Ambient/post-classical EP recording diary

[Woodwind]

I started this thread to help me collate my plans, thoughts, progress and results of a new recording project.

This won't feature bass guitar, but will feature a lot of bass frequencies!

 I write and compose ambient/post classical music for contrabassoon and electronics (using EHX freeze and pitch fork pedals along with a looper and delay) which I reamplify through my snaredrum along with my drum machine samples.

The recording techniques I'm opting for will be of interest to double bass players as the contrabassoon goes to Bb below a Low C extension - mic techniques for the two instruments are relatively similar.

 

I was fortunate enough to win a grant from the Sound and Music Covid19 composers fund at the beginning of this year -

https://soundandmusic.org/post/covid-19-composer-awards-round-2-winners-announced/

Which I'll be using to help pay for sessions at my favourite recording studio - Soup Studios, aboard lightship 95 at Trinity Bouy Wharf.

 

I'll be tracking a piece I composed in 2019 which was intended to be the bulk of my live set for shows in 2020 (we all know what happened to those gigs).

Here's a video from a live streamed performance last year (the timestamp won't embed for some reason, but the piece in question starts at 6minutes in).

 

Quick bit about me - I started out as a bass guitarist, moving to double bass in my 20's, falling in love with the bassoon and contrabassoon through writing for them for ensembles I had, deciding to learn how to play the contrabassoon 9 years ago after injury stopped my bass playing.

Initially I intended to use the instrument in similar post-rock band formats in which I played double bass, but went solo in 2015 and haven't looked back!

I'll post more over the next month.

[Woodwind]

Settling on choices for microphones -

The engineer I'll be working with has recorded me a few times before for various session work.

He introduced me to the world of ribbon mics.

The results we'd had before were superb on the instrument - very solid low end with incredibly natural high end.

 

We'll be using Coles 4038 mics. A Blumlein pair for the entirely acoustic section of the piece and then two mics in mono on my instrument for the electroacoustic section.

I'll be in the studio in early March if everything goes to plan, so will post some more information around that time.