The Importance of First Takes

Everything is pretty much first takes and I tried to like not to edit it try to you know keep a grip on myself. One of my big bug bears about the computer side of it now is that it's very easy to put things in time and in tune and edit things to within an inch of its life. If you're not careful music can become this kind of weird unreal amorphous nothing music if you are not careful yeah well this isn't nothing.

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In this episode, John ventures over to Clapton to join James Ellis Ford and talk about how he wrote, recorded, and produced the album ‘The Hum’.

His debut solo release after almost two decades working with some of the world's biggest artists, James looks back on how his approach to music has changed over the course of the album, reflecting on the different mindsets and decisions that come with producing his own work compared to that of others.

As well as a deep dive into his vast studio setup and hybrid system of new and old creative techniques, we’re treated to thoughts on the fine line of ironing out the humanness of mistakes, and how more often than not, pieces of gear can give you back ideas that you’d never have expected.

Listen to find out which undiscovered mics are used across almost all of the records he works on, how to implement a Frippertronics-style tape setup, and what you can create when you push a bass clarinet to its limits.

Tracks discussed: I Never Wanted Anything, Squeaky Wheel, The Yips

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

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Listen to ‘The Hum’ here.