production and recording for musicians

A special hello to those of you who’ve taken a peek at this blog before Wednesday 24 September.

For those of you taking a look in class, right now, this’ll be closer to a “Dave” experience…….you are, of course, equally welcome and I’m guilty of nicking a rather cheesy notion from Jeremy Clarkson.

So, this coming Wednesday, we first need to organise class times.  This module will be running on Tuesday 11.00 - 13.00, in addition to the timetabled Wednesday 09.00 - 11.00 & 11.00 - 13.00.

Look forward to seeing you on Wednesday for what may turn out to be a slightly cramped first session.

The father of ambient music, Brian Eno nobably tried to save us from muzak, through thoughtful, creative and sympathetic soundscapes/”musical installations”.

Apart from solo compositions he worked as producer and collaborator with a range of artists including David Bowie, U2 and Talking Heads.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Eno

Eno undoubtedly ’suggests’ or opens up a link between the ‘vertical’ world of formulaic pop/rock structure and production and the esoteric possibilities ‘granulating’ in those mainstrseam cracks.

A short clip of his thoughts behind “Music for Airports” (1978):

“Music for airports” linear notes

http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/MFA-txt.html

His production approach comes across as experimental or creatively disruptive, here’s an interview with Eno and Daniel Lanois working as a production duo with U2:

Prior to working with U2 he produced Talking Heads

…and went on to work with Talking Heads’ David Byrne on the more esoteric “My life in the bush of ghosts”:

A major player in the early 1970s, Glyn Johns worked in both an engineering and production capacity with a host of amazingly successful bands including The Eagles, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones and The Who.

Apart from watching, listening to and reading through the attached links and videos, pay particular attention to Glyn John’s minimal drum micing technique.

We’ve covered how to compensate for phase cancellation in a multi-mic setup (using sample delays), however this technique, using just four microphones, is intended by design to avoid the comb filter effect caused by phase cancellation.

While it’s inevitable that controlling the drum balance post-recording is limited, the sound achieved is ‘open’ and ‘authentic’, perfect if your aim is to capture a true-to-life representation of a kit, rather than ‘manipulating’ or ‘crafting’ close-miced elements (of the kit) electronically.

So, a couple links about the man himself:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyn_Johns

http://www.answers.com/topic/glyn-johns?cat=entertainment

….a few videos / recording of tracks he produced:

And finally, a video and link or two about the Glyn John’s drum micing technique:

http://www.equationaudio.com/engineers/?p=5

http://www.wikirecording.org/Guide_to_Recording_Drums

Trevor Horn made a massive impact in the 1980s with lavish productions, making full use of the technology available at the time….watch out for that sequenced slap bass and massive reverb.
Refer to “8.3 Recommended Listening” in the module guide and see what tips you can pick up from: Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Welcome to the Pleasuredome”, Art of Noise “The seduction of Claude Debussy”, Propoganda “Dual” (especially, the ‘bitter, sweet’ mix) and ABC “The Lexicon of Love”.

Also, follow these links and make a note of as many production techniques, of Trevor Horns and the other producers discussed to date to share in class on Tuesday and Wednesday March 11th & 12th:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Horn

http://www.trevor-horn.de/

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar05/articles/trevorhorn.htm

As a contextural ‘aside’ to get a real taste of Eighties culture, have a look at the darkly satirical film “American Pyscho” - Horn’s fashion sense in the glasses department should come into focus………excuse pun / cheesy humour.

Music aside for one moment, the interesting thing with Alan Parsons (especially for the iconic albums he’s worked on) is his role / job description - engineer (not producer). He was undoubtedly at the right place at the right time, just wearing the wrong hat and this has almost certainly cost him dearly (which is a great pity), although he has a world-class reputation and is still ‘going’ strong, in his 60s.

So, take a look at these links and jot down a few more invaluable production / recording techniques:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Parsons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Side_of_the_Moon

http://bartoszmusic.uniblogs.org/category/fm-favourite-music/

And just before you get going on the making of “Dark Side of the Moon”, take a look at ARU’s own “Aspects” Alumni magazine, featuring an article on Pink Floyd playing at Cambridge School of Arts in their student days (here) - a gig “in what is now Ruskin room 208″.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtj8she1mgg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6Q2O-Rrbkk&feature=related