My recordings-studio personnel

With recording at home it meant I didn't get to work with any studio personnel at all. The only person I got to help me was my mum. I got her to listen back to the tracks and see if she liked it and if she had any improvements. This is very important as you need an opinion that's not your own to make sure you're satisfying other peoples taste. But I missed out on working with a range of people to put together my c-d which would have been very beneficial for the future. However through out the BTEC course i have had the chance to work with such people. I have done a few recordings at the school studio which got me working with software i'd never used before and also learnt to set up equipment. I also got to work with Mr clark and Mr Shakespeare who have experience in working with music tech. I got to work with them on a few recordings and they helped us mix the tracks and also worked kind of like a producer.

My Recordings

Recording Of something more:
I started off by using the "singer songwriter guitar" template which gives me all the mono recording tracks that   I will need and also a master track. I needed to check the mic levels which I do by checking the bar that goes yellow, green and then red- what I want is for it to be in the green area to get rid of any unwanted crackles/pops. I then started to record the guitar intro which is a short riff played at the beginning. After this  I recorded from the 1st verse till end and then listened back and decided which bits needed improving. Once I knew the weaker parts of the recording I recorded over those sections. Once it had done all the tweeks on the recording  put the sections together with cross fades. Now all together I then equalised it by "adding air" which made it sound lighter and clear up fuzzy low parts. After this I recorded the vocals which took a couple of go's. I also equalized this to give it warmth and monitoring the gain. Then I gave both of them the same re-verb which wasn't massively noticeable but still the creating a well rounded sound.

Recording of Who's me :I set up the same, used the same template and also did a level check. I recorded the riff , the main guitar part and then the vocals. Once this was done I found lots of bits that I didn't like in the vocals so Inserted another track where I could record any amendments and then inserted them back in to the original track. I then moved on to adding all the effects. For the guitar I wanted it to sound quite quiet and gentle-to do this I reduced the gain and then I also messed around with all the different levels until it was soft sounding. With the voice I also wanted it soft so I equalised it similarly to the guitar part. I then, along with reverb similar to the last track also added minor delays so it had a slight echoing effect.


Recording Of who's Me: This song is quite different from the previous two . However I set-up the same and used the same equipment . I recorded the verse chorus and bridge for guitar and then just copied them. I recorded the vocals on top and thickened t by doubling it up. I went in a different direction with the equalizing this time. This song is more up beat and not as gentle as the others. To emphasize this, for the guitar I "added warmth" which made the guitar a bit heavier by improving the clarity in the lower notes giving an almost bass effect. I wanted the singing to sound quite powerful also so to do this I equalised it to enhance the top and bottom end of the scale and increased the gain

Problems I had :

• when I first mastered the track it created 2 separate tracks with left and right pan -  I then realised I needed to change it from "mono" to a "stereo" track
• making it all fit together and sound smooth- I found it hard to put all the guitar parts together and still sound like one song even with fades -this is something I can work on in the future

I'm creating my c-d at home on Pro tools which is a multi-tracking music software. I have already tried creating short tracks on this software and I'm reasonably familiar with it. However I'm struggling to put it all together as its hard to make it all sound smooth. On all the songs it will me voice and guitar which I will be recording separately so that I can focus on both parts individually and also cut and paste different parts from different takes.
Before I started creating my own songs Had already messed around with some cover songs. This actually helped a lot as it meant I already had a basic understanding. I decided to go back to the cover songs and using youtube look up how to add certain effects. On my cover track of "paparazzi" I doubled up the vocals to make it sound fuller, I also recorded a  harmony that I panned one way and the original in the other. I also learnt how to use buses and sends with my equalizers.
I will be recording 3 of my songs which will include: Know something more, Who's me and too pretty.
I haven't used a click track for these songs as I find them hard to follow also there is no drum part so it isn't necessary. At first I found it hard to record the guitar and making it sound good as it sounded a bit twangy however I have overcome that by using an equaliser to get rid of the harsh sounds of the higher strings.  When I was recording "something more" I found it hard to make all the guitar parts link into each other even with cross fades. I'm still not really happy with the fades on all the tracks as they just don't quite link together well;but I don't think its that noticeable with the singing on top as that brings the whole track together.  With who's me I used sends to a reverb and a delay track which changed it up as it wasn't so acoustic like and gave it a different feel to it ; I think it improved the song in the end.
 I didn't have to book a room as I created the recordings myself. I decided to record it in my kitchen as that has good acoustics. I used an acoustic Lindo guitar, M-audio producer microphone and pro tools. If I had needed to book a recording studio I may have gone to Paper stone in Nottingham. The normal pricing is

