortunate to have quite a few plugins along side the standard Logic stock available for creative use. I have a lot of WAVES plugins that I use for coloration and creative applications. I also use the Fabfilter series for more transparent surgical use.

I like to work with my tracks in Buss groups. For this simple track I have a Buss each for the drums, bass, keys/pad and vocals. This gives me a lot of creative control over the mix and helps with balance.

Along with these changes to the shaker sound I also used reverb and EQ filter to keep interest through the 8 bar changes.

Sidechain compression setup with metronome

I have 3 bass sounds performing 2 different lines. The kick is quite short but I wanted to make sure it did not get lost in the bass frequencies. I have used some side chain compression on the bass buss to achieve this.

My side chain consists of the copied midi notes of the kick drum on a metronome instrument. This is what activates the sidechain. It gives the initial short transient, leaving the release of the compressor in my control.

I use the sidechain compressor on the bass buss to allow the kick some space within the bass frequencies.

The vocals have a lot of processing to bring them front and centre. I wanted to bring all of the vocalists amazing alto tonality out.

After feedback on my draft mix I have done some work on the drums, and the shaker in particular. It was an initial idea and at the time of submission I knew I would like to work more on the sound and dynamics of the shaker.

The initial sound was in fact a sample from one of the tracks I have been using as inspiration.

I initially took the 4 bar sample and warped it to fit the project tempo, I also used EQ to remove everything below 2kHz. And looped it through the entire track. Obviously this was quite aggressive and repetitive.

I then used another shaker sound and doubled it paying left and right. I have treated each side with different EQ settings and velocity humanising. This gave more natural sound and created more interest.

For the simple keys I also used the kick driven sidechain compression. This added a pumping effect to the long chords within the mix that I liked. There is also some compression and saturation on the buss to give some warmth and sparkle.

PROJECT LOGBOOK —> WK 8

Laptop Recording Studio Logbook

30-04-22

Interesting spaces…

My vocal booth is a very interesting space. After critically listening to the recordings aI did with my vocalist Willow, I can definitely hear the room. There is a reverberant space in the tracking, that on first listens, give the recording a warmth and adds to the openness. When the vocal sits in the mix with the other instrumentation it is not at all noticable. However, I am mindful of adding reverb to the vocal. I don’t want to wash it out with more spatialisation.

What I didn’t get a chance to do in our vocal session was record harmonies. Listening to all the straight takes Willow did I exported them all from the composite file to individual tracks. I spent a session trying to combine different versions of the same phrase, to build a harmony section. This did not turn out so well, as there was too much difference in each take to comp a believable harmony together. Instead I found a few phrases I wanted to use and duplicated them. I had three copies, centre left and right. I then spent a session using plugins and eq to make a harmony section.

Vocal composite exported to individual tracks and edited for harmonies

Hunting for the harmonies ended in copying phrases I liked to manufacture them instead

I used Waves Vocal Bender to change the pitch up a 3rd or down a 5th for the left and right copies. I left the centre at normal pitch, but added effects and EQ. The Vocal Bender also has a formant control that enables fine adjustment over the harmonics. It took out some of the more nasal sounding artefacts when transposed.

Processing on the *high* of the vocal harmony part

I’ve added some accent reverb and delay for interest at key transitions in the arrangement to different instruments (and sparringly on the vocal). I’m sure I will go over them and adjust as needed when I spend more time on the mix and less on the arrangement. At the lead min to bar 25 there is a 4 beat dynamic drop of percussive sounds to allow the African Sabar (drum) sound to hit on its own. I have added a rising heavy reverb sound to the hit, allowing it to linger through the minimal soundscape unto the drop of the next bar. I have employed a similar tactic to the end of the vocal at bar 48 that leads into the drop and faux chorus of the track. On the last vocal part the reverb is applied to linger through to the end of the track.

Im still not sure if I am happy with the shaker. Howerver the more I work on it the less confident I am becoming with the sound.

Thankfully I use Logic’s built in version control for saving alternative versions of changes I make to the track. I always know where I am and can go back and hear original or unprocessed versions.

