BBP 2020 - The recording of the groups - part 1, Amber's Group. Tuesday 10th November

Having accessed the session via Google meets, overall, I believe the session was rather successful - the group had significantly improved their song, both playing wise and having added to it and expanded on it, for example by adding extra elements into the mix, such as recording overdubs and doubling their guitars.

This is a technique used when recording guitars, that involves making and recording multiple takes of the guitar parts, and blending them together to create a bigger sound, further enhancing it by having each guitar play at different ends of the stereo - one left one right, to create a wider sound, reminiscent of a live band, making it seem as though there are two guitars playing https://www.prosoundweb.com/in-the-studio-techniques-for-double-tracking-guitars/#:~:text=Double%20tracking%20simply%20means%20recording,and%20dynamics%20of%20each%20performance.

The group doubled the parts played by the guitar, was by putting in one guitar part played at a certain octave (an octave being the equivalent of five tones on a piano keyboard, so for example, from E1 to E2 (also a note that is an octave higher, is double the frequency of the note on the octave below it). They also doubled parts by tracking two similar parts to make them seem bigger. Both techniques helped the group out in the mix, to sound much larger as they only had one guitarist in reality.

The only thing they could have done differently really is added more drive into the amps, and perhaps stuck on a tube screamer before the amp. This would give the guitar much more weight and a much bigger and fatter sound, due to the sound being fuzzy and distorted, which would make it sound massive, which would elevate the mix because it would sound much bigger and heavier and would give it more power, which would suit the song well as it would go nicely with the lyrics.

The group used lots of different production elements, such as overdubs with the guitars and vocals, this is a technique where the guitar, or vocal line is recorded, then another instance of the vocal or guitar is recorded, playing something different - making it seem as though there is a lead and rhythm guitar or multiple vocalists. As explained by The Carpenters here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5eFEgfRlig&t=50s

The group made their guitarist play the main riff, and at the end play some sort of effects as well as a solo/feedback/shred improvisation which sounded screechy and in your face. This added some authenticity and creativity into the song, as well as helped hype it up.

They also doubled the vocals, in a similar way they did to the guitars, however they used two different vocalists, with two different vocals, to do so - essentially recording two different voices. This meant that the chorus seemed bigger and had some cool effects, especially with added echo, which added to its authenticity as well as its vibe and and overall “flavour” and enjoyability as well as helps them stand out, making them more

catchy - this would mean that in an industry context, people would remember the song more and want to listen to it more, making it sell more.

There are many things from that session that I would like to try in my own practical work, such as the double tracking of guitars, which I have already done, however I haven’t yet tried playing the same riff an octave higher, which seems to actually work out pretty nicely, especially after I have seen it done by other bands, such as Sepultura, in their song Refuse/Resist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ODNxy3YOPU, where they doubled the main riff an octave higher, which I did not really understand at the time; this session helped me understand doubling in more detail. It also made me think about trying to double other instruments that are not conventionally doubled, such as drums, making it seem like I have a drumline playing alongside me. I have also attempt to use feedback from guitars, in a way that would add artistic detail to my songs, however, I am unsure about how it is done and why, and need to learn more about it.

In general, I believe that the session was successful, however the things I would improve are the latency of the call - occasionally the audio would be choppy or not in time or freeze, and also I would improve the general session, by making the online attendees more engaged and asking them for opinions and ideas more often.