Dissertation

Is there a relationship between drugs and the music industry, if so what are the effects?

https://soundcloud.com/user-568484798/midi-to-maxi-song-2/s-OfWQ1

Link to the original recorded version of play the fool:
https://soundcloud.com/user-568484798/play-the-fool-track/s-9qpsT

Midi to Maxi (weekly diary)

week 1(mic techniques phasing)
This week we were introduced to some different microphone setup techniques in order to discover more efficient ways to record sounds in the studio. A technique that especially stood out to me was stereo phasing. I found this useful because i realised the i really had to think quite a bit about mic placement.

week2 (shards drums)
This week we focused on setting up live drums for Sade. However there was quite a bit of confusion doing so. This meant that we had used most of our time however I did manage to record some live drums for her as a session player. This also helped me out because it gave me some more idea's on ways I can implement live sounds into my music.

week3 (matt drums.)
This week I was doing session playing again. This time I was playing the drums for Matthew's track. however I found this slightly difficult because the pattern which I was to replicate was quite complex. however despite the difficulty we still managed to get something recorded.

week4(play the fool)
This week we had an extra studio session booked on a wednesday evening. Our Band recorded live drums, piano, synth's and voice. All of these instruments were for the song. "Play The Fool"

Week5(play the fool)
I decided I was going to build my first track using the sample from play the fool, I wanted to make the song more into a style that suited me. I decided that I was going to use the part of the sample that contains the Tom roll as well because it added to the atmosphere of the piece.

week6(play the fool + jazz trap)
I pitched the sample much lower and added a kick and hi-hat pattern. I found this slightly difficult because the not all of the sample was completely in time. I decided that I was going to need to use the flex tool in logic in order to make the sample easier to work with. The flex tool allows me to manipulate audio by setting transient markers within the audio. The flex tool then allows me to manipulate those transient markers by moving them in and out of time.

 I also started my second track this week. I created an 8-bar loop of a midi piano, midi trumpet, and a midi french horn. I then added a kick, clap, snare and some percussion consisting of open hi-hats, brush and hi-hats

week7
i recorded the live brass sections for my jazz trap songs, i decided i was going to use the SE Titan and use different polar patterns to see which i liked most.


Week8
I added in some live bongo's to this track. I did this because I was trying to create two different styles using live instruments and see how well I could blend them together for a smooth transition.
I also used the flex tool to time stretch my sample. I slowed it down to create a more serious eerie vibe that would contrast more with the upbeat melodic tempo.

I also finished off the arrangement for play the fool I added a rising filter and some flanging just to change the atmosphere and tone of the piece so it wouldn't become too repetitive.

Week9
I spent this week mixing my tracks and trying to get the levels where I wanted them, I didn't want the high end to drown out the other frequencies, so i adjusted the levels until i could hear all the tracks playing at the levels intended.

Midi to maxi-Session Plan

play the fool Remix:

The microphone setup for the drum kit of play the fool was in my opinion quite complicated. The Audix D6 used the on the kick drum. This was because it was a very resilient mic that could pick up low end sound really well. for the snare and the high hat, sm58's were placed both underneath and on top so that the sounds could be blended further down in the mixing process. Sm57's were used for the toms and finally two NT5's were placed in stereo position, used as overhead mic's. I chose these because they were condenser microphones that could pick up very good high and mid range, which was exactly what I needed to grab detail from the whole kit.

Sade used a Rhode NT1A to record her vocals, we decided that this mic was most suitable for her voice because it gave a really nice tone that complimented the atmosphere of the song. 

on the piano we used an sm57 for the body and mid and we used a NT5 for top end because the NT5 has more detail and detail is essential in the top end, this is where the complex part of the sound is.

We also used the JUNO synth, we decided we would record it using a D.I. Box so it would have a nice clear signal.

I was a musician in this piece as the drummer. I informed Sade that I needed some drum sticks and some ear buds. she made this possible, so when I arrived to the session we were able to get started fairly quickly after setting up the mic's and I was able to start recording pretty much after that. I also felt very comfortable in the environment and was encouraged which allowed me to perform better.

we set logic up with multiple audio tracks and labelled each instrument and each microphone. we did this process because it helps keep everything else organised when it comes to the mix. When recording, we did individual takes where we would record to a baking track. We also did takes where everyone would record at the same time to get more of a realistic groove when playing as a band.

jazz inspired piece:

to record the piano I decided used I was going to use the..... i decided to use this mic because it is one of the best mic at picking up all the frequencies in the mid to high. All of these frequencies make a difference overall because they are located in the high end, an area where our ears listen in more detail.

To record the french horn and trumpet I used the SE Titan FET condenser. I selected this microphone because not only is it really good at recording the detailed harmonics, but it also allows you to change the polar patterns of the microphone. I found this feature to be very interesting because you can generate quite a few different sounds from the same mic.

 For the trumpet section i recorded in the omni-cardio setting. This was to ensure that I could achieve a nice stereo sound that i would then boost further in my processing in logic using the direction spreader. For the french horns I used the cardiod polar pattern setting to ensure I got a nice clear, clean crisp sound and then i processed it in logic by adding some saturation and reverb.

For the bongo's i used an SM58 i decided on this because i really like how it picks up the snap of the snare, i wanted to recreate that on a more subtle level.

Brief:

A comprehensive session plan outlining what you did to record your instrument(s). This should cover:

An itinerary of how your time will be distributed over the session for:

·      DAW setup

·      Microphone setup

·      Musicians and their needs

·      Tracking/bouncing/saving and exporting

The 2 or more original demo songs in MIDI format and the final 2 mixed songs.

These must contain 4 instruments recorded on each showing a variety microphone techniques and an evaluation of the final mixdowns and how they fare against the original demo’s and your expectations.

This is where you get extra technical. Talk about the equipment and its suitability in relation to the final sound. 

For example:

The Stereo pair of Rhode Nt5’s on the Bass Amp was unnecessary and didn’t create the presence of the midrange I desired, it would have been better to record in mono and do some stereo effects processing inside of the DAW to create a fuller sound. 

For that, I would have used a dynamic microphone such as the Shure SM-7 which has a distinction in the mids and coupled that with a condenser such as the…..etc.

Bounces

Jazz trap-midi version
Jazz trap version with live Jazz trap version with trumpet delay Jazz trap final