AES Show 2024 NY

Abstract: Humans and machines interact to create new and interesting music content. Here we look at video excerpts from a particular recording session where the behind-the-scenes action comes to the forefront. Artists working with each other, artists working with the producer and engineer, and the influence (good or bad) of the technology with which they work will all be discussed during the workshop.

Summary:
The workshop will center on a discussion of using recording studio sessions to study creativity as a collaborative, but often complex and subtle practice. Our interdisciplinary team of recording engineers/producers and musicologists aims to understand how the interactions of musicians, engineers, recording technology, and musical instruments shape a recording’s outcome. Statements by participant-observers and the analysis of video footage from recording sessions will provide the starting point for discussions. In addition to first-hand recollections by members of our team, we are interviewing musicians who participated in the sessions. The workshop will focus on both musical interactions and on the interpersonal dynamics that affect the flow of various contributions and ideas during the recording process. Technology used also plays a role and will be analyzed as part of the workshop. The first workshop of this kind was a huge success in Helsinki at the 154th AES Convention. The room was packed, and we had an engaging discussion between panelists and audience members. Part II took place last week in Madrid (156th Convention), with many attendees saying it was “one of the highlights of the convention”. The workshop room was quite full, even though it was in the last timeslot of the last day. For this third workshop we plan on looking under the hood of a recording session involving a funk band with full horn section, and three lead singers. We plan to dig deeply into analyzing underlying events that percolate over time; the “quiet voices” that subtly influence the outcome of a recording session.
Along with our regular team of experts we are very excited to invite a guest panelist this time around – a venerable expert in music production, collaboration, and perception, Dr. Susan Rogers. This workshop was also proposed for AES 155th New York last fall but was declined due to lack of presentation space. Our requirements are simply a PowerPoint video presentation with stereo audio playback.