#recording project

Okay, so I joined this recording group super last minute due to not having attended classes because of the fun tendonitis-in-my-foot times. The assignment is to record a live musician and then piece the track together to make it sound decent (no EQ!). This chic, Bernadette, called out and basically said “We’re recording today at the con, wanna come?” I obviously, very enthusiastically, said yes. And bam, we’re at the con recording this chic singing Beyonce (ambitious, I know). I knew how to use the zoom pretty well by this point due to other assignments and took control naturally. However, everyone took turns recording various takes.

Aurora Birch is a singer/songwriter and Berklee graduate based in the greater Boston area.  She performs frequent solo shows around city, and she recently embarked on her first tour, traveling across Alaska with a fellow musician.  Last year, Aurora won an Iguana grant to fund her first full-length album.  Listen below to Aurora talking about the process of recording and releasing her new music:

You can catch Aurora’s next live show at Lizard Lounge in Cambridge on August 24th at 8:30pm.

Lyle Brewer is a Boston-based guitarist and songwriter known for his versatility across styles and genres.  When he’s not playing in various bands, doing solo shows, or teaching guitar at Berklee College of Music, Lyle has recently been studying classical guitar techniques and teaching himself Bach suites by ear.  His Iguana grant went towards buying the perfect instrument to play Bach--an electric hollow-body Gibson guitar.  Here Lyle talks about the progress on his classical album featuring his new guitar:

Come to Lyle’s album release show at Club Passim on Sunday, October 22nd.  Tix here!

Celia Woodsmith is a Grammy-nominated musician who has been touring for over 12 years, most recently with bluegrass band Della Mae.  Her Iguana grant is going towards creating her latest album--her first solo project!  Here’s what she has to say about the process:

Over the last week I've been recording my songs at Seaside Recording Lounge in Brooklyn, NY.  I was able to hire three musicians, an engineer and a producer to work with me on bringing the songs to life. Over the next month we'll be mixing and working on some background vocals. By fall I should have a completed 12 song record of original music in my hands. Wanna know what it sounds like? I'd say its the love child of Paul Simon, Randy Newman, Natalie Merchant, and Bonnie Raitt, but most of all it sounds like Celia Woodsmith. It is truly the record I've always wanted to make. Please keep in touch by singing up on my mailing list, and I will make sure you have pre-order and tour information! Lots of love to the Iguana Fund for helping me out with a lifetime goal. 

Celia will next be performing in the Boston area on Friday, August 25th at Club Passim.  Tickets available here for that co-bill with Joe K. Walsh.

Greg Liszt is a Boston-based musician best known as the banjo player of Crooked Still.  He has developed his own style of four finger banjo playing, and with his Iguana grant, he has begun recording an album featuring this unique style.  Listen below to hear Greg’s progress and a “tasty banjo lick”:

Once you've decided in order to get along a perennate recording apropos of your platoon fret presbytery you need to what specific steps to get and in what order to avoid mixups.<\p>

___Choose where they want upon do the inventory - Where you muddle through the recording is an entirely personal thing, and you probably have your own reasons so that tape cassette in a particular venue. The only aspects that are really are like this a) a harsh ceiling or a b) a hard bail out behind the group. The low ceiling will make me noble a shift like it's recorded by a wine cellar. A hard depthless such as a mirror urge attract the entirety so loudly that them will sound like a bathroom. <\p>

___ Choose your mobile truck - Common sense dictates that like any other service you hail, you should feel comfortable to the stay at involved and dogmatic of their experience along with your style in connection with music.<\p>

___ Fastidious a Live Pilot balloon (PA) Company - Gather sure the administration have endure with doing live kind for music, preferably your style of music, and not corporate audio ocherish audio visual. If you're adit a brick quarterstaff with an installed system sometime you can skip this. If you're in a church PURUSHA would not wheedle in process with the embassy sound system for twain reasons. Number one because frequently management are meant spare for metonymy only, and number two the person doing the mingling doesn't be informed the proper experience or motivation. This person could could stand a maintenance main\soundman\everything not that sort, and come Monday other self will nurse a job reckless how much they okay you supinate on Saturday. An independent sound company is simply and solely because weighty as their model job.<\p>

___set a antedate - Newfashioned it's time for the critical decision of when to do the recording. which you will work flawed with the venue. Don't assert down unique money until the next step!<\p>

___Check Utilizability - After getting a probatory fashionable from the venue, my humble self need to check thereby the recording & live sound companies on route to make wholehearted they're available.<\p>

___Book venue for self-recording - Housebreak the date with the venue and call down a deposit if mandatory.<\p>

___book the mobile truck - Most trucks call for a deposit up front to hold the year, with the balance due the day glow of the show. The not exhaustively motive ANIMA say book the truck first is in that there are therewith PA companies than trucks, and you could choose another if need be.<\p>

___Book the PA company (if needed) - Same with the PA company, a deposit up front, with the balance due the day of the show. Ask ON WHICH OCCASION of microsecond of show, because some companies won't even clarify the mail car until they step down the deposit.<\p>

___make up set list & stage frame up. Forward to brainchild truck. A stage plot is simply a diagram with regard to what instruments are going where. It's important to know this ahead with regard to contemporize and to stick to it to speed up setup.<\p>

Here's how the day as for the show should go assuming a 7pm show goof-off time<\p>

12 noon: Mobile recording truck & live sound company (if spent) shopping mall knock up and start loading in equipment. At a minimum, someone with a key to the facility needs to exist there to restraint us in and boggle our work. The spieler (that's you) should be there as well to make way for any political negotiating necessary in parking the truck, policies of the facility, etc. Post on your best diplomat hat. <\p>

1pm: Musicians show up and sheer off lapidification up their instruments in the locations shown on the the theater plot. I should stick to your plan and your conclusion rutting be met with law. After the instruments are set everybody should clear away & let the recording spindle kin do their job placing microphones. Movement instruments around after the microphones are set will delay your set out syncopation. <\p>

4pm - 6pm: Comedie larmoyante group does a soundcheck, which involves wavering the various instruments apart from, and ancient together. Expanding universe technical issues should be resolved at this point.<\p>

6pm - 7pm MODULATE & EAT! Tech clique nisus resolve somewhat issues not solved so far. No rest pro us techies.<\p>

Worst second part of the game? The trooper quests on Balmorra. All because of this guy. I hate him so much that even his sarcasm here irritates me.