Back at Uni now but with full use of the studios this time. Big difference. Having used Logic almost exclusively for the last year I’m quite used to affecting the sounds of midi instruments with the versatile inserts and plug ins supplied. Now for studio production I have 2 tasks this year with specific limitations on each. They are both studio recordings, the first of which can be original or a cover and must be between 2 and 6 minutes including drums, piano, synth, vox and bass. All parts must be recorded using a microphone or D/I for the guitars and bass if desired. The second task is a consciously stylistic emulation of another(or many) producer(s) to be made through an original song.
I’m forbidden to use any of my favoured Logic effects on the first task, left only to use high pass filters, sample delay, compression and side chaining. It feels galling at first I suppose to use only the sounds you have recorded dry, but of course I may choose to place the microphones wherever I like to achieve the sounds in spaces I want. I’m looking forward to it however. Whenever I think of mic placement I always remember watching a music documentary years and years back where various wrinklymen were talking about a record named Bad Penny Blues written by Humphrey Lyttleton released in the early 50s. I think of this because they all talk about the way the unusually the piano was recorded, how it sounds all bongy and bouncy, thanks to the innovative work of Joe Meek. Its interesting to me because it seems like the first conscious effort in a studio to record sounds in a way as to not emulate a live performance. Anyway here’s the clip in gloriously low youtube quality.
This smoothly brings me onto task 2 and emulation of other producers. There are so many producers I admire however so its difficult to choose who I find most interesting in regards to the method in which I have to emulate. My favourite producer right now is Flying Lotus but the richness of his music would be hard to achieve through the methods of sampling I must use, recording my own that is. The intoxicating wall of sound Phil Spector created could be managed I suppose. But oh the use of enables so much more interesting things to be done. Unfortunately not a VST.
Anyway I’m looking forward to learning advanced mic techniques this course.
goodbye
