29th November 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #15 - THE FINAL CHAPTER
I finished working on the last six mixes, doing as much as I could within the timescale given to this project. One will not make it into my Portfolio, and the other five come close, but will require a little more tweaking to give them that something extra special. This would bring them up to the standard of the other tracks that did make it into my Portfolio. I can look at working on them over the next few months.
Next I moved onto the research phase of my project, where I began researching Management, a little every day. I emailed Creative Scotland, Help Musicians UK, Music Producers Guild, SMIA, PRS / MCPS, PPL, Scottish Music Centre, and the Creative Entrepreneurs Club to see if any of them could offer me any specific advice with regards to getting my Production Portfolio in front of the right Management, but none of them were able to offer me any advice in this specific area.
I did receive fantastic guidance from a high end Music Manager, who advised me that before I contact any Management companies, I need to completely redesign my website, giving me links to other Producer websites for inspiration. Again, this is something I will attend to over the next few months.
She advised me that if she is contacted by a Producer, they send an email with a link to a few songs and suggest some songwriting sessions. If that goes well and the Artist and Producer hit it off, they may then look to do some recording work, as they know that a relationship is there already, and that this tends to be from grassroots Producers up to established and successful Producers. She advised me that I should specifically target Artists I feel would be a good match and reach out to their Management, because if I were to send her a generic email she would know I was just sending it to everyone, and she would probably just delete it.
There were two types of Management companies I was concerned with; those who look after Producers and Songwriters, and those who look after the Artists. There is some crossover between them. There was much more work to be done on Artist Management, because I had to go through their entire rosters, and listen to all their Artists to see who would be a good fit for the style of Production I have been developing.
I sifted through hundreds of websites, listened to thousands of Artists, and collated a very diverse and robust spreadsheet of potential contacts, including information about all suitable Artists with a note of what particular track in my Portfolio would be most suitable for them to listen to. I will be preparing draft email templates that I can tweak one at the time to send to Producer and Artist Management as soon as I have relaunched my website.
27th October 2021 - Open Fund VLOG Post #12 - MASTERCLASS: VOCAL EDITING + COMPING + TUNING
This is a highly in depth, one and a half hour tutorial video, all about combining multiple vocal takes into one, taking into consideration: character, tone, phase, timing, and tuning. I disclose a number of super effective techniques that I have developed over years of audio production.
13th September 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #14 - SIX OR HALF A DOZEN
With three months left to work on my Portfolio, I browsed through all my old projects and picked out six that I thought were worthy of devoting my time to. Instead of working on one at a time, I decided it would be more productive to work on each of them a bit at the time. Instead of going into minute production tweaks, I am aiming to bring them all up to a vastly improved standard, and do all my little tweaks after the end date, should that become necessary.
This will give me the opportunity to create a much more robust Portfolio to forward on for consideration to industry professionals. I am also taking into account the fact that I need some time before my deadline to research who exactly I should be sending it to. As I finish off these songs, I am also planning to create one more Video Blog, which will be a "Vocal Comping" masterclass. This will be my longest Vlog that shares the best techniques I have developed to combine multiple takes of a vocal into a finished vocal line.
26th August 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #13 - WORKING REMOTELY
This month I had the opportunity to work away from home and test out the Audio Interface I purchased for this project. The RME Fireface UCX did not disappoint. It's an incredible little external sound card. I did however run into an entirely different, unexpected problem, which made editing away from home rather counter productive.
At home I am running Cubase 11, but I only have Version 5 on my laptop. The difference that made a difference is that Cubase 5 has a far inferior way of representing audio waveforms that made it much more difficult to edit accurately. Going forward, the only solution is to invest in another copy of Cubase 11 for my portable setup.
30th July 2021 - Open Fund VLOG Post #11 - BRIGHTENING UP THE PIANO WITHOUT MAKING IT HARSH
This Video Blog is all about different techniques that can be used in conjunction with each other to brighten up the sound of a Piano, without adding too much High-End harshness in the process.
