LO3: Finishing Touches

I’ve added some atmospheric sounds at the beginning and end of Track 2 in an attempt to create some sort of sonic-imagery representing the nightlife of my hometown (it’s somewhat dark and scary). The atmosphere tracks seemed to shadow the first synth in the song and made it difficult to hear. To fix this, I used an EQ to turn down some of the mid-frequencies of the atmosphere tracks, making space for the synth to be heard within the mix. I also ended Track 3 with the sound of a car door slamming and an engine running – it seemed appropriate since the song lyrics are based around reckless driving.

I’ve also finally given my songs names.

Track 1 = I’d Rather Not Know

Track 2 = Overloaded

Track 3 = Crash

Track 4 = After Hours

I finished my mixes by making sure each song had similar levels of volume throughout the EP. I also ended each song at 0dB via volume automation on the master fader – I wouldn’t want to risk having any abrupt dynamic cuts between any of the songs.

Finally, I added metadata including artist information, album art and track names. The finished songs can be downloaded HERE.

LO5: Promoting My Music

As a follow-up to Production Post 6, I chose the art below to represent my EP as I never got a reply from the Ashfield council about using their public structures within my imagery. Although it isn’t the most creative design, it looks nice and follows a similar format to my last EP cover art with the ‘Vin McLo’ text being in the exact same place within the square.

With the EP nearing the end of the production process, I’ve been researching into professional ways to promote my music that can reach further than small social media groups. I found one website with a bunch of useful tips (New Artist Model, 2017). I already use Facebook to promote my music, however my fanbase so far mainly consists of family and friends. The two artists I collaborated with in Track 3 said they’d share my work on their own bands social media pages once the EP is released.

The music industry is full of many areas and career choices including song writers, performers, engineers, promoters, etc… It’s important to build networks in order to make the most out of it (Careers in Music, 2015). I’ve already collaborated with two other artists however I could also reach out to further audiences by asking a variety of music blogs to review my work. As well as getting some promotion, I could also get some useful feedback on how my work could be improved. Of course, I would be over-optimistic to think that some of the more global mainstream blogs would want to feature my work. And so, I’ve searched for a few smaller independent blogs to send my work to.

High Clouds – A blog that reviews albums and EPs from emerging artists of all genres. Available from: http://www.highclouds.org/

Electronic North – An independent label and promoter based in Northern England that works with electronic music artists. Available from: http://www.electronicnorth.co.uk/

Indie Pulse Music Magazine – A group that focusses on independent music artists. Available from: https://indiepulsemusic.com/

Xune Mag – A group that works with unsigned artists and gives them a chance to emerge. Available from: https://xunemag.com/submit-music/

https://www.indieshuffle.com/ – A diverse group of people that like to write reviews and share music. Available from: https://www.indieshuffle.com/

Birp.FM – Another blog that focuses on working with unsigned artists. They frequently put out playlists of new music for people to discover. Available from: http://www.birp.fm/

I’ll send emails and submissions to all of these blogs once my EP is complete. As for the release of my EP, I’ve been researching when the best day to release it could be. According to Brightside, Tuesdays are becoming good days to release music CDs, as well and Blu-Rays and DVDs, as they act as safety days in case product didn’t arrive on Monday. However, since my EP is only being release as a digital format (for now) I don’t have to be concerned about this.

A Wired article states that Fridays are good days to release music as consumers are more likely to buy products on weekends. However, it also states that a Tuesday release would give me more time to stand out from the mainstream media before the weekend rush whereas a Friday release would have me shadowed by mainstream advertising campaigns.

I don’t have a budget for advertising and so I doubt that any choice of day would cause me to stand out from mainstream, or even independent, media; I have to think realistically as well as optimistically. Considering that more people would have time to notice, or even buy, my EP over a weekend, I’ve decided to release my music on Friday the 22nd of December. I’ll send my music to various blogs before then in order to hopefully get some reviews in as soon as possible.

I noticed that a lot of bands tend to release trailers for their albums and EPs on shortly before release on social media. Check out this example trailer by Tennis HERE. With this in mind, I decided to make my own trailer. It uses old VHS video footage to conform with the retro-style Vin McLo branding. You can watch the trailer by clicking HERE. It’ll be made available to the public on the 15th December, right before the weekend, on the Vin McLo Facebook page.

References

Brightside (2017) Which day of the week is best to release music? Friday, I guess. Available from: https://brightsidelive.com/day-week-best-release-music-friday-guess/

Careers in Music (2015) Making Connections in the Music Industy Through Networking. Available from: https://www.careersinmusic.com/making-connections-in-the-music-industry-through-networking/

Tennis (2017) 3 Days. Available from: https://www.instagram.com/p/BbNC7i-l_Zz/?hl=en&taken-by=tennisinc

Wired (2016) Why Dropping Music on Friday is Pivotal (Hint: It’s Not Sales). Available from: https://www.wired.com/2016/08/new-music-fridays-why/

LO4: Recording and Mixing Vocals

I took a few tips from Sound on Sound to help get my vocal takes. I recorded vocals from tracks 1, 2 and 3 using a Rode NT1-A cardioid pattern, condenser microphone. Its low self-noise level and wide dynamic range make it suitable for recording vocals. The cardioid pattern also made sure that the microphone would pick up vocals from in front of the microphone while barely picking up anything else in the surroundings. I recorded my vocals, and the guest vocals for Track 3, in the multitrack dead-room. I chose the dead-room over the live-room as I wanted to record as little reverb and room tone as possible which, as a result, would give me more control over reverb settings during the mixing stage.

