Recorded Music

1.1 Rationale for this Unit:

In this unit, I want to improve my ability to perform under
pressure. I want to be able to perfect my vocal abilities and
produce a demo EP of Blues and RnB music.
A) Personal Aims
To be able to improve my vocal abilities, and work on vocal
techniques I need to have a greater repertoire of warm
up techniques so that I can keep my voice in tip-top
condition
To try and improve my skills in working under pressure
sometimes I take on too much and then it is difficult to
perform at my absolute best
Exploring different types of genre I am really strong in
the Jazz and Blues i.e. the style of Etta James so it makes
sense for me to perfect that in the studio
To always practice and be disciplined with my work I
need to make the most of my lesson times and remain
focussed and set myself achievable targets
To try and expand my vocal range and to work on the little
details that could improve my vocal abilities. These little
details are things like tuning in the higher register and not
over singing as this will make me go flat.
This unit is designed to help me become a better performer
and develop my vocal to a professional standard.

1.2a) Nature of the studio environment

The vocal booth
is where the
artist records
their music.
These rooms
are typically the
same size as a
closet, and they
are usually
placed behind a
control room.
When recording
a vocal piece,
you record in a
booth because
the walls are
filled with fibre
glass or pillows,
and therefore
this gives you a
dead sound
which is very
important when
The lounge is
where the artist
will go when
theyre taking a
break from
recording their
music.

The recording space is used for

recoding other musical pieces, such
as piano or other instruments.
Especially with piano, the recording
space is used from instruments that
big.

The ISO room, also

known as the
Isolation Booth is a
sort of device thats
used to prevent a
person from seeing
or hearing some
events.

The control room is

where everything in the
recoding booth is being
controlled. This is where
the engineer sits on his
PC and works with the
client in the booth.
There are different
technical equipments in
a control room such as;
a DAW (Digital audio
workstation) is a
computer software
application that is used
for recoding, editing and
producing audio (songs).
DAWs is used for the
making of music, radio,

1.B) Selection of repertoire

I have chosen songs from the genres RnB and Jazz, as the
songs suit the style of my voice as well as the range. One of the
songs Ive chose is At Last by Etta James. The song was first
released November 15th 1960 from the album At Last. I
chose this song as it had a Jazz feel to it and the vocal range is
quite low but I could do my own arrangement; as well as that,
the song is well known and there have been covers done by big
artists such as Beyonc, Celine Dion and Glen Miller. (Time2:57)
The second song I have chosen is Writings on The Wall by Sam
Smith. The genre of the song suits the style of my voice and
uses a different range. For example in the chorus you have use
head voice and this expands my range a little more. I chose this
song as it has just been recently released for the James Bond
film Spectre. The song was from the album Digster Hits Nu
(vol.4) and it has been already nominated for Golden Globe
Award for Best Original song. (Time-4:38)
The third song choice is I Have Nothing by Whitney Huston. The
song was released as a single for the film The Bodyguard in
February 20, 1993, from the label Arista. I chose this song as it
has a massive a vocal range, as well as that the genre of the
song, again, suits the style of my voice. The song was also
nominated for Best Original Song at the 65th Annual Academy
Awards; moreover it was also nominated for a Grammy. (Time4:48)
The Last song that I chose to include in my album is the duet by
Grace ft. G-Eazy, You Dont Own Me. I chose this song as not
only did I like the song, but I felt that adding the duet would
spice up the album. The song is upbeat and happy, compared
to the other ballads Ive chosen to do. As well as that the song
has just been released and is new in the charts. The genre of
the song is Pop-Soul, Hip-Hop and RnB, which is the genre Ive
chosen for my album. It was released 17 th march 2015. (Time3.19)

