EP Evaluation

1. What is your EP called? -  My Ep is called 'Beginning' as it is my first one. 

2.  What styles of music are on the EP? - There are 3 tracks that I have recorded to use for my ep. Their genres being rap, hip hop and house. 

3. What genre would you categorise the EP as?  It can be more than one - The genre I would categorise my EP as would be Indie Fusion as there are a mash of different genres which are independent to myself.

4. In terms of the style/artistic content - are you happy with the EP? Tell me about the strengths and weaknesses of your music - I am really pleased with the styles I have gone with in my music. They are all very different and have fusion within them. For example, my house track has blues influences mixed with chill house and a deep house drop. My hip hop track is very different as you can feel the hip hop beat however it is without a drum beat and is just a piano and bass. However, I would like to have another version which features a drum section in order to keep the rap/ hip hop idea present. The artistic content in my acoustic and hip hop track could have been more - however, I didn't have the time or resources to get a lot of different instruments together to make my tracks more musical. 

5. Musically - How well does your EP fit into the genre you work in? Compare your work to your favourite artists…

My house track goes to show all of my pre dominant influences being house, bass, blues and general ambience. I love ambience in tracks, whether that be a distant guitar or wind etc. I love Young the Giant  - Islands as it goes from one extreme to another and the build up is slow and melodical. Overall, I think my EPs genres shows exactly what I am about as an artist and shows my diversity a lot. 

6. In terms of technical standard (recording/mix downs) - are you happy with the EP? Tell me about the strengths and weaknesses of your music. - The recording could have been better as my mic technique is not at a very high standard. However, the mix downs compliment this to an extent. I wish i had recorded a lot more instruments and got a lot more done in my tracks as they still not entirely finished however I do intent to fix them up. My house track is the one I am most proud of - as all it needs is a good master. 

7. Technically - How well does your EP fit into the genre? Compare your work to your favourite artists..

Technically my EP is mixed to a decent standard and replicates the mixes of other genres. For example, my acoustic track is guitar based and the main guitar is in the frontline of the mix and the riffs are panned far left or right - however they are not turned down to compliment the main guitar - they are just as loud - which, in my opinion is the main mix idea for acoustic tracks as it meant to highlight the acoustic features. 

8. Did you collaborate with other musicians/artists on your EP? No I didnt, although I was planning to have a few rappers feature on a few tracks. 

9. Who did you work with in the studio? What roles did they fill? How did this help you complete your EP? I had a pianist feature on one of my tracks as I can't play the piano well enough to improvise - on that day I also had an engineer who helped me record vocals. I also had an engineer help me record guitar which helped me save time and get a lot more out of my recording session as I just had to focus on playing guitar and didn't have to run into the main room to press record etc. 

10. What was the most important piece of equipment you used when making your EP? How did you use it? Why was this the most important? The most important piece of equipment I used when making my ep was logic. Although it is not your generic piece of equipment which is physical - it is the main tool I used to make my music. It is way more important than any other thing I have used as it determined the value and quality of my music as a whole. I used it to record my recordings and to mix them with the others. I used it make a full track (Smoky Blues). 

11. Give me an example of a studio session that went really well. What was good about the session? Why?

The best example I can give is when I had keiran and lamar help me in the studio. It felt like I could have recorded the whole track in that hour as I had a pianist and engineer to help me record. We worked well together and efficiently got a lot of good vocal and piano takes. 

12. What is your favourite track on your EP? Why is it your favourite? 

My favourite track on my ep is Smoky Blues as it is the most up tempo. It also the only fully finished track.  I like it a lot because I spent a lot of time making sure that I got down every single idea I had and it showed that my house influences had had a good effect on me as I believe I just contributed to house. I loved my own ideas - however I do think I could spend another few months adding more melodies and bass' on it. 

13. What are you going to do with your completed EP? Send to labels? Post online for free? What are your plans for the future? 

