unit 1: how recording works

Recording an album takes time and dedication,it can be very expensive and in this post i am going to explain how this magical process happens.

 Dark sand records ( fictional record company )


A record label deals with the recording,production,mastering,and distribution of an album through a process full of diferent areas or departments.

At the recording studio:

* technical team
*producers (writer/band)
*sound engineer
*mixing engineer
*master engineer

Also,inside the label,you will find lawyers,that will look after all the legal side of recording an album,as soon as you see your contract,the artist manager has got the duty to decide if it is the best deal for the artist.
If you sing the contract the label will own your copyrights for the time said in the contract.

The main purpose from a record label is to sell records,that is why being "singed" by a label can be difficult if you are not what they are looking for,all of this is because the label gives the founding to the artist for paying all expenses during the process and this is called "advance" and it is something like a loan which you will have to pay back,plus they will take a huge percentage of the money made by the sales of the album.

The process starts when the artist or artists decide to record an album,to realize the idea you need to find a record label.This is the order on which all the magic starts:

1. Finding the right place

Labels often search for fresh musical ideas and off course talent,the artist manager will try to find and arrange everything for the artist to find a fair deal when singing a contract for their label,this includes copyrights,schedules,and the most important...prices and money.

2. From the heart to the amp

Depending on what the artist is going to record the studio has to be set up,for example instruments, additional effects,singers,chorus etc.. all of this is going to be arranged by  the Technician,wich is the one that checks sound levels,sets up the studio,arranges all the effects,sounds.
They work with the sound engineer,mixing engineer.
3. Producers

The producer's duty can vary,there is two sort of producers in this process

* Writer: it'se is to write ideas,write structures,find inspiration for the development of new ideas on the recording session
* Band producer: it'se is to make arrangements on instrumentation, independent ears.

Some producers make their roles as the "directors of the piece" so they are the one that normally decide if what is being recorded sounds right or not according to the artist's vision at the start of the process.

4. Sound engineer

Known as "button pushers" their role is to set the levels by editing,mixing,and in some cases by mastering the sound in the studio,works with the technician as well arranging all effects and sounds of a song,to make it sound as good as possible while the recording is still in place

5.Mixing.

there is a difference between the sound engineer,and the mixing engineer,because the mixing engineer does not touches the song or album until it is ready, the main role here is to put everything together and put it on time,mix it and achieve a high quality sound leaving everything ready for the next step.

6. Master engineer

At this step the album has to be ready to go,the master engineer's role is to make sure that there is not mistakes or problems on the recording,checks the sound levels for it to perform effectively on every player,this means that it would sound good on a phone speaker as it will do on a PA system or Radio stations. For a radio station,the song from the album can change,an example is if the intro or outro of the song it too long it will be cut to make it shorter.

7. Distribution

This is the point where the record gets distributed nice and ready to be sold,it can be on shops, radio stations,internet. In  some cases,publicity is used by the distribution team to let people know that a new album or single is or will be available in the market.In this step you will find diferent teams,like the creative team which desing the album covers.

Music industry

In this post i will write about some companies that work in the music industry.They are

* A badge of friendship (PR and events managment agency)
* Elastic artist (booking agency)
* John Henry's (equipment/transport/space rental company)


A  BADGE OF FRIENDSHIP

it is a promoter group created by Claire lim and Paul McCallum   they promote shows and host stages.
they also offer online,print and radio press for bands,musicians,comediants,record companies,and individuals. they work with national and regional magazines,radio stations,blgos and websites

ELASTIC ARTIST

booking agency,worked with more then 300 live bands,producers,dj's,composers,a wide network of contacts around the world always offering a high quality service ( reviwed by costumers)

JOHN HENRY'S

they are a music rental shop located in london providing services as

*audio rental
*blackline rental
*crewing
*equipment sales
*endorse support
*event productions
*flight cases
*tour supplies
*rehearsal studios
*storage
*transport
this are some of the services that you can get from this company.

JOHN HENRY'S AND RELATION TO A BADGE OF FRIENDSHIP

NARGAROTH, Rene wagner ( kanwulf )

BATTLES ON THE SOUTH

Developingas a music Performer                                submission date:13.11.12

Wellbeing on tour.

Battles on the south by  Perpetua.(fictional tour and band)

This band has got 4 members, vocals, two guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer.

Touring is mainly created to promote yourself as a musician or your albums sales,it is important to consider the risks during the tour and plan ahead your development. Risks are always there,they can start from illnesses like depression,colds,lack of sleep,body injuries,hearing loss,tiredness and others. Check this techinques out to keep yourself safe:

-Try to rest and sleep enough

If you travelling you will get tired easily and your performances will be affected also you are more likely to get ill,so try to sleep anytime that you can,even though it can be unconfortable at times,sleeping on your method of transport,use earplugs for your journeys.Also take some freash air when posible, at the petrol station try to breath deep,stretch,and if you want to listen to some music during the journey do it on a low volume.

