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Section 4: Studio Sessions
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Image
Introduction
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
As mentioned in the methodology, this work was conjured to compliment the ethnographic study and also act as a plan B just in case the ethnographic study fell through. This section of work is heavily based on Harrison (2014) article which is an ethnographic study, but he was allowed to be a part of the session instead of an observer. This gave him greater insight in to the production of the session and more of a hands on, personal perspective. (Harrison, 2014)
This study had myself booking two studio and edit suite sessions for two different musicians, their names being Will and Ellie. We did the sessions then afterwards I gave them a series of question to answer in their own time which asked different aspect to both sessions and which they preferred. This was done to better understand which is preferred for what reason for the musicians, since they are the primary source of income for a studio and their opinions will affect their choice on which studio they will go to for recording. (Yeary, 2014; Thomazelli & Bertoli, 2019; Newell, 2017; Robair, 2012; Long, 2013; Burgess, 2008; Harrison, 2014)
This section will analysis my perspective on the sessions based on the questions asked to the musicians, and the answers the musicians supplied. (Hidalgo, 2013; Lefford & Thompson, 2018; Iverson, 2017; Harrison, 2014; Thompson & Lashua, 2014)
The questions for Will were slightly different due to us not being able to do complete the edit suite session so the questions were changed to reflect more of an analysis of that session rather than comparing sessions. Fortunately Will in his own initiative decided to compare it to his home studio/ bedroom set up.
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
Which studio session did you prefer? And why?
/ Did you believe our studio session had a smooth workflow?
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
I preferred the Studio sessions; this is due to organisation/ workflow of the studio session compared to the edit suite. As Will’s studio session and Ellie’s edit suite session were similar due to them recording different instruments as in the Will session an electric guitar and organ was recorded whereas in the Ellie session acoustic guitar and vocals were recorded; so it was my job to prepare them for recording, setting up the equipment, gain checking, labelling, arming, and recording. (Owsinski, 2013)
Due to the studio having a separate, large control room with all the microphone stands, cables and amplifiers within them it was easier to get stuff done in a shorter amount of time as there was no worry of tripping over anything, taking up too much space, and moving equipment to better utilize the space. It is also worth noting that the live room is built to sound lively and absorbed depending on what you want and due to the size there is no worry of low frequency modal issues, whereas the edit suite is small and built to be dry. (Newell, 2017; Robair, 2012)
In the Ellie session it was still productive, and the workflow was still effective and smooth, but it was a jungle of cables, our stuff, microphones and stands. It is also worth noting that when recording the guitar a large amount of the room was taking up and being that we were recording in the same room that I was monitoring within I had to leave so I did not make any noise that could ruin the recording but doing this meant I could not monitor correctly and had to leave it to Ellie to point out mistakes, it also did not allow me to properly come up with different ideas she could have used for her song. (Owsinski, 2013)
Overall, Will’s Studio session ran smoother in terms of workflow because of the larger amount of space and that the studio is built to record multi different things and it is organised to have everything at hand. (Bell, 2014; Camilleri, 2010)
It is worth noting that when asking this question to Will he brings up the same point by stating that we got a lot done in a short time and that it took no time at all to set up for the next instrument compared to his own home studio set up. This kind of response as well as my own falls in line with the importance of having effective operational structure which is stated in Camilleri (2010) article. (Camilleri, 2010)
Ellie’s answer to this question is interesting, as she states she preferred the edit suite due to not having much experience in big studios, so the edit suite was more comfortable. And to jump ahead she states later the Studio made her feel more intimidated due to the live room, as it made her feel like she needed to do a perfect take, this applied unnecessary pressure upon her.
This somewhat falls in line with Lefford & Thompson (2018), Thompson & Lashua (2014) and Harrison (2014) articles as it was found that studios are a place of introverted creativity and thus sensitive to outside interference but what makes this interesting is that the studios design of having a vocal booth made her feel intimidated and lack of experience within commercial studios. (Lefford & Thompson, 2018; Thompson & Lashua, 2014; Harrison, 2014).
Which when taking into account a lack of experience and a different design approach to recording within commercial studios then it is fair to say that for Ellie in this situation this studio was an outside interference due to it being a different method of working for her, this is why she states to have enjoyed the edit suite more due to being more familiar thus not an outside/ different experience. (Lefford & Thompson, 2018; Thompson & Lashua, 2014; Harrison, 2014).
This live room issue can be nullified as if it were bothering her too much we could have recorded in the control room and just kept the volume down, but it is still worth considering if there could be a way to have a live room but reduce the intimidation factor that Ellie and maybe offers feels when needing to record within one. (Lefford & Thompson, 2018; Thompson & Lashua, 2014; Harrison, 2014; Robair, 2012; Everest, 2015; Newell, 2017).
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
Which studio/ edit suite allow you to be the most creative and gave you freedom to express yourself
/ Was there a highlight?
