Excerpts from the Library – Edition #02

Title: The Dune Castle Recording Process

Author: Dune Castle Chief Librarian

Dated: Thursday 4th April 2024

On the use of recording techniques to achieve a certain audio aesthetic, process-based recording sessions and the understated value of interpersonal relations within a recording session:

“The equipment doesn’t matter, it’s the vibe you put into it. If the music sounds good, music sounds good” - Otis Jackson Jr

There is no right or wrong way to make music. Anyone who claims they know the right way is a false prophet and should be treated as such. 

Ignorance is a terrible affliction. 

With that in mind, this is the way that music has been recorded in the Dune Castle Throne Room thus far, and the foundation that all further audio explorations will be built upon. Vibe curation is a roundabout way of expressing the importance of fostering confidence and trust in yourself and collaborators, the necessity of joy and exploration, and finding a workflow that works for you. 

All music that has been recorded in the Dune Castle Throne Room has been recorded live, with microphones. Sessions involve a group of musicians gathered in a space together, each performance or ‘take’ a conversation between these people, complete with the ebbs and flows of frustration and elation. The musicians we generally work with are very good at their instruments, and are either competent at reading sheet music, or have the musical language skills to be able to quickly pick up compositions through listening to demos or talking with the composer.

When recording we try to record as many people at the same time, as long as we aren’t sacrificing the quality of the audio recordings (things like mic ‘bleed’, which means a microphone on the electric guitar amp picking up too much of the drum kit). We try to avoid using a click track where possible - ‘acoustic’ music can have some degree of tempo variability depending on the expression in the piece itself, and it is important to allow room for this. Each person has to be prepared for the next take to be ‘the one’, and is challenged to perform at the highest standard they are able to in order to get a take. 

And that’s where the magic comes in. 

Sometimes you get to the end of a piece and it just feels right. Everyone participated in the conversation together with presence and earnest focus, the result a snippet of recorded audio that is not perfect, but it is true and honest and of the moment. It sounds like a bunch of people playing in a room together, and for us that works just fine.

Every person in the session is a participant in this process, and it is imperative that not only are you considerate about working with collaborators, but work to ensure that you’re getting the best performance out of everyone. The best way to do this? Be a nice human being. Consider that people have lives and stresses and goals outside of the session. Work to curate a welcoming environment where everyone feels safe to express themselves. Have fun. 

If any overdubs (instruments that are needed to be added on top of the full band recordings) are required then we do those, and then it’s off to mixing. Sessions are intense and focused and beautiful and chaotic and over far sooner than it feels like they should be. This is not the correct way to make music. It’s just what works for us. 

Which is why workflow is so important. What inspires you to create? What way of recording excites you and allows you to get the best out of yourself?