Josiah+Weigel

February 18th, Entry #1

I'll be honest: I began my research only today, as I was hesitant to delve into something that I was really very unsure of. I really had no clue what it was that music producers do, so I began my research with a simple Google search. I was not disappointed, as I found an article that very well outlined this career, but we'll get to that in a moment. My primary goal in performing this independent study is to investigate the ins and outs of music production because I intend to pursue it as a career. I find that artistic expression is very involved in details when it comes to create a work of art, and that is not something that I am very good at. I have always felt that I am more of a "big picture" kind of guy, and so becoming a musician and creating my own music was not something that I saw as a real possibility for me. However, I have always loved music and I feel that if I pursue a career in this field I will be fairly happy with my choice. "Music production" was just an idea that I had to be involved in the creation of music without being the primary source of artistic expression.

Upon beginning my research, I found that music production really does seem to pertain to my interests and natural talents. I discovered an article that outlines seven different kinds of music producers that have worked on famous albums or with famous bands. The first is the engineer, who sits at the mixing desk and deals with compression and reverb, which are terms I will hopefully become familiar with in the future. The second is the mentor, who deals more in the artistic intent and overall composition of the album, working with the artists to bring the best out of them. The third is called in the article a "golden ticket" producer, due to the high rate of success of the albums they produce. Apparently, they have some magical touch that isn't something I will reaaly be able to grasp in the scope of my study. Fourth on the list is the remixer, who takes songs that have already been released and cuts them, changing the structure of the song to create a new effect. I think the concepts behind remixing would be interesting to discover during my research. Fifth is the musician, who is able to contribute to the actual composition of the song and perhaps is able to contribute work on a particular instrument to the recording. The sixth on the list is the artist, who actually produces their own music. Maybe one day that could be something I could try, but I'm starting small here. The seventh type on the list is described as a visionary; someone who experiments and changes the way producing music is done. Clearly those who fall in this category are few and far between. The conclusion of the article states that common qualities of all seven types of music producers are musicality and the ability to see the "big picture" of an album. The latter is the very reason that I am pursuing this field and the former is definitely something I would like to become familiar with throughout my research.

From my research conducted so far, I have learned the many different roles of music producers in the recording studio, as well as come up with some interesting ideas to pursue later on. For example, I think it would be beneficial to research specific producers that have contributed to the field in important ways. Also, depending on how familiar I become with the process of music production, it would certainly be a possibility that I could do my own production of someone else's work. We'll see how it all turns out, I suppose, but I am excited to learn more, and I think that's probably the most important thing to get this study going.

I am really happy to see your energy and enthusiasm with your topic. It will be interesting to see what your end product will be come June. Will you research the roles that you find play more to your strengths? Good works so far... keep it up!

March 3rd, Entry #2

Apologies for the late upload; the Internet is evil here. In my more recent research, I decided to take a look at the more technical side of audio engineering. From my initial research of the career, I inferred that there are two parts to music production: the conceptual side and the technical side. The conceptual side has to do with what the music means to the artists and what the artist is trying to express, as well as how the music is structured. The technical side has more to do with the actual mixing and mastering of an album and is also what I am less familiar with.

Audio engineering is defined as the recording, manipulation, mixing, and reproduction of sound. An audio engineer works to process the music that is recorded to improve and enhance its sound. I researched five subjects involved in audio engineering, ranging from the complicated to the ridiculously complicated. The first is audio signal processing, which is, in basic terms, the alteration of auditory signals. This is done in analog or digital format. Analog processing makes changes directly to the electrical signal that is received from sound, while digital processing creates a digital representation of the signal that is altered using algorithms. This is essentially what an audio engineer does, while the other topics I researched have to do with what an audio engineer has to know or consider when recording or mixing music. The second topic is architectural acoustics, which is the science of achieving good sound in a room. This deals primarily with designing the studio in such a way that reflects and absorbs sound to help create the best recording possible. This isn't something usually handled by an audio engineer, but I though it would be good to know. The third topic is electro acoustics, which is more important to this career than the former topic. It deals with sound reinforcement systems such as speakers. The basic format of a sound reinforcement system is the input transducer, which takes in sound, the signal processor, which I described earlier, the amplifier, which adds power to the signal without altering it, and the output transducer, which outputs sound. This is very important to know when considering how music is recorded, so I'm glad I looked into it. The next two topics are fairly abstract: musical acoustics and psycho acoustics. Musical acoustics is something that I hope to become familiar with in the future and it deals with the science of music, or how sound is used to make music. It involves the physics of musical instruments, frequency analysis, musical structure, synthesis of music, etc. It gets pretty complicated, so I may or may not revisit it later. Psycho acoustics is #complicated. It has to do with the human response to sound and how music affects people emotionally. This is likely something I will only research further if I'm scraping the bottom of the audio engineering barrel, so to speak.

