November Update
The Set-Up and a Little Sample
The Workstation
The Recording Station
For those who are tech nerds, like myself, or maybe just want a little insight into how something like this is accomplished. Here is a little insight into my workstation at home. The photo to the right shows my set up at its largest; on such days when I’m recording, editing, and mastering all at the same. Often the process involves me playing to a click track (a track that keeps me in tempo with myself) and then going back and redoing certain measures and sections until I achieve the sound that I want. Then I rinse and repeat with all the other saxophone parts before editing everything together and mixing to make things sound cohesive and balanced.
Many of the skills that are involved in this project have been learnt on my own through trial and error. There was some work involved in a Technology and Music Education course in my junior year; however, much of this was self-taught.
To do this does not at all require the mass amounts of equipments that I have (and certainly I have friends and mentors who own even more). But it has been my goal to create the best possible recordings in a home setting at a reasonable price. If you’re at all curious about getting started doing this on your own, at the most basic level what you’d need would be:
A computer
A DAW (there are free versions like Garageband and Audacity)
A USB Microphone
and your own creativity!
Just to detail what you’re seeing in picture, here is everything I am using in this project that you can see in this photo:
iMac computer
Blue Yeti USB Microphone
Shure PGA98H-XLR Clip-On Cardioid Condenser Horn Mic
Behringer Uphoria UM-2 Pre-Amp
Bose 700 Headphones
Logic Pro X (DAW software)
Ableton Pro Live 10
Yamaha YAS- and YTS- 82Zii Saxophones (others are in use just not in the picture)
Raindrops.
This is the first piece I’ve been heavily working on getting recorded and edited. Due to COVID-19, John and I had to record separately and then edit together our tracks to make it work. What you’ll find here today, is a short excerpt from the raw, unedited versions of this piece. As I continue working on the project, I will be refining the sounds to make things sound a little cleaner without any of the breaths or key clicking (or as much as I can). This will serve as a taste into the process of where the recorded audio is taken from beginning to end over the course of this project.
Below, find some pictures from our recording sessions together!
Coming in December.
November is busy, busy, busy. My in person recital will be happening on November 14th. Then, I will be working hard every day to get this project finished on time. Next month, expect some more samples, pictures, and I will also release my live degree recital as well.
Thank you for your support in my life and in this project. See you December 1st.