Production Journal -Final Major

Recording
Henry Terry
Client: Henry Terry and Featured Artists
Project Name: Fallen Not Forgotten

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Overview
On this project, I am the main client because I have either composed or arranged each
piece and I will use the final product to develop my own music and production
portfolio. Although the project is for my benefit, the featured artists will also benefit
because it will add to their own portfolios.
The project features music in an orchestrated, cinematic style inspired by composers
such as John Williams and Hans Zimmer, creators of breathtaking orchestral film
scores such as Star Wars and more recently Interstellar, A score that inspired the
instrumentation of two of the pieces. Elements of a number of pieces were inspired by
the simple melodies and accompaniments of Ludovico Einaudi and The Piano Guys,
pairing minimalistic melodies and motifs with multiple, layered harmonies. The
audience I am aiming for is a broad audience who cannot really be distinguished by
age, ethnicity or culture but are appreciative of film music varying from astonishing
film scores to simple piano and string ensembles.
My final product will be released and shared through my own Soundcloud as well as
my YouTube channel and it Facebook page and website.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/dimdogproductions
Website: http://www.dimdogproductions.co.uk
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/henry-terry-music
I aim to produce six tracks, either composed or arranged by myself, these are:
1) Intro - Composed for Piano, Organ, Trumpet and French Horn. I have taken
inspiration for this piece from Hans Zimmers recent score, Interstellar, which
features a full pipe organ.
2) Call To Arms - Written by a friend of mine, inspired by Aaron Coplands Fanfare
for the Common Man. The piece is written for two French Horns, Trumpet,
Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba and Snare Drum.

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3) In Flanders Fields - Written by Dr John McCrae, Composed by J Jacobson and R

Emerson and arranged for the addition of two Cellos, Trumpet, French Horn,
Snare Drum and Cymbals.
4) Lullaby for The Loved and Lost - Composed for Piano, three Cellos, Trumpet,
French Horn, Trombone, Snare Drum and Cymbals.
5) Outro - Composed for Piano, Organ, two Violins, Cello, Trumpet, French Horn,
Trombone, Tuba, Snare Drum and Cymbals. This piece again was inspired by
Hans Zimmers score for Interstellar, featuring a full pipe organ, lots of strings
and lots of brass for a breath taking effect.
6) Get Away - Originally an electronic dance track produced by CHVRCHES, Get
Away will be a cover and will be used to attract people to the final collection of
pieces. This arrangement is written for Voice, Piano, two Cellos, French Horn and
Trombone.
Usually scores of this genre are recorded all at once in a large space where a
conductor can control the speed at which the orchestra or ensemble play, resulting in a
much more flexible feel that flows better. In the case of this project, I needed to
multitrack each piece because not all the musicians were available on the same day.
Therefore I needed to record everything to a click track which removed the flowing,
flexible feel slightly but still provided uniformity contributing to the intended military
feel.

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TRACK 1 - Intro
https://soundcloud.com/henry-terry-music/intro
RECORDING/PRODUCTION PROCESS
1. INSTRUMENTATION; Piano (recorded), Organ (chords and pedals were
recorded, the right hand part however was too fast to record and is therefore
programmed using Sibelius), Trumpet (recorded) and Horn (programmed using
Sibelius because I could not find a horn player to play the part)

2. INSPIRATION TRACK; The Track is inspired by Hans Zimmers recent

film score, Interstellar but more specifically, Cornfield Chase (https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE-qxNVoUSo). This piece is the second piece of
music in the film and over 2 minutes builds from a simple Organ motif
accompanied by Strings to a breathtaking climax featuring Organ, Strings and
Brass which then stops suddenly.

3. TARGET SOUND; My target sound was similar to that heard in Cornfield

Chase, a simple piano motif accompanied by chords played on the Organs
swell manual with a quiet register accompanied by the pedal board providing
bass from 16ft and 8ft pipes. I also wanted some brass to provide a majestic
fanfare ultimately building the sound towards the end.

4. RECORDING AND PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES; The piece has a chord

structure comprised of C#sus4, C#Minor, Bsus4 and B. These chords repeat
throughout the piece played on the Organs Swell manual and they are
accompanied by pedal notes of C#, E, B and D# played on the pedal board and
a quick semiquaver sequence played on the Great manual. Over this is heard a
piano playing four crotchet notes per bar to accompany the organ.
The melody comes in at 1.45 played by the trumpet and is accompanied by
the French horn playing a similar rhythm. At 1.45, every instrument in the
piece is playing, resulting in a fanfare style section featuring the Trumpet,
Horn and Organ. The Organ used was an electric church Organ and therefore
had a 1/4 inch jack output making the process of recording easier. Techniques
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for recording a pipe organ can vary from simply having a single microphone
in the room to having multiple at several distances. The Fast Semiquaver
section heard on the organ is sequenced using Sibelius because the available
organist/pianist was unable to play at the required speed, the sound taken
from Sibelius however sounds very similar to the Organs sound.

5. YOUR MIX; In the mixing process I

have EQd the Organ chords and
semiquaver accompaniment to provide a
clearer, more colourful sound as well as
reducing the bass in the original sound.
This resulted in a much calmer sound
which allowed other key parts of the
piece to be heard clearer.

6. EVALUATION; The final sound of the Organs chords and pedal notes
worked very well with the piece, resulting in the effect that is felt in Cornfield
Chase. I feel it would have been better if the semiquaver sequence had been
recorded by an organist/pianist and if the Horn was a real one.

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TRACK 2 - Call To Arms

https://soundcloud.com/henry-terry-music/call-to-arms-by-steve-gerred
RECORDING/PRODUCTION PROCESS
1. INSTRUMENTATION; Two French Horns (programmed using Sibelius)
Trumpet (recorded), Trombone (recorded), Euphonium (Euphonium part
recorded by a Trombone because a Euphonium or Tuba player were not
available), Tuba (programmed) and Snare (recorded)

2. INSPIRATION TRACK; This piece was inspired by Aaron Coplands

Fanfare for The Common Man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ZdqjcMmjeaA) with an aim to compose a brass fanfare with a recurring
motif that develops in a number of ways throughout the piece.

3. TARGET SOUND; My target sound for the piece was very similar to the
sound of Fanfare for The Common Man, keeping the brass sound as pure as I
could.

4. RECORDING AND PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES; Call to Arms is a

brass fanfare and therefore features: Horns, Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium
and Tuba, as well as a Snare to add contrast to the Brass. The piece is split into
three main sections where the key and tempo change to suite the themes behind
it. The first section comprises of a typical brass fanfare featuring long held
notes linked together with fast rhythms displaying the musicians skill. The
second section is faster than the first and features a rapid, staccato section of
semi quavers representing rapid gun fire. The third section slows down and
features the motif heard in the first as the piece comes to a close.
To record the Trumpet and Trombone, I used an SE2200 a condenser
microphone. Due to the high SPL (Sound Pressure Level) of brass
instruments, the norm is to use a dynamic microphone however I wanted a
clear, pure sound of the instruments and I felt using a condenser would do so.

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5. YOUR MIX; In this case I have

compressed the Trumpets recording
because the signal was too strong due to
volume at which the musician played
and the short distance between him and
the microphone. I have therefore
lowered the threshold to -36.6 dB and
have increased the Ratio, reducing the
volume of the sound making it easier on
the ear and at a level that is easier to mix.

6. EVALUATION; Because I was unable to find a Euphonium player to record, I

instead recorded the part played by a Trombone, this along with the Trombone
and Trumpet parts gave the piece a natural feel, even with programmed Horns
and Tuba. Ideally I would have liked to record the parts played by reals
musicians however the finished product works well. The original piece
features a fast, high pitched semiquaver sequence played by the trumpet which
I chose to remove due to the difficulty of the part.

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TRACK 3 - In Flanders Fields

https://soundcloud.com/henry-terry-music/in-flanders-fields-by-dr-john
RECORDING/PRODUCTION PROCESS
1. INSTRUMENTATION; Tenor, Baritone and Bass Voices (recorded), two
Cellos (recorded), French Horn (programmed), Piano (recorded), Snare Drum
(recorded) and Cymbals (recorded)

2. INSPIRATION TRACK; The lyrics for this piece come from the poem In
Flanders Fields by Dr John McCrae and the music was written by John
Jacobson and Roger Emerson for a male voice choir and Piano, I have then
arranged the addition of Strings, Brass and Percussion. My particular
inspiration to arrange the String, Brass and Percussion parts for this piece came
from Michael Kamens Band of Brothers Main Titles (https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMy7Taid4EM) I liked how he paired the vocals
with strings and brass resulting in a simple but effective opening piece.

