Three Covers
Here is a selection of band mixes with which I was involved from the initial capture stage.
The earliest of these is a cover of Radiohead's Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi taken from their 2007 album In Rainbows. The mic decisions and capture were completed with a group of my peers; I also lent my services as electric guitarist and backing vocalist. With my talented friend Roseanna Schmidt providing her soulful voice, we decided to produce an arrangement which hybridises the original song with Lianne La Havas' cover version – borrowing the powerful halftime drum groove for the epic B-section. Each group member then produced an individual mix and master of the stems we collected.
The second cover I included is of The Wind Cries Mary by released by The Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967. Jimi Hendrix was a big inspiration for me learning to play electric guitar, recreating the guitar tones – especially during the velvety solo, was a key focus of this project. Armed with my Fender Stratocaster and Fuzzface, I performed the guitar layers and then individually recorded two of my friends on drums and bass. I created a modern stereo mix (not LCR like the original), that still maintained the essence of the late 60s sound by working to limited track numbers, using period-correct drum mic technique and mixing using outboard gear.
In a later group project, we were tasked with recreating the Burt Bacharach and Hal David classic I Say a Little Prayer (the version made most famous in 1968 by Aretha Franklin). Each group member was assigned research into a particular component of the song. I looked into the mic technique and production. Specific information on this track was fairly limited; the clues held in a collection of session photos were often obscured – requiring me to fill the gaps with knowledge of general period conventions. The recording was a large scale operation since we decided to authentically live-track a full rhythm section, 3-part backing and lead vocals together in a single space. In charge of microphones, I had to make choices considering period-correct options for model, polar pattern, transduction technology and positioning... as well as make compromises to accommodate the inevitable limitations imposed by the unpredictability of a live-environment. I did not produce the mix – but played a key role in the mastering process by learning to operate an Otari MX-80 tape recorder. We printed our digital stereo mix onto tape in an attempt to impart some of the warmth and saturation qualities present in the original track.