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THE STORY
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Not only was 'Human Abstracts' Jay's first full band EP, it was also the first full band recording that I had ever taken on as a freelance Engineer/Producer/Drummer. On top of this, the entire project was recorded exclusively at my home studio (Studio B), in Melbourne, Australia. The EP borrows elements from dream pop and alternative rock styles and was self-funded and released by Jay, through Bandcamp and iTunes on the 25th of July, 2015.

The recording took roughly 3 months from the beginning of pre-production to the finished product. During this time, I recorded Drums, Electric Guitar (Rhythm & Lead), Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Synthesiser, Noise Effects and Vocals. I only had access to 1x condensor microphone and 3x dynamic microphones for the entire project; using a two channel AD/DA converter (max. two microphones at any given time) and running that into Logic Pro X on an iMac computer. Check out all the equipment that I used below :
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THE GEAR
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Microphones
Rode NT1-A Condensor Microphone (Cardioid)
Sennheisser e945 Dynamic Microphone (Super-Cardioid)
Sennheisser e906 Dynamic Microphone (Super-Cardioid)
Shure SM58 Dynamic Microphone (Cardioid)

AD/DA Converter
Roland UA-55 Quad-Capture USB 2.0 Audio Interface (2x VS Preamps)

DAW / Computer
Logic Pro X (Version 10.1.0)
Apple iMac 21" Desktop Computer (OS Yosemite)

Headphones
Audio-Technica PRO-700 MK2
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THE STUDIO
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The problem with my studio, is the same problem that most of you will be facing with your home studios : it's a rectangular shaped room. So how did I overcome this, to make it usable for these recording sessions?

01. I hung up thick, double-layered curtains on all four walls, which soaked up and dispersed a lot of the nasty standing waves and unwanted frequency anomalies that were present in my studio/room.

02. I blocked up the windows behind the curtains with foam, to stop noise from entering or leaving the studio, so that my neighbors didn't want to kill me.

03. I placed large shelving (packed full of gear) in one corner, a solid couch in another and my drum cases and desk in the other corners, to break up the shape and effectively; the sound of the room.

With these three steps, I effectively turned my really bad sounding second bedroom into a usable recording studio, with minimal cost and energy. I just used what I had lying around and made it work for me.

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PHOTOS
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'Human Abstracts' EP by Jay Penaflor (2015) - image 1 - student project

'Human Abstracts' EP by Jay Penaflor (2015) - image 2 - student project

'Human Abstracts' EP by Jay Penaflor (2015) - image 3 - student project

'Human Abstracts' EP by Jay Penaflor (2015) - image 4 - student project

'Human Abstracts' EP by Jay Penaflor (2015) - image 5 - student project

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SUPPORT
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If you like what you hear, please go and buy Jay Penaflor's 'Human Abstracts' EP for only $4 AUD (or more) and help support an amazingly talented independant musician from Melbourne, Australia.

BANDCAMP
https://jaypenaflormusic.bandcamp.com/album/human-abstracts-ep

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CREDITS
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All songs are written and owned by Jay Penaflor.

Jay Penaflor - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Synth, Noise Effects
Tom Grubb - Guitar, Noise Effects
Ryan Haustorfer - Drums, Percussion, Synth, Noise Effects

Recorded, Produced and Mixed by Ryan Haustorfer.
Additional Mixing by Offtime Productions. Mastered by Offtime Productions.
EP Artwork Design by Daniel Prieto. Photos by Ryan Haustorfer.
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Ryan Haus

Engineer. Producer. Drummer. Designer.

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