3. TARGET SOUND; The target sound for this piece was the same effect
heard in the Band of Brothers Main Titles, subtly pairing Voice, Strings and
Brass to create an effective backing to moving words.

4. RECORDING AND PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES; For this piece I

needed to record multiple Vocals of a male voice ensemble of four. I therefore
placed four Rode NT1a condenser microphones in a line and asked each
vocalist to stand about 30cm away from them. This distance gave a clear
enough sound but also picked up the natural reverb of the room already giving
the piece a fuller feel. I chose not to use pop shields because for one to be
effective, the vocalist must be centimeters from the microphone which would
pick up very little natural reverb.

5. YOUR MIX; I experimented with using a digital reverb but felt the natural
reverb of the room was sufficient. I also wanted to ensure that the voices
stayed as pure and clear as they could be. I further wanted to ensure that the
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words of the song could be heard clearly, which when reverb was applied, they
could not.

6. EVALUATION; I felt this piece was very successful, the final mix had the
sound and feel I originally wanted and all but one instrument was recorded
resulting in a natural timbre to accompany the historic and moving lyrics.

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TRACK 4 - Lullaby for the Loved and Lost

https://soundcloud.com/henry-terry-music/lullaby-for-the-loved-and-lost
RECORDING/PRODUCTION PROCESS
1. INSTRUMENTATION; Piano (initially recorded but later programmed),
three Cellos (recorded), Trumpet (programmed), French Horn (programmed),
Trombone (recorded), Snare Drum (recorded) and Cymbals (recorded).

2. INSPIRATION TRACK; My inspiration for Lullaby for The Loved and

Lost came from The Piano Guys Beethovens 5 secrets (https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ_fkw5j-t0) This piece gave me the idea of
building on a simple cello melody with more Strings and Brass, thickening the
texture and building towards the calm after the storm.

3. TARGET SOUND; My target sound for this piece was very similar to that
heard in Beethovens 5 Secrets starting with the piano and a solo Cello, then
slowly thickening the texture until it reaches a climax but then dissipates to
the calm after the storm with the three Cellos.

4. RECORDING AND PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES; When recording the

Cello, I used a Rode NT1a condenser microphone, positioned about 30 cm
from the bridge providing the clear, pure
tone I was aiming for. The Cello was
also recorded in a recording booth with
very little room noise, this resulted in a
very clean sound giving me control over
how it would eventually sound using
compression and EQ.

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5. YOUR MIX; Because I recorded

the Cello Parts in one session
without altering the sound cards
gain, I knew the sound I got from
one part would be of the same
quality and timbre as the rest of
them. This therefore allowed me to
create uniformity in my pieces by
using the same EQ and compression
settings as the last. I did however
alter the levels of parts to fit with the
rest of the arrangement

6. EVALUATION; Unfortunately on this piece three of the seven instruments

were programmed using Sibelius. The Pianist played the part to low on the
piano which resulted in a very bass heavy recording with very little mid or high
frequencies. The Trumpet was also programmed on Sibelius because it was too
high for the trumpeter to play. A successful area in the piece is the Cello
section which provides the clear, pure sound of the Cello to add to the Piano,
Brass and Percussion.

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TRACK 5 - Outro
https://soundcloud.com/henry-terry-music/outro
RECORDING/PRODUCTION PROCESS
1. INSTRUMENTATION; Piano (recorded), Organ (partly recorded/partly
programmed), three Cellos (recorded), Trumpet (recorded), Horn
(programmed), Trombone (recorded), Tuba (programmed), Snare Drum
(recorded) and Cymbals (recorded).

2.