PROJECT LOGBOOK —> WK 7

Laptop Recording Studio Logbook

16-04-22

Vocals

This week I have focussed my attention on the space I will record my vocalist in. I am not a singer, and for my track I have an amazing alto vocalist to record my top line. However I have recorded myself and spent time analysing and setting up my vocal booth in preparation of my recording session.

Rocket Clock Vocal Booth 1

In my warehouse studio space there is an actual Rocket Clock!

Rocket Clock Vocal Booth 2

The warehouse space is large and reverberant

Rocket Clock Vocal Booth 3

Inside the Rocket Clock is a space big enough to turn into a vocal booth

Rocket Clock Vocal Booth 4

The walls are in not square, they slope in at the top to form a cone shape. There is an open door and windows

Rocket Clock Vocal Booth 5

The floor is one big cushion with plush carpet and other cushions inside. I removed half of the cushion floor so the vocalist could stand.

Rocket Clock Vocal Booth 6

I covered the windows with soft pillows and left the carpet on the floor.

Rocket Clock Vocal Booth 7

I set up my RODE NT1-A vocal mic. I sent a headphone mix to a small mixer for the vocalist to hear the guide track.

Rocket Clock Vocal Booth 8

The Rocket Clock is now teh Rocket Clock Vocal Booth.

I have a small studio workspace in a large shared industrial warehouse. It is a reverberant space with concrete floors, and walls and a high tin roof. Not at all the kind of place to record vocals. However we do have a giant rocket clock cubby that I have repurposed not a vocal booth.

The recordings turned out pretty well. I didn’t end up covering the door for this test, yet the booth sounded clear and dry.

Setting up a headphone mix is really great in Logic. After selecting the channels I want in the mix, I select a send bus and set it to pre fader. This allows me control over what the vocalist is hearing in the headphones without changing to balance of the main mix.

After setting up my vocal booth I did some test recordings to check the sound of the booth. Using the rough draft I recorded myself attempting to sing. It also gave me a chance to set up a headphone mix for the vocalist. I had trouble with the headphone send. I was experiencing delay with what I was hearing next to my voice. I looked into the potential latency issues with the software and made some adjustments.

Logic Pro X has an excellent composition feature. This allows me to records many takes of the song or section without having to stop and re-record. The takes are saved in a folder like structure, with a main comp at the top. Tools allow me to quickly audition a take or small phrases words even breaths and add or remove them from the final comp.

Sending the track channels to a headphone mix

Logic has sends on fader, this puts the signal of send knob on to the faders for easier control

Set up of send is in pre fader, sent to my MOTU audio interface output 9-10

Sweet Honey In the Rock. 1988. “Your Worries Ain’ Like Mine.” Track 14 on Live At Carnegie Hall. Vinyl. US: Flying Fish. https://www.discogs.com/release/1810467-Sweet-Honey-In-The-Rock-Live-At-Carnegie-Hall.

“Your Worries Ain’ Like Mine” is a blues standard first recorded in 1928 by Victoria Spivey. There are also two versions recorded by Georgia White (different lyrics) recorded between 1935 and 1946. I first heard the song as the accapella version sung live by Sweet Honey In the Rock, sometime in the late 1990's. I have the album and have found the tone and harmonies of the vocals amazing. It is the acapella version recorded by Sweet Honey In the Rock that I have sent to my vocalist to learn.

Chambord. “Wonderland.” 2022. Track 1 on Wonderland. Kindisch, https://wearechambord.bandcamp.com/track/chambord-wonderland

“Wonderland” is a 6:25min ‘Slo House’ track, being a dance track the vocals don’t come in until 2:12. The vocals are are secondary to the rhythm section that drives the track. Unlike commercial music, where the focus and priority is on the vocals, in dance music the vocals often provide secondary interest. In many tracks they are heavily processed with effects and texture. They are very rarely narrative in a singer songwriter type structure. While they can be identified as a verse chorus or A B section, vocals in dance music are generally very simple repetitive lines. This track is called Wonderland. ‘One day wonderland’ is the line that is repeated throughout the sections.

