OVERVIEW
In this module, you’ll be introduced to techniques for identifying
instruments, sound sources, and vocal timbres
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbre] (e.g., guitar, bass, synths,
lead vocal, background vocal, etc.) in recordings, how to isolate and
place them in perceived space, and how to become more precise in the
language you use to describe recorded sounds. We’re beginning this
course with a project in recording analysis because critical listening
is 90% of the day to day work of a music producer or audio engineer.
Through isolating and describing timbres and positioning them in
perceived space, you’ll better be able to work with these concepts
in your own tracks, no matter what genres you work within and across.
We've divided this module into 4 sections: - A. Project: Listening for
timbre and space in Peter Gabriel's *Sledgehammer* - B. Video: Alex
Case: Listening for timbre and space in recorded music - C. Project:
Analyze your favorite tune and share it with your Crew and the PWYM
community - D. Further Resources This module ends with you creating a
[PWYM Perceived Space Graph][1] for a section of a musical recording
you love. We encourage you to find other PWYM participants (your
crew!) to share your graph, and to give feedback to others on their
graphs.
DIVING DEEPER INTO THE MUSICIANS AND SOUND SOURCES
PWYM co-creator Ethan Hein [http://www.ethanhein.com/] will
demonstrate the process of listening to and analyzing music
recordings. In these videos, Ethan will walk you through our approach
to listening critically for timbre and space within Peter Gabriel's
song "Sledgehammer" starting first with listening for timbres, then
graphing them in perceived space.
GRAPHING TIMBRES IN PERCEIVED SPACE
To create a perceived space graph of your song, you need to figure
out where all of the sound sources are located in the perceived space
of the recording. Are they on the right, left or center? Are they in a
specific location or spread across a range of the stereo image space?
Do they sound like they are right in front of you, in the middle
distance or very far away? And do any of the sounds change location
over the course of the song?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLHWhqeI31g Here is a completed
perceived space graph
[https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1c6o5C0bov0UEAt4JpX1VTT_btEnq4nysQzjrtdnPoAE/edit?usp=sharing]
for "Sledgehammer" that we created as a reference for you. You may
hear things differently, which is why we call this a *perceived* space
graph. We are using a Google Charts template to make it easy for you
later in Project 2 of this module to share, edit and collaborate on
your graphs with other PWYM course participants. A quick recap of our
analysis process: - Listen and identify each timbre/separate sound
source that you can hear - Listen for where you hear each sound left
to right - Listen for where you hear each sound front to back - Listen
for whether each sound seems to surround you (wide) or come from a
specific location (narrow)
GOING DEEPER
Our approach is based on strategies for critical listening and
analysis from William Moylan's Understanding and Crafting the Mix:
The Art of Record Production
[http://books.google.com/books/about/Understanding_And_Crafting_the_Mix.html?id=ZgdkVhHUjEMC] if
you are interested in learning directly from the source!
EXPLORING THESE IDEAS THROUGH OTHER MUSIC
In PWYM 1.0, [Bradford Swanson][2] introduced these concepts through
the music of [Clara Berry and Wooldog][3], a singer/songwriter duo out
of Kennebunk, Maine. If you'd like to approach this through that
music, see the following videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsbUvMTZN8s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl07aPPXNZ0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWlRPY1Cb_w [1]:
https://drive.google.com/previewtemplate?id=1eoxDQyI8b5spi7rDb_zh5xoHAFt7pawO7Xry7zUHGSw&mode=public
[2]: http://bradfordswanson.com [3]: http://claraberry.com/
