Archive / RSS

B is for Bus

A collaborative project from the School of Technology of the Arts in Republic Polytechnic.
Members include Ho Wei Lik (DJ Xchyler), Amos Chua Wei Wen (Pedestrian), Tan Poh Hong (Pohpi) who will be working on a 7-tracks album production, Vanessa Dora Godfrey, main graphic designer of album and book and Justin Ng Yi Xiang, the overall product manager.

Jan 02

Garden Orchestra

One thing we wanted to try out for G302 is to record some live instruments track outdoors, with the environment sounds. For this track, we tested a few places and decided not to do so. When we recorded the guitar outdoors, the guitar sounded very thin, as though there is no body sound to the guitar. Thus, we recorded them indoors.

For the children’s sound in the recording, it was hard to find a good location that we can have good clean sounds of the kids playing.

We went to a few places before deciding on Pasir Ris Park.

Amos

Come Again Another Day

For this track I’ve explored the concept of sampling in both instruments as well as found sounds.

From the earlier stages, I was glad that I get to borrow out the Tenori-On machine with the help of B is for BUS previous project’s mentor, Luke Chen. Patches from the sequencer itself was sampled and processed with use of software Sound Forge 7.0.

Environment sound of a rainy day was also recorded. This particular sample was later used as a drone in the track itself.

Apart from that, acoustic elements of the track consisting of acoustic guitar, toy xylophone, a leather bag containing rocks were sampled in the comfort of my bedroom.

The overall arrangement and mastering of the track was done so with software, Ableton Live 7.

Creative process of the piece did not came in a day’s work. As much as goals can be set, inspirations does not come in readily as we want it to be. Even when it does, it may not be of what the creator desire at the end of the day. Changes, amendments are constantly made. It may seem like a rather unsettling process but I guess this is part of what a composing artist has to go through.

Finally, in working on this track, opinions from buddy artists, Wei Lik and Amos were especially valuable.

Poh Hong

This is a picture of us waiting outside the dentist for our turn to record the dentist (Use the Cup to Rinse Your Mouth) track.

Amos

We were testing the Binaural microphone at my place. We are going to use that for one of our tracks.

Amos

These are the instruments, and some random stuffs, that we used to brainstorm for our library tracks (aka Fiction, Non-fiction, I Like Animation).

Amos

I’ve just received the pdf drafts from dora for the album’s booklet. here are some of the pictures of it. What will i do and is doing now is compliling the booklet’s pages and organizing them, and doing the layout for the printing. so that it will be double sided and the “side by side” page will not be one the same paper, rather it will be on the different paper.

Regarding this I’ve found a website that helped me quite a lot in this. here’s the link do view it, it’s good! http://www.allgraphicdesign.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=15

Justin

The idea of a child immersed in a world of literature and facts, appealed to me in a cosy manner. Almost as if the experience of reading is an intimate and homely affair, which helped me to work towards creating this spread.

Dora

This is one of the first few concepts i had mentality worked on. In which, I imaged a location within a beaker to reflect the her transparency of her world. Upon toying with this for some time, I saw a closer relation to host the garden scene within the beaker, based on the connection of the scientific topic of botany.

Dora

Dec 17

Script for “Rinse your mouth” (Dental track)

We made an appointment with Poh Hong’s dentist the day after tomorrow for a scaling session. I was looking at some YouTube videos where parents uploaded videos of their child’s dental visit and picking out the common words and phrases the dentist would say to a child.

Let’s pray that the one shot recording will work and that the dentist would follow our script:

2^nd part recording starts here:

Ting Ting walks from outside into clinic.

Possible sounds: change of ambient

Nurse at reception: Hi, have you got an appointment?

Nurse at reception: Okay, have a seat over there. Dr Ang should be ready soon.

Possible sounds: clinic ambient

Nurse at reception: Tan Ting Ting, you can go in now.

Capture lots of clinic ambient before stopping!

2^nd part recording ends.

1^st part recording starts here:

Capture lots of clinic ambient.

Ting Ting walks into dentist office.

Possible sounds: footsteps, door opening and closing, change of ambient.

Dentist: Hi Ting Ting, I guess your mum made an appointment for you to do scaling?

Possible sounds: dentist chair moving, dentist footsteps.

Dentist: Okay, you’ll have to sit over here. Come.

Dentist: Let me quickly wash my hands first.

Possible sounds: water in basin

Dentist: (at a distance) Are you feeling nervous?

Dentist: Don’t worry Ting Ting, use that cup of water to rinse your mouth first.

Possible sounds: ting ting rinsing mouth

Dentist: (left ear) I’m going to shift your chair a little bit… you ready?

Possible sounds: chair adjustment sound, start of machine sound.

Dentist: This is the scaling machine,

Dentist: Pardon me, the cable is a bit tangled up.

Dentist to move the scaling machine around Ting Ting’s head, lastly to Ting Ting’s right ear.

Dentist: (machine sound still at Ting Ting right ear) Ting Ting, you have to open up your mouth wide and let me clean your teeth okay?

Dentist: Okay, open your mouth. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Scaling can start now.

Dentist: You’ve got beautiful teeth!

Scaling………… dentist can just improvise.

Dentist: Good job.

Dentist: You’re doing great.

Dentist: One more side. AHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Dentist: Beautiful.

Dentist: Hang on there.

Dentist: Okay, you’re done!

Possible sounds: chair adjustment sound.

Dentist: Are you still very nervous Ting Ting?

Possible sounds: dentist packing up tools and equipments.

Dentist: Don’t worry, rinse your mouth and you’re ready to go.

Possible sounds: footsteps

Dentist: Ting Ting you must remember to brush your teeth after meals ok?

Ting Ting walks out of dentist office.

Possible sounds: door opening/closing, change of ambience.

1^st part recording ends.

Wei Lik

Dec 05

***DENTAL TRACK UPDATE***

After months of research and reviews on different omnidirectional microphones, we came across this highly recommended in-ear mics from a number of forums.

We’ve placed our order and it should arrive next week! Meanwhile, we’re going to look for a dental clinic which we can record at.

Wei Lik