With my EP - I want to use the best tracks to showcase myself as an artist and producer so i can entice people into my own label. Therefore, one will be able to find it online however I dont plan on selling it but I may consider it at a later date.

14. What is the most important thing you have learnt when creating your EP? 

The most important thing I have learnt is to get an engineer in with you when you want to record otherwise you will waste a lot of time and not get many decent takes. you will also have to spend even more time afterwards going through all of them. 

15. What was your most recent music purchase?

Kaasi - heartbeats

16. How much money do you spend on music every month?

 Practically nothing

17. How much money do you spend going to gigs/clubs?

 Nothing

18. How do you plan to make a career in the music industry? What are your future plans?

I plan to start my own label and make other people successful.

Planning an event evaluation

The planning that takes place when helping out with an event is rigourous. When I was helping chrome with hooves - I had to be there by soundcheck, and even before some of the artists had turned up in order to show a sense of respect and loyalty that I am there to get the job done; as this was our first meeting. I met with the manager to discuss what was needed to be done and to get a general rapport with him. I would be working for him, for the next few hours, to sell his products and have to talk to fans of the band as well - so maybe i could get a few anecdotes to share to get a rapport with the customers.

We then discussed the prices of the products and I tried to make sure I could remember at least a few so I wouldn't seem clueless when someone asks me how much something is; although I did have a piece of paper with all of them information on. I did this with the purpose of seeming professional and committed to the band.

As I was not working alone, I had to set roles between me and my accomplice to determine break times etc. This was very important - as we could not leave the merch corner alone as someone could have stolen something.

We then started to setup and discussed between us what would look aesthetically appealing and practical at the same time.
We decided to hang some clothes on the wall in order to show the choice and the rest of the T's were in a box under the table, as there was not enough space, and was impractical, to show all of the sizes. We did the same with the layout of the CD's and vinyl so people could see what they were buying before hand. We even had two vinylls, one ontop of the other in order to show both sides of the art.

We stayed vigilant and on the ball and got involved in general conversation with people walking by in order to entice them to check out our stuff in the hopes they would come back before they left to buy something. This is an important role when selling products to the general public, as it does seem to install some sort of trust; although everyone knows that they're being a bit false.

We had to keep a tally of what we had sold and the total of the float at the beginning in order to justify that we had sold products and no money was unaccounted for.

Overall, we were very organised and efficient in selling the merch and made a substantial profit for the band. There were no mishaps (money or merch going missing). The signs on the wall for the prices of products were used well and were legible which was a great help as it stopped customers asking unnecessary questions and they could browse freely.

A legal performance?

Organisational and legal considerations


When putting on an event there a lot of things to consider. Legal obligations being one of the most important - and then organisational roles need to be distributed to make sure the event runs smoothly.

An example of the most common legal obligation would be to have the venue completely PAT tested as electrical appliances are going to be used throughout. If one does not have this, they may be forced to shut down as a lot of fire hazards are imminent and electrocutions. If the customers and/or performers know that the venue isn't PAT tested they may feel it is not secure and wont participate in any events which will lead to the venue going out of business as there will be no business. Therefore, it is imperative to have the venue you use checked out in order to halt any random electrical difficulties during a set or performance. During the show - sound levels need to be in check as high SPL's can be extremely damaging and not everyone carries ear plugs to prevent that. Having a good engineer can make sure that all the levels are good and that loud sounds such as feedback are kept to a minimum. After the show, having qualified people who know what they are doing (packing up) is worth the pay as they could evidently break a £500 piece of kit by simply not unplugging it before lifting it etc. They will also make sure of small things, such as the power being off before unplugging and in the correct order too.

