Research and context
Quincy Jones is an American music producer who has worked with people like Michael Jackson on albums like thriller and off the wall, He was known for his skill in layering sounds, blending genres, and using diverse instrumentation His technique also involved creating “musical polaroids” to assess a song’s potential before fully developing it, as well as using advanced studio techniques and innovative mixing. He also championed the use of session musicians and embraced a collaborative approach to production.
To record music you would need to gather equipment like instruments to play the music, a computer to record the music onto, a daw software like Logic Pro, Ableton live and etc, an audio interface to connect your instruments and microphones to the computer which allows you to record audio, microphones to record the sound of vocals and instruments and a pair of headphones and speakers so you can check your recording.
When recording vocals you will need either a dynamic or condenser microphone this will be the same for instruments like guitar, when recording drums you will also need dynamic mics for the kick drum and snare drum and condenser mics for the overheads and toms.
Final mix
soundcloud.com/10668720-714061466/
https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/2099568111&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true
This is the final mix of my song, To edit it I first had to put all the instruments into the right sections and cut them up so they matched with each other and then add an EQ channel to each instrument to alter the audio so there is no mis matched noise and it all lines up to each other.
I then added reverb to the to the drums to make them more impactful on the track and add more atmosphere to the recording and added reverb to the vocals to add depth in the recording and also added a compressor to reduce the dynamic range of the vocals so it remains at an even volume.
Evaluation
What was the purpose of this project?
The purpose of this project was to increase my understanding of mixing songs and improve my skills when it comes to mixing music.
What feedback did I receive?
I was told to make the drums more impactful and use EQ to improve the volume of each instrument.
What did the project contribute to my understanding of the music industry
I understand more about sound engineering and the importance of music production.
Research Evaluation
I think I could have maybe talked more about different microphones and why they are so important for certain instruments,I could’ve maybe talked more about different methods and techniques from Quincy Jones.
Practical skill evaluation
I think I did well with the mixing and the final edited track sounds very good,I could’ve maybe spent a bit more time mixing the bass as I was more focused on the drums and vocals.
Was there more work I could have done for this project?
I could have talked more about the final mix as my explanation is a bit short.
Did I enjoy it?
Yes I’ve always found the production side of music interesting and have always seen it as important to learn.
What do I need to improve on?
I think I need to improve my understanding of the tools used for mixing as I found it difficult to get the right sound I wanted.