Hourly Rate	£25.00
Half day (4 hours)	£90.00
8 Hour day (weekday)	£160.00
8 Hour day (weekend)	£180.00
Full weekend	£320.00

This includes engineers and the equipment you will need.

To create a realistic product I am also going to be creating posters and album artwork;however if this was a full product then I would have also done a listening party or listening gig where I can show my music to friends, family and hopefully some important people from the music industry. This would have also given me a chance for feedback and comments.

If I decide on selling and distributing  my C-D then I would probably but the EP on a music distribution website and I may also contact local small music shops that my want to stock my album.. Hopefully after promoting and a lot of hard work to get it recognized it may go on to being sold on hmv,WHsmiths and played on radio/Tv

Studio Personnel

Like previously said, Rizzle kicks have worked with numerous famous produces such as ; Ant Whiting, Norman Cook, The  rural, Future cut and Craigie Dodds. They are very lucky to have so many to help with the album as this means they can have lots of ideas for all the tracks. It means getting outside creativity and adding bits that is new and different to the normal rizzle kicks style. The role of a producer is very important - they have to take in consideration what the artist , record label and most importantly the public want; so they will take the raw basics of a track and put it all together creating a final song which fills everyone's needs.
"heart skips a beat" which Rizzle kicks featured on Olly Murs album was written by ; Alex Smith,Samuel Preston, Jim Eliot and Rizzle Kicks.
"mama do the hump" was written by Rizzle Kicks, and Norman Cook who has also produced some of their songs! 
"travelers chant" rizzle kicks wrote this song with Ant whiting the producer of the song.

"Prophet better watch it " was written by rizzle kicks, James Dring, Jody Street and produced by the rural.

"down with the trumpets" was produced by Dag Nabbit and Mike Spencer who also wrote the song with rizzle kicks and will davies.

"When I was a youngster" was produced by the rural and also written by  James Dring, Jody Street and rizzle kicks.

"Dreamers" written by

rizzle kicks Emily Phillips, Ant Whiting, Patrick Lyons, Alex Spyropoulos

"round up" written by rizzle kicks and Ant Whitting

"demolition man " written by  rizzle kicks, Dean Barratt,,and Craig Dodds the producer

" miss cigarette" written by rizzle kicks and Tom caruana the producer

"stop with the chatter" written by rizzle kicks and Tome Caruana the producer
   "home wrecker" was written by rizzle kicks,Emily Phillips, and, Ant Whiting the producer

"trouble" was written by rizzle kicks,James Dring, Jody Street and produced by the rural

"learn my lesson" written by rizzle kicks, Emily Phillips And Ant Whiting the producer

"Even on a rainy day" was written by rizzle kicks,James Murray, Mustafa Omar and Ant Whiting the producer.

Recording sessions

Rizzle kicks do a simple freestyle session. He uses pre created bars and raps over the top. This particular style is very similar to mc battle raps which artists such as eminem have a favour for. It really contrasts with their normal album! It shows the versatility and how the album is such a mix of genres. Also here demonstrating their clearly quite talented lyrically and showing that they do write their own songs and have made the style their own.
 Although I couldnt find a specific place where the boys recorded their album, I found the favoured recording studio of island records; so I presume Rizzle Kicks have recorded here. Sarm west studios is very famous and popular - situated in a former church which I'm sure means fantastic acoustics. Bob Marley recorded there often and also lived in one of the apartments part of Sarm!

Rizzle kicks worked with numerous successful producers such as; Ant Whiting, Norman Cook, The  rural, Future cut and Craigie Dodds on their album "stereotypical"

Here the boys are choosing to do an acoustic cover of "rainy day" and "when I was a youngster" from their album. I think they do a great twist of the song -which sounds very different to the original . In rizzle kicks studio sessions they show there talent and switching songs up and giving it their own twist.

Promotion of the album

One tactic that Rizzle kicks used , was an online buzz. They were due to realease their 4th track from the album-"Mama Do The Hump". They decided to use a smart social media tactic.
In the video for "Mama do the Hump" the duo displayed a little dance routine similar to the dougie. In the run up to the single release, Rizzle Kicks asked their fans to send in photos/videos of themselves,friends and especially their mums performing "The Hump" , with the oppurtunity for 3 winners to receive 2 tickets to see them live and talk to them backstage.This was a very smart marketing idea. It not only meant that their fans will be actively uploading content, which mentions their single release, but that content will be viewed by their friends as well, spreading news of the single release to an even greater audience (social graph).

As you would expect, masses of fans rushed to upload photos & videos of themselves doing “The Hump”. Each upload received a large number of likes, and, the album on the Rizzle Kick’s profile, that the photos were being uploaded to, got over 800 likes.As you can see from the example above, the album received 826 likes, 120 comments and 18 shares. All of those interactions are priceless for Rizzle Kicks; they helped boost the buzz around the single release, inevitably led to higher sales figures and helped give their management another good statistic to show to radio when it came to plugging.

The internet is one of the greatest gifts for upcoming artists. If you learn to use social networking correctly you can promote your music to the whole world. Although flyers and posters are great for the local area and start your fan base growing , the internet is like fertilizer and will allow you to gain fans from round the globe. YouTube has started many a famous singers career. Justin Bieber was just a 14 year old boy who decided to put himself singing on to you tube, in a few weeks he had loads of views and went on to being one of the biggest names in pop. 

If your going to release an album or an EP you have to make sure your promotion is amazing. You need to get yourself on all the top social networking sites. I think one of the best places to promote is on Facebook, where you can create a band page. With the band page you can start a buzz going, updating on the creation of your album and when its going to be available to download/buy. This is important as you want your fans to be excited with you and looking forward to when they can get the album. 

Another important way to get your music heard is through gigs. Fans need to hear your music ! How else will they know if your album is worth buying? The best thing to do is to go to local open mic nights play a few sets in different locations and get writers from newspapers/blogs/magazines to write a review on your music. Although its not guaranteed that you will get a good review, its a very important step as if they do enjoy your music, they can recommend your album to contacts they have in the music industry.

Stereo typical album artwork

Although I couldn't  find the artist for this particular album, its a very important process in the overall production and normally when buying a c-d its the first bit that grabs you.
The album artwork to "stereo typical" is a picture of Rizzle Kicks looking in to the camera with far away expressions; this is a great show of the two's laid back music and thoroughly relaxing album. It also has a mint green hue which gives the photo an overall glazed look.However i wouldn't say its one of the most eye catching and interesting front covers but its definitively not an album to be overlooked and you get what you see on the cover.
Normally the record company will find artists to design artwork for the singer to approve. The art will be strongly influenced by the singer; as this is the advertisement of their product and a pivotal part of the all important sales. Once the artwork has been approved, the record company will then start to manufacture the cover. They will decide the paper they print on and all types of effects they want to include. 
The artist that will design the cover will first  be given notes from the musician, giving the artist a direction in how the album is to be perceived. Many of the designers work free lance and are hired per project .
Being a free lance designer is a hard job to get in to as you will get jobs mainly from referrals from previous employers. Also its very likely that the musician will want to change the artists design which in many peoples eyes can be a hard thing to do as everyone's perceptions vary.