Day #3

Today one of Jim’s clients named Alex was mixing multiple songs. The first was a rock song, and the vocals were softer than I expected but still very good. Alex found a place in the song where he wanted to add a piano part. Jim had an opinion about the piano addition but politely reassured Alex that the client speaks first. He went back and forth on the software seeing which editing trick, for lack of a better word, sounded best. I perceived that the client was more talkative than the ones I had seen on Friday. It seemed to me that he knew more about the technology part. He mentioned that he did 90% of the song which included vocals and piano. He only had one other guy perform the guitar solo. The second song was also a rock sounding song. He needed to add vocals to it, however. I was truly happy to find that he was going to be tracking. Alex went into the “vocal room”, and put the headphones on, which I anticipated he would. We could see him through the clear window that connected the control room and vocal room. There was a microphone set up on a stand with some sort of cover on it. I was not completely sure of its purpose or the exact term for it. However, my best guess is that it keeps the singer’s mouth from coming too close to the microphone and it possibly makes it sound clearer. He warmed up his voice before he began to sing. Normally, Jim said, you can’t hear the singer while he warms up because the system is not turned on. But, he was singing very loudly and we could hear him in the other room. Jim asked him how the headphones fit and if he knew when he was supposed to come in on the track. When he sang, it transferred to lines that looked crooked and showed up on the computer screen. This is what Jim taught me the first day, the analog to digital process. The client recorded many times until they were both satisfied with the way it sounded. Then Alex decided to add a harmony to the track as well. I realized that the tracking process is similar and different to the mixing process. Depending on the client, it could take longer to perfect each specific part of a song. From watching Jim, I note that it’s essential that I know how to make the client happy, while also doing what I think sounds good.

Day #2

There was a band in the control room today that, from what I saw, was in the studio to mixdown or “mix” a few of their songs. Jim was editing the first song which was pop, and at one point he turned the volume down to see what the vibe was like even when it wasn’t loud. Jim also put in a delay upon the request of the clients. I didn’t understand exactly how the delay affected the song. Later, I asked Jim and he explained that a delay created ambience, reverb, and made it more of a “wet” sound. I noticed that he asked the clients, Kristine and Michael, many questions. To me, he seemed extremely involved with them, like he knew precisely what they wanted their song to sound like. Also, he made some editing decisions on his own and then asked them if they liked them or not. At the end, Jim said he wasn’t sure of the full balance of the song yet. I didn’t fully comprehend what he meant by the “full balance”. Afterward, he clarified that it meant you could hear the drums, guitars, and vocals but not the bass. Therefore, he added more of the bass to the song. While observing, I tried to focus on the technology part of the job. However that proved a little challenging. Mostly, I found myself taking notes regarding my surroundings. I felt that important characteristics for this job are that you must be patient, have computer skills, and interpersonal skills. The atmosphere was incredibly focused and sometimes humorous, which I liked. For the second song, before editing began, the vocals sounded a little on the angry side. But her voice had depth, or a full sound, and it was edgy as well. After the editing process, the song sounded like a rock and roll song because of the drums and guitars. The vocals sounded more breathy and whiny but in a good way! I loved the way she sounded, it was not too harsh. The third and final song was softer. The vocals were almost like she was talk singing. I noticed that I concentrated a lot on the vocals because that is the part I have most knowledge of. Overall, I thought my first real watching of the entire mixing and editing process was exciting and intriguing!

First Day

Jim and I spent time working on a project for one of his clients today. He took me on a tour of the studio, which made me excited, and finally, we ended in the control room in which there were two enormous computer screens set up side by side. Underneath them was an overwhelming amount of controls with plugs and lights in columns and rows. I was extremely intimidated. This surprised me because I felt like that view would be the only part of this business that I would be used to seeing. On One Tree Hill, a television show, a character named Peyton owns her own record label. Also, she has a recording studio at her office. So I understood what a control room was and what it looked like, but seeing one on TV is entirely different from seeing one in real life. Jim continued to use the computer software programs while I tried to follow along and soak in some of the information he was explaining to me. He said that being a sound engineer involves understanding physics. I related this to the physics class that I took last year at my high school. Jim went on to explain all of the scary controls in front of us. Mostly, I understood that they were all similar units. However some buttons could make the editing process more precise than others could. There were knobs for volume, for something that I had never heard of called “EQ”, and more. At the top, there was a box that Jim said was called “A to D”, meaning analog to digital. Say perhaps you plug in a microphone and the cord transfers the actual vocals to digital lines on the computer. Mostly, when I left Allusion Studios, my brain felt fried. I believe that I tried so hard to contain all of the information Jim told me. At this point, I realize that interning at the studio is going to be a challenging but rewarding task.

Introduction

At my high school, I am enrolled in an Internship 101 class that requires me to work as an intern at a place of my desired career for at least four hours a week. For the past six years, I have had a passion for music. For the same amount of time, I have been singing in different show choirs. All of that time, I dreamed of becoming a famous singer. Not until recently was it that I realized I no longer yearned to be in the spotlight. However, I still knew I loved music and felt that I would enjoy working in the music business in another way. After researching many possible careers on the internet and watching several television programs, such as One Tree Hill, I imagined myself working at a recording studio. If that meant producing or being the sound engineer technician, I’m still not sure. Consequently, I looked on the internet for recording studios in Tucson, and called and asked Allusion Studios for an opportunity to be an intern. To my delight, Jim Pavett, the owner and operator, kindly agreed to be my mentor. Choosing this as a potential career means that I have much to learn when I come into the studio. I am completely jumping into this field with a blank slate. My eyes and ears have a lot to see and learn before I can make an accurate decision about how I feel about this business. I truly have no background knowledge of the technology portion and interpersonal aspects that factor into this career. So coming into this new environment, I am going to observe my surroundings carefully. I mostly do not know what to expect when I enter the studio. I think that I will struggle with the educational information I will receive in the beginning. Yet, I am hoping that I don’t feel too out of place.