George Lauder Bursary - Week 6
- Cam
- Aug 9
- 12 min read
Okay, it’s getting ridiculous now!
How am I possibly on Week 6 already? This is my last full week of classes and the final proper opportunity to use the facilities at the Clive Davis Institute before it shuts next Wednesday for the rest of the summer. It’s hard to believe that I’ve almost completed my courses—honestly, I really don’t want them to end! While the workload has been heavy, I feel like I’ve learned so much, and I just don’t want to stop! Regardless, let’s get right into what I got up to this week!
Monday 14th July
Today in ETR II, we covered a key area of audio production that most people are at least familiar with: reverb(s)! For anyone unfamiliar: Reverb is the sound of a space—it’s what happens when sound bounces off walls, ceilings, and other surfaces before reaching your ears. It makes audio feel like it’s happening in a room, hall, cave, or any other space. We experimented with our own microphones in the recording room to listen to the room’s natural reverb (or lack thereof, due to lots of acoustic treatment). We were also given another assignment—a critical listening task where we had to analyse two songs and compare the differences in delays and reverbs used. This was due the following week.
After class, we had the studio booked for the afternoon to try to get a jump on our ETR II final project, but first, it was time for some lunch at the dining hall with Jackson, where we discussed more about the project. We didn’t have long since we had limited studio time today, so we wrapped up and immediately went back to the studio. Initially, we chose a song by Sabrina for the project, but she had a confidential medical matter come up last night and didn’t appear for class this morning. She messaged to let us know she would arrive later than expected. This left me and Jackson in a tricky spot, as we weren’t fully familiar with Sabrina’s song composition, so we couldn’t start recording until she arrived. Eventually, we moved on and recorded some piano and vocals, but not much more. After a brief discussion in our group chat, we decided it might be better to switch to an existing release and record a cover. This would avoid issues with not knowing the song composition, as we could easily find all the information online. The group agreed, and we decided to cover Adele’s “Rumour Has It” due to its simple composition and easy tempo.
In the evening, I got back to my accommodation to work on my mix for tomorrow’s class. Around this time, New York City received a weather warning for a local thunderstorm. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been able to get to the shops, so I ventured out into the wet night to find food nearby. My usual pizza place was closed on Mondays, so I walked further into Downtown Brooklyn and decided to try a chain called Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, famous for its chicken and toasted bread. It was definitely worth the walk! I sat inside to avoid the worst of the weather and was pleasantly surprised by how good both their chicken and especially the toasted bread were! You will definitely find me back here over the coming weeks!
Tuesday 15th July
Kicking off with ETR II as usual, today our focus was on equalisers! To put it simply: Equalisers (or EQs) are tools that let you adjust the balance of different frequencies in sound—like bass, mids, and treble. They help you make a recording sound clearer, warmer, brighter, or less harsh by turning certain parts of the sound up or down. It’s like shaping the tone to better fit what you want to hear. We covered different types of equalisers and when it’s best to use each type in the context of a project. We also briefly touched on mixing concepts, which we covered more later in the week.
At lunchtime, we visited the dining hall as usual, grabbing food quickly before returning to Clive for our next class, Mix Intensive. We focused on vocals and how to approach mixing them. Vocals can often be difficult to mix due to how dynamic a vocalist can be, but Jason showed us ways to deal with common problems that, if not addressed properly, could result in a poor vocal mix. At the end, we analysed everybody’s mix. After working on the improvements Jason suggested last week, he was extremely pleased with how my mix sounded—only minor comments to push it further and really achieve the desired final product feel it was lacking. I took this feedback on board and decided to aim for that goal by the next class.
After class, I met with Alex again to show them around the Clive Davis Institute, my projects, and just to hang out. Alex is an NYU Steinhardt student and doesn’t automatically get access to these facilities, so I registered them as a visitor earlier in the day. They arrived shortly after class finished. I showed them around the studios, equipment room, and edit suites, eventually settling in a suite to listen to some of my projects. I showed them the song I’d been working on for Mix Intensive as well as another song for the same artist. Naturally, they were more excited to hear about my client projects! For my Music Licensing class’s final presentation/project, I used one of the songs as music replacement for the opening scene of Iron Man 2, so they’d heard snippets. I played both songs for them and even got some interesting feedback from Alex on small areas, which I appreciated—it’s good to get feedback from casual music listeners to hear what they notice or suggest might be different. We spent a bit more time in the suite before leaving to free up space for an evening event at Clive, so we decided to get some food. We grabbed burgers and wandered to Columbus Park nearby, where we ate and spoke about lots of different, interesting topics. I offered to show them the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, as they hadn’t been before. After a quick stop at my accommodation, we made our way there and found a free bench. We continued our conversation late into the evening, finding things we both related to and discussing our lives and where we want to see ourselves go. It was a really deep, insightful conversation—such a nice experience to just sit and chat with someone for hours without caring about the time. Eventually, Alex had to head home, so I walked them to the subway station and wished them a safe journey before I returned back to the accommodation.
