Future Trad Collective

It is only a day since I wrote that I did not want to start reviewing anything, but this is a must…

I am about to speak about the first part of the major recording project belonging to the module Digital Studio Production. This was a collaborative project with my classmate Juan and consisted on recording two songs from the band Future Trad Collective (or more exactly two of their components and other featured guests).

During the preparations for the actual recordings I had the opportunity to revise the concepts learned along the semester within the studio. I had also the chance to research about microphone techniques of a wide range of instruments that otherwise I would hardly thought about, as for example the uilleann pipes.

The line up was different for each song and also the style of the music, having in common the celtic roots. The musicians were overdubbing every instrument, playing over programmed beats they brought as a guide and replacing them progresively with the recorded tracks.  They were all fantastic and experienced musicians and also they were playing with different instruments and doing variations on the fly.

After three recording sessions we ended with a huge variety of instrument recorded: nylon string guitar, electric guitar, bass, mandolin, low whistles of different sizes, flute, vocals, kick drum, triangle, snare, shaker…

By the way, do you know what an ebow is? Well, I have to confess that I did not have a clue until this surprising device appears during the second recording session. The guitarrist take from his bag an small stapler-like electronic artifact that he used to get a really different sound from the electric guitar. A sound that I would describe as an hybrid between a synthetiser and a cosmic violin.

I had to say that the recording was a very interesting experience and that now I “only “ have a stereo mix and a 5.1 surround one left to do.

Take away

(Bigmouth strikes again – The Smiths) 

I guess it was pretty obvious from the title but just in case… This post is about how the experience of listening to music has change owing to the mobile devices. Foremost about the “ mp3” devices. It is true that from the walkman music is mobile, but the way of listen music was not so flexible and more similar to the home devices.

As a listener and music lover the advantages are a lot, however from the point of view of the artists or the average person involved in the audio field or even as a person walking without headphones along the street the perspectives could be different. I will try to analyze a bit everything and a lot of nothing.

The possibility of listening to tons of new music in the spare moments of everyday’s life, mainly on your way to places, giving you a real chance to live in a videoclip. Also the real convergence that it implies, saving a separate music device and (this applies only if using the mobile phone) making the most of it in case you get no calls at all. Digital data moving easily between devices, you can consume music as an addict, fast, without pain, randomizing, changing song every 5 seconds, without attention, while doing other things.

In the meanwhile most of the artist and bands are still working on doing full albums, that only real fans or the odd one listen. Good songs vanish in the air and there are a lot of songs that are planned fast as well, from the start, knowing that only will last a couple of weeks in the music world. Fast music.

Anyway, recycle.

PS: I was thinking about to choose the placebo cover of the song, because it says “discman” instead of “walkman”, but even though was pretty old fashion so I put up with my first choice.

Update: I found it! Finally Joan of Arc got an “iPod“:).