MTF Week 11 (May 24th, 2007) "Studio Presentation Mix"

Jake Taylor MTF MIX

Analysis

Artist: Afro Celts Sound System
Song Name: My Secret Bliss
Duration: 7:04
Musical Genre: World Fusion Electronica
Style: Medium tempo, fairly deep and dark sounding
Key: Unknown
Tempo: 83.98 bpm
Instrumentation: drum tracks, guitars, bass, keyboards, vocals, backing vocals and various miscellaneous sounds such as reverse cymbals
Performers: Larla O Lionaird (vocals), Sevara (vocals), James Mcnally (flutes)
Sound Quality: Very good sound quality, however some of the keyboard samples have minor clicks completing their duration. Massive amounts of reverb and delay have been used on most tracks, apart from the rhythm sections.

References

Stavrou, M, (2003), Mixing With Your Mind, Mosman, 1st ed N.S.W. : Gillingham
Flux Research, 2003.

- I used this reference to get a basic understanding of mixing itself, but for thisproject, I
am referencing the chapter involving compression techniques.

Burdette P. General EQ Guide, viewed 23rd May, 2007
http://www.sirgalahad.org/paul/music/eq-guide.html

- I used this reference to get an understanding of applying basic EQ values to certain instruments, which I used extensively.

Senior M. (May 2000) Sound on Sound magazine, Reverb
Frequently Asked Questions, viewed 20th May, 2007
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may00/articles/reverb.htm

- I never initially understood the concepts involving reverb, however this article answered
many of my questions and helped my gain a better vocal reverb sound, despite the fact the vocal tracks were already distinctly filled with reverb.

Peck. N, (), 6 Creative Uses of Plug-in Automation, viewed 21st May, 2007
http://www.obedia.com/articles_EM_01.cfm

This article gave me a brief guide into automatic double tracking. This involves the use of minor delay and was first discovered by George Martin while recording the Beatles.

Journal:

Monday, May 21, 2007 2:13 PM

After some consideration I have decided to use the Afto Celts – My Secret Bliss sample, as I believe it showed good dynamic range, good quality and a good use of musical knowledge.

As drums are an important part of a song, I began with the rhythm sections and imported those into a ProTools session. As I have stated, the recording as of excellent quality. However I came into a bump in my workings so I decided I would gather some references.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007 10:27 PM

Late Monday I managed to borrow out Mixing With Your Mind, by Mike Stavro. I must say just the first chapter was like a complete revelation of how I initially thought of sound. It was so easy to read and understand, and I am going to use a few references from this title, such as compression and EQ techniques as I still struggle with both of their concepts.

The mix itself it showing that it’s quite hard, especially on the arrangement side of things. I find I am setting my standard to high and trying to achieve something more epic rather than something that will still show my learnt skills effectively. Unfortunately, this is my personality, and I have to work around it. It is safe to say that I am an ultimate perfectionist.

I also found a really good site on EQ technique. I was basically a list of what equalisation to apply to instruments from the individual drum, to an oboe it was there. I was very helpful for me because often I find I am just scrolling through the EQ settings not finding anything that I particularly liked the sound of.

Wednesday, May 22, 2007 12:43 AM

While mixing, I managed to think up of a few reference sound sources. The sound of the original mix reminded me of my childhood, listening to Enya, and Andean world music. It’s funny, as a child I would listen to these simply because I loved their natural and lush feel, but I haven’t listened to them for over a decade, so it was of great humour to me when I literally had to blow the dust off the covers. I want to use these CD’s a reference material for my desired sound.

The mixing process is going very well at this point, and I have nearly completed the arrangement. It was much easier than I thought. I have utilised a lot of plug-ins and double tracked flutes drums and guitars.

I have used EQ and compression as well as reverbs and delays to capture my desired performance. In the end I think this did enhance the overall sound, however I am still unsure about the drums.

On a funny side, I managed to EQ 1000 Hz thanks to being very used to that particular frequency (I will elaborate on this in my presentation) on the flute section and this alone really enhanced it’s overall sound within the mix. I want the flute to be a driving force in it, one because I like it and two because it’s part of my referencing.