PROJECT LOGBOOK —> WK 6

Laptop Recording Studio Logbook

09-04-22

BASS

My bass patterns are pretty simple. The track I am working on is a 12 bar Blues standard, so I have taken my cues from that genre. I began with an octave step moving through 12 bars with a I V IV shift. I knew the vocal and keys would fill out the melodic space, and didn't need to get too carried away with a busy bassline. I wanted it to be straight and driving in this slomo dancey vibe.

I had intended on using my Sequential Split-Eight analog synth to get a bass sound. However, I started playing around in soft synths and never went back to the hardware.

I added a DX7 using the same midi notes. The DX7 patch adds some stereo width, some more bottom end, and some delay, hopefully giving it a bit of movement.

I used a simple Logic ESP bass patch and tweeked the resonance to make it a bit more gritty. This I sent through to the vocalist to practise the track and get a feel for the timing I was after.

I added this 8 bar Juno line to give the bass section a bit of funky swing and interest.

Here is the bass and beat together.

ESP Bass

Basic patch bass patch that was tweaked by attenuating the Resonance knob

ESP bass midi part

ESP bass effects chain

Sidechain compression
FabFilter EQ, boosting the resonant frequencies
Kramer Tape saturation
Vintage EQ warmth

Sidechain trigger

I trigger the side chain compression with a metronome tick.

JUNO

JUNO bass midi part

JUNO bass effects chain

Direction mixer, reduce width making it more mono
Fabfilter EQ boost resonance

DX7

DX7 effects chain

Fabfilter EQ boost resonance

Bass Bus and effects sends

The 3 bass sounds are routed to a Bass Bus. Here I can control the level as a whole and further process.

Reflections

In putting this blog together this week I have realised I would like to change the tempo of my track. I had initially set out to compose at 105bpm. This was the tempo of the toppling vocals I want my vocalist to sing. However creating the baseline and working on the drum pattern, I feel it needs a bit more speed. This seems to lift the energy of the walking blues bass feel into a more slomo dancey vibe. It is also closer to the inspiration tracks I have been referring to. I also need to pay closer attention to the bass frequencies. My monitors are a pair of M-Audio BX5s, they are a nice little powered speaker. However I know they have a lot of colour in the low frequency range to compensate for their small size.

PROJECT LOGBOOK —> WK 5

Laptop Recording Studio Logbook

02-04-22

DRUMS

This is a pattern I have worked on before. It is pretty driving and has very up dancefloor tempo at 123BPM. Possibly in the Disclosure type of vibe... commercial. I work in Logic, I used Ultrabeat (Drum Machine) in multi-output mode. This means I can have each drum sound in Ultrabeat on a separate track in Logic. I can't remember If I loaded a preset kit or searched for samples. I think it was the Grimey 909 kit then I have tweaked and tuned some sounds. I have uploaded four bounces of the 16 bar loop. I worked on a 4 bar pattern initially and copied it to make 16. I then edited each 4 bar pattern to create movent and interest. I guess this 16 bar pattern feels like it would sit as the main rhythmic driver for a dancefloor track. I work inside templates I've setup in Logic to streamline my workflow... Meaning I already have my go to processing plugin's ready to go on things like Drum Bus, FX Bus, Master Bus.

UltraBeat kit

Starting with a preset kit Grimey 909. Tweaked individual sound settings.

Midi pattern

Started out straight on the grid. I played these beats in (quantised to 1/16th). Very busy and driving.

EQ on Multi UltraBeat

Used a multi UltraBeat, this allows me to balance each instrument and add individual effects. Here I have added eq.

UltraBeat is instansiated as a multi instrument. This allows for each instrument sound to be given its own track. That offers me the freedom to balance the mix and add processing to the individual instruments. This bounce has basic eq and balance mixing.

This bounce has processing on each sound and over the Drum Bus as a whole.

This bounce has no processing. I group similar sounds and route the output to a bus. In this case a Drum Bus.

This bounce I experimented with some swing on the clap, tom 3, and ride. Not sure how I feel about it, but it was pretty robotic before.

I use FX and other dynamic plugin's (compression) to sculpt the sounds of each part of the drumline, I tend to do this within my workflow of beat creation. At this stage there is a little mixing happening between the various sounds (drum hits) and in DrumLine2 a fair bit of processing. I have yet to do any real panning, I think it will require more space as at the momnet everything is sitting in the center. The cymbals and ride have some tape compression for a bit of width. As I add more melodic parts this drumline will definitely need some more balancing and paning to make room and/or support whatever eles is comming.

