The final post...

Finally, the final post. I am pleased to be writing this post as it's a means to an end with this project. Recording the EP has been an experience to say the least. A long journey of learning new things and developing my skills along the way. It's been enjoyable, difficult and very frustrating at times, and at other times it's been a very enjoyable and rather fun experience.

This was just a post to end this blog off and to show you all the finished product that took us so long to create. I am pleased with the overall look of the EP and am impressed with the recordings as a whole.

Here's the finished product...

Thank you to everyone who read my blog!

Chazzy!

Album cover design and the track listing...

During the two days me and Alie spent recording, we managed to design an album cover, a back cover and an insert for the inside of the CD case. 

We came up with the idea that we both wanted a picture of ourselves on the cover as seen as everything on the EP was done by ourselves and felt it was a good idea. 

Album cover - front cover.

The above image is of the final draft of our album cover. We both liked the idea of creating something simple, yet appealing to the eye and thought it would look better if it was in black and white so we used that theme throughout all of the designs. The font we chose made our cover look funky, yet professional and suited the theme of our design. 

Back cover for the EP.

So sticking with the black and white theme on the track listing, we thought that having the images on the back will mix things up a little bit. Personally, I think that it livens the style of the design up and think that it looks really catchy but professional at the same time. 

Whilst designing the album cover, we also decided on the order of the tracks for the track listing. Like in the image above, the track listing is as follows:

1. We The Kings - Check Yes Juliet.
2. Hellogoodbye - Here In Your Arms.
3. Simple Plan - Every Time.
4. Kate Voegele - Kindly Unspoken.
5. Jesse McCartney - Beautiful Soul.
6. Daft Punk - Get Lucky.
7. Rumours - Forever Young. 

We decided on this because, in a way we wanted the album to start with quite an upbeat, yet slow beginning before working up into the upbeat and faster tempo of Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney. Having Daft Punk's song 'Get Lucky' kept the upbeat, funky rhythm and mood of Jesse McCartney before closing off with Rumours' slower and more mellow 'Forever Young'. 

After deciding on the track listing and designing the front and back covers of the EP, we designed an insert for the inside of the EP to write the credits on. 

Insert for our EP.

Above is an image of the insert for our EP. As you can see, we kept with the black and white theme in this too. We liked the idea of keeping it 'funky' by adding our own small touches such as the font and the small flower image that closes off the credits but also managed to keep it looking fresh and professional. 

This is all for now, another post will be added shortly showing the finishing product!

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy!

A little more recording and a mixing session...

Following our very successful recording session, we managed to mix and master all of the songs that we'd recorded ready to be put onto a disc.

Before mixing, we also added in any final touches into the recording such as tambourines and hand clapping sounds to mix up the sound of the EP a little bit. We started with 'Beautiful Soul' by Jesse McCartney, we both decided we wanted some hand clapping sounds and a tambourine in there for definite. We started with the hand claps, me and Alie both decided to clap in sync on every 4th beat to add some form of percussion to the mix. We set-up the microphone we used for the vocals the day previous and got straight on with it, we recorded the clapping sounds in the first take. We the wanted to add something more to the percussion in the mix, so Alie came up with the clever idea of opening and closing a pair of scissors shut on every off beat. So, similarly with the hand clapping, we used the vocal microphone from the previous day to record the sound of the scissors. It took me a few goes to get this right as the timing was difficult to keep to but overall, it made the track sound interesting and gave it something more. Finally, we added the tambourine to the mix, we wrapped the tambourine up in a towel to mute the sound a little more in order to get the sound we were looking for. I played the tambourine along on every 4th beat in time with the hand clapping. I mixed it up a little by shaking the tambourine in time with the song and hitting it on every 4th beat during the choruses of the song; this gave the song a more 'feel good' feeling to it which we were both very pleased with.

Forever Young by Rumours was another song we wanted to add tambourine to. So similarly to Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney, I played the tambourine to every 4th beat of the song and mixed it up by shaking and tapping the tambourine during the bridge and chorus of the song.

We also used tambourine on Hellogoodbye's 'Here In Your Arms', I played the tambourine on every 3rd beat the whole way through the song, this sounded really nice and gave the mix something a little different instead of the whole EP being centered around piano and vocals.

Now onto the mixing...we mixed the songs accordingly to the track listing for the EP. We transferred all of the tracks from the 8-track to Alie's mac, both mixing three songs each making sure we were both happy with each song and the last song we both mixed together.

I mixed Check Yes Juliet by We The Kings, Kindly Unspoken by Kate Voegele and Every Time by Simple Plan. On the other hand, Alie mixed Forever Young by Rumours, Get Lucky by Daft Punk and Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney and Here In Your Arms by HelloGoodbye.