I searched for various tips online to help me with the mixing and the most useful ones I found where from The Pro Audio Files. I found that a few of my current mixing practices could do with some improving. For example, I would usually spend hours mixing solo’d tracks, trying to create perfect tones for individual instruments and vocal parts. However, I’m now aware of the importance of mixing in context to other instruments. I need to use the ‘solo’ buttons less frequently when mixing tracks and start making tracks sound good together rather than individually. And so, on some tracks I have turned down certain frequency ranges to make space for the vocals and other instruments within each of my songs.

I’ve also learned how pre-delay can improve my usage of reverb. Although I want reverb to create space and dimension, I also want the vocals to stand at the front and centre of the mix. Pre-delay can put space in between the vocals and reverb and therefore allow me to have both space and centred vocals.

I processed the vocals in other ways too. For example, I used a de-essers to reduce the overemphasis on ‘S’ and ‘T’ sounds. I also used a mix of compression and automation to control the dynamics of the vocal parts. Although compression is very useful when it comes to stabilising dynamic range, it can also make less-wanted sounds, such as breathing, more noticeable. I used automation to reduce the volume, or sometimes remove, such sounds

References

Sound on Sound (2006) Vocal Recording and Production Masterclass. Available from: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/vocal-recording-production-masterclass

The Pro Audio Files (2017) 7 Simple Tips to Mix Vocals Like a Pro. Available from: https://theproaudiofiles.com/7-simple-tips-mix-vocals-like-pro/

LO3: Developing Track 3

Listen to the original demo HERE.
I planned to collaborate with two other people in Track 3: a vocalist and a guitarist. The track structure of the song is purely linear, moving on from one part to another with no part being the same as any other before it. This linear writing style is similar to the works of Makeup and Vanity Set and the structures of my other tracks. I wrote the vocals using an idea I’ve heard in Redbone’s ‘Come and Get Your Love‘. Similar to that song, I wanted to make use of the call and response technique, having the call and response parts played by different vocalists. James Jolly provided me with the call parts. I sung the backing responses. As preparation, I sent James the lyrics and some rough recordings of myself singing the song a week before the recording session so that he’d know what he was going to do once he was in the studio. I also made sure we prepared ourselves using some of the techniques I learned in Production Post 9 so that we’d give our best performances.

Like most power ballads, I wanted a guitar solo to take place within my song. And so, I got guitarist Joe Dickinson to help me out. I sat with him and together we wrote a few ideas for the solo part. I told him I wanted a build-up to the solo that was similar to that in Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain‘. The actual solo was written through improvisation, however, I told Joe that I wanted the playing style similar to that of Van Halen. As a result, we created an interesting section with a dive-bomb and a quick scale climb.

I mixed the guitar with Van Halen’s ‘Panama‘ and Chicago’s ‘Love Me Tomorrow‘ as references. I panned the guitar slightly to the left and added delay to add depth and utilize the stereo space. I also automated the delay so that it became more prominent at the end of the solo.

Listen to the latest version of Track 3 HERE.

To finish the track, I’m going to need to improve the ending. Perhaps a sound effect or a fading-out synth would be a good way to end the song.

References

‘Love Me Tomorrow‘ by Chicago

‘Panama‘ by Van Halen

‘The Chain‘ by Fleetwood Mac

LO4: Vocal Preparation

I’m adamant to use my own vocals within my work. I’m not a singer but with some preparation, I’m confident I can pull off a good performance (or one that’s at least worthy of being mixed). With all my song lyrics written, and a studio and Rode NT1-A condenser microphone at hand, I had to prepare myself for some singing.

I found one site that gave a few tips on how to prepare for singing (Music Creations, 2015). Although they were mainly for live auditions, there was still some useful information. For example, it’s important to know what you’re going to sing in order to get a good smooth performance. With this, I made sure to practice singing my music for a coupe days before the recording session. I also found that it was important to be in good health. Of course, it would be difficult to sing with the flu, however, even little things like body low temperature and dehydration can affect a vocalist’s performance. Warmth will allow your vocal muscles to stretch more freely

On the subjecting of stretching vocal muscles, I learned that vocal exercises should be carried out before singing, similar to how you’d stretch your arms and legs before a workout. And so, I searched online for some vocal exercises (WikiHow, 2017). Some exercises include deep breathing, to help utilise your diaphragm; singing solfège, to help keep in tune with scales; and performing trills, to release any tension within your lips and tongue

References

Music Creations (2015) 20 tips for singing auditions. Available from: https://www.musical-creations.com/tips/auditioning/20-tips-prepare-singing-audition/

WikiHow (2017) How to Warm up Your Voice. Available from: https://www.wikihow.com/Warm-up-Your-Voice