A Day spent with Music Producer - Kam

February 21st 2012

I made contact with this music producer through a close friend. This producer has created his own record label and works as a freelancer. He works out of his own studio in Slough.

I was interested in meeting him as I am driven to raise the standard of my music production to a professional standard. I really wanted to know about developing sound quality and use of different frequencies.

I travelled to slough and met with Kam, professionally known as Romay, in his home TDK approved studio. He there introduced me to his equipment and music. I am in the process of developing a track with a friend which Kam agreed to listen to and give me some feedback. After comparing our track to the drum and bass giants releasing music today, I was taken aback by what I was hearing. The intricacies of each sound mixed so delicately with another amazed me. What I didn't really appreciate before I went to see Kam is how precise you have to be when mixing your sounds and not only what your chosen sounds are. I knew that certain choice frequencies had to be assigned predominantly to each different sound element, but I wasn't aware of how the further processing of each sound such as limiting, cutoffs for basses, adding reverb etc is important when it comes to making the music stomp out the speakers. I also learnt that by using as many tools available in the software as I could appropriately, it would give the track the right amount of space for each sound being heard in the final mix.

Spacing, amoung other things, was a feature that Kam was serious about in production and I found this very interesting. Mixing the track which is what is required before mastering, gives each sound element room to breathe within the whole mix. Spectrum analysers are also important in aiding me as a producer, to see what sounds are hitting each frequency. As I am new to the whole technical side of producing music, he stated the importance in viewing other similar genres and styles of music through the spectrum analyser, for producing the right sounds in each frequency. By referencing the newest and best electronic music out, we can then use it to see how it looks within the analyser.

Choosing the right sounds in the first place when making a track is just as important as mixing them properly. For example, using a snappy sounding snare and eq-ing it at 220Hz (which is at the top end of lower frequencies) is going to make the sound a lot flatter than an already beefy, round sounding snare sample that is inherently hitting the lower end of the spectrum already. Technically, drum and bass is the most challenging genre to make. As there is so much going on in the mix at one time that you have to constantly fight for space within the mix. That is why panning, processing, limiting, cut offs and a whole load of other effects are so important if you want that punchy, full sound when listening to the high energy music.



Notably, RAM RECORDS have been relishing in the artists that pay close attention to their production. With the likes of artists such as Sub Focus, Cyantific, Delta Heavy, Hamilton, DC Breaks and Wilkinson its hard to find something that, listened to on the right equipment, can't amaze. There is such clarity amongst a cluttered frequency environment within the Drum and Bass tradition. I find Ram Records artists work both complex, exciting and admirable as they master their technical allowances to the full, pushing sound as far as it can go and striving to be the best engineers of music production.

Check out Ram Records Here\
Check out Romay Here

Illuminate Bath

My input

Sound recording
Camera man
Editor

The new festival of light and art installations was first held in 2011 all around Bath. It showed us new talent, new thinking and new ways to use light and performance.

For the days that I was there, I recorded sound video and completed editing work for the performances during the festival in Bath city centre.

Bike Rides

We first started at the top of Victoria Park, where the race was starting. The light visibility was low for conducting interviews as it had just got dark. The bikes were fitted with all sorts of flashing lights and neon glowing bulbs which looked great on camera. We got an interview before the race with Richard Bidgood who is on the board of trustees for Bath Spa as the chair/union president. We took him slightly out of the park into the street lit areas and used LED lighting to contribute to the available light. Naturally, he spoke very well on camera which would prove to be an interesting and exciting interview for use later on in the post production edit.

This shoot in particular was more difficult than the later Illuminate shoots I was involved in as everything we did was new to us, filming off the cuff and finding as much important, exciting and relevant shots throughout the short bike ride event. We only had one chance to get the bikes coming into the finish line so we had to make it count.

Interviewing people on the spot on their bikes straight after the race was difficult in terms of content of what they were saying, but also a way of gaining an exciting reflection of the event that had just taken place as this made each interview both interesting and vibrant as the bikers were panting and rather worn out after finishing the race. Ciaran, who was interviewing the cyclists, interviewed them without prior planning. After the third and fourth person we managed to interview I noticed that the questions were ‘closed’. This meant that the responses we were getting were limited in length and complexity.  If I was to repeat this again I would prepare some ‘open’ questions for both before and after the race so that our answers would vary across the board, making a more interesting piece for the viewing audience.

Performance Art

In the centre of Bath in the newly built shopping precinct there was a performance art show. The show consisted of miming acts, circus movements, running, screaming and general circus type performances. There were people in strange masks, balls that lit up, lots of makeup, general clowning around, running about and dancing to music. I managed to get some great reactions from the public who where passing through. When I was using the camera I tried to cover as much of the public’s reactions during the event as I believed it to be the most interesting thing for the viewer, besides the actual event.  Children’s reactions were also great on camera, as they stared in amazement and laughed with joy at what was going on around them.