We started with We The Kings' Check Yes Juliet, this was one of the songs I was mixing for the EP. I started with the keyboard track as I wanted this to sit behind the vocal track in the mix. I started by EQ'ing the keyboard track bringing up the bass slightly in this song to add more depth, I then boosted the high frequencies to 'add more life' to the instrument and lastly, I boosted the mid-frequencies to level out the bass and the high frequencies in the mix. This brought the keyboard to life and suited the vocals very well. After this, I added some compression to the keyboard track to bring it out in the mix a little more. Following this, I added some re-verb to the keyboard to add some dimension to the track. I only added a very subtle amount because adding too much would completely wreck the sound of the track and drown out the original sound of the keyboard. After I'd finished mixing the keyboard track, I went onto mixing the vocal track.
For the vocals I started by EQ'ing the track in order to get the sound I wanted. I started by adding a little bass, high and mid frequencies, this leveled out the tone of the vocals and brought it out from being 'tinny' and gave the vocals some form of depth. I also turned up the low and high frequencies a little more just to give the vocals some more character.
I then compressed the vocals to bring them forward to the front of the mix but making sure that the keyboard could be heard properly.

Next song that was mixed was Here In Your Arms by Hellogoodbye, this song was mixed by Alie. Starting with EQ'ing again, she boosted the high frequencies on the keyboard to give it a brighter sound as the song is supposed to be quite a happy sounding track; Alie also compressed the keyboard to bring it out into the mix and added re-verb for dimension.
Next was the vocal track, Alie started with EQ'ing the track, she boosted the high and the low frequencies to add colour to vocals and compressed the track to bring it out further into the mix.
The tambourine that you can hear wasn't EQ'd as we liked the sound of it in it's original form. She added a little compression and re-verb to make it more noticeable in the mix but turned it down quite a lot so it didn't take over the other elements in the track.

'Here In Your Arms' going through mixing!

The next song that was mixed was 'Every Time by Simple Plan', this track was mixed by myself and as normal I started with EQ'ing the keyboard track first. For the keyboard I reduced the low end frequencies as it made the keyboard sound far too over powering for the mix. I boosted the high and mid frequencies a little more to give it a brighter sound as this song is also meant to be quite an upbeat sounding track. I added some compression and a subtle amount of re-verb onto the keyboard as well to add a sustaining effect to it; the compression brought it into the mix a lot more than what it was originally. I also added some 'cross fading' at the end of the piano track so at the ending the ending is smooth and not abrupt, it adds a nice touch to the track overall.
For the vocals I boosted the low, mid and high frequencies to give it a balanced sound in the mix. I boosted the high frequencies a little bit more as it brightened up Alie's vocals for the song to suit the keyboard track better. Like the other tracks, I added some compression and re-verb on her voice to bring it out in the mix.

The next song that was mixed was Kate Voegele's Kindly Unspoken which was mixed by myself. I started with EQ'ing the keyboard track. I boosted the low frequencies and turned down the high and mid frequencies slightly to add more depth to the song. This song is also quite down beat therefore, the extra bass adds to the mood of the song. I added quite a bit of re-verb to the keyboard as there were a lot of moments during the song that the keyboard was 'on it's own' and the extra re-verb gave it a clearer sound and more of a sustain. I also added a cross fade on the keyboard track at the very end to give it a smoother ending just like Every Time.
For the vocals I reduced the low frequencies so it wouldn't clash with the keyboard. I boosted the high and mid frequencies on the vocals which allowed the vocals to have their own identity in a way. I added some re-verb to the vocals too, this was a nice touch as the vocals for this song were more centre of attention on this track; the re-verb gave the vocals more dimension. I also compressed the vocals quite a lot in order to bring them right to the front in the mix.

The next song that was mixed was 'Beautiful Soul' by Jesse McCartney; this song was mixed by Alie. Starting with EQ'ing the vocals, Alie boosted the frequencies in the bass, mid and high ranges. This gave the song quite a nice balance especially as this song is quite upbeat and 'cheery'. Re-verb and compression was added to bring the vocals forward in the mix. The keyboard track was boosted slightly more in the low frequency range and the high frequencies were also boosted a little; this gave the keyboard track a happy sound to it. A slight bit of phasing was added to the track as well as compression and a subtle bit of re-verb. The phasing effect on the keyboard track really added a different sound in comparison to the previous tracks on the EP. The tambourine was a nice touch in this song overall and adding the re-verb allowed the ringing sound to 'ring out' instead of the ringing coming to an abrupt ending. The tambourine was compressed ever so slightly just to ensure it could be heard in the mix, this was also added to the hand claps and the scissors in the mix. No re-verb was added to the hand claps or the scissors.