I think that if I were to do anything different in future, I would use my time more effectively, and explore the future possibilities of using other plug-ins than the ones I used.

MTF Week 11 (May 24th, 2007) "MTF Mix Presentations I"

In this week’s MTF, students including myself presented the RealWorld mixes. The striking part of the forum was that each mix was vastly different, naturally because of personal musical influences, but what as also interesting was how some shared similarities.

For example, many people used Afro Celts Sound System My Secret Bliss, including myself. To my ears the song was already very well recorded and produced – each track already had most of the effects you would ever want to use. This meant that those who used this song approached to mix from an arrangement point of view. This was confirmed to me when Stuart Johnston, who stated “(All the tracks) went quite layered, I found no need for extra effects” [1] His mix compared to others was longer and much more progressive, which reinforced his statement.

Coming back to musical influences, I think that this was very well demonstrated by Daniel Trembath. His personal musical taste extends into the genres of Dance and Techno. He stated that “a lot of my influences and tastes went into this song” [2] To my ears his mix was dry (in a good way), and very pulse driven, much like techno, with no use of vocals.

Scott Philp mixed Joy’s What You Are. I enjoyed his mix the most, I don’t really know why, it may have been simply because I liked the song itself and its samples. He appeared to approach the mix from an arrangement, position also. I guess when you think about it, arrangement was a key element in this exercise because the samples were more or less already properly recorded and all we had to do was simply mix them.

Scott Herriman and Ben Hawkins used If I Had My Way by Little Axe. As I know these two well, it wasn’t surprising that they chose to mix this song. Ben said that he wanted to do a mix, which represented a bluesy sound; If I Had My Way provided him with this. Scott also seemed to come from a similar area although he was attempting to go for a more country rock oriented.

In conclusion, I think that all those who managed to present this week did well, even if they weren’t fully prepared. They all showed how their influences gave them insight towards their mix. I think that personal taste is a powerful force when mixing, and it raises the question of whether it’s ok to let this factor to impact the artists visions as much as you own.

Refrences:
1. Documentation from Stuart Johnston on his mix, presented May 2007, Adelaide University
2. Documentation from Daniel Trembath on his mix, presented May 2007, Adelaide University

MTF Week 10 (May 17th, 2007) "Genre Based Production II"

It is interesting to note that culture influences music a great deal, but it is more interesting that particular towns influence sound too it seems that if one ventures even just a few miles, that the sound and recording techniques change. Steve introduced us to the great variance of the British sound from Bath to Bristol, Liverpool to London itself. I wonder why this happens so drastically in densely populated areas such as Great Britain…

As a producer is it ok to go against structural cultural systems that determine a particular sound? For instance, take a look at how Kurt Cobain managed to accepted Butch Vig’s ideal understanding of Nirvana’s sound; still Grunge, but polished.

It sort of compliments everything others and I have been saying - finding a balance between too much and too little seems to be the key at complimenting the genre while managing to keep artist relations and financial well-being. However, if you honestly consider Grunge from a general publics point of view, 9 times out of 10 Smells Like Teen Spirit will come to mind rather then Big Cheese. The same applies to The Black Album; hell I bet even Green Day’s American Idiot founded Punk to some people.

It seems that while certain genres have their own characteristics, pop culture drives the ways of some producers. Because of this, people will tend to remember only the things that have a glossed up radio like representation over the original raw genre – in a sense that is what a lot of people like to hear, gloss!

An example:
Steve played us two versions of Wolfmother’s “Woman” and woh what a difference there was. This alone reinforces my beliefs that this effect is very much true to all music, which is driven by public demand. Common elements may include lots of compression and presence, in other words the equation to suck the audience in.

Some musicians “sound like they sound”[1] yes indeed, but when it comes to public demand and record company dogging, I think some producers will go to any length to press the sound into a nice neat little wrapped box.

