Aim: To record a cover of one song on guitar, bass and drums and record a Youtube video to document the process with the intent of developing my practical, recording and mixing skills.
General Notes
I need to first pick a song. Currently my ideas are 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins, High and Dry by Radiohead or a song from Duster’s Stratosphere album. I will be creating an action plan to make sure I can follow some kind of timetable. Due to the new booking system, I will need to book in-college rehearsal time, play each part as well as I can right now and decide what needs the most work and determine how much time I should spend on each instrument.
I’ll be completing research projects that are relevant to whatever I’m doing prior to doing them, e.g. editing software can be less of a priority to start with in comparison to making a rehearsal plan and researching drum technique.
I should record any rehearsals I do and complete evaluations ready for the next time I rehearse. I should also rehearse recording once I have the parts down roughly and know the structure, as to get used to recording and not have any panic when it comes to recording properly.
I should find tracks that I can practice mixing on, or use something out of my university prep work in order to practice specific mixing techniques and develop my knowledge overall to ensure my mix is how I want it to sound.
Prior to recording, I need to decide which order I will be recording each instrument in. Most likely, I will start with drums due to them being the first instrument to come in and to be used as a good foundation.
Evan has told me that so long as I book the live room and studio on a day that he is in, he would be happy to help me record drums and give me assistance when I encounter any problems.
I’ll be mixing gradually nearer to the end of the recording process, likely starting with guitar.
As I’ll have been recording video while recording each instrument, I should begin lining up clips in the split screen format to the unmixed track as long as I don’t cut any parts out of the final mix. I’ll be starting this before I get the final track as I’ll be doing this during the mixing weeks to save time. Afterwards, I can replace the audio with the fully mixed version.
Lastly, I’ll be uploading the finished video to YouTube, doing my project evaluation, project evaluation, any bits of unfinished evaluation and little bits of research, and finishing my assessment page.
Rough research points:
- What microphones were used in the original recordings?
- How was the song recorded?
- Who was the producer, do they have any interviews on work with this band?
- Research into mixing in a particular style, look at logic lessons and ask a tutor for a crash course / refresher lesson.
- Do drum research. Look into what would work for me in a rehearsal plan and look at lessons on certain techniques that are used in the song that I’m covering
- Research editing software for how to lay out the video of things being recorded
- Do brief research into what other people are doing online with the same kind of project to gather ideas for the video side of things, use examples. split screen ect.
- Research how i want to set up equipment for recording with how each amp sounds. I know I want to have a DI channel and an amp channel at the same time for two different tracks and want to be alone in the studio for that.
- Consider how to do effects and research how they might have been made originally, whether or not they originated from instrument recordings. maybe talk to Lewis about effects and what’s the easiest way to go about it?
- Do a music theory full analysis of the song I’m covering
Rough documentation points:
- Project plan – follow it, make it in as much detail as possible.
- Make a rehearsal plan, what am I needing to rehearse the most?
- Record rehearsals on each instrument, literally record anytime I’m sitting down to rehearse
- Audio snippets, screenshots and screen recordings of working on projects and practicing mixing.
- Videos from similar angles for the youtube video each time I go to record something, clean out my video library ONLY when that take is deleted for good.
- Upload the test recordings because even rehearsals will have progress.
- Take photos of how microphones are set up, what microphones i’m using, what amp im using ect.
Rough evaluation points:
- Evaluate everything from song choice to the camera angles for the final video and recording
– rehearsal videos on all instruments
– rehearsal recording
– mixing practice
– recording set-up
– song choice, why that song?
– brief evaluation of structure of each bit of research and whether or not it was sufficient?
– evaluate the video when finished
– project evaluation