The Video in our module was a 30 minute visit into Capitol Studios in Los Angeles and its history. The video depicted all of the artists who have recorded at Capitol studios as well as certain aspects of ownership and remodels that have occurred over the years. The first thing that I thought was remarkable was that they had different types of studios. For example, they had a studio for composers and large bands offering a huge amount of space for recording. The large bands segment was really great to listen to because the man being interviewed just said they would play out a song, listen to it, and then move on to the next one. Not too much altering was required for those big bands I suppose because they’re so well practiced. The video proceeds to just name off a ton of great artists and bands that have been in the music industry since I’ve been alive. I really liked hearing that artists like Green Day and John Mayer recorded at Capitol studios because those are two artists I grew up with and love listening to today.  If I’m being completely honest, I barely recognized any of the equipment that was shown in this studio tour video. I’m familiar with the giant mixer that you see in every recording studio, but have only used or seen one in a DAW andI barely knew what I was doing (this is part of the reason I’m in this class). That said, it was very helpful for me to see the insides of a “real deal” studio as opposed to a homemade one or just glimpses of a studio in a random video. Usually in videos like this the subject of the video tends to be the artists that come through, and not who is working behind the booth. My big takeaway from the video is that the main guy that was being interviewed truly displayed a love for music. In the last few minutes he describes how a worker went from a maintenance worker into a master. I love stories about how people rise and overcome things, so in a way this video gave me a lot of hope into what I can do and share with the world. Although I may not have enough talent to be recorded in a studio like this, but maybe someday I can do the recording.   

Since there are numerous factors that affect drum recordings, the following series of videos cover a broader range of techniques. There will be some videos on the core techniques as well as many optional videos that provide genre-specific techniques for those of you who are interested.

There are two common styles of pianos: Grand Pianos and Upright Pianos. Grand pianos are more expensive and typically found in studios and performance halls, while upright pianos are typically more affordable and common in smaller venues and in the average home.  When recording, you'll want to try a compare a few placements to see what works best. 

In the following videos, a variety of strategies will be displayed (similar to what you saw for the acoustic guitar demos). Take note of the setups you find sound best. I also recommend that you add notes about what genre or style was performed along with these setups - some genres sound better with a specific setup.