References:

1. Fieldhouse, Steve, (2007). Genre Based Production II, presented at the University of Adelaide, 17th May

Further Reading:

1. Ken’s blog on being a jack and a master (finding that balance), accessed 21st May, 2007
http://plutoniumunderpant.blogspot.com/2007/05/10507-genre-based-production-styles.html

MTF Week 9 (May 10th, 2007) "Genre Based Production"

Genre Based Production

Each genre has a particular way to bring out the life that determines what that genre is. In this week’s forum Steve Fieldhouse once again went into genre based production. This has already been explored in other weeks for electronic music and hip-hop in particular, but I am always eager to learn all the facets involved in each genre, particular the one’s I myself enjoy.

I touched on the idea involved in genre based production and asked the question of how would a world song sound if recorded using metal/rock techniques[1]. What constitutes the boundaries how far one can go with this? For example: Jazz is acoustical, with little compression, so does this mean that if you record it with compression it will sound unlike Jazz? I think that the area of understanding the ways in which o record styles of music is really important, but I also think that experimentation should always be kept open, and ultimately what ever sounds good, sounds good.

Another interesting element that was mentioned by Steve that American Funk and British Funk are very different. Why is this so? I think that culture has a major role to play in how music is recorded. American Funk is bright where as British is darker – maybe the climates of the two countries have a part to play in this, and I make it clear that I do stand for that point.

Having said that experimentation should be kept open, I think that it’s probably a good idea also to not go too far with it, as genre based production is crucial to recording. As seen with metal and rock, where “size does matter.”[2] Let’s face it; if you recorded rock without having this concept in mind, the whole human perception of “rock” would diminish. The same applies with any genre I think. Funk is beaty, Reggae is percussive, beachy and bright, Metal is big and full, Blues is somewhat acoustical yet overdriven. Forgetting these concepts would render the idea the word genre unusable in the recording arts industry.

References:

1. http://taylormemer.blogspot.com/2007/03/role-of-producer.html Reference from my blog, viewed 16th May 2007

2. Fieldhouse, Steve, (2007). Genre Based Production, presented at the University of Adelaide, 10th May

MTF Week 8 (May 3rd, 2007) "The Final Round (Orals)"

As future producers (dare I say it), we should keep an open mind - to everything! I was unaware of the producer Phil Spector, his technique, and his eccentricity. I want to focus on his eccentricity for now at least. Simon Kuchel provided the basic info on Spector, and I was amazed at some of the claims I heard such as:

- discharging his firearm while in studio with John Lennon

- placing a loaded gun at Leonard Cohen’s head while in studio

- and holding the Ramones at gunpoint for many days

Now, all of that is pretty ridiculous, it’s crazy. But why did he do it and why was he so insanely focussed on getting the right takes and sounds? Spector had early success, and also helped develop the “Wall of Sound” technique. He was a highly respected producer. If we ignore his admition of bipolar-ness^[1] perhaps Spector gained an arrogant approach to recording because of his success. Perhaps he thought that because he was so successful, that anything in other people’s eyes should not be taken into consideration.

I want to reinforce my previous statement^[2] in that producers should keep an open mind not just to technology advances and methods, but also to other ideas, and more importantly keeping a happy relationship with the musicians. Plus, do you think that anyone will want Spector after all of the things he has done? Some will, but not as much. The same I think applies to Bob Ezrin, who’s ego tends to blanket his recordings - as seen with the Deftones^[3]. By word of mouth, Ezrin’s reputation to me appears to be diminishing, and as a producer that is something you can’t afford to have. A producer is his/her own business, their reputation for flexibility and open mindedness is essential to the recording arts industry.

I myself have wondered how I would perform. I want to records many styles of music, but I sometimes don’t see myself recording something like rap, hip-hop or pop because I generally don’t like it. I’m not sure I if am letting my personal taste cloud my career goals, but it’s something that I’m intrigued by. I often wonder how open minded I can be towards music and recording it…

Reference:

1. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1469813/20030206/story.jhtml MTV article on Phil Spector; accessed 7^th May, 2007

2. http://taylormemer.blogspot.com/2007/05/mtf-week-6-26th-april-2007-second-round.html Reference from my previous blog on open-mindedness; accessed 9^th May 2007

3. http://scottbphilpuni.blogspot.com/2007/04/bob-ezrin.html; Scott Philp’s blog on Bob Ezrin

Sound Samples - Phil Spector: Listen for all the overdubs he uses.