26th July 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #12 - STANDING FREQUENCIES
The more you work on bringing old recordings up to scratch, the more issues you find to deal with. In the case of the track I am working on at the moment some poor decisions were made at the time, particularly in relation to where the Vocals and Backing Vocals were recorded. I was experimenting with trying to convert a large cupboard into a sound booth. Poor acoustic environments create "Standing Frequencies", which is basically an atmosphere in which certain notes sung in certain ways create an unpleasant frequency spike that gets right into your ear, especially as you turn up the volume. The worse the acoustic environment, the more particular frequencies are prone to this issue. I have spent a lot of time using Dynamic EQ and EQ Automation to eliminate these as best as possible and this to some degree, though horribly time consuming, is expanding my skillset especially in the use of Dynamic EQ, which is new to me. Going forward, the number one lesson is: always make sure your sound is as best as it can be at source, then little time needs spent trying to make such corrections later on!
16th July 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #11 - NEW PLUGINS AND INTOLERABLE SYSTEM FAILURES
As I am working on ever expanding my Music Production skillset, I often come across a situation where I think, "wouldn't it be great if I used an effect that did X". Usually I have some that can do X, whatever that may be, but sometimes they just don't cut it, and on rare occasions I don't have any. I start reading blogs and watching videos about the best effects to use to do X, and make some purchases and downloads.
This time around it has led me to using the following new VST Plugin Effects: 1. Audiomodern Filterstep (Step Filter) 2. iZotope Neutron 3 (Bundle of 11 Plugin Effects) 3. iZotope Ozone 9 (Bundle of 13 Plugin Effects) 4. JJP Strings Keys Channel 5. Soundtoys 5 (Bundle of 21 Plugin Effects) 6. Venomode DeeQ (Dynamic Filter) 7. Waves F6 RTA (Dynamic EQ)
I always enjoy exploring new plugins, and the Harmonic Exciter within the iZotope Ozone Bundle in particular has been a Godsend. Exciters are similar to EQ, except that instead of boosting specific frequencies, they boost harmonics that relate to the audio source. In my next Video Blog I will explain how I have used EQ, Exciters, in combination with some other techniques, to make my Pianos sound a lot brighter, without adding harshness to the high end.
Unfortunately, there has been a major downside to all this. The more Plugins you load into a DAW and into your projects, the more likely you are to come across conflicts and system crashes, especially if those plugins are made by a bunch of different manufacturers. It got to the point where the project I am working on was crashing my system every 5 minutes or so, and this is obviously an unworkable situation. I have spent the last few weeks mostly in contact with the technical support departments of Plugin manufacturers, Steinberg (who make Cubase - the DAW I am using), MOTU (who made the audio interface I am using), and others, trying to sort this all out. I am hopeful that I am finally getting to the bottom of it, but that's all I can really say for the time being.
23rd June 2021 - Open Fund VLOG Post #10 - STAR GUITAR INSPIRED USE OF THE FLANGER EFFECT
I wanted to do something special with an Acoustic Guitar part, inspired by the way that the Chemical Brothers used the Flanger Effect in their hit song Star Guitar. In this Video Blog I break down many of the steps I took in the process.
22nd June 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #10 - SAY
I have been updating a track called "Say" by Fee McKenzie, which I originally recorded around 10 years ago. As per usual, I began with manual timing corrections of all the parts. I knew that I wanted the drums to be livelier, so I imported and processed new Drum Loops with some very nice effects. I am also considering adding in a dry Kick Drum for more definition, as the Loops are wet with Reverb. Next I tweaked all the melodic instruments. I used an Impulse Response plugin for the first time, to make an Acoustic Guitar part that was recorded directly into the desk sound more realistic.
I am considering changing the Piano sound to something much more realistic by routing the MIDI through Modartt Pianoteq 7, which I recently purchased especially for such situations. Once this is wrapped up the last thing I need to attend to are the Main Vocal and Backing Vocals. The second Guitar part needed something special and I started thinking of Star Guitar by the Chemical Brothers, which possibly has the best ever use of the Flanger effect, and I wanted to do something similar here. I created the Video Blog above to explain how I went about doing this.
