Phillip Ferrell

Phillip Ferrell

Berklee Contest Winner Grooves with Duet

 

In the summer semester of 2008, the Music Production & Engineering department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA hosted a contest where students had the opportunity to win an Apogee Duet. Participating students were asked to record and produce one song using Duet and a Core Audio application of their choice over the duration of the entire semester. In the end Berklee student, Phillip Ferrell, took home the prize with his beautiful R&B ballad, “My One & Only Love”.

 

Interview:

 

Please describe the recording gear used when recording this track?

With this track, I used my Mac Book Pro (2.0ghz Intel Duo Core, 1.5GB RAM, 320GB), a MOTU 828 as an audio and midi interface, a Yamaha MO8 as a keyboard controller, an AKAI MPD24 for a drum pad controller, an Audio Technica AE5300 mic, a Sterling Audio ST55, and finally an Apogee Duet.

"The Duet far exceeded my expectations, and I look forward to exploring more of the Apogee products"

Which Core Audio application did you use and why?

I was able to fully compose the soundtrack in a matter of minutes.  Logic’s software instruments and loops, allow for quick creation and even expansion on the ideas that were only living in the mind of the creator.  It’s interface has evolved into one, that allows one to maneuver with such ease.

 

I wanted a very similar vocal style to the R&B artists Brandy and Beyonce.  Logic for me was the only way to go. To create these vocal layers I would need a DAW that could give me a vast amount of tracks without hogging the CPU’s resources and keeping me from bouncing tracks down because of the lack of available voices/tracks.


Please describe your production process for this track?

I sat down with an idea to write a nice R&B ballad.  I had a simple pattern in my head, a MIDI controller, and Logic Studio.  All of the instruments in the track were all played by me on the MIDI controllers that I have.  I have a rhythm pad controller for the percussion instruments that helps to create a really good feel, and great accuracy.  I also have a keyboard controller for the remaining instruments.


Since voice is my first instrument, I had a sketch of what I was thinking in my head. I wanted it to evolve, so I didn’t develop it any further before the production.  I really wanted a lush layer of vocals, and then more, and then more.


We began laying down vocals with 5 tracks, 10 tracks, 15 tracks, and so on. Before we knew it we were about halfway done and up to 50 vocal tracks.  I know, you may ask, “why do you need so many tracks?”.  I track the vocals parts of sections all on separate tracks.  For example if the chorus has 3 part harmony, I would triple each part and track that on tracks 1-9.  If the pre-chorus has 3 part harmony, I would also triple track each part, and place those tracks on 10-18.  I’m sure you can see how the vocals would start adding up.  

I started tracking vocals this way, so that I could avoid taxing my CPU with automation information.  It keeps everything clean and neat and allows for very easy mixing, whether or not you are mixing the tracks.

 

What were your first impressions when using Duet?

Pulling the Duet out of the box, I was eager and impressed.  It just looks so pretty. I loaded the drivers, plugged it in, and right away everything recognized the Duet and we were ready to start recording. I am one of those guys who keeps the manual on the bookcase until a problem arises. I was a little confused initially because I’m used to having to deal with a lot of buttons. Once I got over myself and just played with it, the Duet was very user friendly and really simple to use.  I’d been using other devices with a larger footprint and more complications, when I could have been using the Duet all of this time.  I’m really feeling this little gadget.

 

What are your overall thoughts of Duet?

The sound quality is amazing.  Because I was on a time crunch, we recorded all of the background vocals using a MOTU 828mk2.  I used two different microphones, (the Sterling Audio ST55, and the Audio Technica AE5400).  I ended up using the AE5400 for the backgrounds.  I really enjoyed the smoothness of the sound.  I wanted to have a fair comparison with the Duet, so I also tracked some backgrounds using both mics and was amazed at the difference that I could hear in the audio.  Through the Duet, it seemed to have a little more punch, and added a warm color to the sound of the vocal.  

We tracked the vocals in two different sessions. The first session was to track all of the backgrounds so that the singer could practice with the track and the background vocals.  The second session was to lay down all of the lead vocals.  We did lay down all of the leads and ad-libs with the Duet.  The background vocals sounded so different to us, that we had to get rid of them, because they didn’t blend well with the previously recorded backgrounds tracked through the 828.

 

Will Duet now play a strong role in your Production process?

I took the time to use the Duet on both my laptop and desktop.  I was very pleased with the ease of use in both scenarios.  I am very pleased with the product, and look forward to it being a staple in my home studio set-up, as well as a permanent figure in my traveling case.  The Duet far exceeded my expectations, and I look forward to exploring more of the Apogee products to see how they will change how I create and record music in my immediate future.  

I appreciate this opportunity to share my experiences with you, and I hope and trust this has given you some insight in my production techniques and how the Duet has impacted these processes.