We did 4 acoustic recordings of Black Roses. The instruments we used were kajoon, 2 guitars, double bass, 2 singers, keyboard.
The first place we did the recording was the usual room that we rehearse in. It has some instruments around, like pianos, drums, and some music equipments. While recording we stood in the middle of the room, I was the closest to the laptop, as my voice is quiet and if I stood further nobody would hear me, then there were the other instruments and Ari, who’s the lead singer. He was the furthest as he’s got a really strong and loud voice. Instead of drums we used a kajoon, which was behind the laptop. The sound was crowded and so, some of the instruments were getting lost. Because we couldn’t use the electric bass or guitars, we used the acoustic ones and a double bass.
In the second recording we were outside. The place we were in was about 16x20 meters, and it was surrounded by glass walls, so the sound was bouncing of those walls. There was no ceiling. We used the same instruments and in they were in the same room as in the previous room. After listening to the recording we could hear, that the sound was getting lost, because of the open sky.
Our third recording was made in a big about 30x40 meter room. The kajoon was in the middle of the room, as it was the loudest; the keyboard near the wall, the furthest from the microphone, because that was the closest place to plug the cable in; and the rest of us was surrounding the microphone around it. The sound here was completely lost in the big space, most of instruments couldn’t be heard at all.
The last recording that we did was in the stereo room. Originally it was supposed to be in the recording room, but there wasn’t enough space for everyone to go in at the same time. In here the order of the instruments was the same as in the first two recordings. In this room the sounds were bouncing off the walls, and the glass the was one one of them, and it was being crowded.
Isabelle
Drive my car recording session
We have managed to record the drums, rhythm guitar and piano as well as bass guitar. We we’re shown the whole process of how to set the input levels on the preamps for each instrument. This was much longer on the drums because there was more than one input and the sounds were leaking into the individual microphones. We also made a guide lead vocal track and rhythm guitar track, which the drummer played to, instead of giving the drummer a click and once all the other parts are recorded, we plan on substituting these tracks with more polished versions. I feel like the process is going well, we only have to record the vocals as well as the lead guitar and finally adding effects such as reverb on to the various instruments.
What is takes to make a good ensemble?
I think one of the main aspects of a successful ensemble is dedication, motivation and commitment because the group wouldn’t be able to move forward because people could consistently not turn up to band meetings/rehearsals, and as a result of this, certain members of the group can feel that there is an unnecessary weight on their shoulders and they may also lose motivation. On the topic of motivation, I’m simply talking about if you can’t do a certain riff or arpeggio in the rehearsal, a motivated would go home a work on it until it’s perfect so that when they come back to the next rehearsal it’s perfect.
Also I believe that everyone has to be on the same page. Because this was the downfall of the Beatles as sir demonstrated last lesson, Paul McCartney wanted to take the group I one direction and John Lennon wanted to take the group in another. This all links back to communication. If everyone is aware of each others thoughts and opinions about the group then situations would be trashed out before they escalate and fewer problems within the group would arise.
Bands you admire? Why?
I recently performed at the o2 arena as an opening act for MJB and managed to see her band rehearse and I took something from them which was to strive for perfection. As they were dong their sounds check even though everything sounded okay to my ears, she would stop the run through if she felt that something was not right. And from the tightness of the band it was clear that they had rehearsed for hours and hours. Also when I heard them, it sounded exactly like the recorded version except that there was a few more stops and breaks because it was a live show.
Talent within the group?
I was fortunate enough to use one of her keyboards for the show and I asked one her musicians a few questions, one of which was how good do you have to be to be in the band. He simply replied ‘you don’t have to exceptionally great but you have to know how to play your instrument with along with others, and put the sound of the group before the sound of your instrument’ So that’s basically the spacing the track. It can’t be too congested. As Mr challenger has said, ‘sometimes less is more’. He also stressed on how important rehearsals are because this is where the tightness in a group is worked on.
Live performances?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KpqjYHZRps live version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAsO8G8Go1Y studio version
Ari - Entry 2 of practice diary