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
This question is not significant for myself as in both the studio and edit suite I was able to do what I like to do. But is it worth noting that I agree with Will in terms of the highlight of the Will studio session being recording the organ, as it is something I have not recorded before, and I believe it turned out great and sounds amazing. Will mainly enjoyed as he states that he is more of an analogue focused artist who has to use digital to get by, probably due to effective cheapness of digital compared to analogue, so due to this he is hoping that it will offer a more analogue, and unique timbre to his song. (Taylor, 2015; Order, 2016; O’Gardy, 2019; Lau, 2012; Hagan, 2016)
Ellie states that in the edit suite, we had more time in the same space which allowed for us to discuss different ideas without her needing to journey back and forth between the live room and control room. She goes on to state that it is a bit more intimidating and harder to communicate in the vocal booth so she believes that the studio might be a better option when the arrangement is more fleshed out, and the edit suite is better when the arrangement is still in development due to communication between artist and producer being easier.
This is another interesting point brought up and falls in line with Lefford & Thompson (2018) article as this states that studios can be a place of lack of a goal in terms of musical arrangement and that the musician and producer need to work together for professionalism and to achieve an effective studio session. But what makes this interesting is that Ellie believes the vocal booth negatively affects this communication and team work between artist and producer due to not being in the same room at all times and also brings in unwanted intimidation. (Lefford & Thompson, 2018)
To add to this with my own experience, I believe she has a point as despite having a talk back microphone and her having a microphone so we can talk through the rooms; it does disjoint the communication and flow of it by needing us to be separated and I can understand the intimidation with the few times I have recorded myself in a live room. And as stated in Camilleri (2010) article, operational structure is a necessity to achieve effective workflow and since commercial studios are made to be accommodating for every situation stated by Daniel, Robin, Richard & Karl, Bell (2014) and Camilleri (2010) sections and articles perhaps studios should consider a live room/ vocal booth that can be adjusted for musicians that find it intimidating and counter-productive to communication, perhaps with adjustable windows that separate the rooms. (Lefford & Thompson, 2018; Bell, 2014; Camilleri, 2010).
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
Without considering the engineer, which studio session had the better workflow? And why?
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
Agreeing with Ellie I do believe the edit suite session with her had a better workflow, this is due to how much was done compared to the other sessions, as despite the other sessions had different elements being recorded, it was for a near finished song whereas the Ellie’s River Walk track was recorded from scratch within the edit suite session and also had different elements recorded like an acoustic guitar and vocals, with also backing vocals and guitar harmonies. (Harrison, 2014; Thompson & Lashua, 2014; Lefford & Thompson, 2018).
But it is worth noting that all three sessions ran really smoothly as even Will commented stating that his session as moving a constant good pace, not too fast to the point of rushing but also not slow where we were being unproductive but being that the Ellie edit suite session got more done in the same amount of time and how it also had a good constant workflow it shows more of a result from that session, thus a better workflow. (Harrison, 2014; Thompson & Lashua, 2014; Lefford & Thompson, 2018).
As stated above, Ellie also believes the edit suite session was better by bring up most of the same points of being able to listen to the recording without coming back and forth from a live room, but she added that this consequently allowed her to be more critical throughout the session which in turn then allowed us to record more material as there was no time wasting of going back and forth between spaces. This again follows Camilleri (2010) and further backs up her points brought up previously.
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
Did either of the studios make you feel intimidated in any way? Or did you feel intimidated at all?
/ If there was more than myself to engineer the session, do you think you would have felt intimidated?
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
As brought up previously, Ellie believes the studio session to be more intimidating due to the live room and making you feel like you need to perform a perfect take. But she does go on to say that it can be easier to focus and be in your own world when separated from the control whereas it can make you feel a bit self-conscious when performing with someone being in the room with you.
I can add to this as she used the live room within the studio session to do her vocal warmups as she did not want to be in the same room as myself during those warmups.
Ellie lastly mentions that it also depends on how confident and comfortable you are with the engineer and that the edit suite session helps her feel like she was involved with the process being that she could see the computer and get a visual aid towards what was happening, this helped her feel involved and not like an outsider.
Will stated that he is more used to being a bedroom producer/ musician so he is only used to people hearing his music after release, and the only people involved in the creative process is himself and the mix engineer working on it. Due to this he felt more anxious than intimidated but again like Ellie mentioned for Will it depends on the engineer mostly. He goes on to say that I did not make him feel intimidated and that he appreciated my interest and attitude towards his music and himself and said that if he was in the studio with an engineer like myself then he would not feel intimidated.
Ellie further backs up her points about vocal booths negatively affecting the workflow, involvement, and creativeness (Robair, 2012; Camilleri, 2010) but does say that the vocal booth can allow her to feel like she is in her world and almost get immersed within the music which falls in line with introverted creativity of studios. (Lefford & Thompson, 2018; Thompson & Lashua, 2014; Harrison, 2014).