The VST Plugins I have been exploring so far whilst working on this song are: 1. A1 Trigger Gate 2. Antares Mic Mod 3. Azurite Chorus 4. HY-Delay 5. NadIR Impulse Response 6. Toraverb 7. Waves Kaleidescopes 8. Waves Vitamin
12th April 2021 - Open Fund VLOG Post #9 - HOW TO BEEF UP LIVE DRUMS : BY DOUBLING THEM UP!
I used Parallel Instruments, Samples, Loops, and VST Effects (EQ, Compression, Overdrive, Saturation, Distortion and Reverb) ...a good set of Headphones or Studio Monitors are essential to get the most out of this video.
9th May 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #9 - LET ME KNOW
The next song I have started working on, "Let Me Know", was written by a young singer songwriter called Grace Adlerstein. I originally recorded and produced it over 10 years ago and fortunately this time around, there is no timing correction to do, as with it being an Electro Pop Rock Love Song, I did all the timing correction at the time of the original production. This track is giving me the opportunity to explore and learn about a whole new set of VST Effect Plugins. I am going into far more detail than I would do under normal circumstances, but this is because I want to really learn about the individual characteristics of every new Plugin that I use. It's starting to sound really fantastic, definitely a huge upgrade on what I did back in the day. I will also be creating a Video Blog about how I beefed up the drums, as they have transformed from a weak rhythm into a powerful driver of the song.
The new VST Plugins I have learned to use are: 1. Antresol Flanger 2. Chris Lord Alge Bass 3. Dead Duck Phaser 4. iZotope Vocal Synth2 5. La Petite Excite 6. Meta Filter 7. Quadrafuzz V2 8. Scheps Omni Channel 9. Waves Center 10. Waves Sibilance 11. Waves Torque 12. Waves Wider 13. Valhalla Shimmer
26th April 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #8 - SHINING A LIGHT ON MY OWN PROCESS
It's becoming very apparent that I need some down time once I am approaching the end of a production. Finishing up on a production is a very intense process for me that requires pinpoint concentration on the final elements. Each time I have just about finished working on a song, I spend a couple of evenings listening to it over and over again on different systems and at different volumes, which enables me to identify the finishing touches required to create something magical.
Today I started on the next production, but I had three days of complete and utter exhaustion before I was able do this. A lot of it was also down to dehydration. I'll be drinking a glass of filtered water alongside every coffee from now on! I am also getting more clarity on where exactly I want to go in terms of the direction of my music production. I am truly developing the ability to embelish songs with an atmosphere that can offer the listener an immersive experience.
18th April 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #7 and VLOG Post #8 - MANUAL TIME CORRECTIONS
The most time consuming element of this project is definitely Timing Corrections. When I load up old projects, a lot of the timing is very loose. There are quicker ways to fix this, such as using "Audio Warp" and "Time Stretch" functions, but these noticeably degrade the sound. Manual correction takes a lot longer, and I had to spend another three full days to finish up this process on all the instruments in "Good Ship Tequila" before I could start on the mix. The live drums needed to be beefed up and I did this by "doubling up" on a lot of the sounds, adding in extra Kicks, Snares, Crash Cymbals, and a Parallel Compression track. After this I shifted my attention to EQ and Effects across all the other tracks.
It's coming on very nicely, but still a lot of experimentation to do with EQ, Compressors, Delays and Reverbs. All going well, this Production should be finished by the middle of next week. I also published a Vlog about my first attempt at "Sound Design", where I fairly impressively recreated a Sample I had used from Star Wars, in a different song that was never commercially released.
10th April 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #6 and VLOG Post #7 - GOOD SHIP TEQUILA
Two days into the week I finished working on "Valkyrie", and was left feeling exhausted and even depressed. This has been some of my best Production work to date, but I had to slow down considerably for the rest of the week, which I spent on time correcting the Live Drums in a song called "Good Ship Tequila" by a band called "Some Nick". I was a member of this band back in the day, and this track has a very much live-on-stage feel that will present different Production challenges to those which are supposed to sound like they have been produced in a recording studio.