Beautiful Soul going through the mixing process!

Now for the last two tracks on the album, the bonus tracks. These were both mixed by Alie, I wanted Alie to mix my solo cover of Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky' as I know I'd have been biased about how I wanted it to sound. Not a lot was done to this track as there wasn't much going on. However, she started by EQ'ing the track boosting the bass frequencies more than the higher frequencies, this gave the song that groovy 'bassy' tone that you can identify from the original song. She also compressed the track and added some re-verb. As the keyboard track was on it's own something had to be done about the amount of space we had to fill, so adding the compression and re-verb really brought the track to the very front making it the centre of attention. A nice touch of phasing was added on this track to give it that electronic dance sound that represents the original song nicely; this also added something quite different on the EP.

And for the final track, 'Forever Young' by Rumours which was also mixed by Alie. For the vocal track, the higher frequencies were boosted and the bass frequencies were reduced slightly; this was because the keyboard track had the bass frequencies boosted meaning the two tracks would've clashed. The vocals were also compressed slightly to bring them to the front of the mix. For the keyboard track, the low end frequencies were boosted to give the song a more 'full' sound, the high and mid frequencies were boosted ever so slightly just to balance out the track. Compression and re-verb was also added to bring the keyboard out in the mix a little bit more so the track isn't lost beneath the vocals and the tambourine. For the tambourine, nothing was really done to EQ the track as it sounded nice as it was in it's original form. Compression was added and a slight bit of re-verb to allow the sound of the tambourine to 'ring out' more.

Overall, I think that this recording and mixing session went very well and me and Alie were left satisfied with what we'd done.

Here's video evidence of our recording and mixing session!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Kulw4mwDY&feature=youtu.be

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy!

3rd recording session!

So on Wednesday last week, me and Alie finally managed to record our EP! Now just before I get started on how we recorded the material and so on, I am going to do a microphone evaluation on the vocal microphone that was used and an overall evaluation on the equipment we used for the recording.

For this recording, we used a Sennheiser E818sii for the vocals. The Sennheiser E818sii microphone is a dynamic microphone which is an advantage all on its own because a dynamic microphone is less prone to pick up lots of background ambiance whereas, a condenser microphone will pick up a lot more background ambiance in comparison. This microphone is particularly good at picking up the higher and mid frequencies which suited Alie's voice perfectly as her vocal range is mid-high range. We also used a jack-to-jack lead for the keyboard that plugged straight from the keyboard to the 8-track. The massive advantage we had with this was that we didn't get any interference and next to no background ambiance in the recording because the signal was taken straight from the keyboard and sent to the 8-track; this made it easier for us when it came to mixing so we didn't have to eliminate any background ambiance. We used the vocal microphone to record the tambourine, hand clapping and the scissors.


We started by setting up the 8-track, keyboard and the vocal microphone. The vocal mic was connected to the 8-track in channel 2 via an X.L.R lead. The keyboard was connected via a Jack-to-Jack lead in channel 1 in the 8-track.

Set-up of the 8-track.

First off, we decided to record the easiest songs first to get them done and out of the way to make it easier for ourselves. We decided that for all of the songs we would record the keyboard tracks first to get a base down for the vocals to make it easier for Alie and myself. We started with a song we've been practicing for a long time now, Check Yes Juliet by We The Kings. So, starting with the keyboard track, Alie set-up the 8-track ready to go for the recording. She also sang along to the song whilst I played so I could get a better idea for the tempo of the song, this was very helpful and made it a lot easier for me to play. Alie sang down the microphone whilst it was unarmed so it wouldn't be recording but I could hear it through the headphones which ensured I could hear her singing clearly.
Following this, we went straight onto recording the vocals for this song. I set the levels on the 8-track and played back the recording of the keyboard track through her headphones so she could hear what she was singing to properly; the vocals were done all in one take.

Alie singing.

Next up was Here In Your Arms by Hellogoodbye, this song was another one we'd been practicing hard at during our morning sessions on a Tuesday at college. Again, we started with the keyboard track, Alie kept the levels the same on the 8-track and just armed the channel to record. Like the We The Kings song, Alie sung along with me so I got a feel for the tempo of the song, as the tempo of the original version of the song is too fast for the pace we wanted. The keyboard tracks were done in 7-8 takes as I had to re-tune the piano half way through and in general I found it hard to keep to a reasonable tempo but I managed it in the end.
For the vocals, I re-adjusted the sound levels to make sure 100% that there'd be no clipping half way through the recording and to make sure that the vocals were louder than they were for Check Yes Juliet. We then got on with the recording and the vocals were all done in one take.

