Plug-ins

Plug-ins are a necessity for my production, hence why it's quite hard to recreate my sound in a live situation. I use many plug-ins from Waves including the J37, L1 Ultramaximiser and some from the JJP series. for synthesis I use some of the Logic synths such as the ESM and ES2. But I really love using Native Instrument's Massive and Absynth 5. 

When it comes to compression, I hate it. However the Goodhertz Vulf Compressor co-made by Jack Stratton is like none other. I don't agree with compression because It takes away the dynamics of the track which is a principal that I just don't agree with. The Vulf Compressor is very different as it has a 'wow' meter which is the flutter of a compressor and also a 'lo-fi' meter which adds layers of grit into the compressor, then there is the 'compression' meter which adds a very light soft compression which sounds like no other compressor I've heard before. In the mastering process it has brought out so many frequencies that compliment the tracks that it would be madness not to use it. 

The 'AU Pitch' Plug-in from Apple is fantastic, I use it for automating pitch for risers and effects, I also play around with 'Pitch Shifter II' (another Logic preset) because it has a mix meter where you can blend the relevant pitches, This is a necessity for my bass tone, the mix meter around mid-way and semitones up to 12; this is the perfect octave blend for my playing, whack a filter on that and you're well on your way.

Why Bass?

"Why Bass?" some people ask, there are more showy instruments out there, and I already play guitar, keyboards and sing. So why bass? It's amazing. It's such a versatile instrument, it provides groove and melody, you can shape chords with a thick resonant tone. It's perfect for me basically; I love manipulating sound, so I add effects to my bass. my favourite effects to play with are Chorus, Octavers, Filters and Phasers.
The problem with how I play however is that if I'm writing for bass with the chords and melodies instead of groove, the mix can be cluttered; So to counteract this I need to compose straight off for bass and then build the other parts around it (You can hear this on almost all of the tracks on the album).

Manipulation of Sound

The manipulation of sound is something that really intrigues me; how a sound can be very natural like a piano or a bell, they each are very different but wholesome. Then you can have them digitally manipulated to reach a new plethora of sound.
This was something I wanted to do on the album as it's something I've been working on ever since I started producing. In 'Moon Connection//I'll Save You Soon' there is a lot of sound design and sound manipulation in it. The second part of the song is from an earlier project I started in the year, I edited it for the album so that some parts are different.
My interest started a few years ago when I started learning about Native Instruments, and some of their synth plug-ins. and that I could (in depth) change a sound to practically anything. And from here on out I've been making my own synth sounds, layering effects on different instruments so they produce a completely different sound. I've made my bass sound like bubbles, birds and a car crash (exciting stuff).
As I knew that the album was going to take on a different form from others, I decided it would be a great idea to implement some of these experiments into the album. Some of these sounds might not be 'nice' to listen to, but it's for the effect of the journey that the album takes you on.

Performance at Observer Building

Thanks to some contacts in Hastings, I was able to support Tomorrows Tulips along with my friend's band Doom Dream. Reuben and I were so happy to be able to play. Thanks to the gig we will be getting more gigs there and have set up contacts with other musicians and writers.

Here is a video of us performing at the gig.

It was really really enjoyable playing at the gig and it was a good learning experience for a larger crowd. Tomorrows Tulips were amazing and I now have them as a contact (also got a free t-shirt). 

Obviously the audience would get a bit bored if we played weird classical jazz for half an hour so we decided to tone it up a bit. We started by playing some songs off my first album including 'Sally's Big Jumper' and 'The Sun (Lovely Boy)'. Later we played some tracks off the new album such as 'ART MAKES ME NERRRVOUS'. 

And a photo of us playing, we look so cool!

The Album

Here is the link to the finished album:

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/catsloveyoutoo/sets/chaos-surrounds-the-fool

Bandcamp - https://haltaylor.bandcamp.com/album/chaos-surrounds-the-fool

Mastering

For the mastering process I gathered all of my tracks and re-recorded the track through my valve analog mixer, the EQ pre-amps in it sound so good, so I added little EQ tweaks to improve the sound. 