In my downtime I listened to "Valkyrie" over and over in different sound systems. I realised that the Chorus was not strong enough from a Production point of view, as compared with the rest of the song. I was inspired with some amazing new Production ideas to implement later on. The irony is that if I hadn't felt depressed and slowed down, I wouldn't have gotten these new Production ideas. Finally, I published a Video Blog demonstrating how I have been correcting the timing of Live Drums without using "Audio Warping".
4th April 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #5 and VLOG Post #6 - VALKYRIE
This entire week I have worked on a beautiful acoustic song called "Valkyrie" that I Produced and worked on with Amy Belle (Vocals) and Dougal Gudim (Acoustic Guitar), almost 20 years ago. They are both exceptional musicians so it has been a pleasure to revisit. I originally played Bass and Percussion, and have now also added a Rhodes Keyboard and sound effects. Time corrections took only a day, and most of the rest of the week was spent on EQ and Effects Automation. It looks as if it will only take one more working day to finish the mix, which is a huge contrast to the song I was working on last month. I also published a Video Blog explaining how I manage to extend a note without using "Time Stretch". I only ever time stretch as a last resort, as it can lead to "Warble" and unwanted audio glitches.
28th March 2021 - Open Fund VLOG Post #5: HOW I FINALLY ELIMINATED DIGITAL NOISE INTERFERENCE
Finally!! After two months of research and experimentation, I managed to eliminate the Digital Noise and Interference between my Digital Recording System and my Analogue Mixing Desk. It wasn't Ground Loop Hum. Changing my Unbalanced Cables to Balanced Connections did not help either. What solved the issue for me in the end was the Samson MCD2 Pro Stereo Passive PC Direct Box.
26th March 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #5 - PIANOS, PERCUSSION AND PUSHING PERFECTIONISM
This week was one tough week. Firstly, I didn't take enough time to rest at the weekend, to get my fourth Video Blog out. Then also trying to squeeze in some time for another project I am working on. As the week proceeded I faced higher and higher levels of exhaustion, culminating in an acute taste of depression.
I was getting extremely disheartened because the Piano and Snare Drum are still sounding way too artificial, which becomes even more apparent as I tighten up the overall mix. I added in Percussion (Timpani, Triangle, Tambourine and Shakers) and lined up a lot of great sounding effects, especially on this "Blowing Into A Bottle" sound that is now very ethereal, with Phaser, Delay and Auto-Gate on it. The more the good elements sound good, the more the bad elements sound bad. I experimented with recording real Snare Drum hits, rolls, and ghost notes to replace the Virtual Instrument. There is more work to do on this at a later stage, but it's an improvement.
I had a great chat with my Creative Scotland advisor on Thursday, which has re-focussed me for next week. So I did end on a slight up-curve, also after purchasing Modartt's Pianoteq 7 Pro Studio. I downloaded and installed the Plugin, loaded it into my Project and had a very quick browse through some standard presets. It already sounds 100 times more realistic. As I have spent the first four weeks on this one song, I would be best to take a break from it by moving onto another track next week.
21st March 2021 - Open Fund VLOG Post #4 - HOW I CATEGORSIE AND USE VST PLUGINS
My fourth Video Blog is all about how I categorise and use my VST Plugins as Insert and Send (Auxiliary) Effects. I discuss Routing, Grouping, using 32 bit Plugins in a 64 bit System, Channel Strips, Compressors, Multiband Compressors, Expanders, Limiters, Gates and Auto-Gates, Enhancers, Exciters, EQ, Filters and Auto-Filters, Vocal Strips, Harmonisers, Formants, De-Essers, Tuning and Pitch Shifting, Instrument Channels, Amp Simulators, Overdrive, Distortion, Saturation, Tape and Vinyl Emulators, Restoration Plugins, Delay, Reverbs, Stereoizers and Wideners, and Modulation: Envelopes, Degraders, Ring Modulators, Chorus, Doublers, Flangers, Phasers, Tremolo, Auto-Pan.