Overall, I feel that I have a much better understanding of the process of audio engineering and what it entails. Next I hope to tackle the more conceptual aspects of music production to get the same kind of overview. I still want to research a particular music producer and may do it regularly if I find it informative enough. These are important steps in the process of understanding music production and are necessary if I ever want to try producing music on my own.

Excellent Josiah. You have done a good job simplifying your findings and explaining them so that a person unfamiliar with Audio Engineering and Music Production can understand them. It might be a good idea for you to also add the links to this page so you can keep track of where the information came from. You will need that when you do your powerpoint or assessment. I still suggest looking into recording your friend's band. It may be too soon now, but some time in May you may have learned enough to be able to produce a song for them. That is where you will be able to apply what you have learned, and sometimes it is then that you learn the most.

March 19th, Entry #3

Pardon the late entry; I was waiting for a book to arrive at my home. This book is called The Music Producer's Handbook and seemed like a great source for information on music production. I have completed the first few chapters and I feel that it addresses many of the questions that I have about this field. This book will likely be the source of much of my research for the future, until I have finished it. Awesome!

This book starts right from the beginning of music production and introduced me to the three eras of the industry. The early label era was fairly rugged, with the job of music producer being basically just to make sure that the music was recorded on a medium suitable for reproduction. In the mature music era, producers began to take on the roles of finding talent as well as shepherding that talent through the recording process. When magnetic tape was introduced, the process allowed for multiple takes, which increased the level of creative input the producer was able to provide during mixing. Finally, the independent era was marked by the formation of independent record labels by producers who were very successful. These producers would form their own labels because they were not given payment relative to the success of their acts; they were salaried employees. This change began when George Martin, producer for The Beatles, left EMI as The Beatles grew in popularity. This era of independence continues today and has allowed for much more creative influence of the music producer.The book goes on to describe several producers of note from the early label era to now. There are a lot of them, though, so I won't describe them. Another force in music production at the same time as The Beatles was Bob Marley, he may be one you could look at for a historical perspective

The second chapter describes the many roles that a music producer takes on in the studio, illustrating that a music producer is like a film director with many more jobs. One role is the creative director, who, much like a film director, has the greater creative vision on the album in mind and sees the big picture of how all the songs will fit together. Another role is the diplomat, who makes the recording process comfortable for the artists to help bring harmony to it. Decision maker is the next role, which includes having the final say on how something sounds. Another role is the go-between, where the producer basically acts as the representative for the artists to the rest of the world, from ordering pizzas (happy stomachs) to dealing with session musicians. The financier deals with the budget, which includes the studio, engineering, mixing, musicians, etc. the casting director role involves choosing the right musicians to work on a song to get the right sound. The project manager role ensures that the product is finished on time. The next role is described as "the one who drives the bus," and this role involves helping to determine the artist's vision and making it a reality. The final role is possibly the most important one: the one who is responsible. In the end, the producer is held responsible for how the product sounds and how it does in the market.

This is all of the information that I have gleaned so far and I have yet to finish the second chapter. I think that this was a very good purchase and that it will provide me with a lot of great info in the future. I think I should try to get through at least three chapters between each learning journal, which should be no problem, considering how I finished one and a half chapters in one day. This book is just one in a series of books on the recording industry that includes three others that I may buy. They cover the topics of record engineering, mixing, and mastering. If I fly through this first book, then I am comfortable with purchasing one or all of the others. Awesome Josiah! I am glad you found a book that is so useful. Keep up the good work!

