Creative Project Development

CREATIVE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

Writing & Composition

Composition sessions usually began with me playing a MIDI Keyboard or Electric Guitar to come up with song sections and short phrases. Once I had enough of these sections which I was satisfied, I would begin arranging them into demo song arrangements in my Digital Audio Workstation software Ableton Live 10. Often, I would have lyrical ideas come to me during this compositional process and I would then note down the lyrics and work on mapping out which parts will become a verse, chorus or other part of the song. When collaborating with others, I would save a demo instrumental version to send to them to collaborate on with lyric writing and vocals.

Novation Launchkey 49 MIDI Keyboard used to compose with software instruments.

Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar used for composition and recording.

Lyric Sheets

Recording

Recording for the project was done between my home studio and UWS Ayr Campus recording studios. At home I used an Audient iD14 Audio Interface combined to record guitar and bass guitar DI (Direct Injection) and I used an AKG C414 Microphone to record vocals. These were recorded into the Ableton Live 10 Digital Audio Workstation. At UWS Campus studios I used the Pro Tools Digital Audio Workstation, an SSL AWS924 Mixing Console and AKG C414 Microphone to record the vocals of my collaborators - Nicole Kilpatrick and Ewan McAuley of Stepping on Violets (Letter for Leaving), Erin McHugh of ErinAtEleven (Fear) and Cameron Beattie (Glass House & New Life). Once recorded, a vocal "comp" would be made by selecting and editing together the best vocal recordings together.

Pro Tools session for 'Fear' vocal recording with Erin

Vocal comp in Pro Tools for 'Fear'

The guitars were recorded directly through the Audient audio interface with Archetype NeuralDSP plugins used for effects processing and amplifier simulations.

NeuralDSP Archetype Plini Guitar Amplifier Simulation & Effects Plugin

Mixing

When mixing the tracks, I focused on getting a good volume balance of each instrument and element. I used corrective equalisation (EQ) to fix any problematic frequencies or harshness in the recordings. I then used creative equalisation for tonal balancing purposes. I used compression to reduce the dynamic range of certain instruments, pinning them in place in the mix and making them more consistent in volume. I used saturation plugins to apply subtle distortions to certain instruments and across the entire mix, creating additional harmonics. Reverbs and Delays were also used to create a sense of spatiality and dimension in the mixes, and to enhance the stereo image of the mixes.