19th March 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #4 - GUITARS, SOUND DESIGN AND SOUND EFFECTS
This week I cleaned up the bass and all the guitar parts in the track, which were originally recorded on my very first digital recording system. It was quite limited in terms of recording quality by today's standards and at the time my skillset was also very embryonic. All this resulted in mistakes that manifested as timing errors and notes or chords coming out fuzzy, thin, or tinny. What I did to rectify this was go through each part with a fine toothcomb, cutting out and moving sections, chords or notes that were out of time, and cutting out and replacing any notes or chords that carried a noticeably degraded audio signal. This was literally a note by note, strum by strum exercise. I wouldn't have been able to progress any further with this composition without first going through this process, which took three days.
Next, I tried something I that is new to me. "Sound Design" is not about melodic or rhythmical elements, but creating atmospheric soundscapes from scratch. It is also a skill that is especially important to Music Producers who work in or with the movie industry. The reason for venturing into this new territory is that my original recording (over 20 years old and not commercially released), contained two samples from "Star Wars" and one from "Blazing Saddles". I can't legally release a song using their audio material without prior consent. So I spent two days recreating these atmospheric sounds as closely as possible, while also putting my own slant on them. This first attempt at Sound Design will make good content for a Video Blog. Finally, I worked on the other sound effects, which consisted of three sweeping "white noise" tracks.
12th March 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #3 - SOFTSYNTHS AND SYSTEM OPTIMISATION
It's my second weekly roundup. I have spent my time working on Drum, Piano, and then Synth parts. So many unexpected and fantastic learning curves each time I open a new Virtual Instrument. It's really something, but very time consuming to get everything up and running smoothly. I honestly didn't realise how many upgrades would result as peripheral off-shoots of this project. Every time a technical problem crops up, or I find myself in a position where I don't know how to use a Virtual Instrument very well, I look up tutorials and explore forums to develop my Music Production mastery.
An analogy I thought of is this. Imagine you play the guitar. You suddenly find yourself in a position where you need to learn the Banjo in a couple of days. You do that and then you need to learn the Mandolin, and then more stringed instruments with fretboards, and so on. You kind of know how they work, but it still takes a lot of time, effort and practice to renegotiate the particular nuances of each one. This is effectively what I have already had to do over and over, on top of the actual Music Production process itself.
Now that I have started using a number of "Softsynths" (synths stored in and running from a computer), it is pushing my system to the limits. I spent hours researching and learning how to tweak performance and this made a huge difference. I am not getting audio drop-outs anymore. I am still paying close attention to my composition, "A Comet" , where many of the original, individual recordings sounded cheap, dull, lifeless, and could not be redeemed. I used a number of programs that are completely new to me, going through (and often tweaking) hundreds of patches to end up with immensely improved results.
I am beginning to get very concerned about the timeline for this project, as I am only at the end of my second week and have already ascended a big bunch of very steep learning curves. This is absolutely fantastic for my growth as a Music Producer and I am reaping immediate rewards. But I now realise that proposing to create a Portfolio with up to 20 tracks in 5 months was completely naive and unrealistic. At this rate, I'll be doing well to finish one track per month, because I am aiming at an incredibly high standard. We're talking as close to top-end, world-class Music Production as possible. I can't cut corners now, because it would have huge knock-on effects on each track as Production progresses. Fortunately, Creative Scotland see supporting growth as a major priority, so I would like to speak to my adviser about this massive timeline discrepancy.
Over the last two weeks I have learned the following new skills and programs, mastering some completely, or at the very least developing a strong understanding, with each new element being akin to the stringed instrument analogy: 1. Optimising System and Processor Performance in Windows 10 2. Optimising Processor Performance in the BIOS 3. Optimising Windows 10 Power Settings for Audio Production 4. Editing Windows 10 Registry 5. NVidia Control Panel 6. Bandicam 7. Movie Studio Platinum 8. Sound Forge 9. XLN Audio "Addictive Drums 2" 10. Halion Sonic Se3 11. Cymatic Form "Kinetic Metal" 12. Native Instruments "Kontakt" 13. Native Instruments "The Gentleman" 14. Native Instruments "The Grandeur" 15. Native Instruments "The Giant" 16. Native Instruments "The Maverick" 17. Native Instruments "Una Corda"
A final note about Video Blogs. I have not made any more since the project began, due to the technical issues that I have described previously. These remain ongoing, as I experiment with different cabling and background noise reduction technology. As soon I have it sorted, I will get back onto sharing the new knowledge I have accumulated on my YouTube Channel and Social Media pages.