Wednesday 16th July
I was incredibly tired after yesterday—mostly due to how much I did—so getting up this morning was more of a chore! Regardless, I arrived at Clive for the next ETR II class, where we recorded another band! Similar to what we did in ETR I a few weeks back, Michael (our instructor) brought Ed, the incredible drummer from the previous session a couple of weeks ago, as well as a bassist and guitarist we hadn’t met yet. We all got started on the microphone setup, dividing areas between us. I took a slight step back to let others gain experience doing the setups themselves, offering help when needed. The session went smoothly, and we managed to get all recordings done just in time. It was amazing to watch Michael work his magic on the console and effortlessly achieve the results he wanted. Once we finished recording, Jackson and I immediately started tearing down the equipment so we could get away for lunch. I was so tired, I accidentally fell asleep at the table! We had another recording session later, so to feel more alert, I walked back to my accommodation and took a nap to recharge.
After my nap, I got ready and headed back to Clive for our session booked in the evening. We focused on recording vocals, drums, and bass guitar. Jackson and I handled microphone setups again, and once Sabrina arrived, we began recording. We recorded a decent chunk of vocals before I stepped back into the recording room to track drums! It was a strange experience to be back on the opposite side of the glass—I still prefer being the one recording, not the recorded! Next up was bass guitar. I was the only one with some ability to play, so I stepped in to record. Jackson had to leave early, but by then, we’d recorded all the instruments needed for the day. Sabrina stayed to work on the arrangement, and I offered additional help while working on the blog. Her friend Michelle joined us in the studio to chill while we worked. Eventually, we wrapped up, checked out, and went to grab dinner together. Sabrina and Michelle suggested Dave’s Hot Chicken—an easy choice. As you might guess, they specialise in Nashville-style hot chicken with different levels of spiciness, similar to Nando’s. It was a simple option that hit the spot after a long day!
Thursday 17th July
After a good night’s sleep, I felt a little brighter today! We started the ETR II class focusing on mixing concepts—methods of approaching mixing, typical anomalies that might impact home setups, and ways to improve these setups to avoid such anomalies. I was especially excited for this class since I’ve been curious about building a proper home studio once I return to Scotland. I took lots of notes and asked Michael a few additional questions to cover areas I wanted to understand better. We finished quickly and rushed to the dining hall to grab lunch before the next Mix Intensive class.
In Mix Intensive, today’s topic was another of great interest—overall mix techniques and ideas. We focused on handling the mix as a whole and approaching the “stereo bus.” For context: a stereo bus is the main pathway where all individual tracks—vocals, drums, guitars—combine into one left-and-right (stereo) signal. Stereo bus mixing involves adding effects, EQ, or compression to this combined signal to polish and balance the whole mix before finishing. This is a crucial step when finishing a song mix, so the tips Jason shared were extremely valuable for my future work.
Next, we listened to our mixes. I had a slightly overdone my stereo bus mix, meaning parts of the overall mix were over-compressed, which isn’t ideal. However, since we had extra time, Jason sat with me one-on-one and helped tweak my settings. Immediately, the mix sounded much better! He assured me that overcooking mixes initially and that dialling back is normal—it’s all part of the process. He gave me last-minute advice to push my mix further before the next class.
After class, I stayed in the Critical Listening Room—the space Clive uses for analysing mixes for flaws or issues—to work on Jason’s suggestions and review my own mixes for my client. I found a couple of minor issues that were easy to fix. After wrapping up, I grabbed dinner and headed back to rest for tomorrow.
Friday 18th July
Another busy day! Jackson, JV, and I had a studio session booked to record more vocals, piano, and guitar for the final project. Jackson and I arrived around 11:30 and started setting up both rooms to record ASAP. JV arrived later, and we began with his vocals before swapping to piano briefly. Jackson had to leave early, leaving just JV and me to finish guitar and backing vocals. We wrapped up shortly after. I stayed in the studio to check if the mix changes I’d made yesterday translated well to another location—and they sounded much better following Jason’s feedback.
