Creative Studio Production Diary

 9/5/24 Reflection and evaluation: The result of this project I feel satisfies a good portion of the goals I set out to accomplish. I was able to develop a variety of new skills due to the 16-track restriction I set myself, as this pushed me to be more selective with my recording techniques. This is most obvious with the drum kit, which I think stands as one of the best parts of the track with its limited 3 mic setup. On the other hand, one of the most glaring issues is the inconsistent timings between the drums and clavinet, due to my session instrumentalists improvising their parts off my reference tracks on the day of recording (For the drums especially I had to reconstruct many parts within the DAW for a consistent track). This has taught me the importance of preparing better resources in advance such as sheet music so instrumentalists can practice for a necessary amount of time. Additionally, having them practice together beforehand or recording on the same day would also be...

 8/5/24 To capture the vocals I utilised the intended Neumann U87 in cardioid mode, with an added pop shield to reduce sibilance and plosives ( figure 1 ). I sang 7 inches away from the microphone as planned ( figure 2 ) Figure 1: Mic and pop shield setup in the vocal booth. Figure 2: Singer distance from the microphone. Once recorded both vocal tracks were bussed out of Pro Tools into a Neve 1073LB EQ and Dl441 compressor before returning on new tracks ( figure 3 ). Figure 3: Routing order for the session. The EQ is quite subtle however, misreading the unit I improperly boosting at 80Hz whilst correctly boosting the highs at around 5kHz ( figure 4 ) I later applied F6-RTA plugin EQ within my DAW to make more substantial changes fixing my mistakes, engaging a slight cut at 15kHz to make room for the hi-hats, a high pass below 125Hz cutting out unwanted rumble and a subtle reduction at around 750Hz - 1.5kHz to reduce some nasally frequencies ( figure 5 ). Figure 4: EQ settings us...

8/5/24 For this session I prepared a midi track for the Korg - Radius ( figure 1 ). The midi was sent out of Pro Tools to the rack synth via an M-Audi midi port ( figure 2 ). Figure 1: Midi track prepared in advance. Figure 2: Midi port used to send midi information out of Pro Tools to the synth. On the synth I used a Moog bass style pre-set titled 'Mogalog bass' ( figure 3 ) the synth output was then routed in stereo through DL441 compressors ( figure 4 ). Figure 3: pre-set sound used on the Korg - Radius Figure 4: Routing chain for the session. When compressing I used a weaker ratio of around 2:1 as apposed to the 4:1 I originally planned due to the sound not needing a high ratio I feel. A fairly moderate threshold was used keeping the dynamics consistent ( figure 5 ). After the compressor the synth was routed to a single stereo track in Pro Tools ( figure 4 ) In my DAW post recording I applied an EQ reducing unwanted higher frequencies beyond 2kHz leaving room for the Cl...

8/5/24 To record the clavinet sound off the digital keyboard I stuck to using DI ( figure 1 ) however, I diverged from my original plan of a DI box instead using a bass amp with an XLR DI output ( figure 2 ) this allowed me to add bass frequencies to the output resulting in a warmer tone ( figure 3 ). Figure 1: The jack output on the keyboard. Figure 2: The jack input and XLR output of the amp. Figure 3: The settings used on the bass amp. Each of the 8 recorded tracks then went through the studio wall box ( figure 4 ) and got routed through to a Neve 1073DPA preamp ( figure 5 ), adding some light analogue distortion in the highs, adding saturation and harmonics to the sound ( figure 6 ). Figure 4: bass amp output entering the wall box input. Figure 5: The signal getting routed to the Neve preamp. Figure 6: Settings used on the Neve preamp. Next the tracks routed through a Neve 1073LB EQ and DL441 compressor ( figure 7 ). The EQ reduces high frequencies around 4.8kHz to leave space f...

 8/5/25 First I setup the Senheiser MD421-II inside the kick, there was no sound hole so I took the head off to get the 4 inch distance inside ( figure 2 ) and placed the mic slightly off center. Additionally to dry the sound out two blankets were placed inside ( figure 1 ). Figure 1: The overall kick setup. Figure 2: Tape measure displaying the 4 inch mic distance in the kick. The AKG C451 B was setup 700mm over the ride ( figure 4 ), with an angle pointing towards the snare ( figure 3 ). The mic sat slightly to the side to ensure that the cymbal was still picked up despite the mic being cardioid. The snare also had an O-ring to dry it ( figure 3 ). Figure 3: The C421 above the Ride cymbal. Figure 4: Tape measure displaying the 700mm distance between the mic and Ride. The MKH 30-P48 was located 3ft above the hi-hat ( figure 6 ). This provided a close sound but also caught room due to the bi-directional pickup pattern setting. Figure 5: The MHK 30 above the hi-hat. Figure 6: Ta...

 7/5/24 Setup: For the vocals I'm layering 2 tracks similarly to 'Superstition' (1972) as described by Liveabout Dotcom (2019) " Stevie's vocals are in two parts". To record I'm using a Neumann U87 a modern equivalent of the Neumann 87 which has documented use by Stevie Wonder on Sound On Sound (2007) "On some songs we used a [Neumann] 87 for Steve's vocals". The u87 is also a good choice due to it's option of a cardioid pick up pattern and smooth frequency response with a high boost around 8-10kHz to add a crispness to the tracks. Frequency response on a Neumann U87, Recording Hacks (Date unknown) The vocalist will stand 7 inches from the mic reducing proximity effect and plosives/sibilance, this satisfies a distance range for recording vocals described by BunnyStudio (2021) " 6-12 inches is the most common distance used for microphone placement". Processing: The overall processing will be minimal a suggestion by  Liveabout Dot...

7/5/24 Setup: As documented by Liveabout Dotcom (2019) the bass in 'Superstition' (1972) " I s n't a real bass guitar -- it's a synth bassline". T he synth was likely a Moog  synth, supported by Rolling Stone (2018) "The cavernous Moog bass with undulating ARP synthesizers that became Stevie signature sound in hits like 'Superstition' "  I will be using a Korg - Radias (a rack synth) as I can generate a Moog like sound, it also presents a unique recording method. Recording and Processing: To capture the sound midi must first been sent into Pro tools through a keyboard. following that, the signal is routed through a midi port station that connects to the synth. From the synth The signal will be routed in stereo through DL441 compressors on a high ratio to "catch any transient peaks and create more consistent dynamics. Use a moderate ratio around 4:1" Mastering The Mix (2020) After the compressors the tracks will return to Pro Tools t...