Album one: september
The third track we worked on is Whoever We Wanted To Be. In contrast with the first two, this is the densest arrangement on the entire album. Mandolin, acoustic guitar, Wurlitzer, electric guitars, agogo bells, live drums, tambourine, synths, shimmery reverse effects, backing vocal stacks … it’s all in there, so we thought having this track completed would mean we had a starting point for the various moments where these instruments popup in the other songs.
The most interesting part of mixing is how you can use it to help reinforce the story of a song. Different instruments can be given prominence in certain sections or the drums can be made to feel closer or further away: all of this can feed into whether the mix creates a stable or unsettled, dreamy or grounded atmosphere at various moments.
Some songs have been living in my head for over 3 years at this point, so it’s refreshing to have Sanders’ ideas on the mix and it can help me refocus and let new aspects of the arrangement get a moment in the spotlight.
We’ve got a busy October mixing another 5 songs. I’m editing some fun samples from a Jazz coffee shop in Barry (Coaltrains) that will feature in the most experimental track on the album. I’ll post more updates as they happen. It’s exciting to get closer to the release date when people will start hearing all of this music.
Mixing has begun on the album and the first two tracks featured vocals recorded on this ribbon mic. It’s particularly effective when singing a dynamic vocal that needs you to come closer to the mic for quieter, low moments, but it also handles loud, rising notes with a wonderful smoothness. Hearing myself through a mic like this really helps me relax and feel more confident about the take I’m recording.
On that note: everything has been recorded now! I’ve received a couple of sublime guest contributions in the form of sound design and orchestration from Freyja Elsy and a precise, poignant haiku from Rachel Helena Walsh. I’ll write in detail on these when the song they feature on has been mixed.
We decided to mix the two simplest songs first. The tracks Don’t Mention It and Prague are both comprised mostly of acoustic guitar and a single lead vocal. The songs are the centrepiece and the closer of the album, so it felt good to have a sense of how those key points in the record would feel at an early stage.
Before we started mixing those tracks, however, we ran all of the vocals and acoustic guitars through the outboard compressors, amps and EQ racks at King’s Road Studio. This helped give the tracks a bit more presence and character, as well as imbuing them with a consistent audio quality that helps the album have a consistent sonic palette. Many of the guitars and vocals were recorded at home (see photo below), so adding some analogue studio layers after the fact gives them a finish that helps them feel more detailed and professional.
