Week 6 – Jumping Ahead - Posted on 2013-06-18 by Anthony Howell

It has been a whirlwind of activity the last few sessions. There is a lot to discuss. Traditional systems are no longer in play. I have taken on a more crucial role in the studio. Lionel has had me in to help with his more advanced students. It feels more like I am advancing. A very talented young singer songwriter by the name of Kamela Singh has brought in bed tracks to use as a test for a couple of the other engineers in training. That’s where I come in. I am a drummer/bass player/guitar player/amateur producer. I have been charged by Lionel to help everyone along in this process. I have been performing on the tracks, collaborating with and in a small sense helping to produce two tracks that Kamela has brought in. I can tell I am doing a good job by the reactions of the people around me. It’s gotten to the point where I have been inadvertently placed in a decision making position, as all of the major decisions in terms of ‘what takes would you like?’ , ‘do you think we should place “x” here’, ‘what should we do next?’ ‘how do I…’ etc seem to have been asked to me. Quite frankly I just thought I was coming in to do some drum tracking. I am beginning to realize that this is not a linear process, music engineering; at least learning it sure isn’t! Although the course syllabus has taken a backseat the last few sessions I feel I have learned a few practical lessons in effective communication and I’ve learned that I can survive on my toes, so long as there is a fresh pot of coffee nearby. Cheers!