My Track Inspirations…

I really like the percussive elements of both tracks I have selected below. They are 4/4 dance beats that use many different percussion sounds to create a laidback swing groovy type feel. I love the African sounding instruments that percolate through each track creating interesting moments and lead into melodic and rhythmic changes.

Solar Kings. “A Kings Strut.” 2022. Track 1 on Saraswati. DowntempoLove, https://downtempolove.bandcamp.com/track/a-king-strut.

The tempo of this track sits at 105pm, it is in the ‘House’ genre but is no where near the typical 120bpm driving beat. Instead this track is very laid back and funky, while it is in straight 4/4 time, there is a lot of swung feel to it. Shakers begin the rhythmic introduction of 4 bars before a strong kick and clap take over. Interest is maintained throughout with the addition (and often times subtraction) of many different percussive elements. Pulling from African sounding percussion instruments, they are introduced every 4 or 8 bars. Each of the elements introduced sits within their own frequency and rhythmic area and hence adds to the track without saturating it.

Chambord. “Wonderland.” 2022. Track 1 on Wonderland. Kindisch, https://wearechambord.bandcamp.com/track/chambord-wonderland

This is a ‘Slo House’ dance track. The BPM is 116. There are quite a lot of percussive elements within the drum section. The beat is a driving dance floor 4/4 kick with clap/snare hit on beats 2 and 4. The tracks first rhythmic element is actually the plucking guitar playing an 1/8th not pattern. A rimshot like sound in 1/16ths is struck on off beats in the first 8 bars, giving the 4/4 an almost lopsided or behind the beat feel. Also in the second section of the first 8 bars (5-8), we hear a little short plucked bass line that contributes to the swung feel and lead into a bass response that begin from bar 9. Claps/snare come in on beat 2 and 4 from bar 9 and the kick comes in from bar 17. This is a typical 16 bar intro for a dance track with the minimal rhythmic introduction. This allows a DJ to mix out of the previous track and into the new one without a lot of clashing and heavy percussion. From bar 17 on the track is driven forward by the 4/4 kick and clap sounds. Every 8 bars another percussive element is sparingly added. These sounds are quite subtle, consisting of rattles, shakers and cabassa. In the 7th (also sometimes the 3rd) bar of each section of 8 there is a percussive choice made that surprises the listener and keeps them interested. This ranges from a single cymbal crash, to removing some elements from the sound.

PROJECT LOGBOOK —> WK 4

Laptop Recording Studio Logbook

26-03-22

Recording: Transparent or Character… Microphones and artistic choices

I believe the most important consideration of recording is technique. Transparent mics are fantastic, however, if the placement and technique are not ideal the resultant recording will be not ideal. The same applies to mics with character. For my work, what the recording is being used for also holds high importance. If I am recording voice only for an immersive soundscape, I may hire a vocal studio and use a very transparent microphone. If the vocal is for a particular type of musical genre it would be beneficial to use a microphone that adds colouration to the vocalist, depending on the style. Learning to get the best out of the equipment you have is also very important.

In my little home studio I have a small collection of mics. For this week's exercises, I experimented with four different mics.

1. Macbook Pro (M1 2021) internal mic

2. Rode NT1-A: large diaphragm condenser

3. DPA 4060: small omnidirectional condenser

4. Telefunken: dynamic broadcast mic

I have a MOTU ultralite audio interface with 2 mic inputs, recording into Logic Pro X

1. Macbook Pro (M1 2021) internal mic is remarkably decent sounding. However within RX a definite abount of noise can be seen (and heard) at around 50 Hz. This could be resonance from the laptop sitting on my desk.

2. Rode NT1-A: large diaphragm condenser, this is a great mic for vocal and instrument recording. It can have quite a warm open sound due to the slight frequency bumps at 150-160Hz, 3k, 5k and 10kHz.