March 31st, Entry # 4

The fourth chapter of this book has the title "The Business of Music Production" and I decided to skip it. I read through it a little bit, but I found that it covered a lot of topics that I was not interested in and also that many of the topics seemed to pertain to the actual practice of productions a band. While this is not a bad thing to be familiar with, I feel that because I do not have the means to use any of this information, it will simply be forgotten until the time comes when I have a need for it. So, I moved on to the next chapter, which has to do with song arrangement. Makes sense.

I found this chapter to be much more interesting, as it covered the different mistakes that are made when composing a pop song, such as excessive length, lack of focus, weak chorus, and poor arrangement. The majority of the chapter had to do with song dynamics, which is the rise and fall of intensity within a song that keeps the listener interested. A song begins strongly, falls during the verse, builds during the pre chorus, and reaches the climax during the chorus. According to the text, the true climax of a song is during the bridge, which comes before the third chorus. It also outlines the different instruments that would play during each section to achieve these dynamics. Finally, this chapter covers the arrangement of a song. The text says that a song commonly has five elements: The foundation, which is the rhythm section, consisting usually of drums and bass, a pad, which is a long, sustained note or chord, the rhythm, which plays counter to the foundation, the lead, which is usually the lead vocal or melody, and the fills, which are used to fill the spaces between lead lines. The text then outlines each of these elements in a couple of popular songs.

The next chapter covered music mechanics, which was also fairly interesting. Some topics covered were dynamics, volume level vs intensity, and builds. The text also says that during recording it is important for band members to listen to each other and to become familiar with each other's styles. A large section of this chapter covered timing, saying that all members of the band must find the stops and starts of a song and reach them at the exact same time. Many more topics are covered as well.

This concluded the first section of the book, called "Music Production Background." The next section is called "The Mechanics of Music Production," and appears to cover many of the practical things to know when recording an album. Upon reading some of this chapter, I have decided that the information it will cover is not exactly what I had in mind for my research. It is my goal to be able to take parts of recorded music and put it together to create a cohesive song. From what I have read so far, I will not be able to do this. I decided last week to purchase another book in the same series as this one on mixing, which is more in the area that I want to study. While I am still glad I purchased the first book, I think that the new book will provide me with the information that I want. We'll see. I hope the second book will have what you are looking for. I think the first book has given you a good background on the role of the Music Producer. It has address the various aspects of production. It seems a good book to look at the topic in general. You sound like you are enjoying your research. Keep up the good work Josiah!

April 15th, Entry #5

I received my new book what seems like a while ago and have been reading it as actively as I can. The book is called The Mixing Engineer's Handbook and covers more practical information than the previous book I was using. It starts off describing the early days of mixing when recording was done on a four track mixer, which is incredible low tech when compared to today's technology. It also describes the changes that the industry went through to get to where it is today. It's all very specific and covers a long period of time, so I won't describe it here. It then goes on to describe four different styles of mixing throughout the world. The first style is the New York style, which features a lot of compression to get a "punchy" sound. The rhythm section is given a lot of compression and the high and low frequencies are given a boost to create this sound. I'll be honest: I don't really have any idea what this stuff means, but I figure it's important to identify the differences in mixing styles. Anyway, the second style is the LA style, which features a more natural sound. The LA style tries to capture a musical event and amplify it, as opposed to try and recreate it. Next is the London style, which shares the compression aspect with the New York style, but is also very layered, musically. Each element of a song is given its own environment through this layering, which creates a unique effect. The final style is the Nashville style, which is the origin of many country recordings from the sixties, which had a very soft, mellow sound to them. The text says that most of these styles have combined in a way to form one style that is used everywhere.

The second chapter describes monitoring, which is evidently just the process of listening to a recording. The book refers to speakers as "monitors," which I found to be very confusing for a while. The text takes you through how to set up these monitors to receive a well balanced sound by placing them in the center of a room and placing them a certain distance away from you when listening. It also takes you through how to choose the right monitor and what to look for in the model that you buy. This part is very detailed and I found that it was a bit unnecessary for me to know, as I have no intention of spending a couple hundred dollars on a monitor system before I'm sure that I want to. However, it does provide a lot of information that I will have to revisit if I do plan on getting a monitor system.