PPL is a licence which venues need to have in order to play music which is licensed - as if they do not have this licence they wont be able to have music playing which could lose them profit as many people go out to listen to music - whether that be live or through a speaker. So if one is simply running a night just to make some extra cash - they need a licence to play other peoples copyrighted music. It may be beneficial to check if the company is signed up for PRS - so if one plays a set live they can get money from it. Another licence which will be beneficial will be a 24hour licence for live music so that the event can go on for however long one would want. However, it depends on what type of event on is planning on hosting - therefore is a pub doesn't have that licence but you want to perform an acoustic set - that should be fine as the type of music isn't generically one that one will stay out until 2am to listen to.

If one is hosting a club type of event and want strobe lighting and smoke machines and any other extremities - they need to check health and safety regulations and get clearance for such things as some may not allow it as they can be extremely hazardous for whatever reason. Strobe lighting is one of the ones that you need to definitely get clearance for because some people are epileptic and could have a seizure at the event. Making sure that the venue has a fire exit is also another standard procedure as in case of such an event happening - people need to leave the building ASAP and if there are hordes at one door a lot of unfortunate mishaps could happen.

Roles that need to be covered would be; engineers, people on the door, hosts, stage manager, people to rig up the stage and possibly security.

People on the door make sure that people have ID so if police show up they don't see underage people drinking and/or in a pub past nine. This will make sure that the event is legal and runs smoothly - as having police attention wont give the venue/event a good reputation which will make it harder for the venue/promoter or host to continue running gigs.
Having hosts will make the event seem more professional as there is someone to fill in the quiet spaces between performers. However, some events wont need a host as there may be DJS and/or multiple stages - although it is a professional touch to have one.
Having a stage manager is a must have as their whole focus will be on making sure everyone is promptly on stage and they know when and where they need to be. If a show is unorganised - then people will probably leave and/or, even worse, ask for a refund.
The host and stage manager work closely together as the host will be able to cover for the stage manager is someone goes missing and will be able to buy some time before the next act. Having a stage manager and host, will probably mean that your event is acoustic and live music on a main stage rather than a DJ in a booth. However, even a DJ and MC may need a host to call the next act up and get the crowd pumped.
People to rig up and unpack the stage is very important in running an event as you want people who have a touch of creativity and will position things in the best suited place which will emphasise the atmosphere and performances. Having a PA facing the wrong way wont help at all - so to get people who are qualified is a must have for your event to run smoothly.

Marketing strategy

For my 3 track ep - which is nearing completion - I could use word of mouth to promote it at an event that I perform at.

As there aren't a substantial amout of tracks and the genres are very different it is more of a mixtape which could provide people with a demo of my styles and be a stepping stone in their opinion of me as an artist and my talent.

By stating that it is up for grabs on bandcamp for "pay what you want" i will then be able to get a mailing list of people who download it for free or pay. In essence I will be gaining a fan base a be able to push more tracks/eps/albums/videos and events onto them. As this is a demo mixtape, it is fine to hand it out for free as (im going to reiterate) people can see my multiple styles. If I also mention what genres are exactly on the mixtape I can instantly filter out people who will definitely not be interested and therefore only get a mailing list of more genuine people who are interested in me.
By using social media to push my self into the eye of the public - the word can spread a lot quicker and reach a wide spread audience.

When stating outloud my bandcamp - I am interacting genuinely and in person which makes people more receptive. To further exude support; after I perform I can hand out little flyers/cards to members of the audience with my name - the tracks (and genres) and how they can get it for free - if they want - on my bandcamp.

Overall, the main way to get people to be even remotely interested in what I have to offer is to be friendly and polite as I am, almost literally, what they are buying into so impressions will count if I want them to download my tracks.

EVALUATION:

Before i handed out my flyers after my show in the crowd - i already got a warm response from a few members who appalused me. However, so far, I haven't got anything substantial on my bandcamp - but in a way I don't think that will tarnish my name. Infact, it could enhance it - as what you can't have you want more. And what I have is free, so what more could you want? Hopefully, people will wait to see what freebies they can get by checking my bandcamp page. And the fact that they like me live will make them more interested in what I can do on tape.

Overall, I believe that once I do more gigs - And repeate the same process, I could quite a nice mailing list I can use when I want to start promoting or even hosting my own events!

Marketing & Promotion

There are two types of marketing techniques used by the music industry; commercial/guerilla. However, there are two domains for marketing which is offline and online. These days, most marketing is done online as it reaches thousands of people in contrast to handing out flyers on a road which could reach up to 100 on a good day. However, time and place makes a lot of a difference.

Commercial marketing would consist of the average - flyers, posters, tv and radio and online.
Flyers and posters are easy for promoting as they are simple to make and deploy. Handing out flyers allow a personal meeting between the audience, and what may be, the performer or manager. In which case, gives opportunity to further persuade and possibly pass on more details.
Putting up posters can be very effective as they showcase the whole production of the product, in my opinion. The detail - and most importantly the artwork constructed for it - portray the professionalism of the production of the event or product. Making posters can also increase the turnout of the event as if posted in the right places, at the right time - people will be made acutely aware of what is going on in their area. Both of these methods are not time consuming to make and therefore are effective to bring in a last minute crowd and can be put up or handed out on the day of the event around the area and still draw in a big crowd. These two marketing strategies are the best for those starting out as they are easy and cheap to substantiate and profit of.

TV and Radio is one of the best ways to get simple marketing however it comes at a price, and that is usually very high; especially for TV adverts as it requires visuals which can also be quite costly. In regards to TV adverts - its almost backwards, as buying the time slot on a channel is a high expense - one wouldn't then make a budget advert to plug as that would be a 'waste of money'; and it would in the eyes of the public. However, it is a lot more interactive and allows more scope in how one would promote their product. By having a TV advert one can get sponsors which could possibly amplify the success of the advert. Therefore, TV advert promotion is usually done by companies which are more reputable as they have less to loose because they already have dense clientel. On the other hand, TV adverts can be a lot of stress as a lot of time and effort have to be put in; you have to write a script, find the actor/s, film, edit and then find a station to put it on. It is also hard to target your audience - although channels can determine the type of person watching - it isn't completely accurate. Whereas handing out flyers, you can see the person and judge whether a guy in a business suit would want to listen to death metal.
Radio, however, can be much cheaper. In both cases it can vary. Pluggers can either be expensive or cheap, depending on their links.
Radio marketing is simple and only requires a script being written to promote the product. A lot of people use this strategy however, in my opinion I don't believe it is that effective in recent times considering not many people listen to the radio and the time slots that are given do not allow for much information to be put across - and the only way to do so would be to speed up the audio, however people can't make much out of it.
To get involved with this type of promotion and marketing you would either have to get in contact with a PR company which isn't cheap and creates a middle man which would make the process of setting up a marketing scheme a little longer.

Online marketing, such as on facebook, blogs, youtube, websites and twitter enables one to target a large fanbase and it is easy to make new fans as people can easily share pictures, videos and links along to friends. Also, friends of friends may be able to see the posts - therefore the scope of the target audience is so varied. Every professional marketer uses online promotion as mostly everyone (in the world) has access to the internet. Also, it is more feasible to have events and adverts online as you wont have to continually print out flyers or find a plugger to get you some air time. To market online it isn't always diy as it can be hard to make websites and your own posters - however it is easier to manage, cheaper and much easier to approach people. Using the web to promote and market will make updating information a lot easier aswell which will give fans a sense of commitment to you as you have to them.
Social media and social networking sites are the best place to put up adverts as it is social - which means a lot of people will see it.



Guerilla marketing techniques are to make you, really, remember the product. This type of marketing strategy is there to shock people.

This advert conveys guerilla marketing. It doesn't need a price tag, contact us or website - it simply installs Kit Kat in your mind. This psychological type of advertising, in my opinion, is the best as no matter what you will think about what you have seen. Although, this isn't extremely absurd - it still stands out a lot. For example, the kit kat actually looks like a bench?!
Another type of Guerilla marketing is to make the customer think deeply. For example - in this photo it conveys that you do need a new barbeque.