INSPIRATION TRACK; My Inspiration for this piece came again from

Hans Zimmers recent score for Interstellar but this time specifically Where
Were Going (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=q_7wNeA_Rrg&list=RDq_7wNeA_Rrg). Throughout the films score,
Zimmer builds from almost nothing but a quiet organ or piano motif to a full
orchestra and pipe organ at the climax, An idea I thought Id like to replicate.

3. TARGET SOUND; Because my aim in the composition was to replicate the

resulting effect of Hans Zimmers Where Were Gong My Target sound was
to range from a thin texture of an organ and piano to a thicker texture of
Strings, Brass and Percussion.

4. RECORDING AND PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES; Initially this piece

featured Bass and Tenor Drums which I recorded in the same session as the
Snare and Cymbals. To record the percussion, I used an SM57 dynamic
microphone for the Snare, positioned at the edge of the drum but pointing
towards the centre of the skin. This provided a clear sound and didn't pick up
too much of the rooms natural reverb. For the Bass Drum (Kick) I used a large
diaphragm dynamic microphone, providing a clear sound without too much
room reverb. Using a large diaphragm
on the Kick drum will not put too
much strain on the microphone as
compared to using and SM58/7
because it can cope with a greater SPL

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(Sound Pressure Level). I used a smaller but still fairly large diaphragm
dynamic microphone when recording the Tenor drum (Floor Tom) because
once again the drums SPL is too much for an SM58 but just right for a larger
microphone. Finally I recorded the cymbals using an SM57 positioned pointing
downwards towards the bell of the cymbal, providing a clear crash and
following ring.

5. YOUR MIX; Initially the piece had been written to feature a Bass and Tenor
drum but after consideration I decided the piece would work just fine without
the additions. I therefore began mixing the Snare and Cymbals for the piece. I
began by EQing the Snare by reducing most of the bass frequencies and
slightly raising the higher to provide a clear snare CH, without the thud of the
stick hitting the skin. This resulted in a sound that can be heard clearly in the
final mix but does not over power everything else. I think used a similar EQ on
the crash cymbal, again providing a sound that is clear and audible but doesn't
overpower the rest of the ensemble.

6. EVALUATION; Unfortunately this piece again featured a number of

programmed instruments but the resulting sound was clear and the majority of
the parts are easily recognisable. I would have preferred to record an actual
organ and a proficient organist however these were not available in the
timeframe.

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TRACK 6 - Get Away

https://soundcloud.com/henry-terry-music/get-away-by-chvrches-henry
RECORDING/PRODUCTION PROCESS
1. INSTRUMENTATION; Vocals (recorded), Piano (recorded), two Cellos
(recorded), French Horn (programmed) and Trombone (recorded)

2. INSPIRATION TRACK; My inspiration for this track came from

Woodkids Quintet Versions for example, Iron (Quintet Version) (https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=snYJtHb1ayg). The way in which he wrote the
piece, building on a small motif using Piano and Strings compared to the
original use of Brass and Percussion inspired me to arrange a piece that
replicated the emotion effect produced by the piece.

3. TARGET SOUND; My target sound for this piece featured: Piano, Strings
and a small Brass section featuring Horns and Trombones to provide a warm
bass accompaniment. The target sound would also have to replicate the calm
but moving emotion the piece provides.

4. RECORDING AND PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES; I began recording this

piece with the Piano because it provides the opening and the main chord
structure throughout the piece. I recorded them Piano using an Audix F15
pencil condenser positioned pointing at the higher strings of the piano. This
produced a clear sound without picking
up too much of the rooms natural reverb.
Pianos are often recorded using a stereo
pair of condensers but I felt this was not
necessary because the bass end of the
piano was strong enough to be heard by a
single microphone.

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5. YOUR MIX; I chose to mix this piece with

as much attention on the Vocals as possible
and therefore reducing the gain level of the
other parts so the lyrics can be heard clearly. I
EQd the piano by reducing the majority of the
bass frequencies under 100 Hz to remove the
sound of the lower end of the keyboard and
slightly increasing the Mid and High
frequencies to provide a little colour to the
part.

6. EVALUATION; I felt this piece was very successful as a cover/arrangement,

primarily because it differs so much from the CHVRCHES original. It would
have perhaps had a more natural feel if the Horn was also recorded but
regardless, the final piece sounded clear and all the parts are audible and
recognisable.

