FROM GIG TO DISC
We always enjoy the opportunity to chat to other jazz fans at Clubs and Festivals, usually while I'm recording a band, and it seems, naturally enough, that many of you have, at best, a hazy idea of what goes on at P.E.K. Sound between the recording of the band and the CD being offered for sale.
I'm sure some of you aren't the slightest bit interested, you just want to enjoy your jazz on CD without bothering about stuff like that; and why not? I'm afraid you will probably find what follows utterly boring!
For the others, who are interested - this, approximately, is what happens -
The Recording
My recordings are made digitally on a professional multi-track recorder which uses a removable computer hard drive to store the recorded data. For a typical six or seven-piece band I will normally use between 9 and 12 tracks. I arrive about 90 minutes before the start of the session to unload the car and set everything up. Then all I have to do is keep the recorder running when needed - this is the easy bit.
The Rough-Mix
Back home the recording is played back using an identical machine into a digital mixing desk where I can produce a mix which sounds, to me, how the band actually sounded. Using this mix I make a cassette copy of the entire session, which I send to the band-leader. He then has the task of listening to the rough-mix and deciding, firstly if he wants me to go ahead and produce a CD from the recording, and secondly which tracks he would like to use.
I keep a copy of the rough-mix tape for my own archive. It could never be used as a master for CD production but I feel it's quite important to keep all this recorded music, even the material which will never be released. At present I have over 1200 of these rough-mix tapes in my archive.
The rough-mix settings are stored in the memory of the mixing desk and can be recalled when needed.
Pre-Mixing
The next stage is for the band leader to come here, and we sit together and play through all the selected tracks, to fine-tune the mix and try and spot any musical or technical problems. The final, agreed mix settings are saved in the mixing desk. During this pre-mixing session we also sort out any edits that might be needed. The advent of computer-based digital editing makes it possible to repair minor musical ‘fluffs' - it all helps to make the finished CD a more polished product, without compromising the music.
Mixing
For me this is the hard part. It usually takes the best part of a full day to make the final mix. I start early, around 7am , so I can get a couple of hours done before the phone is likely to ring.
Having selected the mix settings which the band-leader and I established during his visit, I play each track right through making detailed notes of what happens chorus by chorus, and what small changes to the mixer settings are required for the best sound. I might go over some tricky bits several times.
Then with the audio PC in record mode the track is played again and the final mix is made and recorded onto the PC hard drive. It is ‘topped and tailed' to give it a clean start and end and then saved as a finished track.
Mastering
When all the tracks are mixed and stored on the PC hard-drive they are assembled into the required running order and a proof CD is written. I send this proof to the band leader and keep my fingers crossed that he will like it - I don't want to have to re-mix the whole thing! It has happened!
When the bandleader indicates he is happy I make the master disc from which all the others will be copied. This disc is put through a CD analyser, a highly sophisticated piece of equipment which measures all the errors on the disc and displays the result on the computer screen. It is interesting to note that all CDs, without exception, have some errors; these are corrected when the disc is played. As long as the error rates are very low and the disc is Grade A it passes as a good master disc.
The CD Booklet
Most of my releases are made in small quantities of only a hundred or so at a time. This means that commercially produced artwork and commercial printing of the booklets is not a viable option - a printer would not be interested in fewer than 1,000 copies and graphic artists charge large sums of money for their services. This is fine for a record label producing a run of several thousand CDs but no good for me.
So I use photographs or artwork, and sleeve notes supplied by the band and set out the booklet and tray card myself. I send a proof copy of the booklet and tray card to the bandleader for his approval. Once he's happy and corrections have been made it's time to print. I print as many copies as are required on a colour laser printer and guillotine them to size.
The License
Whenever a tune is released for sale by a record company a copyright fee has to be paid to the publisher of the tune. MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society) collect fees from record producers (me) and distribute them to the copyright owner (the publisher of the tune). So, when I know how many copies will be produced, I apply to MCPS for a license. This requires knowledge of the composers of the tunes - not always easy with some jazz tunes. Then I pay the fee and wait for the license to arrive.
Manufacture
At last we've reached the stage when we are ready to make some CDs!
Most of my releases are short-runs which are made by duplicating a master disc onto CD-Rs. I use a professional tower duplicator which writes 8 discs at a time and can produce about 150 CDs per hour.
I load the tray cards into the cases, duplicate the discs, print them using a special CD printer and assemble CD booklets and cases.
The final stage is to shrink-wrap the discs using a portable table-top machine on which I can do about 120 per hour, and box them ready for dispatch.
JOB DONE!
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BUDE FESTIVAL
The 2004 Bude Festival was, as always, a great success. It had been scaled back in size a little from previous years, due I think to the loss of a couple of venues - hotels such as the Strand having closed. Nevertheless there was an abundance of superb jazz in many styles; and this year the weather was excellent with warm sunshine and a fresh sea breeze for most of the week.
I was without a roadie but, as I'd cut back a bit on my recording activities, that wasn't too big a problem. Actually on the Bank Holiday Monday we were joined for a few hours by our young Godson, Simon - 30 years old and 6' 4”. He was new to the music, greatly enjoyed it, and was a big help to me.
I'm hopeful there will be some good new CDs from the sessions I recorded, but so far I've not had time to listen to any of them. The bands I recorded are - John Maddocks Jazzmen, Phil Brown & The Basin St Six, Algiers Stompers, Annie Hawkins' Telephone To Glory Boys, Keith Nichols' Collegians, Richard Leach's 7 Stars Of Jazz, and Dave Donohoe Band with Cuff Billett. Some goodies there I hope.
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AUTUMN SHUT-DOWN
We will be shutting down for about a fortnight starting around October 23rd. The reason is that my studio is urgently in need of redecoration and some reorganising. The only way to achieve this is to shut down and strip the room completely. It's not a prospect I relish but the decision has been made. It means my computer will be offline and, although I'll be able to answer the phone, I won't be able to process telephone orders. So don't delay, if you want to order from the Autumn/Winter catalogue do so soon!
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WEBSITE
Don't forget to visit our website at www.jazz-at- peksound .co.uk. You can hear short sound-clips of all the new and recent releases.
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LOOKING AHEAD
The new CD by Old Fashioned Love Band will be complete very soon - by early October we hope. The band has changed its musical direction somewhat since their last CD. The emphasis now is more on ballads than the New Orleans sounds of Bunk Johnson etc. which featured on their last CD. I suppose they now have a more commercial sound.
Tierra Buena Jazz Band have been playing successfully in the Midlands for over 40 years and, at last, their first CD will be out soon. The new CD by the Vo-De-O-Do Orchestra is in production and will be ready before Christmas.
The recording by the John Hallam Jazztet (Keswick 2004) should also be available by Christmas
Since the Bude Festival I have recorded The Louisiana Shakers (on tour from Australia ) and Dave Brennan's Jubilee Jazz Band.
In the next few months I am booked to record Paul Leegan's Lonnie Donegan Tribute Band, Rod Chambers' Louisiana Joymakers, The New Georgia Jazz Band, Dave Moorwood's Big Bear Stompers and The Pendle Jazzmen.
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