Ellie and Will both back each other’s points about how the engineer is a defining factor into whether a studio or edit suite session can be intimidating which makes sense as it was discovered in Lefford & Thompson (2018) article that states that the musician and engineer need to collaborate and use teamwork to achieve the best session, and if an engineer is uninterested and cold then it can make the musician feel intimidated, uninvolved and boring. (Lefford & Thompson, 2018)
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
Which studio session produced the better recordings/ mixes/ outcomes?
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
Ellie mentions that vocal warm up isolation moment during this question and adds that it helped her deliver better vocal takes, she states that most people will just do this before the session, but she had to travel a great distance to get to the studio and she is not comfortable with doing her vocal takes in the company of others.
She also stated that she liked the part of the edit suite session where we went around the room to find the sweet spot of where it sounds best, as she is more of an acoustic artist she felt like it added a natural depth and timbre to her takes. But also understands the importance of more a drier take as this allows for further post effect processing like reverb plugins. She finishes by stating that she will use the studio if it more helpful toward other people she is working with down the line.
Her points are for both sessions, she liked the studio and edit suite sessions and I am in agreement with her as none of the sessions where particularly worse in quality. Perhaps on the edit suite recordings there might be some modal issues picked up, or maybe more unwanted noise from myself being in the room but when the track is mixed and edited these will not be noticeable and it is easy to be cautious of these unwanted elements when recording in any environment. (Walzer, 2016; Burgess, 2008)
Overall, all of the sessions produce high quality recordings, but the studio sessions did offer more in terms of options on how to record being that the spaces are larger and have more channel inputs to work with. (Bell, 2014)
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
Conclusion
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
It is clear there is no black and white answer within this section, it is quite grey as both edit suite and commercial studio sessions have came back with pros and cons for each. The first worth mentioning is the vocal booth during Ellie’s studio session as she was stated it was more of a hindrance than an advantage, this was due to her finding it more intimidating, disrupting communication and lack of involvement with the recordings. She did go on to say that is quite effective sometimes as it can immerse you in the music and since you are alone it allows you to do stuff you would not want to do near others; like vocal warm ups.
Perhaps to get around the issues Ellie felt during that studio session without removing the vocal booth entirely would be to have the window that allows musician and producer to see each other be adjustable so while you are not recording you can open it like a window within your home. This would allow for the musician and producer to talk and listen to the music without needing to use the talkback equipment or have the musician come back into the room. A way to have an adjustable window that does not take up space would be to use a horizontal slider, single hung or double hung type windows as this would allow for no extra space being taken up. (Solar365, n.d)
Of course a potential problem with this is that studio windows are not like regular windows and for example the windows within Studio 2 in Metronome are angled to help with reflections and would be harder to make adjustable.
Another way to have the musician be able to properly listen to the recording while being the live room would be to have a pair of studio monitors within that room setup to playback whatever the musician wants, this would remove the need for adjustable windows but does not solve the communication issue.
When it comes to the workflow, both edit suite and studio are good but for different reasons. The studio has a better operational structure as since it is a larger space with separate rooms for different purposes it allows for a streamlined and manageable session. As the live room is where all the recording, setting up equipment, and where the musicians will mostly be whereas the control room is where gain is set, recording is initiated, mixing, critical listening and where the engineer/ producer will be. (Camilleri, 2010)
Due to this separation it allows for each space to maximize their productivity whereas within the edit suite has everything take place within the one room it becomes overly crowded which makes it difficult for anything to reach its maximum potential, for example during the edit suite session in order to reduce volume and give Ellie enough space to record I left the room but then I could not critically listen to the recordings and plan the next move. (Camilleri, 2010)
But it is worth noting that the edit suite also had some advantages over the studio and that being since the recording was done within the one room there was no going back and forth between rooms and as a result it allowed for Ellie to feel more involved within the whole process and allowed her self to critically listen. (Camilleri, 2010)
Most studios will have the option to record within the control room so if a musician did feel uninvolved in the whole process then it could be set up to allow them to be involved, which slightly weakens the edit suites advantages, but it is still worth considering.
It is also worth noting that Ellie mentioned that performing while someone else is in the room can make you feel self-conscious whereas the studio will not have that issue.
I, Will, and Ellie all agree that the main contributing factor to feeling intimidated within a studio or edit suite is the attitude and interest of the engineer/ producer who is working with you, as if they come off as not liking you or your music it can be difficult to feel comfortable enough to record good takes.
All sessions delivered high quality recordings, even with the edit suite having a potential to be more noisy. The commercial studio offered more options on recording than the edit suite due to the size and what was in the live rooms. This falls in line with Walzer (2016) and Burgess (2008) articles as they state that home studios can still deliver high quality recordings, comparable to commercial studios and this work backs this point as all the sessions recorded high quality material that can be used commercially. (Walzer, 2016; Burgess, 2008)
Section 4: Studios Sessions: Text
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