Logbook - Scott Ramsay Action Plan The goal I wish to achieve in this project is to create an album/ep from an artist

that I have scouted out through college or contacts. I hoped to record, mix/master and provide a final product to showcase my work. I am currently working towards building my portfolio of client work and will present them via my website to provide a more interesting CV. This will include the album I record in college and my business that I set up to mix and master clients tracks. Goals Record Artist with at least 4 high quality songs. Research microphone techniques, room environment and desk setup. How I aim to achieve Book out studio sessions at college.

Research Equipment Equipment - Microphones, preamps, Using the diagram I made during the planning stage I researched various stereo microphone techniques for acoustic guitar. I looked for a technique which would give me wide open and detailed results. I found that in combination, an A/B spaced pair and a XY technique would give me exactly that. I took the opportunity to record some tests and research this technique as both stereo techniques are not commonly used together at the same time. Taking into account the problems which can occur with time delays on the spaced pair, I used a phase meter to reduce to a minimum. Using knowledge from the college acoustics unit, I followed the 3:1 rule when placing the microphones. The second microphone had to be three times the distance from the source from the first microphone. The A/B spaced pair was set up with a method used by a sound engineer named - Jason Richmond Jason had uploaded a video which included an over the shoulder spaced pair technique. The results of this setup gave a very wide and open sound which is what I was after. I did however feel the center of the image felt weak and separated from the sides of the image. This is where I decided to add a XY pair to the array. Due to the close positioning of the microphones, phase issues are near non-existent and use level differences to capture the sound source. Once both techniques were set up and panned hard left/right, I got an acoustic guitar and played some notes. These were then recorded and analysed in pro tools. Distances of 1-4 feet between the microphone and guitar were taken to find the optimal position over room ambience and loudness. With the ability of adding a XY set up to a spaced pair array I would be able to make the acoustic guitar sound more full and centred in the image at my pleasing. Both arrays played at the same time can also help emphasise parts in a song such as the chorus or focus the guitar during a solo. Using knowledge from my time at college, recording bands/artists. I was able to judge which microphones would best suit each instrument. For vocals I decided to use a Blue Kiwi Condenser microphone. This microphone offers crisp and warm vocal recordings and has proven to give me the best results in smaller environments with less ambience. For guitars I used a pair of Rode NT5 omnidirectionals on the spaced array and a pair of AKG 414s in the cardioid position for the XY array. For electric guitars I use a dynamic sm57 microphone positioned around 1-2 inches from the corner of the speaker cone. Incidentally the keyboard was also used through the bass amp with a DI and sm57 microphone. An AKG 414 was positioned 2-4 feet from the amp to improve room ambience. Moving onto drums I used the Rode NT5 microphones again for the overheads as I knew how well they work for spaced on guitars.

Having had experience mixing and mastering artists tracks, I used these skills to complete the songs recorded at college. For the mixing stage I found that experimenting with different techniques and attempting various genres, you gain understanding with how well certain audio tracks fit in a mix. Using plugins such as EQ 7 band I found that cutting a lot of the low end (20-30hz) on tracks which did not need as much bass, helped fit tracks into the mix; making them sound crisp and clear. Theory - Stereo mic setup, mastering (refer to business) Industry - Research techniques used today such as hard limiting Skills required to become an sound engineer. Distribution - Label Practice outside college work clients, website, mixing and mastering business 4th Section Preparation of this portfolio was taken from experience of my previous graded unit last year at college. However I expected the professionalism and work to increase as I moved up to HND which meant further preparation and research had to have been taken to allow a structured and concise portfolio. My approach to a structured layout means that I dont need to go off topic too much and make it easier to read. Presentation The presentation is something I have not had much experience with, I have used presentation software before but I decided to give myself plenty of time to experiment with different designs and layouts for it. I considered various methods to keep the presentation interesting to the panel. Pictures were taken during the development of the album and diagrams of microphone techniques. Snippets of the songs recorded were used at the end of the presentation to showcase to the panel and try to make it unique. I considered playing the songs either over the whole presentation or a 30 second clip at the start...however I believe this would be unstructured and messy. Including it at the end would make the most sense and hopefully inspire some questions in the interview stage afterwards. Little text 5th Section Preparing for my presentation I have to make sure it is up to the highest quality of standard at a professional level. I aim to go about this task through the following:

Practice public speaking in front of family/friends - This will help to boost my confidence and project any defects which may arise when presenting my project. List possible questions which may be asked during interview 1. What past experience have you had as a sound engineer? I have had experience with my running my own company as a mixing and mastering engineer. This has given me plenty of experience with working towards a deadline, contracts with a label/band and experience with Pro Tools at a professional level. Skills which I should consider to highlight during my interview: 1. Experience working in a freelance business mixing/mastering clients tracks. 2. Working with others in a studio environment - Making sure the artist/band are comfortable and able to feel relaxed while recording long hours. Make sure they are aware of exactly what they are expected to do for instance, playing to a click track or performing in a certain location. 3. Equipment knowledge - What microphones best suit a particular instrument or vocalist.

Creative Industries - Legal contracts with artists - Label distribution - Talk about college label Working in the Creative Industries - Signed contract with artist document. Sound Pro Theory 1 - Stereo microphone techniques why it should be used in acoustical type tracks. Sound Pro Theory 2 Sound Pro Practice 1 - Recording stereo attempting different techniques xy and ab were used. Sound Pro Practice 2 DAW 1 - Pro Tools Experience. DAW2 Acoustics - Room environment recording steps taken to reduce ambience in vocal track - Steps taken when recording in stereo DAT - Export settings to CD, digital mp3 wav. Sound Production Management Skills & Legal Issues