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Javier Melendez
This week was the intro to Pro Tools. During the chapter review with my mentor, we went over some Pro Tools shortcuts that are really helpful to know. Luis also walked me through some basic editing functions and let me practice them for a while. One example of an editing function I was able to practice was aligning two audio signals that were slightly out of alignment, and was noticeable during playback. We used VocALign and brought the two signals into perfect alignment. We also talked about some good home studio gear I could buy so I could have my own recording set up at home to practice on. So far my home studio consists of JBL LSR 305 series monitors, an MBox 2 mini audio interface, a Shure SM57 microphone, My MacBook Pro with Pro Tools 12, a Yamaha PSR E213 keyboard, and a Korg nano MIDI drum pad.
This week I also had the chance to sit in on a few more recording sessions. The first one was with a local Hip Hop artist named Ampsterdam. We spent several hours working on three tracks, but it brought the saying of "quality over quantity" into perspective. All three of those tracks sounded great by the end of the night. The vocals were recorded and effects were added and adjusted until both the artist and the audio engineer were completely happy with the sound. I didn't get too involved as far as equipment set up and changes, but I did get to observe a lot of what was going on in Pro Tools, and try to follow along to understand what was being done and why. Also, I occasionally chimed in with thoughts on the sound or an idea of what might sound good. Voicing my thoughts during the session was a good learning experience because I got feedback on whether these ideas were good or why they wouldn't work.
The next recording session I got to sit in on was for more of Steven Ventics clients. Once again, there were multiple young artists with great voices and lots of potential. They recorded radio drops, and covers of current popular songs. During this recording session I did get a chance to adjust the microphone height between artists and add an extra set of headphones that was requested. Aside from making those minor adjustments in the isolation booth, I spent most of my time observing and following along with what Luis was doing in Pro Tools and asking a few questions on how the patch bay was set up and what equipment was used in the audio path.
Overall it was another good week in the recording connection program, and I'm feeling more knowledgeable and confident with every week that passes.
Jam of The Week- Vance Joy - Riptide (FlicFlac Edit)