Although guerilla marketing focuses on intriguing people and making them even more interested in what they have to say about their product it doesn't work for all. In my opinion, if I saw the above - I would probably think it was a prank, however I would probably still call the number. Overall, guerilla marketing needs to be done by respected and established business' in order to get an income from it as people will recognise the brand and be more inclined to buy into it.

In terms of music advertisement - some may take to the streets and perform a random show in the middle of a busy street. This would definitely attract a crowd as it is loud and people always like to listen to music - especially if its free. By doing this, the band are giving their prospective audience a taster of their music - whilst also being able to give more information about themselves in person rather than on a sheet of paper which was given out by a random guy who just needed a job and doesn't really care about the band at all.

On the other hand, some have taken the traditional idea of a flyer and decided to make stickers and go tagging with them. Whenever I see a sticker in a random place I feel like I have to read it because it is so out of place. Although people, at the time, may not seem interested - I am sure if they saw the name or logo again they would instantly remember seeing it before. Whereas a flyer usually just gets dropped to the floor and even if they did see one again they wouldn't want it because its 'too much hassle to carry'.

Overall, the type of marketing depends on the type of product you want to market. For example, advertising hair dye in a tattoo parlour would get more sales than if it were advertised in a coffee shop, as the two go hand in hand and there are links between people with tattoos, dying their hair. If someone has an experimental album coming out - to do a wacky painting on a wall to advertise it would further state that it is an experimental album and is very out there. If someone is just having an open mic - the best way to get people to come or perform there would be to hand out flyers to schools etc - rather than the random public as it is a low key showcase, where the people who go are usually like minded and talented and want to go to learn ann/or check out competition.