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Marketing
PROVIDE DETAILS OF YOUR MARKETING TOOL;
1.WHAT IS IT? My Marketing tool is a cover of CHVRCHES song, Get Away.
Although the originals is an electronic dance track, my cover featured Piano,
Cellos, French Horn and Trombone to create a softer, toned down piece that
moves the soul rather than the feet. With influences from Woodkids Quintet
versions of his most popular songs, I aimed to replicate the emotion and timbre
that made his music so successful in the film and television industry.

2.https://soundcloud.com/henry-terry-music/get-away-by-chvrches-henry

3.WHY COULD IT PROVE EFFECTIVE IN ATTRACTING TRAFFIC TO

YOUR PROJECT WORK? The cover will prove to be effective when attracting
traffic to my project work because it opens the minds of other music audiences
than my own to their favourite pieces in a new light and new style which will
attract them to my own music of the same genre and emotion.

4.PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES; In order to produce a cover so far from its

original style, I began by breaking the piece down to its basic chord structure and
melody and then re building with my own musical ideas whilst featuring smaller
parts from the original to remind people what the arrangement is of whilst also
showing the audience how parts can be heard differently compared to the
original.

5.ADD DETAILS, AND LINKS, OF SITES OR COMMUNITIES WHERE YOU

COULD POST YOUR MARKETING TOOL (OR LINKS TO) THAT MAY
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PROVE PRODUCTIVE IN DRIVING TRAFFIC TO YOUR PROJECT

MATERIAL. My intention is to release the cover through my YouTube channel
Dim Dog Productions and then sharing it through the channels Facebook page,
providing my current audience as well the world with the CHVRCHES song in
a new light and new style. For any artist to attract traffic to their own music,
YouTube provides an internationally accessible canvas, providing artists with a
free boost to their careers.
Dim Dog Productions: https://www.youtube.com/user/dimdogproductions

6.EVALUATION; I personally feel I have been very successful in producing my

marketing tool considering i have produced a piece very close to my initial
intentions, providing a calm and moving piece for Piano, Strings, Brass and
Vocals and have created a product far from its original genre. I do feel using an
actual French Horn could provide a more natural feel to the piece and I plan to
record one for my own musical portfolio. I also intend on creating a video to
accompany the music, due to the recent increase of success in TV and advert
music.

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Overall Evaluation
OVERALL EVALUATION
I feel some areas of my project are viable as a product where as some require
further attention to raise them to a higher standard. I do however feel that the
given timeframe is not long enough for an artist to produce a chart topping
album but perhaps instead a debut EP which with further recording and mixing
I feel my product will meet an equal level of quality.

1. MUSICALLY AND TECHNICALLY; I cannot see my productions

featuring in the next hollywood block buster alongside John Williams and
Hans Zimmers works but I do feel they had their strengths. I feel The
string recordings and final results proved very successful considering I
gained the sound I initially set out for. I also feel from the sound provided
in the Organ recordings proved strong in that I successfully matched the
immense sound of the Organ with Strings, Brass and Percussion. With
further recording and mixing, I feel as a debut EP/album, I will have a
strong collection, however I don't feel it is currently at a quality that will
provide an immediate career in film and television music but I do intend to
continue to further develop project during my degree studies in professional
sound and vision.

2. MARKETING; The Collection is called, Fallen not Forgotten which

although it focusses on remembering the fallen in war, as shown in the
artwork and piece titles, It is a memorial to anyone who has not been
forgotten. I believe my product is viable as a first attempt at writing for an
orchestral ensemble and as a debut EP/album and feel it will be a strong
addition to my portfolio.

3.

HOW COULD YOU MONETISE YOUR PRODUCT? Due to the

nature of my projects genre, live events and gigs prove a logistical
nightmare, but film music isn't an area of the music industry that makes its
money in front of live paying audiences in the same sense that a rock band
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would, but instead in the sense of paying audiences in front of a silver

screen. I do plan on producing a short film that will feature music from
my album and I intend to use this as an additional promotional tool to
attract traffic to my music, however I feel the most viable method of
monetisation will be in sales through iTunes and other music stores.

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