1.2B-The Studio Recording Process

The world of music is constantly changing. A decade ago, music
would have been much more different compared to recording
music now, as back then everything was much simpler. If you
had a band, you would put on a performance and hope that you
could impress a producer who might be sat in the audience.
However, times have changed, as now you could record an
album from your home. Nowadays most artists are discovered
through the internet. Most artists would record themselves
singing, put it up on online and the videos go viral, and you can
become famous overnight. Although it isnt easy getting the
publicity its that simple when youre recording music. Here are
some steps that people could follow to make sure that their
music is the best it could be.
1) Process- Back then recording was much simpler as you
could record an entire performance using 1 or 2 mics.
However nowadays we go through the multitrack
recording process. This is where you record different
instruments separately an then later combine it in a
mix.
*Advantages of multitracking-

 This lets the engineers mould and shape the sound of

each of the instrument.
It also lets each of the instruments to be recorded one
at a time.

2) Create a Track to follow- Creating a track to follow is a sort

of guide for the other instruments to follow along with.
Usually people use a click or metronome to set the tempo
of the music. However, since not all artists can follow the
clicks, they could also use a pre-recorded drum loop, to
keep them in the beat instead. Sometimes not all songs
have a steady tempo, so a third method would be to
create a Scratch Track. A scratch track is something
thats played through roughly so that the artist or
musicians have something to work with, and can play to
support other parts, but this is not final, as once the other
musicians have recorded their parts, it will be recorded
when the musician is able to play against the parts of the
already recorded music. Overall this is where an
instrument or a group of instruments are recorded as
guide, and then over-dubbed one at a time, and
therefore the scratch can be deleted, as its just the guide,
after all the instruments are combined in the mix.

3) Recording the Rhythm Section- The rhythm section is the

foundation of any song. The rhythm section is what keeps
the music in time, for example, when playing music
everyone follows the beat of the drum to keep in time. In
songs that doesnt use drum or bass other instruments
like an acoustic guitar can be used as an alternative.
4) Recording the Melodies/Harmonies - When recording this
section, usually the lead vocal or lead instrument would be
the ones to be recorded first. Then after recording them,
you fill the music gaps with other supporting melodies.

Recording the harmonies comes after youve recorded a

good foundation, and you add it by creating a chord
structure. Depending on what type of song youre making,
you could use a rhythm guitar, piano as well as synths.
5) Adding colour- Adding colour is adding things like
background vocals, percussion fills, piano fills and even
sound effects. This is just the last process before you get
on to start editing and creating the track itself.
After recoding all the different instruments and vocals, you then
have to pull it all together by editing it. When editing it cleans
the track up.
Equipments in a Recording Studio1. Computer/Monitor- These is an important thing when
recording in a studio, as this is where your music will be
saved after it has been recorded.
2. A DAW- Digital Audio Workstation- This is software thats
needed to mix and edit all your music on your computer.
3) An Audio Interface- An audio interface is a tool that
provides all the different sorts of connections that sends
our music from the mic to the computer for mixing/editing.
You have equipments such as- Mic preamps
DI boxes
Headphone amps
Monitor management
Digital conversion
4) Microphones- Microphone is the original equipment used
to record sound. You have all sorts of microphone used for
recording. For example, you have Large Diaphragm
Small Diaphragm Condenser mics
Dynamic utility Mics
Bass Mics
Multi- Patters Mics
Ribbon mics
USB mics

5) Microphone Stand- Although simple equipment, its just

there to help keep the mic up so its easier for the
musician to sing or hold there instrument.
6) Studio Monitors- Studio monitors are speakers that are
made to emphasize on certain noises and frequencies that
could be help or hinder the sound of the music.
7) Audio Cables- This an important item as this is what sends
your music to the audio interface, and two sounds from
the interface to studio monitors.
8) Headphones- To be able to hear the music and yourself
when singing.

Here is a Rhode Condensor Microphone with the

pop-shield. This is the microphone I used to
record my songs at the studio.

This is the monitor that was used to record

and edit all our music. The programmes that
were used are Pro-tools and Cubase.

Here is the RACK, and it has all the effects

units, such the compressor, reverbs and
many more equalizers.

