Half baked - Posted on 2016-03-30 by Nicole Thorp

This week was the midterm test. Wow. Halfway through, i almost can't believe how fast these ten lessons have gone by. So much information has come my way over these past months and i have already come so far from where i had started. It's crazy.

I went to the studio and took the midterm test with Pierre there. I passed the test with a 37/38. Not bad at all i believe. One of the reasons why i like doing these blog posts is because i get to reflect. Reflect on the experiences i had in the studio, reflect on how things are going, and just put into perspective what has changed since the week before. Getting to go to the studio means i get to meet and interact with awesome people and learn from them as well. I'm not taking any of these experiences for granted, everything i go through and learn from i take into account always. I've not only gotten to build on my foundation in audio through this course, i've also gotten to build onto the foundation of me and who i am. I'm loving the growth that i see, in what i know and in who i'm becoming. This program has put me in touch with great people and i believe every experience you learn from and thats what i'm doing, learning from everyone i meet and everything i come in contact with. After the midterm i helped set up mics for a drum tracking session that was going to take place the next day.

I also came by the studio this week to watch Pierre master an album. I know that mastering is a bit above me at this point and is a whole other can of worms from trackng and mixing but it was nice to see the process. By watching Pierre master those mixes i saw first hand just how important mastering was and the crucial role it plays. Mastering makes the mixes bigger and clearer sounding, it brings out sounds that you neccessarily couldn't hear before. I also started to understand that every song should basically bounce off eachother, each song should be somewhat consistent with eachother in terms of volume and style. Each song should build off one another to create a cohesive body of work. I also got to assist Pierre with a full tracking session of drums, guitars, bass, and turntables. Those instrumentals were some of the best i've heard thus far and i would love to work with that group of guys again, fun and talented people!

Looking forward to continuing this journey and having new learning experiences along the way!