John Lennon – Imagine (John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band – Imagine)

The Beatles – Let it Be (The Beatles - Let it Be)

Kevin “the Caveman” Shirley MTF Write-Up (26th April, 2007)

The role of a producer is an element within the recording arts which captivates me. When all the other factors of recording taken into consideration, the role of a producer seems minimal; well, that’s at least how I initially felt. But after commencing this individual task, as well as attending the lectures from Steve Fieldhouse, my initial views were radically changed.

Kevin Shirley, also known as “the Caveman” for his Neanderthal-like looks was a great choice for me because he had his own website, which gave me an insight into his own personal views on recording from his own perspective, but also his style helped me further understand this idea of “the role of the producer.” I didn’t come across his particular style until very late in my research, and after finally managing to listen to some of his work on the CD’s I purchased.

Shirley’s story is that of rags to richest, beginning his life in troubled South Africa in the 60’s and 70’s. He began his recording career at the age of 19, after managing to score a position working for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) producing none other than little pop and classical acts.^[1] I am sure that this is how all producers begin, and the success simply comes down to how forward they are within the industry. Let’s face it; you can’t get anywhere unless you show an underlying interest within the career that you aspire towards.

Listening to some of his earlier work I noticed not so much the lack of experience, but more just how it differs from his work now – sound-wise. His earlier work is tinnier, and in a sense more raw, and the overall amount of production is nowhere near as much as to some of his current releases. It seems that as he progressed through his career, he acquired much knowledge through both mistakes and also time. For example, he mentions that drum panning for a producer can be either good or bad, depending on what you are doing. Throughout Silverchair’s 1995 hit album, Frogstomp, Shirley panned the drums hard left-right. He claims that this was the biggest mistake he learnt from (I tend to agree with him), so on future pure rock recordings, he kept the drum-kit in the middle of the mix, such as Iron Maiden and the Black Crowes. It seems that even the professionals, still learn from their mistakes.^[2]

Shirley loves recording in analogue, after all he grew up with it, and for a long time refused to go anywhere near digital, but since the progression of 24-bit technology he has found his own ground on working with ProTools. Now he believes it is essential to recording, especially vocals. However, artists and engineers also appreciate the sound of analogue. As with Journey, the sound of the hi-hats on their 1996 comeback album Trial By Fire, the engineer for the album George Massenberg said “it’s nice to hear a hi-hat again after 15 years.”^[3] I think this is what makes Shirley unique – his drums…

Rather than treat the kit as a myriad of cymbals and toms, he tries to keep the drum kit as a single entity within a mix, and as Steve Fieldhouse mentioned to me, the lack of room mics may also have something to do with this effect.

After reading many interviews with particular artists on Shirley, all of them honour his style and relationship with the musician. After nearly ten years Iron Maiden’s original lead singer Bruce Dickinson came back to rejoin the band and this is where Shirley decided to record them in a live sense, without too many over dubs. To the band this was not desired, and they approached it reluctantly, however after experiencing it, the following two albums have been done in the exact same way; live. Shirley appears to record most of his artists in this way, including Journey, Dream Theatre and others. He tries to make the experience as enjoyable as possible for the artists, as he believes that this is the best way to get the best takes, and of course this is logical to the recording industry itself.^[4]

Every performer is entitled to their own headphone mixing desk, time off, and the scheduling of start and finish times too are important to Shirley. He believes that working all day is not the way to go and that the best thing to do as a producer, is to appreciate the other elements that you have encompassing you in your life, such as family and friends. If thought about, this makes sense, and falls back down to the finished product, if everyone is happy, the recording will also be happy.