6th March 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #2 - PIANOS AND DRUMS
I have just finished my first week working on my Producers Portfolio and thought it would be a good idea to give a roundup of what has been involved. I started with the first song I ever recorded digitally, which is called "A Comet" and have been looking forward to bringing this track up to my current production standards. Most of the instrumentation was originally recorded on a home practice keyboard from the 90's. You know, those Yamaha PSR ones? It sounds cheap and nasty, so I started looking to replace the Piano and Drum sounds, as they are the backbone of this particular composition.
I tried about ten or so different Piano sounds and ended up combining two different Virtual Pianos from Native Instruments, to get a very nice warm and atmospheric sound. I also lined up some effects to tweak them with later. This took most of the entire first day and will be my ballpark Piano sound going forward. I will still have to tweak MIDI Velocities. One of the two Piano sounds I am using, although very beautiful, has this ‘clicky' element to it that I will be looking for ways to eliminate or reduce later on.
The next four days, very unexpectedly, consisted on reworking the Drums. This opened a massive can of worms. But a very juicy and delicious can of worms. I am using a Virtual Instrument called "Addictive Drums 2" by XLN Audio for this. It is a pretty good program for natural drums sounds, although there is much more to it than that. Getting the right drum sound proved to be a mammoth task. A massive learning curve ensued in this, because there is so much happening on the back pages of the Drum Kit, and so many ways to configure it in your DAW.
I started with the Tom-tom sounds, then moved onto the Kick Drum, and gradually worked my way through the whole Drum Kit, saving different preset options as I went along. Long-term, even beyond the scope of this Project, banking these presets will be a powerful tool for working on any songs that require a natural-ish sounding Drum Kit. I am working to an incredibly high production standard and I am extremely happy with the results, although this Virtual Drum Kit is most suited towards natural sounds. This means that when it comes to working on songs that are more of an electronic bent, I will need to start again with a different Virtual Instrument such as "Battery", which is a Drum Machine by Native Instruments.
This unexpected and massive learning curve has left me a little worried about completing the Project in accordance with the originally specified timeline, as I now realise there will be more learning curves involved that I will have to spend just as much, or more time on. It is pivotal that I master all of the tools at my disposal. This project is not merely about completion, but also about my personal growth as a Producer, and the growth of any musicians I work with or share my newly gained skills with as a result. So I will continue to work hard every day, and I will keep learning and sharing what I have learned via my Blogs and Video Blogs.
1st March 2021 - Open Fund BLOG Post #1 - A COMET
It's my first day! And the first track I have decided to work on for this project is the first track I ever recorded into a computer, over 20 years ago! Originally much of the instrumentation came from a cheap Yamaha synth, so I spent three hours working on replacing the Piano and I left myself with some excellent options that I will tweak later. The second three hours I spent moving the Drums from the Yamaha synth into Addictive Drums 2. I separated out individual Drum parts onto different channels and began to experiment with Drum sounds, Reverbs, and Compression. Tomorrow I would like to figure out how to combine elements from different Presets into one. I made a spreadsheet of all the sounds I liked so that I will be ready to go. I intend to make video blogs about these two challenges at a later date.
22nd February 2021 - Open Fund VLOG Post #3 - AUDIO SETTINGS AND VIDEO CODECS
Here is my third Video Blog, which is already my second on troubleshooting Screen Recorders! I have ironed out most issues, but I am still experiencing an audio glitch that manifests as weird digital noise or interference. I did my best to filter it out, but you can still hear it over my voice at times. I hope to have this final issue resolved for my next Video Blog, because it won't be very good for when I am working on music in my DAW and capturing that.
The audio glitch is not captured at any time other than when Screen Recording is in progress, although I can always hear it, so it must be travelling along my Bus Outputs. The noise is occuring inside my Mixing Desk when my computer is switched on, even when channel input gains, volume faders and master faders are turned down completely. If I push my master faders all the way up it gets louder, and also comes out the headphone sockets... but the DB25 Direct Outs are not subject to this interference, which persists even if I disconnect all inputs and outputs from the mixer! It's rather strange.
