The Effects of Procrastination

So, I've decided to do a solo project for the next 6 weeks and I had to present a project pitch this week for it. Luckily I've had this idea in my mind for a while and I had previously created a scratch track for one of the songs. So, this part went quite smoothly for me. In fact, I have an entire scope already planned, from the album cover to concepts for each track. I'm ready to jump straight into this project.

I introduce ATOM'S WRLD...

At the start of this week, I came to the realisation that I am quite far behind in my theoretical work. I'm lucky that I have a lot of confidence in this project, it will allow me to focus on my blog work and complete all documentation required for this project.

During the week I wrote on my planner at home the four songs I wanted to put together for the mixtape. Their BPM's are next to them for a constant reminder to think of ways I can blend the tracks together. Underneath that I have written down all the learning outcomes that I have not yet been marked off for, this checklist narrows things down for me when I come to my computer. Through the use of time-boxing and visually being able to see what I need to have completed, I can work on one thing at a time. This will save me from being overwhelmed due to an overload of work.

I will start on the overall structure for the mixtape this week with plans to outsource a guitarist and drummer for a scratch track I have produced and presented in my pitch.

You can listen to the scratch track here.

Assisting Peers

Mid-setup for a drum recording

On Wednesday, I was present in the Neve Studio assisting Quinn for a recording she was getting done for her Project 2. This was a great session, 9 tracks got recorded in total, with minimum 3 takes per track... That's a lot of recordings!!

11 microphones were used for this recording, this was their positioning and details...

Kick In - Beta 52

Kick Out - Rode NT2A

Snare Top - SM57

Snare Bottom - SM57

Hi Tom - Sennheiser MD421

Mid Tom - Sennheiser MD421

Floor Tom - Sennheiser MD421

Overhead I - Royer 121

Overhead II - Royer 121

Moscow I - M Audio Pulsar

Moscow II - M Audio Pulsar

I learnt from this session that Quinn is very knowledgable when it comes to most technical aspects of sound production. From basic synthesis techniques all the way to live recording audio processing. She conducts herself very professionally and has great communication skills. Even though the project Quinn has chosen to is to record another artists album for them, she's still able to have control within the session and can clearly articulate what she expects from the artists being recorded.

Here's a short video of the session.