For the last few years Southern Utah University has been doing a program called EDGE. It stands for Education Designed to Give Experience, and it involves completing a project that is designed to give one the experience necessary to help them to be a better citizen, employee, and an overall better person. They have had the goal to send their students out into the world more prepared to face the challenges of the workplace and society, and to give them an opportunity to give back to the community and world.
I’ve been wanting to produce an album of my own for the better part of 5 years now, but I’ve always made excuses because I didn’t know where to start. It was a very daunting undertaking, and would require me to hone my skills as a musician and a user of digital software. I wasn’t sure at first what I wanted to do as my EDGE project, but when I found out that I could do my album as a project through the Creativity Center, I was ecstatic to begin. I looked forward to presenting my music to the world in the manner I’ve always imagined, with multiple instruments and voice parts. I was also excited about gaining new skills in Logic Pro X and Pro Tools as an amateur audio engineer.
I began by deciding exactly which of my songs I wanted to include on my album. I chose 11 songs which seemed appropriate and I laid an outline for which instruments I wanted to use for each of them. I also knew that I’d be unable to make a completely professional album without the help of a professional audio engineer, so I consulted some trusted friends and decided to enlist the help of Frank Stearns, a Cedar City local with a great reputation, to help me with my vocal and guitar tracks as well as the mixing and mastering when I was ready for those steps.
I started recording at my home with the rhythm section instruments. These included the bass guitar, drums, and auxiliary percussion. This was a both challenging and exciting because when I first wrote the songs I only wrote them with guitar and voice. The next tracks I focused on were the piano and string parts because I could do them on my computer without the help of anyone else.
When all of the background tracks were finished, I met with Frank and made a plan to finish the album with his help. He told me that I would need to make sure all of the tracks’ timing were lined up together so that the tracking for the vocals and guitar would run smoothly. I then routinely went to Frank’s home recording studio where he and I finished recording my vocal and guitar tracks.
Finally, we were ready to edit and master the tracks. This is the process that has taken the most time. To get tracks to sound their best it is important to add effects and equalization and make sure the instruments’ volumes are balanced. Frank has sent me mix-downs of all of my songs and we have met multiple times to consult together and find that delicate balance to make sure things are sounding the way I would like. I have learned a lot from spending time with Frank. He is an excellent audio engineer and has shown me many tricks to make the best recordings possible. It’s been a pleasure to have the opportunity to pick his brain and learn from a real master of his craft.
Originally my goal was to finish my album and have it on iTunes and other online sites by October 10, 2016…obviously I’ve missed that mark by a bit. I plan on now having it released by the first few weeks of January 2017. Part of the reason I wanted to do this project was to see if I have a shot at making it as a singer/songwriter and audio engineer. Thankfully, both seem to be plausible because of the success I’ve had with this project. There are a lot of people excited for the release of this album, and I don't think any are more so than myself. I look forward to using the skills I have gained for the production of future albums.
I’ve been wanting to produce an album of my own for the better part of 5 years now, but I’ve always made excuses because I didn’t know where to start. It was a very daunting undertaking, and would require me to hone my skills as a musician and a user of digital software. I wasn’t sure at first what I wanted to do as my EDGE project, but when I found out that I could do my album as a project through the Creativity Center, I was ecstatic to begin. I looked forward to presenting my music to the world in the manner I’ve always imagined, with multiple instruments and voice parts. I was also excited about gaining new skills in Logic Pro X and Pro Tools as an amateur audio engineer.
I began by deciding exactly which of my songs I wanted to include on my album. I chose 11 songs which seemed appropriate and I laid an outline for which instruments I wanted to use for each of them. I also knew that I’d be unable to make a completely professional album without the help of a professional audio engineer, so I consulted some trusted friends and decided to enlist the help of Frank Stearns, a Cedar City local with a great reputation, to help me with my vocal and guitar tracks as well as the mixing and mastering when I was ready for those steps.
I started recording at my home with the rhythm section instruments. These included the bass guitar, drums, and auxiliary percussion. This was a both challenging and exciting because when I first wrote the songs I only wrote them with guitar and voice. The next tracks I focused on were the piano and string parts because I could do them on my computer without the help of anyone else.
When all of the background tracks were finished, I met with Frank and made a plan to finish the album with his help. He told me that I would need to make sure all of the tracks’ timing were lined up together so that the tracking for the vocals and guitar would run smoothly. I then routinely went to Frank’s home recording studio where he and I finished recording my vocal and guitar tracks.
Finally, we were ready to edit and master the tracks. This is the process that has taken the most time. To get tracks to sound their best it is important to add effects and equalization and make sure the instruments’ volumes are balanced. Frank has sent me mix-downs of all of my songs and we have met multiple times to consult together and find that delicate balance to make sure things are sounding the way I would like. I have learned a lot from spending time with Frank. He is an excellent audio engineer and has shown me many tricks to make the best recordings possible. It’s been a pleasure to have the opportunity to pick his brain and learn from a real master of his craft.
Originally my goal was to finish my album and have it on iTunes and other online sites by October 10, 2016…obviously I’ve missed that mark by a bit. I plan on now having it released by the first few weeks of January 2017. Part of the reason I wanted to do this project was to see if I have a shot at making it as a singer/songwriter and audio engineer. Thankfully, both seem to be plausible because of the success I’ve had with this project. There are a lot of people excited for the release of this album, and I don't think any are more so than myself. I look forward to using the skills I have gained for the production of future albums.
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