Project Proposal

My music project is an EP. I am recording and mixing the original works of the performer, Mark Walsh, and his associates. The repertoire consists of three lengthy pieces; The Hollow, Arroyo and a piece yet to be named. The instrumentation consists of three acoustic guitars, a violin, and a flute. The intended audience for this project is those involved with or interested in instrumental folk, rock and Celtic music. My involvement in the project including the webpage, will attract those interested in the audio engineering spectrum, and potentially, women who are interested in my experiences working in a traditionally ‘masculine’ industry. This is an element and perspective that I will be including in my blog and retrospectively in the final essay.

This project is situated within many communities. On a micro scale; those within involved with the project and The Western Sydney University Music Department. On a larger scale; the Western Sydney community, along with a national and international audience who will be connected via the internet. Consequently, to cater for this varied audience the launch will be taking place solely online.

The project process begins with forming an understanding of the industry that I am entering. This includes the social environment and the associated gender paradigms. I educated myself on the possible obstacles being a woman may raise by reading Bennett and Hennekam’s ‘Sexual Harassment in the Creative Industries’. I can’t personally correlate with a lot of the concerns expressed but they are defiantly plausible when working on such a large scale.

I must also be respectful of audio engineering and folk music communities. Porter’s ‘Recording Engineer’ demonstrates the realities of working professionally in the industry and the non -tactical skills that are needed. Porter provides useful insight; however, I don’t agree with his statements that suggest masculine attributes are a requirement.

The current state of the recording industry is referenced by Burgess in ‘Producer Compensation: Challenges and Options in The New Music Business.’ He mentions how changes in technologies have called for new approaches. Burgess explains what it takes to make a successful record in the modern world which includes the use of the internet. The relevance of Burgess’ advice will be reflected upon in the essay.

My research on the folk music community includes Karpeles’ ‘Definition of Folk Music’. The article was written in 1954 but is irrelevant today as it highlights the importance of tradition, oral transmission, time and raw material. This made me consider how we were incorporating these factors in our process. As I am mixing, it is my role not to distort the qualities of the performance, as this is an authentic quality linked to the style.

Folk music is also interconnected with personal experience and storytelling; therefore, I’ll also try not to alter Mark’s own unique style when paying respect to cultural tradition. A lot of Celtic and Folk music have vocals so my mix will be a little different stylistically. However, I aim for a similar sound to ‘Battlefield Band’s’ ‘Beg and Borrow’ album (not live) produced by Robin Morton. Majority of the albums within this style were live recordings. Even though this isn’t a realistic method for this project I still hope that I can capture that unpolished essence like Morton did.

This leads to the practical side of the project. Due to strict availabilities and to make the most out of the limited time in the studio I will begin recording Mark solo. The reason for this being that Mark has experience in the studio; he knows how he wants the track to sound and his own songs extremely well. This also allows us to create a sample to show the other performers and foundation for them to work upon when in the studio. I will be following Bruce and Jenny Bartlett’s ‘Practical Recording Techniques’ when picking microphones and their arrangement, facing technical issues and mixing. Although, I also intent to take Porter's advice and read the situation myself rather than just follow instructions.

References- APA style.

Bartlett, B., Bartlett, J. (2013) Practical Recording Techniques: The step-by-step Approach to Professional Audio Recording (6th ed.). Waltham, MA: Focal Press.

Battlefield Band. (2015). Beg and Borrow [Produced by R, Morton]. [CD]. Gorebridge, Scotland: Temple Records Studio.

Bennett, D., Hennekam, S. (2017) Sexual Harassment in the Creative Industries: Tolerance, Culture and the Need for Change. Gender, Work and Organisation, 24(4), 417–434. doi:10.1111/gwao.12176

Burgess, R.J. (2008) Producer Compensation: Challenges and Options in The New Music Business. Journal on the Art of Record Production, 3, 1. stable URL: http://arpjournal.com/producer- compensation-challenges-and-options-in-the-new-music-business/

Karpeles, M. (1955) Definition of Folk Music. Journal of the International Folk Music Council, 7, 6-7. doi: 10.2307/834518

Porter, W. (1977) Recording Engineer. Music Educators Journal, 63(7), 68-69. stable URL: http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/stable/3395212