Got all my music ready to record. 

Up next was another song we'd been practicing during college time on Tuesdays, Every Time by Simple Plan. Just like the two previous songs, Alie sung along whilst I was playing as a guide vocal for me, the keyboard track was done in about 4 takes. This time, I left the levels for the vocals the same as the previous song as they sounded just right. The vocals for this song was also done in one take.

8-track during recording.

With our next song, we had to make a decision on what song we were going to do next. The plan was to record one of the bonus tracks being 'Forever Young' by Rumours. However, I was unsure of the chords for the song at the time so we left it where it was and decided to record my solo track which was the other bonus track on the EP. I had a choice of three tracks I wanted to record and at that time the one I felt most comfortable recording was Daft Punks latest hit 'Get Lucky'. This song was a little different from the other songs on the EP and I enjoyed playing the song.
Like we'd done previously, Alie made sure the levels were okay and I went ahead and got the song recorded in three takes before I was completely satisfied.

After this, we decided to do one of the Kate Voegele songs we'd chosen for the EP. So, we gave Sandcastles by Kate Voegele a good go and it didn't work very well as I couldn't play in time to the beginning of the song very well however, myself and Alie both needed the song playing in the background. After a quick brainstorm of songs, we came up with the idea of doing Jesse McCartney - Beautiful Soul. Alie got the piano chords up on the mac and I played along to the actual song for a practice a few times to see if it worked and it went well. Whilst recording, I played along to the actual song in the background to help me with the tempo and this would also ensure that Alie's vocals fit in time with the keyboard track. This song was surprisingly done in fewer takes than the previous songs and sounded really funky along with the vocal track. The vocal track was done in a couple of takes but fit really nicely along with the keyboard track.

Tambourine, ready to record!

Following the Jesse McCartney song, we decided to get one of the more complicated songs out the way. Kate Voegele's 'Kindly Unspoken' was the longest and one of the more complicated songs on the track list and we decided it'd be a good idea to get this done and out of the way. I played along to the original song in the background, this took me quite a few goes in order to get used to the feel of the song. Overall, this song took me about 4 takes and sounded really delicate. The vocal track was done in a couple of takes and Alie also sung along to the song in background so she could keep in time with my keyboard track.

Finally, we had come to recording the final song, 'Forever Young' by Rumours. As I still had to figure out the rest of the chords for the song, I got right on with it and in total it took me about half an hour to put the final touches into place. We wasted no time and got straight on with recording the final song and once again we started with recording the keyboard track. Alie checked the levels for the keyboard, I tuned the keyboard before hand and recorded the song with the original song playing in the background for a guide. This took me 3 goes in total and I feel it went really well. We got straight onto recording the vocals for this song, I checked the levels again and set the song to play in the background for Alie just like she'd done for me. She got this down in two takes and it went along really nicely with the keyboard track.

After and extremely busy and eventful day, we finished recording and were completely satisfied with how the day went. In the next blog I'll be talking about our mixing session.

Thanks for reading!

Chazzy!

Plan B...

So, after the way everything's worked out using the studio at college, me and Alie came up with an idea that will give us the results we're hoping for.

At home, Alie has a small studio set-up with an iMac, 8 track, keyboard/piano, microphones and Logic Pro. With this, we can record everything we want to in our own time without having to keep to a three hour time limit like we would in the studio at college. We've decided a date for next week that we will record over a period of two days, doing this will give us a better chance at getting more recorded and done for the EP.

We've decided on five tracks for the EP and if we get that all done in time, we we're going to have an extra two bonus tracks. The five tracks we've chosen for the EP are:

1. We The Kings - Check Yes Juliet
2. Simple Plan - Every time
3. Kate Voegele - Sandcastles
4. Hellogoodbye - Here In Your Arms
5. Kate Voegele - Kindly Unspoken 
6. Rumours - Forever Young (Acapella version)
7. Athlete - Ordinary Angel (Piano solo) 

The track listing hasn't change much at all as these are songs that we can both do well. The two bonus tracks are songs that myself and Alie have chosen as a solo track to do something a little different on the EP. We're keeping 'Check Yes Juliet' as we came to the conclusion that it sounded terrible last time due to the piano at college being slightly out of tune. 

Anyway, that's all I have to update you all with so far. More news will be on its way shortly.

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy! 

3rd recording session planning...

So, after last weeks horrific recording session, here's a plan to ensure that the same things will not happen again, well hopefully not anyway.

