Producing “Free” - Lumarie
Free, written by Lumarie has to go down as one of my favourite projects to have been able to record. The seamless process and getting to play with great pals made this session an absolute pleasure.
The process began in the rehearsal room, where we spent some time in pre-production. This involved really getting into the arrangement of the piece and parts we played. We also locked in a tempo and looked at reference tracks to make sure we hit the mark. Coming into the studio this prepared gave us a great head start in the production process and led to a seamless session.
Tracked over the course of two days at Hybrid3, we made a point of striking the balance between accurate parts and creating the energy that makes the song really shine. Once we had guide parts tracked by Lucy and George Kendall, we began with drums. The drum set up was fairly standard, using small diaphragm condensors with our amazing pair of AEA R84s as room mics, adding a nice depth and ambience to the tune. To keep the energy and performance elements of the track, we used longer takes with minimal editing to strike the balance between live and multi-tracking. The drums on the song are made up of just two takes.
Next step was the guitar. After some time experimenting with finding the tone, we settled on using a Fender Stratocaster and George’s pedals into a Fender Blues Jr amp. Similar to the approach on drums, we kept to long takes to help maintain the energy and feel of the song. The final edit ended up using very few takes.
After a break for lunch, we tracked Rose Franchi on keys and sax. After trying a number of different Rhodes and Wurlitzer patches, we ended up settling for the default electric piano patch, which we then used plugins to alter. First in the chain was Abberant DSP’s Sketch Cassette II, a tape emulation that allows for anything between subtle saturation through to tonally bending with flutter and dropouts. In this case, we used the “wow” and “flutter” settings, alongside Soundtoy’s Pan-Man and Crystalliser to create a unique tone and texture, full of warmth to compliment the guitar tone.
For the saxaphone, we once again used the AEA R84 in our treated booth. The R84 really brought out the best of Rose’s incredible performance, with a blend of signature ribbon depth and warmth, while still capturing a level of intimacy, including the mechanics of the instrument, with the breaths and key clicks. Having the combination of the super polished with the human element really gave the sax part something special, bringing the audience in to the track.
The next day began with tracking bass. I used my 5 string Squire Jazz bass through my Darkglass AO900 DI. I really wanted to make sure in my part I left enough room for the vocal and saxaphone to shine through while ensuring I locked in with the drums. To do this I kept my part super simple in the first section, and allowing myself to open up much more in the second. I used lots of syncopation to add even more groove and energy in the track and make sure to keep the contrast between the sections.
Next step was to record the actual vocal performances. To begin with, we shot out some microphones, such as a custom C12, an RE-20. We settled on using the Aston Origin mic. It really brought out the best in Lucy’s voice, giving it a degree of authenticity and intimacy, with a bright but smooth top end that just allowed it to sit on top of the track. We made a conscious effort to avoid adding too many BVs and layers, leaving the lead vocal the really stand out.
To tie the tune together and reference the initial inspirations of the song, we went through and sprinkled in various nature sounds to set the scene. These include bird song, natural ambience and a stream.
The mix for this tune came together really smoothly, aided by the great performances and tracking. After getting it really tight, I used the Louder Than Liftoff Silver Bullet and our pair of Heritage Audio 1073s to bring the track together with some saturation and give it a bit more texture.
The track went on to be very successful, including featuring on Spotiy’s editorial playlists and on BBC Radio 6’s Introducing show.
Free was released on 16th of June 2023