The next chapter covers mix preparation, which is just the basic process that you should go through before you begin a mixing session. It says to create a mix file, tweak the timing, check the fades, eliminate noises, and arrange the tracks. I found all of this to be interesting and I'm sure it would be helpful if I were actually mixing something, but I can't help but feel that this information is too practical.

Looking ahead, I see that chapters four and five contain information on the actual mixing process, which I think will be more what I am looking for. I am sure that this book is going to be helpful in my research, but I do think that I will need to get some practical experience to put all of this info to use. I'll see what I can do about setting something up.

Yes, reading it is one thing, doing it is another. Reading about the process will help provide you with background knowledge and awareness of the terms. Applying what you have read will help you put it all together. We can talk some more about setting that up next class.

April 28th, Entry #6 The next couple of chapters have covered some fairly interesting information. I got through chapters four through six and most of the information involved the actual process of mixing. These chapters covered the mechanics of mixing, balancing a mix, and creating a panorama effect in the mix.

The mechanics of mixing are general processes that all mixers go through when mixing. The first step is to conceptualize the mix. Basically, mixers should have an idea of what the end product is supposed to be before they begin working. They should know how a song progresses and how it should sound. The overall approach of mixing involves determining the direction of the song, developing the groove, and emphasizing the most important element of the song. With these three things in mind, a mixer begins to organize everything in a mix. Another thing that mixers consider is a three dimensional visualization of the song called tall, deep, and wide. Tall refers to a wide range of frequencies, deep refers to the dimension or depth of a mix, and wide has to do with the panoramic sound of a mix in stereo. The chapter also lists some signs of an amateur mix, such as lack of contrast, inconsistent levels, and a wandering focal point. Six elements of a mix are also outlined in this chapter: Balance, which is the volume level of musical elements, frequency range, which is having all frequencies represented in the mix, panorama, which is the placement of a musical element in the sound field, dimension, which is adding ambience to a musical element, dynamics, which is volume control, and interest, which is just what makes the mix interesting or special. Finally, the chapter describes the intangible elements of a mix that must be considered, such as the arrangement of a song, the performances that are recorded, and the point of interest of a song.

Chapter five covers balancing a mix. When balancing, the first thing to do is to consider the arrangement of the song. The arrangement is really how you get an understanding of how all of the pieces of a song go together. The arrangement will help you see the tension and release of a song, which is the contrast between different elements, and is also something I have read about before. A lot of the information about the arrangement of a song I have read previously, so I won't describe it all again. The chapter ends with explaining different starting points when mixing. It varies from person to person, but most mixers seem to agree on beginning with the rhythm section. It also covers the variation from genre to genre, stating that, obviously, how a jazz piece is mixed will be much different from how a folk song is mixed.

Chapter six explains at length the different ways to mix a song in stereo, as well as how stereo mixing has developed over the years. The chapter describes stereo by comparing int to how the sound in a film is mixed. In a film, there is a picture that you are looking at with different characters doing and saying different things. When mixing music, the arrangement of the different musical elements creates this same kind of picture. The simplest stereo mix consists of placing all elements in the left and right channels, so that it feels like it's all coming from the center. This is called Big Mono, and is generally frowned upon by today's standards. The chapter goes on to describe the different versions of surround sound that have developed, with each one adding a new speaker to the original two channel set up. When mixing in surround sound, there are two different approaches to take. The first is to make it so that it sounds like the listener is in the front row of a concert, while the second tries to place the listener on the stage in the middle of the band. One debate that comes from the surround sound mixing process is what to put in the center channel. Some mixers don't actually use one, while others use it to emphasize a particular element, although they will rarely place an element in the center as well as the left and right channels.

These three chapters were pretty interesting and I feel that the information is more in the direction that I would like to go in. The next few chapter seem to be about what effects to use in mixing to make it sound right, which is something that I am very interested in. I look forward to reading them. Over all, I would say that this book is the best source of information that I have come across. I have another book that a friend gave me that covers the absolute basics of working with audio, and I plan to look at that once I have finished this one.

