What I Did In This Project:
My main roles within this project were overseeing the production of the EP with Dead Rooster and helping Oliver in any way that he needed during the process, I also set-up the equipment during the recording sessions and coordinated with Oliver to make sure they were to his specifications and also corresponded with his Pro-Tools session tracks. My next job was as the main mix engineer, I mixed ‘I Don’t Try’, ‘Out All Night’ and ‘Save My Soul’, I also oversaw the mixing of Olivers two songs and pointed him in the right direction in terms of mixing to the same way as I had. I also worked together with Oliver to master the tracks and make sure they all have similar levels. I was the main contact between the band and our group as it was less cluttered to do it this way.
How Did We Work As A Team:
Oliver and I have always worked as a fairly cohesive pairing and make sure we are always on the same level every step of the way. Oliver had a tendency to panic when things didn’t go very well, which at first caused me to panic, however after a while I just made sure he was reassured that things will be fine and the work will get done. When it came to mixing the songs we contacted each other regularly to show each other our mixes and give feedback as to how they could be improved and also discuss levels, I found that this helped create a better product in the end.
How Do I Feel The Project Went As A Whole:
On a whole I believe the project went rather well, apart from the problem we had with the recording studio, there weren’t many times that we had problems. However, a major problem that both I and Oliver have come to terms with is that our time management for this project was not up to scratch and affected us coming up to the deadline and may have put a strain on us and may have affected the mixing of the music slightly due to time constraints. There were definitely problems in terms of my research in the way that I don’t I kept up with it very well, and it caused me a lot of stress, however, I feel the number amount of posts I have made are sufficient. However, I feel that the amount of research that I put into each of my learning outcomes could have been higher and of better quality and this is something I would change when I do it again.
LO1 – Pros/Cons:
I feel that LO1 was my weakest aspect of my research as I don’t have a lot to show for what I did due to the way that the band behaved when I asked them to post content to their social media. This is an area I would have done completely different if I had the chance to. I believe that the best course of action for this research aim would have been to become an admin on their social media accounts and posted on behalf of the band, that way I would not have to rely on them and could instead follow the schedule I had set out at the start of the blog. I believe that if I were to retake the role of the PR person, I could have done it a lot better and had made more of an impact for the band.
LO2 – Pros/Cons:
I believe this was one of the better research aims as I have an interest in the topic and I enjoyed researching it. Distribution techniques will play a big part in the future of the band and I believe I have helped them set-up a good amount of platforms so that they can reach the largest audience. I have let the band know how to set up all the accounts for the streaming sites and music stores so that they can make sure they get paid for their music. I believe this is the learning outcome that went the best way it could have as it is a large part of the process which is often overlooked by smaller bands.
LO3 – Pros/Cons:
Mixing was one of my main roles in this project and although I did research for the mixing and tried to do it to an industry standard, I feel like I let my own tastes take over the mix at times, which isn’t the worst thing in the world as I still believe we made a good product and the band agrees. I made sure I gave the band multiple mixes of each song so they could give feedback and I only thought it as finished when they agreed that nothing else needed doing to it. I enjoyed mixing however I dont tend to follow a way of doing things, I tend to just mix until it sounds good, which isn’t something that all mix engineers do, however, it worked out in the end as the band liked my mixes.
LO4 – Pros/Cons:
I feel that I met the learning outcome for this one, I created the profile to get the band onto the BBC introducing website and then hopefully get them played on the local BBC introducing radio station. I have also talked to my friend who hosts a show on Brayford Radio to see if he can fit a song into his show after Christmas. I am still working on getting a radio edit of ‘Out All Night’ mixed so that I can upload it, however, this is not going to be on the EP so I don’t have to worry about the university deadline for this. I have given the band the login information to the BBC introducing website so that they can upload any future songs that they record.
Final Words:
I have enjoyed most of this project, it has been a good learning experience and I have learnt a lot about the aspects of music production that are carried out after the recording of music. I have also learnt more about mixing and making sure it is of a quality that can be sold and distributed online. There are definitely things that I would do differently if I were to carry out the same process again, especially in terms of PR. I believe I have worked well with Oliver and I think that Lee has been an excellent tutor that has helped us with really focussing us and aiding us when things go wrong.