Basically, after last week, we decided a few changes to how we would be recording so that we could lower the chances of things going wrong again. Anyway, when recording Hellogoodbye's - Here In Your Arms, the timing was awful and I was either playing too fast or too slow for the song, so when I was recording Alie's vocal the timing was out very slightly. This made an impact on the quality of the recording and once we'd run out of time we discussed how we could change what had gone wrong. We came to the conclusion that setting up the vocal microphone in the control room would be a brilliant idea. This would then allow for the piano and the vocals to be recorded at the same time without any spill from either the piano or the vocals in any of the mics; this would then eliminate the possibility of the timing going out again.

The unfortunate events of last week also helped us come to the conclusion that Check Yes Juliet by We The Kings was off the track listing to be replaced with another Kate Voegele song. We decided on this idea because I had difficulty finding the correct chords to go along with Alie's vocals leaving us with no choice but to change the song choice all together. This is a shame as we both loved playing this song but it just wasn't working out when being recorded as it sounded so out of key.

Anyway, with a floor plan and a full microphone specification to follow, this is it for now!

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy!

2nd recording session...

Well, me and Alie had out two and a half hour session in the studio this morning, it didn't go to plan as a lot of things haven't with this project.

Anyway, we got in and set-up all the usual equipment in the live room and the control room and got on with it. We started with Check Yes Juliet by We The Kings and recorded the vocal track first. Following this, we recorded the piano track straight afterwards being successful on the first recording. On the other hand, the vocals and the piano tracks were out of time and sounded pretty awful so we re-done the piano tracks again. This time instead of the vocals and the piano being out of time, it sounded as if the vocals were off key compared to the piano and the two tracks just didn't work together at all.

Set-up of the mixing desk.

Recording the vocals for Check Yes Juliet

After scrapping the idea of recording that song in the session, we moved onto record Here In Your Arms by Hellogoodbye. This wasn't as bad, Alie sung the song down the talk back microphone whilst I played the piano so I had a rough idea on the tempo of the track. We done this a few times as I went a little too fast the first few times. Following this, Alie went into the live room to do the vocals, I got the desk ready and hit record and half way through it the track was out of time. We re-done it one more time and it still didn't work leaving us with practically nothing by the end of the session.

Overall, this session was pretty much a disastrous waste of time and I feel so disappointed about it. Shortly there will be a video added of the set-up for the session...

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy.

2nd Recording session planning...

So, it's very nearing the end of our time at college and we still have a lot to do, but here's the plan...

Me and Alie have a studio session booked for 2 and a half hours on Tuesday next week to get some serious work done! We're going to try and get 3 songs done and more if we can fit it in. The plan is to record the following three songs;

• Simple Plan - Every time
• We The Kings - Check Yes Juliet
• Kate Voegele - Sandcastles
• Kate Voegele - Kindly Unspoken (maybe)

We're going to be recording the piano and vocal tracks for these three songs, I believe we can do this because of our practice session last week. It went really well and I feel we can get this done all in good time! We will be using the same microphones as last time as we know they capture the sound we're after and feel this would be the best choice. The C414 for the vocal microphone and the 2 C1000s microphones for the piano. After next weeks blog I will be writing up a detailed post on why we chose the microphones for our recording sessions, this will be done with a floor plan as well!

Floor plan for 2nd Recording Session.

Our time doing this project hasn't exactly been very straight forward and has been full of ups and downs, we will get this done to the best we possibly can! 

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy! 

More planning and our practice session...

After our first recording session it was back to the planning side of things, we've come up with a pretty solid plan that we're definitely going to be doing a six song EP and anything else we can get recorded will be a bonus at the side.

Time is getting on now and the deadline is nearly upon us so we're pushing ourselves to the limit. For our next recording session we will be recording at least three songs for the EP which leaves us with only three more songs to record afterwards.

For our next session there has been a few song changes to make sure that we get the EP finished on time. Three songs we've decided on for the next recording session is:

• Hellogoodbye - Here in your arms (New song)
• We The Kings - Check Yes Juliet (Piano tracks)
• Simple Plan - Every time (Re-do vocal and piano tracks)

During our FMP planning session on Monday afternoon, me and Alie put a plan together which was to print out all of our sheet music and vocals so during Tuesdays session we could practice the songs in the live room to perfect them. This worked out as a brilliant idea as we practiced all the songs for the EP and after a few goes at each song we were left feeling confident. As this session went so well we filmed one of the songs that we done which you can find here... http://youtu.be/ruJ2SPd0d_k this was our cover of the Hellogoodbye song which we shall be recording during our next recording session. 