 I enjoyed filming and getting some great shots for the project and it was a good learning experience which taught me how and when to seize the right shots. It was good to experience how to react to a crowd quickly and which shots to take when the opportunities presented themselves. Along with the general running around of all the characters in the performance, there was also an ensemble type event where people all joined together to dance. The dance was a cross between tribal African and bebop jazz swing. It looked so exciting on camera with all the lights around it as well as the audience watching. There was also a smooth Jazz band playing in the background when the dancing performance art was closing up. I decided it would be useful to capture this on film to show the community spirit of Bath and link it into the Illuminate Bath festival later on in the edit.

Projector Installation

This was more of a sideline project that was around the rest of the main events such as the performance art piece. There were three projector installations that I was involved in. The first projected image was a straight shot of a wall where the passers by were walking on the pavement. They were captured on camera. This footage was then projected onto where the video had previously been recorded so it looked like there were people walking by where the projector was presenting the video. Some people saw the projection and thought they were being recorded and shown onto the wall and hurriedly got out of the way of the projection. Some realised it was not them and laughed, which looked great on camera.  Some didn't notice at all. The sound for this was not needed as we were just gathering shots of the projected images on the wall and gathering the reactions from passers by who were walking through the projection.

The second projection I was involved in was another small installation using an overhead projector with small objects such as buttons, shells, felts, cord and many other small pieces blown up and put on a wall. We interviewed an array of people who had a go on the projector, getting snippets of what they thought about the festival so far. The audio for this was more difficult to record as we were in the type of alleyway which channelled the wind past us. To solve this I had to put my back to the wind to keep the microphone sheltered.

Light tubes and interviewing the artist

We interviewed the artist responsible for creating an array of huge coloured glass light tubes. They were absolutely beautiful in colour, and magnificent in size. There was also a golden chair and desk piece and a row of large light bulbs that lit up the far end of the room. Because the room was very light and quiet we didn't have any problems when recording audio and video. The interview was also successful in terms of content and information about each piece.

Coloured light projection on walls

I was involved in camera and sound work for this. The room was a large white walled empty shop that contained two large high definition projectors. The two projectors cycled through the spectrum of colours, merging each colour slowly into one another and creating a pulsing effect with the colours. This was then projected onto two white walls. The effect was vibrant and of course very colourful. People wandered in off the street to see what was going on. We interviewed a couple who were creating shapes with their hands and body which was cast on the walls by blocking the projectors light and we captured them talking about their experience. We then interviewed the two guys that were in charge of direction for the installation. We asked them questions about how they came up with the idea. They gave great answers and interesting references for the viewers of the light festival to look up. I managed to get a few nice shots of the light behind a large gate that had been put into an empty shop that we were filming in. I liked how the gate was silhouetted behind the colourful lights. Although this was not part of the concept of the installation I decided it would be a good shot to include in the edit and it could be used for pictures of the festival for a DVD case or screen shot for blogs about the festival.

Editing

I took part in some of the editing including the introduction for Illuminate Bath 2011 and two Interviews of the lanterns light show. One of the Interviews consisted of talking about a coloured ice sculpture made into columns which slowly melted over time. The interview was quite dry but I managed to cut it down to a two minute interview from 20 minutes of footage which still included some interesting points such as what the sculpture was about, what it did and the reactions of some passers by. I layered these cuts of passers by and included shots of the sculpture over the top of most of the interview to keep it as stimulating for the viewer as possible.

Illuminate Bath 2011 was a fun festival for all the public and I was able to learn a lot about different filming techniques and sound skills throughout the project work.


Check out the Bath Illuminate page here

Music Maketh the Man

Since childhood music has been a big part of my life from playing the clarinet, learning how to mix music on turntables, djing in clubs and listening to a lot of different genres on a daily basis. Electronic music in the past has only been possible using hardware based synthesisers, drum machines and mixing desks. Now, with the invention of fast processing computers, there is less, or often no need to have access to expensive hardware based electronic components. This allows software companies to create soft synthesisers and other music composing instruments virtually. Anyone can now buy or download freeware software’s to create their own music.

I made the decision last year to begin to learn how people make music using computer based software. As I was always hugely passionate about electronic music, djing on a regular basis, I was intrigued as to how the sounds are created. Each genre of electronic music is different but abides by some rules such as tempo, styling, instrument choice and vocal elements. These different parts of the track are integral to how the sound is defined by the genres available. Music, especially electronic music, is always changing rapidly and has many sub -genres and cross over projects. I have noticed these changes more recently (over the past 6 years) notably with the introduction of Dubstep. I believe this genre has broken moulds drastically in the genre etiquettes around the world, meaning different styles and sounds are immerging all the time now. Keeping abreast to these changes as a DJ and a musician can be sometimes overwhelming as well as keeping open minded and true to your musical likes and dislikes is paramount. I also find that music and media (video production) and even graphic design go hand in hand. After all, music is received and processed emotionally and having a beautifully shot film and the wrong soundtrack can have a hugely detrimental effect to how the work is received. Also choosing a too ‘aggressive’ or unusual track can ostracise and confuse the audience once again changing the outcome of how the work perceived by the audience.

