1st Recording Session at Bens
This first recording session at Bens with Jacob was incredibly useful to us, it helped us gain a better understanding of how the whole recording process works in a studio kind of environment instead of just sat in front of my computer at home.
The first thing we recorded was my guitar which is lead for this song. I recorded with a Blackstar amp head going into an interface, it took a few takes to get it to where I was happy but it should take a few anyway. We stripped all effects from the amp and pedals to make it so all the effects can be put on with the DAW. This is the way Ben said will best to work with my guess is just to clearly hear if its gonna make the final cut or not. I recored in sections and moved on when I was happy with what I had done. I prefer recording like this so we can really get the best takes. After me we did Jacob who after like 3 takes was happy what whats he got. Jacob recorded with his pedal board and a DI into the interface.
Now when it came to bens he had looked up some mic placements for an upright piano and has found one he liked the look of. He recorded his take what looked to be effortlessly and then when we went to get listen to his work we could all agree we could find a better mic placement as we could here the tapping of the keys and some other unwanted noise too. So I suggested sticking em in the top of the piano and closing the front string cover to capture the sound in the piano instead of an outside distance sound. We moved the mics and gave it another go and it sounded beautiful also we could no longer hear the unwanted sounds and was satisfied with his take.
By the end of this first session we had nearly the full instrumental side of thing recorded which is a great feeling but I cant help but feel like it was rushed and I just think we can do better really. I bet we will go over it and re record it all but the start was good practice for whats to come.
this is a photo of the first mic placement when we had all of the unwanted noise.
This is the photo of my idea (there is a mic on either side) This is the sound we preferred as you can see the only open part is the top.
this is the amp head going straight into Bens interface.
2nd Recording Session at Bens
In this session it was more about practicing recording vocals for college the next day. We started with Jacob singing the verse to set me up for the pre chorus, after recording the verse rather easily because Jacob can sing. Now it was my turn for the shouty pre chorus vocals and my god did it take me some time, to start with I kept on forgetting the notes I was supposed to be singing and when I did remember my notes where off so I think I am glad we did this session for practice because if we were at college we would of wasted a day just getting the first few sections of the song recorded. After a long while of trying to get the right take for the pre chorus we decided it was not going to get any better today so we changed and started working on recording the chorus vocals to see how we would do and that was a much better result, Jacob is comfortable singing it high and I can sing it low and we managed to get the chorus vocally to a point where we liked it.
We don’t have any vocal parts for Ben on this song yet and I feel that he would better the song with his voice so when we get a second I want to look into som harmonies with Ben and get him to jump on in the bridge maybe or the chorus as his talent should not be wasted. We practiced using a standard Rode NT1 condenser mic which didn’t seem so bad as the vocals sounded smooth enough but the reason we are only practicing is because the set up and equipment is so much better at college so we thought we might as well get ourselves ready. I think it was a helpful practice and we really prepared ourselves for when it comes to recording vocals
Ben, at the end of the session was showing us little ways he can mess with the sounds to make cool little effects on our instruments.
Recording session (3) drums for Pages of This Song
In this recording session we focused on recording Lewis on the drums for Pages as we thought if we get the drums recorded and out of the way then we wont need to rely on college services and then can finish up quicker for this song. When we first started Lewis struggled staying in time so Tutor Lewis came in to help and made up some basic electronic beat for Lewis to follow and it helped him massively. After the attempt you see in the video we decided to take it section by section to make sure we can get the best possible take from each part but we found after recording the whole thing it sounded cut up and unnatural so we had to go again taking every attempt as a practice run. (We thought this would save us time) After many many many attempts from Lewis and with a lot of motivation from us we finally got a take we all were happy with, it took a long time for us all including Lewis to be happy with the take but he got there in the end. Now we feel we can use these drums in the final take and add our vocals to get finished up. This is good progress we are making and hopefully if we stay at this pace we will be able to finish our goal.
