STUDIO EP
Blog
The second part of my collaboration project that I wanted to document was working with Harvey Roberts for the start of my Studio EP. Harvey and I have been collaborating in music since the start of 2019. I always remember the first time we met and started writing some songs together both on acoustic guitar. Most people will know Harvey as a producer and a drummer as his main instrument, yet his guitar playing outshone mine from day one as well.
Harvey Roberts
Getting Over You
This song ‘Getting Over You’ has been in the making for the last 2 years at least. It was part of our repertoire in a band called ‘Tangled Oaks’ and it was important for both of us that the band's influence on the song was still there whilst also discovering where this song could take us so we could be 100% sure of its sound. Here we have the first recording of the song for a submission in 2021.
After that it was brought to the band and the thoughts for harmonies and drums and guitar all worked so well together. For about a year it was stuck in the same place until we tried to record it in 2022. It sounded nice but again we were not happy with it. So then at the beginning of this second trimester we began to reshape the song. We started from scratch, using that original recording as a guide track. We took away the chorus at the beginning which used to open the song and began with the verse instead. We started with the drums then moved onto guitar, then to vocals. The drums were performed by Harvey while I was in the studio trying to help as best as I could. I didn't have a huge input on how the drums were played, other than the beat I originally wrote the song to, which was more of a drum and bass beat over an acoustic song. The guitar used a lot of input from Harvey as he had recorded guitar to a good standard multiple times before and because it needed to be tight with the drums so there was a lot of takes and comping involved. After the guitar was recorded I went and recorded lead vocal and started playing around with some synth ideas I had. We had a discussion and chose to use one of the synth lines which is just an arpeggiator throughout. After this we had all of the rhythm sections complete so we started to focus on giving the song more depth. Layering guitars throughout the song really gave it a that depth needed but something was still missing in the chorus. We eventually decided that some distorted guitar was needed to differentiate the verses and chorus. This fit perfectly and helped us shape the song how we wanted it to. Then we both wanted to include the harmonies that shaped this song at the start, so we got in contact with Kate and Emma and made it happen. The natural sound of recording vocal harmonies in the same room at the same time is something that Harvey had done before and thought was key to this song. After recording the lead harmonies for the whole song we went to backing vocals which included me. Spacing was important for these too, so all of us were in the same room with the same microphones. This was a very fun process and is important for this recording. The final product is not fully mixed but still sounds great and the recording is bellow.
Kate, Ben and Emma
Behind the scenes footage
Overall successes
This project has already had a lot of success, even from one song. The input of Harveys key musical skills including drumming, guitar playing and high levels of production knowledge, greatly benefited the development needed in 'Getting Over You'. The use of high quality professional equipment benefited the high production sound of this song. There was good communication with Harvey throughout, including the ability to compromise and say things did not sound good without either one of us taking offence which aided to our professionalism. There has always been a high level of dedication to our work but especially with this song. This includes mutual respect for one another and our work. Even though I was the one to antically write this song, Harvey knows and loves the song just as much as I do and this aids to the passion behind the production. From past experiences of working together in our previous band Tangled Oaks, this team of collaborators proved to be efficiant as we all understand and respect each other's vocal ability. Emma and Kate’s voices blend well with mine and having performed this song multiple times as a band, we all understood the assignment and executed it efficiently with lovely harmonies.
Emma, Ben and Kate
Improvements going forward
This project has a few things to improve going forward. The need to balance time more efficiently could greatly improve productivity across the EP as a whole. Personally I think that my ability to dedicate time to songwriting and development of songs has been limited due to other commitments. Moving forward I would like to set specific time aside to write and create new ideas on my own and collaboratively.
I am very pleased with where these two projects are moving and I look forward to many more collaborations with people in the years to come.