Keeping my Ideas Original

Keeping your ideas fresh is important but staying too close to the producing crowd can often be boring to listeners. For example, creating a standard 4/4 house beat, which is repetitive and not showing much enthusiasm for instrument choice can bore your target audience. By studying all genres of music you can select what instruments sound appropriate with one another and ‘step outside the box’ when you feel that the song needs more excitement or new direction.
Instruments can be chosen to reflect/echo other genres as well as integrating more sounds within the theme of the song.
E.g
Jazz music = reflected by such wind instruments as the saxophone.
Drum and bass music with complex drum patterns, lots of symbols and heavy bass lines.
Classical = using the right instruments, layers, volumes and strings.
Making music, in my mind, is like editing videos or creating graphics/art. It is a creative process with a multitude of decisions, feelings and emotions. Keeping close to knowing what you think sounds good and what doesn’t is very important in all of these practical arts.

Common misconceptions are that making electronic music or computer music is easy.
Again if I compare art to computer composed music, an artist could splash paint on a canvas and this would be considered a type of art. If an accomplished artist studying classical painting styles spent a year completing a large portrait of a famous figure it would also be considered as art. Music, art, video, photography, graffiti etc are all forms of expression and each contain their own identity.
‘Computer Music' magazine, a monthly issued magazine, details a wealth of information for computer musicians. In today’s level of high production, everybody who creates music is using a computer at some point.

It’s true that the music and media industry are cut throat in terms of the shelf life of artists/ creator. The supply of music producers available to the public through the internet and various forms of media today is extensive, to the point that an artist could be all the rage one week and forgotten the next. In this throw away culture that we live in, where information is available around the clock, although can be suffocating and overwhelming at times, it is also of great significance. The opportunities available today are astonishing. It’s just about harnessing them in the right light and keeping a positive focused attitude to using this information especially when things do not go your way. John Mayer said “after all, the internet doesn’t actually exist.”

People now have all of the choice, at all times. With an all embracing access to Internet platforms such as Soundcloud channels, Youtube channels, Facebook pages, twitter accounts, self made web pages, becoming a member of a nightclub/pub page on forums and Facebook, people can create their own world to launch themselves into the public eye to be noticed. Once artists receive notoriety is from social networks, larger more established companies can sign these artists and market them correctly to the right sections of the internet and media sectors with the intention that they will grow more popular.

Work Experience - Taking my Music to the Masses at Slug & Lettuce!

Throughout this year I have become more and more passionate about my music production skills. Whenever I listen to a film or dance piece I am listening for the overall production, the creation of mood, the use of instruments and synths. I have been looking at music making, producing and links with my passion for photography and design in general more and more over the past months.
To make some money I have also been taking my mixes to the pubs. Not the best audience you may think, but it has given me the opportunity to try out few things, although to reach the masses in this situation I have found that I have almost sold my musical soul to the devil by having to play safer tracks with more recognisable production. This is not necessarily a bad thing as I realise that some DJs love playing out this kind of standard of music. We all have our own likes and opinions when it comes to anything but i feel that my musical taste is very particular. Consciously judging the moods, efforts of instrument choice and finally how well each sound has been delivered to me.

At the Slug and Lettuce I didn't have to take my own decks. The sets were from 10pm to 12 midnight. I took my own headphones and CDs.

The evenings went well with few requests. This meant that the audience were satisfied with what music I chose to mix. When selecting tracks from my case I always keep in mind how it would be received by the audience. Judging an audience especially when working in small bars, is paramount.
Although this type of work brings in some money I feel that I would like to develop my music production more at home before returning to playing out at bars that just need a DJ to play music for the sake of playing 'music'. I am keen to explore more cutting edge tracks (in terms of production sound and instrument and effect choice) and use of my music for film and photographic projects.

Work experience - Wedding photographer

I really enjoy taking photographs particularly of the natural world, so when I was approached to be the sole photographer for a friend's uncle's wedding I felt daunted but up for the challenge.

Armed with a Cannon 5D I got to the registry office a few hours before the wedding party to check out the suitable places for photos both inside and out. I liaised with the staff at the Wedding reception venue and tried to appear confident,professional and tried to look as though it was not my first job!

The lighting was good for the day. There was a challenge to get the shots composed well as the bride had a disability and was in a wheel chair. It was most important to get her to feel comfortable and i had to keep in mind the levels so that other guests did not tower above her. She was able to stand for some of the ceremony which meant that I could get a range of shots.
I not only learnt how to manage my time on this shoot (which was manage it quickly) but also management skills of appearing in control, being confident and forceful with the guests without intruding too much on the ceremony itself.

Wedding photography maybe something that I would like to pursue in future. The following photographs show some of my efforts throughout the day.

Although I did not receive a professional fee for my efforts, I did get some expenses for the day.