Our next recording session is yet to be booked however, I'm confident that we will get all this done in time!

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy! 

1st recording session...

So finally me and Alie managed to get into the studio to record some songs for our album. For our first recording session as just me and Alie it went pretty well.

We began the session by grabbing all the equipment we'd reserved for the session and headed back to the live room to begin setting up. Overall, the setting up part went well with it taking us only 15 minutes to get ready. Although the set-up was basic it was just the way we wanted it. The two C1000s microphones were placed in the 'X,Y' position over the top of the piano faced inside of the body of the piano to capture as much sound as we could. The C414 was used for the vocals and was set-up at the front of the live room. We plugged the C414 microphone was plugged into channel 4 and the two C1000s microphones were plugged into channels 5 and 6.

Piano set-up with the two C1000s Microphones!

Vocals all miced up with C414 mic!

Following the set-up of the live room, me and Alie went into the control room to set-up the mixing desk and the mac ready for recording. This didn't take us an overly long time however, we did come across a few small issues with getting the sound through the speakers which was fixed with the press of a button. Before the recording session we both decided that we would record the vocals and then the piano afterwards, so I set up two channels in Pro-Tools, one for the vocals and two for the piano.

All the tracks set-up on Pro-Tools ready to go!

Mixing desk all set-up and ready to go!

After the set-up of the control room I went into the live room to practice my pieces before the actual recording to warm myself up ready to go. Whilst I was practicing Alie used this opportunity to adjust the levels on the desk for the piano. After the piano was ready, Alie went into the Live room to have a little practice whilst I adjusted the levels for the vocals, before this we plugged headphones in so we could communicate with each other with having to keep coming in and out of one room. However, we had a little trouble with sorting out the headphones so they'd work properly but that problem was quickly solved when we switched the pair of headphones for another pair. As well as the problem with the headphones we also had problems getting Alie's phone to play the music through the desk into the headphones so we could play along to the songs to ensure we were in time, this was solved by pressing down the Aux buttons on channels 1 and 2 on the desk.

Channels 1 & 2 Aux inputs for Alie's phone!

Aux input for Alie's phone!

After everything was completely ready to go me and Alie got started right away with recording the vocals. As we did one practice of each song before 'officially' recording, we came up with the idea of recording the practice as well as the 'official' in case it comes out better.

Alie's vocals being recorded!

Vocals & Aux channels!

Once we'd recorded the vocals for the first song which was 'White Flag' by Dido, we got straight on with it to record the piano part for the song. I went in and had one practice run through and then went on to record the official track. I messed up many times and it took me a while to get a decent recording of the song. As well as this we also found that we didn't like the sound of the piano, the sound was muffled and was pretty poor all together due to the fact there was felt covering the strings. We found out after the session that this can be changed and the felt can be removed, this is one thing that we would change for our next recording session.

By the time the end of the session came we had managed to record vocal tracks for Dido - White Flag, Simple Plan - Every time and We the Kings - Check Yes Juliet. We only managed to get piano tracks recorded for Dido - White Flag and a half decent recording of the piano for Simple Plan - Every time that I'm not particularly happy with.

Overall, I learnt a lot during this process as it was a chance for me to really get to know the equipment and the way it works. I was pleased with how well the recordings of the vocals went as they sounded clear and just the way we expected. On the other hand, I wasn't as impressed with the piano tracks and am going to be re-doing them at a later date.

Thanks for reading,

Charlotte.

1st Recording Session Plan...

So we've managed to book our first recording session for next week so we can get a start on recording the first few songs for our album. Our aim for this recording session is to record at least 3 songs however, if we were to reach this target well within good time we've prepared another song in case so we can get as many songs done in the time we have avaliable. The four songs we've picked to record are:

1. Dido - White Flag
2. We The Kings - Check Yes Juliet
3. Avril Lavigne - Don't Tell Me
4. Simple Plan - Everytime

For these four songs we'll be recording just the vocals and piano, at a later date we may decide to add a string section in on pro-tools.
For this recording session we'll be using various equipment in which we think is suitable for the instruments we'll be recording.

Equipment List:

2 x C1000s Microphones
3 x Microphone Clips
3 x Microphone Stands
3 x X.L.R Leads
1 x C414 Microphone
1 x Pop Shield
1 x Music Stand
1 x Headphones
1 x 3.5mm Jack

For this equipment we're planning on using the 2 C1000s microphones in the X,Y technique for the piano, this will capture both the high and the low end of the piano which will ensure we will pick up the full range of the piano. The C414 microphone is being used to mic up the vocals with a pop shield over the top, this will ensure a reasonably clear recording with no 'popping' from the vocals as the pop shield will make sure the microphone doesn't pick any of that up.