These are both pictures of soundproofing. Its important to sound proof a

studio because you need to create an atmosphere where the sound is dead,
so when recording no access sounds gets through.

And here we have the two recording booths.

Health and Safety

1. You have to be careful when carrying out a project in the
recording studio as you are surrounded by loads of heavy
equipments.
2. Always
make
sure
you
know
where
youre
standing/walking around to be able to avoid any tripping
hazard.
3. Its important to always evaluate risk assessments to
avoid any type hazard that could occur.
4. Cables- Cables are seen as a massive tripping hazard
when in a studio, as they are connected to the
microphones which are connected to the wall. Tripping
over any of the cables could cause some injuries;
therefore you have to always be aware of them.
5. Sound Pressure- Drums and amps can cause hearing
damage as theyre in small spaces and sometimes reach
high air pressure.
6. Fire Hazards- Because of all the electrical equipments in
the studio, theres a chance that there could be an
electrical fire in some of the equipments if they overheat.
If this comes to worse, make sure that you get in contact
with the emergency services and evacuate the building.
7. Use of computer- When using a computer for a long period
of time, its important to take breaks, as this would avoid
damage to your eyes. As well as that it also avoids
damaging your back and sitting posture.

Studio Recording Assessment

Tutor Report
Asena Tutora

Asena worked in a professional manner in the studio. She was

interested in all the recording techniques and all the software
and hardware used to make her voice sound as professional as
it could be.
The engineer was very impressed with Asenas voice in the
range that she was capable of achieving and also the timbre.
She worked very speedily to lay down her tracks and sat with
the engineer through the process of adding reverb. Asena also
showed versatility by working in an ensemble with Joe. Asena
was able to take advice in a mature way it was suggested that
she may consider singing lessons in order to push her skill level
even higher, especially if she wants to go into this industry as a
career.
I was very impressed with Asena during this
assessment she seemed very at home in a studio
environment.

Conclusion
In conclusion, not only did I enjoy my time recording my music,
but I also got the chance to work in a professional environment
with all the high technical equipment. As well as that I learned
so much about how the music itself is created, and what
software is used to pull it all together. Personally, my strong
points in the studio, was singing the songs itself. I felt that I
fitted in with the studio very well as I got stuck right in and I
adjusted myself to the studio atmosphere. On the other hand,
my weaknesses were when trying to come in the right time
when singing the song.

In addition, I think the overall studio experience gave me the

chance to realise that this is what I want to do in the future.
Recording all the songs in one day wasnt as difficult as I
expected. Although if we had to perfect the mix I know itll take
more than one retakes to get the music to a perfected
standard. However the whole experience itself was brilliant
and if I were to do the day again I would. I also learnt a lot
about the process after our tracks had been laid down. Working
with the engineer, we used different amounts of EQ and reverb
on each track, depending on the final sound mix we wanted.
Song by Song Analysis:
At Last: I was really pleased with this. The tuning is spot on
and you can hear the emotion in the music. I was able to use
my breathing techniques to sing through each phrase and not
lose stamina.
You Dont own Me: This has proved to be a nice contrast in
my set with the rap. I think I characterise this vocal persona
really well.
The Writings On the Wall: I am really impressed with the
mix of this track. It sounds very epic. I think it shows good
vocal control, especially in the head voice, piano section.
Halo: This turned out to be a really good duet with the piano.
Myself and Simeon worked really well together. Tuning and
dynamics are good.
I Have Nothing: I consider this to be the best performance
on my album. I reached notes that I have never reached before
in the ad libs. The tuning is spot on and I have captured the
climax section really well.
Future Action Plan
Now that I have had some experience in the recording studio,
this will then help me for the future when I visit other recording
studios. I would now know more about the different types of
equipments and what theyre used for.

 Development of technical requirements for a variety of

vocal styles
More
practice
using
technology
and
a
better
understanding of how effects unit can enhance my vocals
More practice at recording under time restraints