PRODUCTION DIARY

Guitar HOUSE
I made this beat using logic - midi and audio. I used a midi keyboard. I used a midi keyboard inseatd of recording live instruments because House in generally an electronic genre - which as stated in the name, should probably be composed electronically. However, I did use pre recorded audio samples which I chopped up and resamplesd myself. I used a sax and a whirl effect which I chopped from two diffferent songs previously. COMPOSITION:
Firstly - I found a chord sound that i liked in the EXS24 synthesiser. I duplicated this to made 4 tracks as i wanted the sound of the chords to change to give more diversity. I then used the synthesiser EXS24 to change the sound of it. The first chord channel I had a slight delay in the attack. I made the sustain quite low so it sounded choppy. I then had a decaying sounding version. I achieved this sound by putting the decay all the way up. This gave a lot of presence and atmosphere and warthm. I also put up the release a bit to greater the atmosphere. I then had reverb chords. The had roughly the same design as the other chord sounds however the sustain was all the way down which them a lot choppier - which would make up for the amount of reverb i put on them after. This kept them clear. I had two of the reverb chords as they had a lot of atmosphere together. However - when it intially came in there was only. however, it sounded fine as the was a spreader effect which kept its atmosphere. I used audio the create my own sax line which played druing the intro and in the second drop. I croped one note of a previously recorded sax riff. i then created 3 channels for it so i could individually pitch them to create a riff. I then copy and pasted them accordingly. I used the attitude bass for my second drop. i decided to make it more funky and slightly slower in a sense by making much more swung and melodic. I duplicated this channel - so, like the chords in the first drop - had more effect. I found a guitar sound (crunchy electric guitar) which i liked as it had a delay. This gave a lot of scope in my track as it gave melodic accompanyment which echoed out. I initially made a meody line - however, i thought i could be more creative and use the delay to my own advantage. therefore, i chopped up the recorded midi into segments and has little riffs of guitar which would echo out. At points they would be very spread out and at some they would be very close in order to creat more effect and a new sounding riff. For the kick I used the Nouveaux disco kit which had a very punchy kick. I used the same kit for; the clap, a ride and another clap. I then used the indian kit for percussive elements such as a ride, rim shot, high hat/ride, low and high tabla. I then used the classic dub kit for high hats - which i automated to pan eft and right randomly. i also used it for a rim shot and two shakers. I also, recorded a fill using the same kit. To record everything in the track i used a midi keyboard and recorded straight into logic. I used a minimal amount of audio. I used a sax sample and ocean whirl as a sweep to drop into the next drop. MIX:
On the plucked chords - I eqd out the lows and brought up the high mid. I then edq out the top end to create a warm sounding chord. I copied this eq ontop all of my chords. I also used a spreader to make it sound stereo in order to give more presence (which i then copied onto all of my chord sounds). I also used a live chamber reverb on space designer which was a preset. I had the reverb and dry up relatively high which opened up the chord a lot and made it sound more alive as before it was very static and sounded very mechanical. On the decayed chords everything was the same except for the reverb. The reverb setting was the same - however i put down the reverb amount which emphasised it decaying. On the reverb chords, everything was the same except for the reverb. I put the dry and wet mix down a bit as it was designed with a high decay and didnt need much reverb. I put the dry mix down a bit in order to make it sound more decayed. On the attitude bass i used a compressor to bring out the sub in the instrument. I did this by keeping the threshold high and having a low ratio. At first - the sound was a bit twangy and had a focus on the low mid. I wanted more sub so i used eq and put a steep cut in this range in order to focus on the sub. I then thought that the bass was a bit too choppy so i used space designer to give it more affluence in the track and fit in with the atmosphere. The reverb I used was a large guitar hall. I mixed in -12.5 reverb which kept the bassline clear and enough attack to be punchy to stand out with the kick. I copied these effects onto the duplicated bass track. On the sax I used pitch shift in order to change the notes to make my own sax riff. i then had to eq them all differently as after changing their pitch they sounded of a different tone. On the guitar I used a wide range of effects. Firstly I used eq to give a slight peak in the mid range. I then compressed it slightly by having a very high threshold and low ratio. There was a guitar amp pro effect on the guitar which replicated how it was recorded ad what it came out of. I used a clean amp on one of the guitar channels and an american gain on the other. which gave more diversity in the sound. I used a tape delay effect which gave more presence in the track. I then used space designer reverb which further emphasised the tape delay. I used the default reverb. i then copied each effect onto the other guitar channel except for the guitar amp. NOUVEAUXKick: I used overdrive to make it more crunchy. I put the tone to 490hz.I eqd the bass up a slight bit - roughly 1db as i didnt want it to clash with the bass. I used a nice small plate which gave the kick a more acoustic sound rather than a logic instrument. I also compressed the kick quite a bit by putting up the ratio to 4:2. Clap: I also overdrive to make it sound more crunchy as it brought up the top end and attack which gave the clap a sort of fizzle. I then used space designer - for the same reason as anyone would - to make it sound acoustically recorded. I then used a compressor to further bring up the gain. The compressor emphasised the reverb a lot which gave a more acoustic sound. Ride: I put an overdrive on the ride which made the defualt zing a lot louder. I then used a compressor to further amplify it as it could not be heard as much over the other instruments. Sizzle clap: I simply copied the effects from the ride 2. INDIAN KIT:Rides - i didnt mix the rides as i thought they sound great. RIM Shot - i used a space designer nice room reverb. i only added a little bit of reverb as I though - even dry it sounded good. I then used a compressor to compressed it largely at it sounded very tinny. I put the ratio up to 4.8 with the threshold at -25db.High hat/ ride - I used space designer to enhance the ring of this instrument. I used the nice room reverb. I had a decay time of 1.35 seconds which gave a nice subtle ring. I then heavily compressed it with a ratio of 6.6 and the threshold at -29db.For both of the tabla sounds - they had the same effects. I used the nice room space designer. I put up the reverb mix more than the dry. I had a compressor on with a ratio of 4:1 and a threshold of -9db which meant it didnt do much compression.
Classic dub kit:I used a guitar amp which gave clarity and presence.I then used tape delay which echoed the hits slightly. As this kit is just percussive and not the main focus I wanted to make it sound as warped as possible. I then used Eq to give a slight boost to the high end to make it more atmospheric and lighter. I used the expander effect further emphasise atmosphere. This effect was almost like reverb. I used these effects for all of the instruments of the classic dub kit. However for the shaker i used space designer to add a bit of reverb. I simply used the defualt reverb just to add a bit of resonance. On the eerie harps i eqd out the low and high - just to get a mid frequency sound that would blend into the back ground with the bass. i used the same effects for both eerie harp channels so they would sound the same. I used a lot of volume automation on each track in order to make my own fades. As this is an instrumental track - it was best suited that i did so, as I could make build ups more creative. I also used automation - in order to mix the different parts at certain times if there was a clash. The best use of automation i did, was to pan the high hats so that they move left and right how I wanted to. I could have used a sample or tape delay effect however - this was more hands on, which therefore made it more personal. I then used the volume automation to make these transitions smoother. So when It panned from one side to another - at times it would be prominent and at times it would be subtle. I also used automation to control the delay of the electric guitar. At one point - before a drop, the delay went on for too long and I wanted there to be a silent moment for emphasis. So by using the automation of the delay - I turned the wet feed down in order to stop the delay. I used reverb automation on the eerie harps in order to make them more eerie. I also used it to merge the two subtly by putting up the reverb output just before the other eerie harp channel came in. In the mix of the sax - I realised that they all sounded a bit too different - so I made a bus called sax reverb - which had two different reverbs on them. I did this as their tones were really different so I wanted to make them sound slightly warped. I then sent them all to this bus (bus 1)I also did the same for the chords. I sent them to bus 2. ROAMING PRODUCTION DIARY:

I used two c414s to record the guitar. I had one directioned at the neck of the guitar and the other at the body. I then panned these separate recordings left and right to give a natural stereo effect. I used the flex tool to get a specific section in the guitar in time. I did this effectively by putting a transient marker at the start and end of each bar i needed to flex - and then at the beginning of each note so I wouldn't drag a whole section out of time. I used a c414 because it is a condenser mic which I believed would be best suited to record guitar with. As the mic is more sensitive it would pick up the tone of the guitar more and give more body to the recording. I believed the recordings sounded very warm and detailed - which is what I aimed for. This C414 also had multi polar patterns which meant that you could alter how the mic would recording; being cardiod, hypder cardiod, omni etc. One day - i had an engineer which made it easier for me to record more effectively without having to move from the booth into the monitoring room to press record. They put a section into comp mode and i free styled over it which lead to multiple guitar riffs and takes for me to use throughout the track.I then used these recordings to add accompaniment throughout the track. RECORDING:2 C414S - dual recording. neck and body of guitar.I had an engineer to help me record. We used the comp mode for the freestyle. For the full song (strumming) we did it in one take. Composition:Using the pre recorded strumming guitar - I recorded freestyle riffs over it to use later. When composing these - I used the flex tool to get them more in time. I used the flex tool efficiently by putting a transient at the beginning and end of each bar - and also at the beginning of each not withing, as some parts were in time and i didnt want to make more work for myself. As we used the comp mode it was easy to make my own riffs out of the pre recorded ones by selecting certain parts using a tool which allows you to do so. I then used the scissors tool to cut up some of the exported comps in order to fit in with the song. I used two exported comps - which I cut up to make a repetitive melody for the chorus which would make the chorus recogniseable. I used the audio editor so I could clearly see where I was cutting into the file - therefore, the takes would sound right and not choppy. In the main guitar there was a weird sound in the guitar so I used automation and turned the section down. I tried to cut it out but it made the track jump - so to get a smooth sound, automation was the best option. At the beginning, I realised there was the sound of me moving on my seat - so I used automation of the volume again to make the sound dissappear. I didnt put the volume all the way down in either of the automations as it would sound as if I had cut the recording up.To mix the main guitar - I put both channels on solo , selectively to see what i was working with. the recording from the body was much louder and more resonant and clearer. On the other hand, the recording of the neck of the guitar was much bassier. I decided to eq the body to have more higher frequencies and the neck guitar recording to have the low. BODY GUITAR MIX:I used eq to bring up the 10-20k mark. I then put a slight peak in the 400hz region as that, in my opinion, is where most of the warmth was. I then put a low cut in order to make room for the bass of the other guitar recording. I then decided to use space designer reverb to give the guitar a bit more distance. I chose a short snare hall reverb which just gave the guitar a bit more of a subtle nature whilst remaining clear. As the recording had a good gain to begin with I didnt need a compressor. HEAD GUITAR MIX - I used EQ to lightly boos the 20 - 1k region. i then cut off the 1 - 20k region a bit. This made the sound of the recording very warm and bassier. It also made the recording a bit clearer. I then copied over the space designer reverb so that they sound in he same element. All of the riffs used were dry and were just mixed in using the mixer faders.