Floor plan for 1st recording session. 

This is all we have so far for this recording session, there will be another blog up shortly after the session to say how it went and how far we got.

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy!

Financial Planning...

Recently me and Alie got in touch with a studio to see how much it'd cost to get our EP recorded and mixed. They had a good industry standard equipment list in which we thought was very good as seen as it was fairly cheap to record there, the equipment list was provided on the website and consists of:

Equipment List:

Monitoring Systems:

• Genelec's 1030a's
• Auratones 5C's

Microphones:

• Audix D6
• Audix D4
• Audix i5
• AKG D112
• AKG C3000b
• Heil PR20
• PEARLMAN TM-1
• RODE NT1A
• RODE NT2A x2
• Shure SM7B
• Shure SM57 x4
• Shure SM58 
• Sennheiser MD421 x2
• SE Electronics SE1A x2
• Telefunken M81

Outboard:

• API 3123+
• Chandler Germanium Pre 
• Chandler Tg Channel 
• Manley All Tube Mic Pre
• Avalon 737sp
• Focusrite OctoPre
• GREAT RIVER MP2-NV
• Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor 
• PURPLE AUDIO MC-77 (1176 x2)
• Yamaha SPX90 

Amps/Guitars:

• Framus Cobra 
• Peavy 6505
• Bogner Uberschall Twin Jet
• Orange Dark Terror
• Marshall JCM 2000 DSL
• Kemper Profiling Amp
• Crate GFX 1200H 
• Bogner 4x12 Uberkab with V30's and G12T75's
• Marshall 4x12
• 72' Fender Telecaster Limited Edition
• PRS
• Schecter Diamond Series
• Schecter Blackjack ATX Solo 6
• Musicman Bass
• Fender Jazz Geddy Lee Custom x2

Drums 

• Gretsch USA Custom in Sky Blue Pearl 
• 8x12 Rack Tom
• 16x16 Floor Tom
• 16x24 Kick Drum
• Single Iron Cobra HP900
• Custom Pearl Vinnie Paul Snare 8x14
• 14x6.5 Snare 
• Tama 5,5x14 StarClassic Performer Snare
• Meinl 14" Byzance Traditional Thin Hi Hats 
• Meinl 22" Byzance Custom Crash

Pedals/Other:

• Sans Amp Tech 21 Programmable Bass Driver
• Boss GEB-7
• Boss Noise Suppressor 
• Ibanex Tube Screamer
• Radial X-Amp

Plugins (A list of just a few):

• Waves Mercury Bundle 
• Waves SSL 4000 Collection
• Melodyne 
• Auto-Tune
• Miroslav Philarmonik 
• Mcdsp Complete Bundle 
• Native Instruments Massive 
• Sound Toys Effects
• Eleven
• PEAVEY REVALVER MK III
• LePou LeCto
• LePou LeGion
• LePou LeXTAC
• Amplitube Fender
• Amplitube 2
• Ampeg
• T-Racks 3
• Izotope 

So above you can see the long list of industry standard equipment that is available in this studio. The price rates of using this studio for recording would be £350 a day for a full band recording however, as we're doing an acoustic EP instead it would only cost us £200 a day. We also worked out how long it would take us roughly, we came to the conclusion that it would take us around 4-5 days at the most if we went there fully prepared. We found that this was the best studio out of all of the ones we looked at.

Thanks for reading!

Chazzy!

Update...

So from my previous post we had two recording sessions planned at the very least. The first recording session consisted of recording 'original' songs that me and Alie was planning on writing during our week off. However, this never happened due to unforseen circumstances on the other hand, me and Alie are now in the process of discussing ideas for three replacement songs which will be covers. We have discussed a few ideas that we're currently trying out to see how well we get on with them.

So to clarify the tracklist for our EP so far (Not in order):

1. Kate Voegele - All I See
2. Evanscence - My Immortal
3. Kate Voegele - Kindly Unspoken
4. Avril Lavigne - Don't Tell Me (Maybe)
5. Simple Plan - Everytime (Maybe)
6. Dido - White Flag (Maybe)
7. We The Kings - Check Yes Juliet (Maybe)

The above list hasn't been fully confirmed yet by me and Alie as we're just still trying out the songs to see how well we get on with them and to see if we're happy with them before confirming anything. Changes shall be made to our recording session plans in terms with the songs we're going to be recording but everything else will be staying as it was originally. More updates will be coming soon...

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy.

Recording Session Plans...

So continuing on from our previous group me and Alie have planned out two recording sessions so far which should give us enough time to record the best part of six songs. We still have a lot of planning to do for another possible two recording sessions but this is what we've come up with so far.