After heavy research and many purchased CD’s, I now understand what producer means to artists as well as to the producers themselves. Kevin Shirley is a pure example of a producer who can bring people together, record them and get amazing results. He is also skilled in mixing and engineering and his success is simply because of his forward approach to the art of recording. I think that his open mindedness with digital has given him more flexibility and more flare to record with. His passion for analogue, which should not be forgotten as a recording method has given him a signature sound. I think he also demonstrates to aspiring producers the importance of being able to adapt and to try new ways of recording music, and to never forget the importance of outside influences artists and technologies.

There seems to be an unknown when recording music, and this alone excites me. The way you place a mic, the mic you choose, the compression and EQ settings are all factors which have standards, but there is nothing more exciting than being able to experiment with them and see what can be pushed and what can’t. Kevin Shirley is definitely a producer who demonstrates this.

“You cannot forsake your home life. You have to try and be there for the people around you. Don't make the studio the focus of everything, because you just end up shooting yourself in the foot. And you lose sight of the broader picture. Sometimes you're much better when you've just been able to get away from it and think and let things fall into place and get some perspective.”^[5]

References:

1. Kevin Shirley, Biography, http://www.cavemanproductions.com/biography.htm, accessed April 30^th, 2007

2. Mix Online interview with Kevin Shirley, http://mixonline.com/recording/interviews/audio_kevin_shirley/, accessed April 17^th 2007

3. George Massenberg comments on digital vs. analogue http://www.cavemanproductions.com/REVS/gml.html, accessed May 1^st 2007

4. Mix Buss interview with Kevin Shirley, http://www.mixbuss.com/article.php?id=37, accessed April 25^th 2007

5. Mix Online interview with Kevin Shirley,http://mixonline.com/recording/interviews/audio_kevin_shirley/ accessed April 17^th 2007

Interview with KS, on Journey

http://www.journeydigest.com/Interviews/KS/

Below are my audio samples, in both downloadable and streaming form. Note that the streaming audio won’t be great quality, so if you want to hear better audio, download the samples.

Streaming:

FileFactory.com

Downloadable:

Go to folder - FileFactory.com

Note: When on the download page, scroll down past the Google advertisement list and click on the "Download for Free with FileFactory Basic" link, then fill in the little verification code and commence the download.

MTF, Week 6 (26th April 2007) "The Second Round (Orals)"

Ross Robinson Dave Freedman and Kevin Shirley are examples of producers who are well within the ProTools world, but still love analogue. Arguably, it’s because they grew up with analogue, only to have it run over in a sense by the digital revolution. I can just imagine going back a decade or so and seeing the two sides, digital vs. analogue, and whether it was actually like that or not, it makes me wonder why even producers like Kevin Shirley, still went on to accept ProTools and digital as an acceptable form of recording sound.

One reason may be because ProTools is easy to use, and it is necessary to have a skills base within a very fast paced environment. Another may be of the recent advances of 24-bit technology and the speed of computers. Whatever the reason my point comes down to this – as up-coming producers, what changes are we going to face… And is it ok to say no to all the new goodies that get loaded on our shelves every week or so? I find this very interesting and exciting because it’s an unknown. Will analogue fade away forever it, will it live on, and will the essence of recording with a producer become obsolete because of the shear ease of recording yourself at home?

After watching an interview of Mudvayne’s drummer, I think most genuine musicians out there still see the importance of a producer, because no machine or form of technology can replicate the power of the human mind, nor can it replace it, so as producers I think our future is still set. I also think it’s important to keep an open mind, in terms of recognising and accepting new forms and methods of recording.

Everyone did a real good job in presenting this week, and I enjoyed asking questions. Rowan showed how Ross Robinson can bring artists together, from Sepultura to Korn, Scott showed how a lazy guy can still get pretty good twang out of a guitar, Stuart showed how Dave Freedman uses contrast rather like Butch Vig to enhance dynamic range, and Ben showed us the nooks and crannies of Led Zeppelin II, which was really interesting and well researched.

References:

Oral presentations presented by EMU students on 26^th May 2007

Audio of Interview of Matt from Mudvayne from the 2003 DVD An Access to All Things

If you just want to download the file, click this link.

FileFactory.com