3. DPA 4060: small omnidirectional condenser. I have a pair of these mics and love them for all kinds of field recordings. They are also great for vox pops and interviews. Also stereo piano, harp, anything you can stick them on really. This one seems to have some self-noise (or a buzz) around 20Hz.

4. Telefunken: dynamic broadcast mic. I bought this mic for an installation. I looks vintage and broadcaster. It sounds that way too. There is not a lot of low or high end frequency content with this mic. It definitely has that (older) radio broadcast sound.

On the MOTU, for the condenser mic I engaged 48V phantom power and experimented with the 3 way pad (0dB, 18dB, 36dB) with 24dB of gain available. Levels on the MOTU were set at 0dB of gain with 0dB pad. I did not use a pop filter for this recording (I couldn’t find the one I had made previously from old stockings!). I spoke into the microphone from about 15 – 20cm away from the capsule.

For the dynamic mic I engaged 19dB of trim gain. For all recordings I could have had a few more dB of level going in. However it is a balance between increasing room and self noise within the sensitive condenser mics. I definitley should invest in a new pop filter.

PROJECT LOGBOOK —> WK 3

Laptop Recording Studio Logbook

22-03-22

Technology in music

Technology in music is the foundation of my interest and love of music. I have always loved listening to music, sitting on the floor in the fancy lounge room at my Nan’s house. She had a fantastic stereo, I could hear everything in the music so clearly. It is the technology behind the music that makes and shapes the music.

Blue Monday (1983) - New Order exemplifies how technology shapes music. The journey of Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris and Peter Hook from Joy Division to New Order, with the addition of Gillian Gilbert, tracks a pivotal time of technology and producers shaping the music. From the punk sounds of vocals, bass, guitar and drums on Joy Division's "Candidate (1979)" (produced by Martin Hannett), through to New Order's "True Faith (1987)" (co-produced by the band and Stephen Hague), as technology rapidly evolved around them, band members Bernard, Stephen, Peter and Gillian utilised the technology to evolve the bands sound. These three tracks were recorded in analogue 1970's studios, with emerging technologies and experimental recording and production techniques. Stephen Morris (drummer) went from playing live drums and recording them for hours with Martin Hannett in Joy Division, to programming patterns (that had to be written on a piece of paper!) on an Oberheim DMX

PROJECT LOGBOOK —> WK 2

Laptop Recording Studio Logbook

12-03-22

So many ideas…. so little time!

I feel like I have a billion ideas for tracks constantly and therefore become paralysed to finish any of them. My eclectic genre taste give me a wide net to cast, from ambient electro through tech, house, rock, pop, folk and even some jazz and symphonic classical.

I have recently had the privilege of working with the incomparable artistic juggernaut that is Finucane & Smith. I first worked with them at 45 Downstairs as the lighting op for The Rapture. It was on this show that I first heard the incredible performer Willow Sizer. This year I have again worked as both light and sound tech on a number of F&S productions. In the cabaret show Dance Hall, Willow sings the Eagles Hotel California. Every time I hear her sing the final note at the end of the last verse it sends shivers through me.

So it is from this kernel that I would like to base my track on. Not necessarily to do a dance remix… perhaps something a bit more stripped back.

More electro acoustic ambient, something in the style of Global Communications 14:31

or VC-118 System of Connections

I could even see/hear it as something deep and dark like Aaron Its Not Over. Though maybe at a sub 120bpm.

PROJECT LOGBOOK —> WK 1

Laptop Recording Studio Logbook

05-03-22

Week one of MUSI20174… in retrospect! The beginning of this year has been incredibly busy for me. I was questioning whether to enrol in this class, as I have quite a lot of experience. I have been working and experimenting in the field of computer music and laptop recording for at least 15 years I guess. It all seeded from the underground club scene in Sydney in the early 1990’s. After experiencing my first few club nights and warehouse parties as a punter, I was determined to get up there behind the decks! And I did. I started collecting records, made friends with DJ’s and club promoters, hovered around the DJ booth and soaked it all in. I practiced on my housemates turntables and got my first club gig in 1992.

Very quickly I became drawn to production, I wanted to remake and remix many of the records I was buying and playing. As a DJ you are already halfway there, each long mix out of one track and into another is an opportunity to produce something new.