Recording Session One:

Recording: Three original songs.
Instruments: Piano and Vocals.
Equipment:

• 2 x C1000s Microphones
• 1 x C414 Microphone
• 3 x Stands
• 3 x Mic Clips
• 2 x X.L.R Cables
• 1 x Music Stand
• 1 x Headphones

Recording Session Two:

Recording:

• Kate Voegele - All I See
• Evanescence - My Immortal
• Third song is yet to be confirmed

Instruments: Piano and Vocals.
Equipment:

• 2 x C1000s Microphones
• 1 x C414 Microphone
• 3 x Stands
• 3 x Mic Clips
• 3 x X.L.R Cables
• 1 x Music Stand
• 1 x Headphones

Floor plan for the above recording sessions. 

Recording Session Notes: For this recording session we may be having drums and guitar being recorded for these songs as well however, in this recording session we'll just be recording the piano and vocals for these three songs.

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy!

So we've taken the hint...

So we've got the idea that the others have left our group even though they still haven't told us. They made it pretty clear they had left our group by joining in with other groups recording sessions and planning their own thing so we've taken the hint and planned on ahead with our project. Although it puts a spanner in the works by having only me and Alie as a group we're working as hard as we can to make this work and to get the best grade possible. It's annoying that they've decided to just leave us half way through the project as this means that me and Alie have to record a whole new set of songs in half the time we've originally had so i'm pretty annoyed about that.

Despite all of the above me and Alie have planned out recording sessions (read following post) and have agreed on some designs for an album cover. So we're getting things done it's just a matter of being able to get it all done well and how we want in the time we have left. I have hope we'll get there though!

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy.

So there's talk...

Earlier this week me and Alie heard that there's talk of the other three members of our group wanting to form their own group which would leave me and Alie on our own. As we haven't actually been told this by the other members of our group we've sat down and worked out our back up plan if this does happen.

Our plan consists of similar ideas that we had in mind in the first place, an acoustic EP consisting of six tracks. We've chosen six new songs and are going to use the other tracks that have been recorded for personal use instead. 

Tracklisting (not in order):

• Kate Voegele - Kindly Unspoken
• Kate Voegele - All I See 
• Hot Chelle Rae - Tonight, Tonight
• Elliot Minor - The Liar Is You
• Evanescence - My Immortal
• The Mitch Hansen Band - Lullaby

We also chose a back up song (The All American Rejects - It Ends Tonight) in case we couldn't do the last one (The Mitch Hansen Band - Lullaby) and we may include an original song as a bonus track that we're both going to write but we're still deciding whether to do this. As well as this we have a pretty good idea for a possible album artwork which Alie is in the process of designing. So we have a pretty full proof plan and are quite happy with it. 

Although it's been pretty full on with re-deciding and changing everything we've done so far, it's been a big step forward from all the mess we were in. Lets hope things go to plan, we'll see.

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy. 

Recording session no. 4 cancelled...

So, recording was supposed to be going ahead today however due to the circumstances with the weather it hasn't been able to take place. As much as I'm absolutely gutted that we couldn't record I'm also glad as we were barely even prepared for it. There was next to no planning done, I decided on an equipment list I'd made up myself ready to discuss with the rest of the group but because of the weather circumstances I've not been able to do so.

This is the second or third time we've had to delay the band recording which has me concerned with the deadline coming up soon and still a lot to be done. This recording session as far as I know, will take place when we next have the studio. We may have to book extra time in the studio on another day to get this completed, but I am determined and eager to get both the EP's recorded and finished soon! Lets just hope.

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy!

Recording session number 4...

Okay, so it's been pretty hectic trying to work out which direction our group will be heading in... It's been difficult coming to agreements with a lot of things and there's next to no help from anyone else other than Alie. Me and Alie seem to be doing all the deciding, planning and just in general organizing what's going to be happening next. It's become frustrating as we have our fourth recording session next week and we only just found out on Tuesday that it was actually going ahead. However, they didn't willingly come and let us know this, we actually had to go over and ask them about it. Not only did we have to ask they also didn't have any time of the day to spare for us to discuss the microphones we are going to be using and how they're going to be placed in the studio. So because of this I am currently in the process of writing out a microphone specification sheet with all the different microphone choices for each instrument.

After deciding that we were going to be recording two separate EP's instead of one whole album we thought it'd be a good idea to get some of the full band recordings done instead of just doing all of the acoustic recordings in one go. So with the full band recording going ahead next week lets just hope the whole group can pull together and get the work done well.

Thanks for reading,

Chazzy.