In this Video Blog I discuss the following subjects: Screen Recorders, Bandicam, Troubleshooting, Audio Video Sync, Audio Routing and Bussing, Audio Interfaces, Audio Device Manager and Settings, Monitoring, DAW Project Settings, Bit Depth and Sample Rate, Video Codecs and Settings, Frame Rate (FPS), Video Editing Software, Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum and Enabling So4 Compound Reader.
16th February 2021 - Open Fund VLOG Post #2 - STUDIO HARDWARE ESSENTIALS
In the video below I go over the all the essential Outboard Gear I use in my Recording and Production setup: Mixing Desks, Patch Bays and Routing, Insert Effects (alter the audio signal on the way in), Auxiliary Effects (create a duplicate parallel signal with the effect applied to it), Audio Interfaces, MIDI Interfaces, MIDI Controllers, Studio Monitors, Multiple Screen Setup... and more!
Some key points that beginners may want to research in more detail are: 1. Positioning Studio Monitors in a Recording and Production Space 2. Insert Effects and Auxiliary Effects 3. Effect Automation 4. Direct Outs 5. Channel Strips 6. Line Input and Microphone Input Levels (Impedance) 7. Bussing 8. Phantom Power 9. Condenser and Dynamic Microphones 10. What is Phase? 11. Gain Staging 12. Additive and Subtractive EQ 13. Combo Inputs, XLR Connector, 1/4" Jack Connector 14. Patchbay Routing
3rd February 2021 - Open Fund VLOG Post #1 - INTRODUCTION AND SCREEN RECORDERS
Welcome to the first blog about my Creative Scotland Open Fund Project to create a Producers Portfolio. I was due to begin production at the beginning of February, but as fate would have it I ran in to a fatal error on my Studio PC when I was setting up some new equipment and software. Creative Scotland were keen for me to find a way to share any knowledge and experience I accumulate while working on my Portfolio, and we decided that the best way to do this would be using a Screen Recorder to capture what I am doing in my DAW, and narrate with a microphone.
So this introduction will be about the massive challenges that manifested such that the start date of this project got pushed back. Fortunately the good people at Creative Scotland were very understanding. My Studio PC was running Windows 7 Professional. After downloading Screen Recording Software, I quickly found out that I would require two Audio Interfaces installed in my system, because my DAW outputs audio, and Screen Recorders take in audio, at different sample and bit rates. Attempting this with one Audio Interface caused conflicts.
When I first installed the second Audio Interface I experienced technical difficulties with the Drivers, so I contacted my hardware and software manufacturers for support. They suggested that I download all the latest Windows 7 Updates. In the process of doing so, my system completely crashed out. Windows repair disks and restore points were not helping. I am now in the process of getting five Hard Drives and 4TB of Software reinstalled into Windows 10 Professional, and I have just today reached the point where I had done enough to enable me to make the video blog below. There is still much to do before I can get started on the actual Producers Portfolio.
The next challenge that presented itself was that I had to physically re-route cables behind my Mixing Desk so that I could change quickly back and forth between my Screen Recording setup and my normal Audio Production setup. My mixer was right against the wall, and it was an absolute jungle of cables in behind there. I moved some things around in my studio space and have now pulled my desk out a couple of feet from the wall. It's so great to be able to get in behind it. I have already completely removed a huge pile of cables that weren't in use and I have started tidying up all the other cables, coiling and securing any extra length using releasable cable ties. This is going to be so amazing and streamlined once it's finished!
I have still to decide which Audio Interface I want to use to play audio, and which one to capture it for these video blogs. Due to the particular configuration of my Mixing Desk, I have had to order up a pretty unusual cable to help me decide this, which is a mini stereo jack that splits the stereo signal out onto two female XLR plugs at the other end. I can't wait for that to arrive and A/B test this out. I will let you know how I got on with that in the next blog, where I will also go over my Music Production setup in a fair bit of detail. Until then, here is a little video about my first experiences with Screen Recording Software.
