In this episode, John catches up with Fred Gibson, better known as Fred Again.., to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Actual Life (April 14 - December 17 2020)’.Having written and produced almost all of the album outside of the studio, Fred talks us through his recording and sampling process, digging into the ways in which each new environment helped shape the individual sound of each track.Fred enlightens us on the best bits about recording on an iPhone and why it’s so key to his writing process. We’re treated to stories of recreating the voice notes compressor in Logic, jamming along with tracks in the club and playback sessions in the pub.Listen to find out how a small change in harmony can completely reframe emotion, why mixing will never solve any song problems, and the best ways to fill time when you're not feeling inspired.Tracks discussed: Sabrina (I Am A Party), Me (Heavy), Angie (I’ve Been Lost) LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes   Listen to ‘Actual Life (April 14 - December 17 2020)’ here. ‘Actual Life (April 14 - December 17 2020)’ - Warner Music UK Limited. An Atlantic Records UK, 2021 Fred Gibson Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  GEAR MENTIONSSamplrMorph Plugin Logic - Silver Compressor Logic - Retro Synth Logic - Step FXAlbino SynthNative Instruments BatteryTeenage Engineering OP1 Shure SM7B Roland TR-808 Neumann U47 Yamaha NS10Zoom iPhone Mic OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear  HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate KEEP UP TO DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear!  Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

In this episode, John reunites with Fred Gibson, a.k.a. Fred Again.., at his house, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Actual Life 3 (January1 - September 9 2022)’. Reflecting on what’s been a very busy 18 months, Fred discusses how the success of the Actual Life series has had an impact on how and why he writes music. From the tricks he uses to keep his writing process fast and fun, to the moments his creativity was lost and the advice that came from Brian Eno to focus it. As well as sharing demos written with The 1975 and sampling songs by his brother, Fred gets hands on with his explanations of the plugins and process he uses, treating us to live beat builds, piano demonstrations and examples of compression demonstrated through table drumming. Listen to find out what Fred’s reaction to switching DAWs was, why you should put off any technical aspects of a track until the end, and why some people may call the harmonic modulations in his music ‘the work of the devil’.  Tracks discussed: Delilah (pull me out of this), Berwyn (all that I got is you), Kelly (end of a nightmare)LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes  Listen to ‘Actual Life 3 (January1 - September 9 2022)’.Atlantic Records, Warner Music Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONSExpert Sleepers Spectral ConquestSamplr App Pioneer Mixer and CDJsLogic Pro XAbletonApple Wired Headphones OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgearHELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate KEEP UP TO DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesTo let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) DonateTAPE NOTES TEAMWill Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & EditorTim Adam-Smith - Executive ProducerWill Lyons - EditorHerbie Elton-Rowley - VideographerGeorge Durston - Production AssistantMatt Purbrick - Production AssistantGuy Nicholls - Production AssistantNathan Hetherington - PRRebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing