Production Evaluation
The production of this project was enjoyable and a great way to be creative in the studio environment. I learned something new for every instrument that was recorded, whether that was to do with the fundamental processes of studio work, or techniques in audio capture. I planned every session with two weeks notice around the participants availability, and came equipped with lists of the microphones and equipment I was going to be renting for efficiency and to rule out any mistakes.
I feel as if I took charge of the desk professionally as there were never really any issues with signal flow, feedback mixes, or any other requests the musician had. It became very routine and my knowledge of working the desk is solid. However, I do regret not using some outboard and exploring more creative dimensions. Desk EQ was used, but that was it. I had problems with the musicians turning up in a few sessions. This wasn’t due to a breakdown in communication, as I reminded them prior to the session a number of times. Things came up with the musicians that were deemed more important than the session, and my control over that aspect was poor. This really set me back, making it tough to get the studio time to make up for lost time. It forced my to record parts outside of the studio due to lack of availability and allocation. This could have been alleviated with starting production earlier, but as my ideas changed in January, this would have happened regardless. The project could have been as productive as it was in the latter stages, but working out times of availability was difficult due to other commitments. Overall, I am happy with the production of the project. As stated, I wish I could have been more creative with outboard and creating an aestethic to the production, but without that, the end result was my best to date. The whole experience was profitable to me as a producer, and I feel more settled in the studio than ever.