AA1 - Week 2 - Session Planning & Management

This week we looked at how to plan and manage and recording session( I.e. the steps you need to take before having a recording session).
We looked at the two parts of the planning; post - production and production.
Post-production involves things such as: duplication, sound level, tracking artwork etc, and production involves things such as: recording, editing and layering.
We then looked at the producer's roles. These included:
>Helping with the overall sound - Instrument choice, choosing the rights sounds, improve recording
> Performance - Help to improve the captured performance
>Song choices - arrangement choosing (eg taking/adding parts)they may even help to write/re-write songs
>Budget distribution - including time management, quoting process etc
> Communication/people skills - Helping the band with motivation, organising musicians to give their best performance, keeping them 'sane', stopping any fights, helping them get out of ruts etc.
We then loked at pre-production roles. These included
>Meeting with the musicians - possibly even seeing them play live
> Getting demo tapes
> Finding out their musical style, what they want to achieve etc
> Getting thier numbers, email etc
Lastly, we looked at the steps involved in the planning of the recording session. These included:
> Assessed and musical style
> Duration, number of songs, time given to record etc
>Analysing instrumentation - Additions, harmonies, more voices, more pieces to drum kit, placing of mics, effects, MIDI sequences, costing etc
> Analysing musicians - Suggestions (nicely)
After we went thourhg this we were given our weekly exercise. This was to create a session plan example including instrument name, microphone/DI to be used and A/DC required. I chose a band consisting of a standard drum kit, bass guitar, electris quitar and voice to be used for my session plan. My session plan is to be handed up im my next 'Audio Arts' class.