-Warm up before you perform

If you are a guitarist or bassist,you can practice scales,stretch your wrists and if you are a drummer also stretch your arms or get an drum pad,singers also should warm up and drink water. This is very helpful for you to have your hands in perfect condition during a tour, your hands can get tired if you don't treat them well. By doing strectching exersices you develop your hand's strengh and ability to play,as an example guitar playing asks for a lot of consistance during a performance/tour.
A very good exercise is to put your fingers together and with the other hand pull the tip of your fingers towards you,this for atleast ten seconds,then do the same at the other hand,this will keep your hands warm and ready for a performance,this is beacuse the muscles and nerves that you have in your hand will strech with warm ups and will improve your stability while playing,but after a while they will get "cold" and will go back to the normal or original position.
Also this exercise is very useful for you to feel comfortable in case of feeling very nervious before a performance,plus your hands will respond with the best skills.

-Eat well

In some cases, if you are a recognized musician and you can afford to pay an expensive hotel you won’t have to worry about food just don’t eat before the performance as it can make you feel sleepy, but if you are not... try to keep eating healthy food,sometimes the only meals that you can find while you are traveling is fast food in the petrol stations and that can make you really ill after few double cheese burgers,so if you get the change try to get some salads,fruits (they are rich in vitamins). Also keeping yourself hydrated is really important,water is life, just at the moment you wake up your body starts consuming water and if you don’t have enough on your body you are more likely to get ill.

-Stay away from drugs and alcohol

After you play you might want to celebrate with a drink,know your limits with alcohol and drugs as these can cause depression,also you won’t be at your best level if you are hangover on stage.

Now,always try to plan ahead as you never know what can go wrong,always carry with you spare strings,guitar pics,drumsticks depending on your instrument. 

-Prepare yourself,be always aware of what's going on

Sometimes during a tour some bands change the set lists depending on the place where they are playing,so always try to keep your mind on what you are doing,usually you will be able to rehearse before a performance,and if you do try to concentrate so everything will go well.
But,why is this a risk while touring? well if you are not ready for a performance your nerves won't let you sleep,or perform well,this can cause depression,stress,or it can destroy your energy to a point that you won't be " feeling " it before a performance, this means that you don't have the enthusiasm for playing,fans and patrons won't like that,either the other members of the band.

Keep Metal!

Felipe Perez

working in the music industry

Hello again...

Show business has been around for as long as there have been singers, dancers, musicians, and audiences willing to pay to see and hear them. But it was not until the 1950’s, with the advent of rock and roll, along with modern technology and mass marketing techniques, that the music business began to involve into the complex, multi-billion industry it is today. In those early days, the music business was first dominated by publishers who controlled the best promoting, and disturbing recordings of the public.


In this post I am going to discuss the roles of a Sound Engineer and a Booking Agent and what they do in the music industry, relating them to:

- Artists/Performers
- Artist mangers
- Promoters

Sound engineer:

It is also called audio technician, audio technologist and others, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including electronics, acoustics, psychoacoustics, and music. An audio technician is proficient with different types of recording media, such as analog tape, digital multitrack recorders and workstations, and computer knowledge. With the advent of the digital age, it is becoming more and more important for the audio technician to be versed in the understanding of software and hardware integration from synchronization to analog to digital transfers.

Training:

Starting from any knowledge in electronics and music, also music technology, but there are some engineers without any formal training they are called autodidacts.

Areas of duty:

In this case we are talking about live sound engineering, they operate in the FOH (front of house) or backstage depending of the main duty. The FOH sound engineer deals with the sound that the audience is going to hear coming from the speakers or AMP’s , also the is another engineer dealing with the sound that the artists want to give to the audience and the sound that is coming out from the monitors on stage if that’s the case.

Sound engineer / artist relationship:

Based on communication between them, always looking for a perfect balance of the sound, from the speakers to the audience and from the monitors fro the band, creating an amazing combination for a pure and quality sound

Sound engineer/ artist manager relationship

They have to look after health and safety, making sure that the sound levels don’t go above the legal limits, and to make sure that the quality of the sound is the best achievable for a good performance so the audience can Have a good time listening to some live music.

Sound engineer/promoter relationship:

The promoter’s main duty is to make the band known by the masses, to achieve this, the audience which is the one that is going to but the records, merch and tickets for live performance will have to know about its activity.

WELCOME!!!

Welcome!

This is my 1st post on this blog and is going to be just about the rehearsals that me and my group were doing today Monday 24th of September.

The band members are:

*Francesca ( Vocals )
*Erika ( keyboars and vocals )
*Andre ( lead Drums and Vocals )
*Codey (Rythm drums)
*Felipe, myself ( lead guitar and vocals)

There is a lot of work to do but with devotion and commitment i am sure that we are going to make it before the dead line on monday 15th of october  which is the day of performances taking place at the college's theatre.

PURE REHEARSALS

The band is now rehearsing a song called "bring me to life " from Evanescense. It took us a while to decide about what song we wanted to play, either a cover or our own song but we found it easier this way. You probably know it, in case that you don't there is a link :