Music production is a big term, and depending on who’s talking, can mean a myriad of things. I am talking about grabbing onto an idea and and conducting it all the way into a finished product that consists of:
- Planning larger scale music productions
- Creating single tracks or multitrack arrangements
- Multitrack recordings
- Composing, arranging, writing lyrics
- Artistic production
- Organizing the post production
The key to comprehensive music production is the knowledge and understanding of various musical styles from classical to jazz and contemporary electronic music. Lush string and orchestral arrangements are one of my trademarks, but I am also at home with modern, art-influenced pop productions that take inspiration from other music styles.
Here are some examples of my music productions:
Composing and Producing Music for a Music Theatre Show
I was asked to do sound design for a theatre show. As the lyrics were in the script already, I quickly discovered that the show included lots of musical acts. This made me change my tack and I decided to approach the task from a music producer’s point of view. I composed the songs, created the arrangements using orchestral sample libraries and recorded the actors’ performances (for rehearsal purposes and for playback in the most demanding parts) as well as a choir (there was no opportunity to rely on live sound only). Then I mixed the entity for the big stage and rehearsed the cast.
Listen to samples of this production in my portfolio.
Producing an Album and a Live Act
I fulfilled a personal dream. I produced an entire album from scratch. The production included writing the lyrics and music, arranging the songs, creating the beats and sounds, recording the vocals, strings, winds, brasses and percussion. I also did the post production, which included editing and mixing the songs.
The project even evolved into a live act that at its maximum included 9 musicians on stage, the light designer and a mixer.
Read the whole story in my portfolio.
Recording a “Solo” Piano
I was asked to record a solo piano album. The production guidelines were set by the artist himself. Yet my input was to somehow give the production a punch.
The main recording instrument was a grand piano, but because the studio had no less than three old upright pianos laying around, we placed them around the room and made overdubs with them. The result was quite a dense texture of piano sounds with a rich sense of space.
Further compiling was later done within a digital audio workstation where the various piano layers were eventually put together.
Read more in my portfolio.
I am often asked to be in charge of the recording process. However, the artist in me always tries to think something extra for the mix. Whether it is using multiple pianos, moving while playing around with ambient mics, or creating a single musician ensemble by instant arranging and overdubbing, I want to take the process to the next level right at the beginning,
Because I love to push boundaries when it comes to spatial shaping, I aim for the best recording locations, trying to capture the essence of the space and the performance in it.
Featured photo: Swan Land live at Elmun Baari, Helsinki, 2014. Photo by Tuomas Vapaavuori.
Aave Sound | Joonas Outakoski 