It is evident that you have learned a lot from this book so far. Your explanation is detailed and interesting. I am looking forward to seeing your final project.

May 19th, Entry # 7

As I'm sure you can tell by my lack of punctuality, I've hit a bit of a wall in my research. The book I've been using has gotten to the part I was originally interested in, which is the actual mixing of the music, but this has turned out to be both a good and bad thing. The good news is that I have gotten an understanding of the craft to a much better degree than I previously had. The bad news is that I'm not particularly excited by what I have found. What I mean by this is that, I have gotten the feeling that perhaps this is not the career for me. As I have read through my various texts, there has always been a fundamental lack of understanding of the process of mixing music that I had hoped to clear up at some point. Now that I have this information, I understand that it's just not for me. Obviously, I understand that this does not mean that I can slack on my work or give up on the research, but this is the reason for my lack of motivation.

Anyway, I did read more of the book. The following three chapters cover the three different parts of mixing music. Each chapter went through the different approaches and processes in mixing. Chapter seven covered the frequency element of a mix and the use of the equalizer. The goal of equalizing is to make sure that all of the frequencies in the common frequency range are used and also that there are no overlapping frequencies. Three methods of equalizing are covered in this chapter: equalizing for definition, equalizing for size, and juggling frequencies. Chapter eight covered the concept of dimension and how adding effects to a mix can create more dimension. delays are one type of effect that is used, and the text covers different types of delays, timing of delays, setting up delays, and other delay techniques. It also covers the use of reverb and modulation, which are two other effects that are used. The ninth chapter covers the element of dynamics, covering the use of compression, limiting, gating, and de-essing. The purpose of using these different effects is to make the track more dynamic, which makes it more interesting.

These were the three chapters that began to answer more of my questions. The reason that I felt turned off by this information is because of its complexity. Not necessarily the complexity of the concepts, but of the practical use of the information. The more I learned, the more I became aware of the fact that, having no prior experience or information involved in mixing music, I am significantly out of my element. Although I have found that this is not the career or practice for me, I am glad that I performed this study. It was all very interesting and I feel that I have a fairly good understanding of the career. For my final learning journal, I have decided to go back to one of my original ideas and research a significant music producer. After that, I will focus on my presentation.

P.S. Feel free to take off any amount of points you would like both for this journal and the next, which will be uploaded by the weekend. Their tardiness is entirely my fault.

I am glad that you learned this was not the career path for you now, rather than while doing course work in college. Thank you for finding a way to ensure the study is interesting and helpful to you.

May 28th, Entry #8

And so we come to the final journal; the reflection on all that I've done in this class. To sum up, I think it was a very positive experience. Although it didn't turn out that audio and music production is really what I want to do in the future, it did help to narrow the field a bit for me. I learned a lot about the craft and the career. I can't think of a question that I had at the beginning of the study that has yet to be answered. Looking back on all of my journals, I am surprised by the different areas of study that I looked into. I had forgotten about a few of them.

It was an interesting study. I went from looking at the career of being a music producer to the career of being an audio engineer to the basics of audio reinforcement systems. Looking back, one criticism I could have would be that there is a slight lack of focus on just one topic. However, the point of the study was to get an overview of the field, so I guess it makes sense that it turned out that way. I think it was good that I used several sources for the information and that I switched between sources when I wanted to shift my focus. That was something that I did well; usually I like to stick to just one source.

For the presentation, I plan to create either a PowerPoint or a prezi and I plan to divide it in a way that I outlined in an earlier journal. I had originally described it as the difference between the conceptual and practical sides of audio production. Now, I would describe it as the difference in the jobs of a music producer and an audio engineer. I think that I will focus on the two careers and explaining what they do and how.

Again, I am very pleased with how the study went. I really needed something like this during my junior year, as I have been giving a lot of thought to what I want to do after high school. This was a very good way to explore one of my options.

Thank you Josiah. I am glad you look back upon the independent study with positive feelings. I look forward to your presentation.