UNIT 9 PRODUCTION DIARY

1) Equipment List

Pro Tools 10 -
To Mix/Master Vocals as this is better suited and has more plug-ins available.

Pro Tools SE -
To record, As this is a basic software it doesn't do alot so it doesn't get confusing and can be used for it fundamental uses.

M-Audio Producer USB Microphone -
This Condenser microphone was used as it excludes any background noises, distortion or any other 
noises.

Compaq Laptop - 
Used to Mix/Master as it is a newer model and can run the programs smoother and faster and also without any fault.

Acer laptop -
Used to just record as it is a older model and can sometimes have problems running all the plug-ins all at once.

Bush Stereo system -
This stereo system includes a bass speaker, subwoofers (L,R) and additional surround sound speakers. This is so that the playback is perfect and every aspect of the recording can be heard, because if a smaller system was used you wouldnt be able to pick up all the little details that are changed during mixing and mastering.

Mic Stand -
Used to position the microphone wherever the artist wants it to be. E.g. the artist could want it lower than their mouth or higher, they could also want it to be slanted etc.

Pop Shield -
Used to make sure that the recording is clean. it cuts out all the hard consonant sounds.

2) Recording
The recording process begins with myself (producer) and the artist entering the room (studio) and setting up. For the Producer (me) setting up is making sure the microphone is working and that the microphone is set up in a location where feedback/background noises are not an issue. And for the artist, setting up would be making sure that they have the correct verse and that their voice is clear and making sure that they are ready to record the verse/hook to the best of their ability.

I set up the microphone in a position that is just below the artists mouth, this way the artist can be in a comfortable position and not have to strain their neck whilst looking up or looking all the way down. I also made sure to make a point to the artist about how close to the microphone they should be before and during the recording this way i can experiment with the sound/feel of the overall track. e.g i can tell the artist to go closer and rap/sing in a softer voice or tell them to move away and shout.

The instrumental that was used was made in FL Studio using plug-ins and samples such as Kanye West and Eminem. The MIDI Data was inputted by using a mouse and a 32 key MIDI keyboard, The information that was input was edited using a mouse. I edited attributes such as velocity, tempo, duration, panning, pitch and volume. These were to change certain aspects of the instrumental.

3) Mixing
To mix i just had to do the vocals as i had already done the instrumental on FL Studio, First of all i added a 3 band Equalizer and Compressor.

I Then added a low pass filter to the Equalizer and moved its cut off point to about 200 khz this way the bass has been removed from the voice and does not clash or does not cause any distortion to the instrumental and it remains clear.

I also found the most distorted sound by turning the mid band up and moving it around, once i identified it i removed it slightly by turning it down a couple decibels, by doing this I'm ensuring that the vocal is clear and does not have that loud substance in it to cause distortion. 

Once i had done that i boosted the high band a bit to make the vocals stand out more and give the vocals more life, because who wants vocals that sound plain and dull.

The artist pronounced some of his consonants a bit too hard and after several takes it was still the same, to overcome this problem i used a built in plug-in called a de-esser this removes some of the high frequency noises that are produced by the artist whilst recording.

When everything was mixed down and i was happy with the quality of the vocals i then messed around with the level of them to make sure that when they were at their peak they were in level with the rest and not too overpowering of the instrumental, i also made sure that when the vocals were at their lowest they were still at the right level and not overpowered by the instrumental. 

4) Mastering

To master everything i had to turn off all electronic appliances that had built in fans that could cause a distraction to my ear and would affect the level at which i mastered the final track. First of all i made sure that the rendering settings were suitable and they were what they should be to be the best quality on CD, I then added a bass boost on the instrumental to give it more of dark feel as sometimes for me it didn't sound dark enough.