4th Recording Session (college)
We have just finished recording most of our vocals for Pages in college. We started by setting up 3 different mics and trying them out to see which one suited our voices better and between EV RE20, Shure SM7B and the Neuman TLM we found that we prefer the sound of a Neuman so we decide to record with that.
Now the first thing that Me and Jacob recorded was the opening chorus, he went first to give me a bit of an assist while I was recording mine but I must say that practice really helped us out in saving time and knowing what we are doing. We finished the first chorus with ease and after forgetting the words a few times Jacob got the verses recorded too so it was my turn for the dreaded pre chorus and this took a lot of failed attempts but after about 20 mins I finally got the right take and then it all just kind of made sense so I can now sing the pre chorus confidently and not be too worried when it come to recording it or singing it which is worth the 20 mins if you ask me. Then we finished up on the chorus getting it just right and then called it a day. (I cant seem to find the videos we took for it) I feel we used our time well and next session at Bens I think we should re record some of the instruments because I know we can do better than what we had already recorded.
Recording doctor drums (5)
We dedicated today to finishing the drums for Doctor with the same thought as last, if we get it done now we wont need colleges fancy mics and equipment for that as we would already be finished. The way we recorded the drums is by playing the instruments in his ears whilst he plays so he knows where he is in the song, this is why you can here it bleeding in to the video above. It took Lewis again a lot of attempts to get the one we were going stick with. A common problem of Lewis and his playing is he breaks sticks mid recording and it ruins the take so we go again. Lewis found himself getting really frustrated with the fact that he couldn’t play the song in time to a metronome or sometimes he couldn’t play in time with us, maybe he was feeling the pressure of recording. It took us the entire afternoon to get the copy we were looking for and once we did we were so relived as we didn’t know if we were going to get it today or lose more time on it. I am glad to say hopefully we don’t have to think about the drums for a while now and can focus on recording the vocals for Pages and recording the other instruments for Doctor.
This is the finished version of Someone Call The Doctor
I am so happy with the out come for this song, we really worked hard on this track and I believe you can hear that. I think the immersive sound in the beginning with the deep bass and the guitar imitating the siren sound really brings a different side to the song I feel it brings eeriness and leaves you not knowing what to expect. Then the guitar come in nice and strong for a powerful introduction followed by a double tracked fat solo to bring out the rock side of the song. (Still cant believe I wrote the intro solo thats impressive for me).
I got the lyrical flow inspiration from english bands like IMF, Blur and Hard Fi and really tried to make a style that sits within that genre but is original enough to stand out from them which I think we did successfully by adding humour in the first pre chorus and some beautiful harmonies me and Ben cooked up for the bridge also Jacob has a really english sounding voice. I think Jacobs guitar work on the lead parts in the chorus is great He is an incredible guitar player and the track would not be no where near as good without him, same goes for all of us we all applied a touch of our own like Lewis on the drums really highlighting certain guitar parts and bringing out a rock feeling with the drums and techniques he used.
In the second verse Jacob had this great idea to make the guitar replicate the emotion I was putting across in the lyrics so when I say “the conversations reliant on me” he plays a little sad roll with semitones going down the fretboard and when I say “I struggle to think that its an actual possibility” I does a massive pinch harmonic and I just think thats class.
The second chorus is pretty much the same keeping that feel consistent and the lead fills just keep coming which is great I think it fits the song well. The only thing that is different is the extended “meeeeee” on the last repeat and Jacob plays something with bends full of emotion and a perfect fill to mark the change of a section.
The bridge was unexpected for me as I did not think we were going to be able to find harmonies that were going to fit the song very well but honestly I think these harmonies are spot on I like the volume range and the pitch range I just wish it sounded a little further forward in the mix. At the end of the harmony Jacob has this idea to do like a high note with vibrato at the end of it and it sounded really good and reminded me of Queen. I wanted to give it a go too so on the mix it is mine and Jacobs voice on the high note and I think it sounds amazing. It feels great to be trying harmonies and working with these aspects in our music that I wouldn’t of considered if not for the lads and their ideas.