Mixing:

90 :
I recorded bass guitar using a di box straight into the channel box. I did this, as using a mic to record from the amp made the bass sound slightly distorted and the slide was picked up a lot.
I then brought in a friend to record piano. Using two c414 condensor mics, I thought this would be best suited in order to pick up natural reverb and ambience. I positioned one mic overhead with the top of the piano open so there were no obstacles muffling the sound. I then used the other c414 to record underneath the piano. Initially, this was entirely experimental - and as a surprise I found that recording underneath the piano was the best spot as it had a lot of warmth and reverb - yet it sounded so upfront.
To record vocals, firstly I used the ribbon microphone. These takes were really nice and clear however over time - after re-taking I switched to the c414 which is one of my favourite mics. I didn't do this for a specific reason - I was just in a rush and that was the microphone set up. I used the baffles to make a reverb and contain the sound. I also used pop filter which helps muffle my sibilance of p's and s'. As usual, there was the se reflector which - like the baffles helps with reverb and contains the sound.

When recording - I mostly used comp mode however for one session I brought in an engineer for a bit in order to set up the gain structure.

Mix:
I used a default space designer reverb on my vocals in order to space out their presence as the track doesnt have a drum beat. In the chorus' i used the standard a verb reverb in order to add a little bit more space in the voices so they sound smoother when harmonising. I used the mixer to slightly pan them away from eachother and picked the clearest - most neutral sounding one to be the main focus.
For the piano - as I liked the crisp dry recording - I created a bus for the reverb. This reverb was highly delayed which in my opinion created an abstract sound which complimented the almost acapella beat. I wanted something which really stood out and this was my pride and joy.
The bass was, practically, completely dry as I liked the tone of it. I added a slight bit of reverb using a verb in order to emphasise the tone of it a bit and make it more substantial.

EVALUATION OF MY SOLO PERFORMANCE

In the first song I performed, I liked the fact that everything sounded simple however it was interesting as there was another person beat boxing over the others section to make things sound more full. The guitar playing was in time and accentuated the beat boxing. My rap, although fast was very clear and I pronounced every word clearly. I was loud enough and I believe the mic position was good as there was barely any popping from sibilance. When I was beat boxing - I believe that I could have been more creative and added a bit more dynamics. I could have also been a lot louder. When transitioning into the last chorus - as we had not practiced previously - there was a gap which shouldn't have been there, however we styled it out and started the chorus together on time. This showed versatility between us.

My second song need two takes as I felt I was not going in the direction I wanted to. However, because I was nervous I didn't feel I could freestyle that much and just enjoy performing. This goes for all of the performances. The guitar playing was relatively good however there were a few ringing notes which could have been prevented by focusing more on my strumming.