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Jack Simon
So-
According to my agreement with the Recording Radio and Film Connection, I am supposed to be writing weekly journal entries to document my time and experience in the studio.
As sometimes happens in the world of rock and roll, certain priorities get pushed to the side- and not everything that is supposed to get done does in fact get done in the time frame initially laid out.
Never fear, however, as I have come prepared to fill you in on all of my exciting in studio adventures. I have gone over my notes and compiled enough to accurately retell to you all (whoever you all may be) my fun times working under Josh Garcia, in chronological order of course.
I am going to go ahead and say that after this rather long journal entry, I will go ahead and hop on board the weekly journal entry train- as that is the correct train to be on. This entry, therefore, will be considerably longer than those to come.
Rock and roll- and enjoy.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
FreqLab Studios
Time in- 2:00 PM
Time out- 3:30 PM
Today was the beginning of my experience both with Josh and the Recording Connection curriculum. While I was able to meet with Josh briefly during the interview process, today was the first time he and I were able to speak in depth about the program, expectations (both his of me and mine of his), the music industry, the role of engineers and producers, as well as the future of everything. He explained to me that while the curriculum set fourth by the school is important, what is more important will be my ability to apply those skills in a practical setting. Most of our time, therefore, will be spent on the application rather than the theory side of the art- which I am very much looking forward to.
We also got to talk a little simply about music. I’m excited because he has a lot of experience in punk music- with a lot of bands that got me excited about making music, so I really think I will have an incredibly easy time getting amped up about the projects he is working on.
Lesson 1 in the book was pretty basic, going over the role of studios, and the people who work in them. Pretty basic stuff, we didn’t spend too much time diving into it. We also went over basics on sound and hearing. I left after an hour and a half as Josh was about to start a guitar tracking session with his friend. I did not ask to stay, as I figured for the first lesson it would be asking a bit much. I think Josh appreciated this fact.
In addition to the book work provided by the school, Josh asked me to really start paying attention to sounds in my house. Not just musical sounds, but all sounds- like the tea kettle, the shower, and the dishwasher. He said to start taking note of how the sounds are created, and how I perceive them differently based on my location in relation to the source and other obstacles in the area. While this seems like a pretty basic assignment, I think he makes a good point- as a sound engineer I will have to be able to deliver many different sounds and know how I got them to sound that way.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Motor Studios
Time in- 2:00 PM
Time out- 8:00 PM
For today’s session, we met at Motor Studios. I like the idea of going to more than one location, since every studio is different and therefore comes with its own set of lessons to be learned and experiences to be gained. There are a number of major differences between the two studios (FreqLab and Motor), each with its own strengths and weaknesses. FreqLab has a newer fully automated console, while Motor has a much larger and therefore more flexible live room. Both studios, I feel, will serve me well in my learning experience.
Today’s lesson involved studio design and monitors. Again, it was useful being in another location as Josh was able to draw examples from both Motor and FreqLab when explaining how the design of a room affects how sounds will be perceived inside of them. This is crucial to understand since a poorly constructed control room will only result in poorly produced music. If you want to create a good product, you have to start with good “ears,” the monitor and the design of the control room are what allow you to posses those ears.
That being said, much monitor technology is simply out of my price range and just can not be considered for my own use. Accepting that is another important part of the business. You have to work within your price range, so for now my Mackie 5’s in my bedroom will have to suffice.
After finishing up with the lesson, Josh showed me a project he was working on called “Thorough it All Away,” a punk rock musical being put together by none other than Fat Mike of NOFX and Fat Wreckords. I was very excited upon finding out that we would be tracking drums with a guy named Boz, and Mike would be showing up to direct the session.
First, Boz arrived and ran through the track a few times with Josh giving basic guidelines. Mike arrived shortly after and wasted no time at all. He had a vision of what the song should be and communicated very directly with Boz and Josh how he wanted things to go down. It was interested watching Josh transition from the position of teacher to engineer. While he was still being very authoritative, it was useful to see him operate in a way that was catering to Mike, in this case the “client” of sorts.
The experience was also a nice wake up call to the fact that it’s not always bands recording albums in the studio. There are tons of other projects that require high quality recording and high quality engineers- like soon to be broadway musicals for example.
Overall, I was really stoked on my time in the studio this week. For next week, Josh would like me to again focus on how sounds are created and heard around my house, especially in regards to my physical relation to the sound source and consequent echo points.
Rock n Roll forever
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Motor Studios
Time in- 2:00 PM
Time out- 9:30 PM
This week we again met at motor studios. The lesson was on digital audio- a rather broad section. Summed up, very very briefly, the process of converting a sound source into a digital signal format involves taking thousands of small samples of the original sound per second and combining them together to create a final product. The more samples you are able to capture per second, the better the quality should be.
Though simple, this concept is the foundation of digital music and very important to grasp.
After going over the lesson we were met by Josh’s friend- Travis. The two were going to be laying down new guitar tracks for a number of songs Travis had previously recorded with an earlier band. I found it interesting that they were taking music that had already been considered “finished” a few years prior and going back in to make a better final product. It’s very cool how simply changing the amp that your guitar goes into completely changes how the final product will sound. Previously, my equipment knowledge was limited to my very small price range. Simply put, my guitar would sound one way, because I have one amp and that is the sound it makes. It is really special to be able to step back from a project and say, “You know, let’s see what happens when we take this signal and put it through this amp.” The artist can play the exact same thing, but based on the technology you are using your end result will be different. It was pretty incredible watching Josh and Travis transform the same song into something completely different. Overall, it was a very cool experience.
It was also a great experience watching Josh interact with Travis in comparison to his interactions the previous week with Mike. Whereas with Mike, Josh was very much in the passenger seat- taking direction, doing what he is told to help execute Mike’s vision. With Travis, Josh was much more relaxed and considerably more vocal about his opinions of the music. It is nice to see him be able to fill both roles successfully as that is a crucial element to being successful as an engineer- knowing how you have to interact with those you are working with based on the specific scenarios. Additionally, it’s really cool to see a professional opperate in a “working” mentality as well as a “personal passion” mentality. Overall- I really enjoyed this week and found it very helpful for my studies.
Next week we begin going over microphones- this is a little daunting as there is so much information out there- but it is essential to know, and I’ve gotta start somewhere.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Motor Studios
Time in- 2:00 PM
Time out- 4:00 PM
Today was a relatively mellow day with Josh. We spent most of the time going over different microphones. We talked about different brands, models, frequency patterns, and just about everything else associated with microphones. Josh compares using the different mics to using different types of paintbrushes when painting. No matter what type of microphone you use, you are going to capture some sort of signal- however- how that signal translates as a final product is a result of the paintbrush you chose to paint with. I like this analogy- as it really emphasizes the creative aspect of sound engineering, which often gets lost behind the technical side of things. It’s important to recognize the balance between the two aspects and how they combine together to create a quality engineer.
Josh is really stressing the importance of me becoming familiar with the different types of mics. This task a little daunting as there is so much information out there to absorb- but I am up for the challenge. He said I will be quizzed on the various studio mics starting each week from now on- I look forward to this.