The last chorus is every thing we wanted, its boosted and it has alternating solos between the guitarists I think Ben did a good job levelling the volume for the solos as it was a big contrast before he mixed it. The only thing I will say is again I wish the solos were pushed forward and as fat as the intro solos and lead parts I don’t know why but although it is boosted it still sounds a little bit hindered if not hindered then it sounds a little thin and fuzzy I didn’t feel a need for more lyrics I think they did their job of showing what the song was about and bringing out that cocky character.
I also love the ending to this song from the dramatic slow change moving down the chords matching the drums to the absolute masterpiece of an ending from Jacob spitting out notes quicker than I can talk I think its great and captures a dramatic feel like the start did with the bass and siren, we do this again at the very end leaving like a flatline sound caused by feedback do again show the theme of Doctor one last time before the song concludes.
What is supposed to be the finished version of Pages of This Song
This is what we managed to put down before the deadline. Ben did not have enough time to mix the song and the vocals to the quality that he did for Doctor, I feel my voice on the chorus is too low causing mine and Jacobs voice to clash a little bit as he’s singing quite high. After the project before releasing I think we should try putting Ben in place of my in the chorus and get him to sing it higher and softer and maybe that will provide the right feel we shall see.
Starting out going into the song you can hear soft guitars and a reverbed up high hat to build up and introduce how the song is going to be, it progressively gets louder and gets more hype from the drums before going into the first of 3 choruses and you are greeted with my deep voice instantly clashing with the song and the feel of it which I think bring down the quality of the song. I think maybe it could be a mixing issue as he is not fully done mixing with the instruments and vocals but I still think no matter how he changes it we should still experiment with the chorus vocals and see what suits it best. I do like the sound of the introduction and how the drums really hype up and set the standard just sad my voice comes and ruins it when it kicks in.
The song calms down and its time for the verse, my vocals drop out and its just Jacob and I prefer it this was for this case when I cut out Jacob sound much better and softer fitted for this song. We have soft chords for the verse and I like how the piano brings out that softer element in this song especially in the verses. After we have the pre chorus which is there to hype you back up for the 2nd chorus with faster strums on the guitar and fast paced lyrics to add to the hype and I think my vocals are better here than in the chorus. I like the sound of my voice for this part as it fits in with whatever note Jacob is holding to fill up the spaces and make it seem more fast paced and full to bring back the chorus.
Then you here the same annoying low voice that ruins the chorus from the first one which again affects the quality of the song and I reckon put someone off from listening to the rest of the song so this needs to be changed before we release. I still like the way the basss sound for the chorus I feel it is fitting for the song and is a nice slidey little bass part.
The second verse is not too different from the first apart from we try make this verse sound emptier so when its time for the pre chorus it can hit a little harder so its Jacobs vocals light amount of both guitars and a few notes played by Ben to provide more emotion before going back intro the pre chorus. I prefer the first pre chorus to this one as I feel there is something different in the second one I am not sure if it is my voice or Jacobs held note that is a little off but something it. Other than that it provides a similar feeling to the first with the same hype up to prepare for another chorus.
It is now the 3rd chorus and I feel this are getting repetitive to my ears now, I don’t think hearing my voice that low helps but I definitely think we can alter the chorus to make it sound less repetitive or not a annoying vocals sound in your ears.Its bridge time and honestly I think we took too much attention away from the guitar lead parts and the open space feel by adding too much vocal harmony’s which now drowns out the thing that made the bridge sound nice and spaced out, I cant enjoy it the same so we will be making some changes there also.
Its the solo/last chorus with no words and honestly in this mix this is my favourite part of the song, I like how much the solo sits in its own place in the mix it sounds like it has space. I think the volume of the solos levelled great to a point where the solo is boosted but not too a point where its overpowering everything. I think the solo is a nice calming solo you can just vibe to it just makes me chill and smile so I am definitely happy with the way I wrote it and how Ben mixed it on the track. I love the outro just as much as the solo section as it has a sliding mistake from me to a higher note and it sounds beautiful so we decided to keep it, I think the outro lets us settle down after the chorus and connect with the song one last time before it concludes.