For some of the pieces I really wanted a rough-cut sound to them so for 'No Reason' I recorded the whole track from my laptop speakers, There are some sounds that you can't get from using good gear. Even though I have the access to good quality equipment, there were sounds that I couldn't achieve using hi quality mics and pre-amps. 

For the track 'The Uncertain Eric Friston' I really overworked the limiter for a different sound of the track, you're not supposed to clearly hear every part, it's about the effect and aim that the piece gives. 

This album isn't an album of tracks and songs, it's an art experience, I'm welcoming you into my world where the things around me inspire me so much. So obviously that's going to be translated into my music. Some parts are quite hard to listen to, think of this not as I've carelessly put it together or I haven't thought about what sounds to use, but more of how the music makes you feel, if it fills you with disgust and anger then that's fine. If you feel delighted and elated when listening to it, then that's great too. 

I didn't really make this album for a target audience or a specific theme, this is what the ramblings of myself are translated to, this crazy/experimental album, enjoy.

Drones

During one of my performance lessons I was experimenting with the use of drones for effects and background noise on my album. I messed around with feedback loops and different guitar effects on the amp and also with a few pedals.

I plugged my Danelectro DC59 into the Line 6 amp with a multitude of effects on it. then had 4 microphones capturing the sound as well as the DI output.
Two of the microphones were the wall mics in the performance hut and then I used a Shure SM57 close up to the amp and a Sennheiser E606 around 2 foot away.

The drones that I recorded you can hear on the 8th track of my album 'Stargazing'. once I had recorded the drones, in Logic I have manipulated their sound with different effects, reversing some samples and pitching them differently.

Recording

Over the past few weeks I have been recording, overdubbing and sequencing. I have used many processes including feedback loops and experimental recording techniques. Though I have encountered many problems along the way that I have now rectified.

Earlier this week I was overdubbing some drum recordings. Below are some photos of the setup of the microphones and kit.

Above (left) is a photo of the kit before setting up. Above (right) is a photo of the patch bay, how the microphone's signal into the studio through DI.

We used two AKG300s for the overheads, they gave a very bright sound (these drums can be heard on 'The Uncertain Eric Friston'

On the left you can see we used a Sennheiser E606 on the snare drum for a really snappy/metallic tone. we put the mic on the side of the snare as to not get in the way of Reuben when he was playing but we could still capture a great sounding snare. 

And on the right you can see the AKG D112 used to mic up the kick. The kit kept on moving while Reuben was playing (very enthusiastically), so we put a heavy amp in front of the kick so the kit wouldn't move. 

Influences

Kamasi Washington has been a big influence for TNE because of what he stands for; breaking the mould of jazz. This performance inspired me so much, after watching it I instantly picked up my bass and started practising. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YbPSIXQ4q4

Laura Mvula's live performances are incredible, like Kamasi she has gone for a big band performance with many different musicians from different backgrounds. Watching her live was the most mind-shattering experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8koStiwmbE

Thundercat for me is like Captain Beefheart is to Connan Mockasin, he's one of my biggest bass influences. Seeing him play has made everything make sense sonically for bass, I want to go beyond what he does, surpass my influences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVqETCMg3SA

Practising

I have been practising playing bass every day for around 3-4 hours in order to make sure I can be at the top of my game. I have been using my performance lessons as a very useful time period to mess around with bass effects and tonalities.

 

I have also been practising using different basses i.e. 5 string Ibanez basses and Fender basses. This is because each has their own unique features.

Welcoming you to The Niu Experience

The Niu Experience is an album in which the realms of jazz and classical music will be changed forever. The album will be released in the coming months (there is no set date yet) out onto the world wide web.
I'm Hal Taylor, a multi instrumentalist from Brighton; I'm fascinated by jazz and it's beautiful continuity and freeness.
The album will be based upon some of my compositions that will be given an improvised flare to them.