I first purchased ProTools and an MBox 2 in the mid to late 90’s, I also picked up some studio gear. Tanoy monitors, Alesis MIDIVerb, some microphones and a Sequential Split-Eight synth. I started a course in Audio Engineering and Electronic Music Production. I fell out of love with ProTools, got excited by Ableton Live 5 and it’s potential as DJ performance software then fell in love with Logic Pro. I would say that my hobby was electronic music production and my day/night job was DJing (I also worked in a record shop, very handy for a DJ).

DJing and the scene shifted and I began to want to formalise and realise my ideas in electronic production. I was also very interested in making sound for art, not just music production. Soundscapes, sound art installations and sculpture also podcasts and long form radio works. I moved to Melbourne in 2012 thinking I would realise this by studying Interactive Composition Degree at VCA, instead I began to make art. I collaborated on installations and created my own works.

In 2019 I obtained a Graduate Diploma of Sonic Art from Victoria University Wellington, New Zealand. I was lucky to be accepted to the program on my experience (without a competed undergrad). However the experience inspired me to consider a Phd, and for that I need to formalise my undergraduate study. With the pandemic of 2020 my oppotunty came to return to university. I am studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Anthropology with the focus to deepen my practice as a Sound Ethnographer.

I am so thrilled to be in this class for the opportunity to reconnect with my gear each week, to reassess my knowledge and techniques and to hopefully meet others who share my fascination with music technology.

To begin writing again...

22-03-2022

I haven’t posted a blog or looked at this website for over 2 years. After revisiting this site tonight I found 3 posts sitting in drafts and published them all. They were all old and not really finished… dating from 2018 to ??? not sure of the date. This is the beginning of a new blog/vlog effort for my class The Laptop Recording Studio: MUSI20174.

I will attempt to maintain and also update old material on this site as I progress through the year. Hopefully my writing and posting will improve as we move along.

2018-2019 Te Koki, Wellington, New Zealand

sunset as I saw it for from my Wellington home balcony. x

MESS in May Day One

03-05-2018

Today I re-aquainted myself with the EMS Synthi AKS. In December of 2017, I took a masterclass with Robin Fox on EMS & pin-board patching. Luckily for me there was only one other in the class.. David Chesworth! I loved the warm breathing sounds of the EMS oscillator and the pin-board patching.

Before my first day i briefly checked out some interesting videos on Youtube. One in particular had some amazing envelope and filter sweep sounds. I had taken a bunch of screenshots of the patches. This led to a couple of hours of trying (in vain) to insanely emulate/copy the sounds from the video!

Now while quite unsuccessful in recreating that exact sound, it was successful in reaffirming that I am here at MESS to create my own sounds and experiments!

So beginning again I took the Synthi Educational Handbook and closed Youtube. This is an absolutely cracking book/instruction manual written by Peter Grogono of Electronic Music Studios of American Inc in April 1972.

May MESS

In May I will get the keys to MESS of 4 weeks....

What will I do?

As a consolation to the MESS: Professional Development Program, I was offered a mini residency. This meant 4 weeks of unlimited studio time, support from both Robin Fox and Byron Scullin and a free workshop of my choice.

Books I'm reading...

Reading..

interpretation, understanding, analysis, construing, appraisal, evaluation, impression, sense, comprehension, conception... These are words' synonyms for reading.

Thoughts

Slosh Dynamics

In fluid dynamics, slosh refers to the movement of liquid inside another object (which is, typically, also undergoing motion).

Many of these things have been sloshing around in my brain for a long time. So now it’s time to just put the thoughts out there because if they’re not out there are just thoughts....

In no particular order here are some things I am investigating and researching. Through both practical experiments and readings.

Data sonification

Sonology

Wavetable composition

Convolution composition

Algorithmic composition

PureData panning diffusion

Ode to Ostertag

Nothing KNew Hear... samples of all my records (Ode to Kriedler)

DJ automated PureData

The Grand Caravan at MESS

Non static drums, moving in the field

Coffee slosh maths:-Image Source: Slosh Formulas from ABC Catalyst Video

methodology is a body of methods...

a method is a systematic plan followed in presenting material