I also had something exciting planned for the evening! Alex had invited me earlier in the week to join them for a free evening at the Whitney Museum of American Art in West Village. I dropped by my accommodation briefly to drop off my bag, then hopped on the subway to 14th St / 8th Ave. Alex arrived shortly after, and we started from the top of the museum, working our way down. We saw some incredible pieces ranging from typical canvas paintings to interactive installations which was a phenomenal experience (catch more photos at the bottom of the post!).
After the museum, we walked to Little Island—an artificial island designed by Heatherwick Studios. It’s an incredible park that hosts occasional music and performance shows. We explored the whole park, but soon it was time for Alex to head home. We walked to the subway station, wished each other well, and went our separate ways. On my way back, I spontaneously got off at Chambers Street to explore the Financial District at night. It was peaceful to wander and see what people were up to. I stayed out well past midnight but eventually headed back to sleep.
Saturday 19th July
What’s a late night without a long lie-in? I overslept a bit but made up for it by refining my mixes and working on the blog. I also planned the remaining weeks in NYC to tick off most of my must-do activities! One was to visit a beach, so I hopped on a subway south to Coney Island. When I arrived, it was incredibly hot! The sun was beating down, but the atmosphere was great. I wandered the main town area and found Luna Park—the amusement park between town and beach. I made my way through to the beach, which was packed with people enjoying the sun, visiting the park, or diving off the pier. I walked along the Riegelmann Boardwalk, soaking in the party-like atmosphere. I decided to get a better view of the water, so I ventured onto the Pat Auletta Steeplechase Pier, primarily a fishing pier. Many people were fishing, though no one caught anything while I was there! Afterwards, I continued walking west along the boardwalk until I found a perfect bench overlooking Lower Bay and New Jersey.
I sat enjoying the view and quiet—a nice change from the usual urban jungle up north. Eventually, it was time to head back for food and prepare for a day of revision and mix refinement tomorrow. I grabbed an easy 7th Street Burger near Clive Davis to take back with me—it hit the spot!
Sunday 20th July
The morning was dedicated to studying for the ETR II final exam on Tuesday. Similar to ETR I, the exam would include true/false questions, multiple choice, and short answers covering everything we’d learned in class and through our weekly quizzes.
Later in the day, Jackson and I booked a studio to work on the arrangement for our ETR II final project. We spent a couple of hours refining the track, aiming to get it ready for our final studio session after class on Monday. Since this might be one of our last chances to use the Clive Davis facilities for our own work, we took a break to listen to some of our favourite music in the space, comparing commercial releases to our own mixes. It was a great way to check how our mixes translated in such a professional environment.
Jackson didn’t have any notes for my track, which was a nice confidence boost, and I helped him tweak a few things on his song. After wrapping up, we grabbed some food from Raising Cane’s to go and headed over to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade — one of my favourite spots in Brooklyn. The weather was perfect, and we sat on a bench, chatting about the courses, our experiences in NYC, and reflecting on the time we’d spent together.
Jackson shared that he would be leaving NYC on Tuesday after the exam due to family commitments. That news hit hard since we’d barely had time to hang out outside of class, but I’m determined to make the most of the time left. After our conversation, Jackson went home to start studying, and I headed back to the accommodation to get some laundry done and fit in a bit more revision ahead of our final week at Clive Davis.
But surprise surprise! Something unexpected popped up over in Manhattan! For those who are not aware, I am a big fan of an artist called Tyler, The Creator (yes that his exact stage name). I actually saw him live in Manchester a week before I flew out to NYC. A few days before, he had teased at his Brooklyn concert a mysterious phrase - "Don't Tap The Glass". No one online could decipher exactly what it meant, but most people assumed that it was either going to be a song or an album release. Earlier in the day, Tyler had posted on his social media that the project was an album and it would drop at 6am EST tomorrow morning (an unusual time for artists to drop a project as most artists drop at 12am on a Friday, however Tyler is known for doing things a little different, as this is also the rollout he did for his previous album. Alongside this announcement, a pop up figure of him appeared in the Oculus Shopping Centre beside the World Trade Centre. I decided to spontaneously hop on the subway to go and catch a look for myself. Luckily the subway takes you right there! I explored briefly before finding the display in the middle of the floor. It was super cool to be able to see the popup when I did as it was only displayed for that night and back home this sort of promotion for an album doesn't really happen. I wandered round the shopping centre for a little longer before leaving and walking towards the East River. There was a specific viewing area which overlooked onto the Brooklyn Bridge that I had wanted to visit so I made my way there! Luckily once I arrived, I managed to grab one of the best seats there! I sat for ages listening to music, continuing to work on my blog from my phone and admiring the incredible views! Eventually, it was time to head home and get some rest!
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