No More Than Four [Inspiration Through Creative Boundaries]
I got the opportunity to assist in a recent research project led by Dr. Sean Foran involving the aphorism, No More Than Four. Across four studio sessions, under Adrian Caroll (producer), different groups of musicians were brought together by Sean. They would audition a demo and then create and record a new arrangement that was no more than 4 minutes long, with no more than 4 parts and do so in no more than 4 hours. We recorded each session with a live mix using no more than 4 tracks, in essence emulating the recording and mixing discipline of a 4 track recorder with no overdubs. Every mic went to its own AUX track in the DAW off the console. Each AUX was then routed to one of two stereo record tracks, mixed live and then bounced down to stereo.
The project was fascinating and so I sat down with Dr. Foran for about thirty minutes following our third session to find out a bit more of the project and its motivations. Here are the excerpts!
I got the opportunity to assist in a recent research project led by Dr. Sean Foran involving the aphorism, No More Than Four. Across four studio sessions, under Adrian Caroll (producer), different groups of musicians were brought together by Sean. They would audition a demo and then create and record a new arrangement that was no more than 4 minutes long, with no more than 4 parts and do so in no more than 4 hours. We recorded each session with a live mix using no more than 4 tracks, in essence emulating the recording and mixing discipline of a 4 track recorder with no overdubs. Every mic went to its own AUX track in the DAW off the console. Each AUX was then routed to one of two stereo record tracks, mixed live and then bounced down to stereo.
The project was fascinating and so I sat down with Dr. Foran for about thirty minutes following our third session to find out a bit more of the project and its motivations. Here are the excerpts!
Written, directed & produced by Christopher Cullan.
Filmed at SAE Institute, Brisbane.
Filmed at SAE Institute, Brisbane.
Trespassers [from The Selfish Giant]
The Selfish Giant was released in 1971 and was nominated for the best Animated Short Oscar. I, along with my classmates, were brought into the gymnasium one day in grade-school to watch the film. I suspect for its moral message. It stuck with me, but not so much the moral of the story but rather the sense of melancholy in its depiction, and in particular, the Giant.
For a recent project at SAE, I selected this clip with the objective to hone in on the sense of melancholy, replacing the entire soundtrack comprising original score plus narration (there were no sound effects) with original recorded sound effects, Foley and dialogue, accompanied by Steven Wilson's Year of the Plague from the album 4 1/2.
The Selfish Giant was released in 1971 and was nominated for the best Animated Short Oscar. I, along with my classmates, were brought into the gymnasium one day in grade-school to watch the film. I suspect for its moral message. It stuck with me, but not so much the moral of the story but rather the sense of melancholy in its depiction, and in particular, the Giant.
For a recent project at SAE, I selected this clip with the objective to hone in on the sense of melancholy, replacing the entire soundtrack comprising original score plus narration (there were no sound effects) with original recorded sound effects, Foley and dialogue, accompanied by Steven Wilson's Year of the Plague from the album 4 1/2.
Written, directed & produced by Christopher Cullan.
Adapted from Peter Sander's The Selfish Giant (1971) from Potterton Productions, with music from Steven Wilson's Year of the Plague.
Adapted from Peter Sander's The Selfish Giant (1971) from Potterton Productions, with music from Steven Wilson's Year of the Plague.
Droplet
This piece is focused on the emotion of nostalgia, including feelings of sentiment, longing, wistfulness. The motif is centred on water and the idea that water, in practice, is never created or destroyed, but merely transforms, journeying through all aspects of life. Not just our lives, the lives of humanity, but all life on this planet. Given its incredible significance in our life, our ability to be alive, our growth and our survival and that water flows—through rivers, oceans, lakes, clouds, and our own bodies—it seems that the common funerary prayer; "...ashes to ashes, dust to dust" could be well served by being replaced with "droplet to droplet" (Delahunty & Dignen, 2010).
This piece is focused on the emotion of nostalgia, including feelings of sentiment, longing, wistfulness. The motif is centred on water and the idea that water, in practice, is never created or destroyed, but merely transforms, journeying through all aspects of life. Not just our lives, the lives of humanity, but all life on this planet. Given its incredible significance in our life, our ability to be alive, our growth and our survival and that water flows—through rivers, oceans, lakes, clouds, and our own bodies—it seems that the common funerary prayer; "...ashes to ashes, dust to dust" could be well served by being replaced with "droplet to droplet" (Delahunty & Dignen, 2010).
All music composed, arranged, performed and recorded by Christopher Cullan.
Visuals by Christopher Cullan.
Visuals by Christopher Cullan.
Acoustic Cover of Pariah
An original, acoustic production of the song Pariah, by Steven Wilson.
An original, acoustic production of the song Pariah, by Steven Wilson.
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Vocals, guitar, percussion - Jack Field
Backing vocals, percussion - Maddie Young |
Christopher Cullan - Producer
Christopher Cullan, Bayley Olson, Maddie Young - Engineering Christopher Cullan - Mixing |
Getaway - Pleasantly Confused
An original track by the band Pleasantly Confused; Get Away.
An original track by the band Pleasantly Confused; Get Away.
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Pleasantly Confused
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Christopher Cullan, Simon White, Maddie Young - Producer
Christopher Cullan, Simon White, Maddie Young - Engineering Christopher Cullan, Maddie Young - Mixing |
Swing Cover of Somebody Told Me (The Killers)
An exercise in morphing a track into another genre. The song Somebody Told Me, is reconceived, with original vox (warped) and a new backing track performed and recorded using virtual instruments for sax, horns, piano & guitar with a looped swing drum sample.
An exercise in morphing a track into another genre. The song Somebody Told Me, is reconceived, with original vox (warped) and a new backing track performed and recorded using virtual instruments for sax, horns, piano & guitar with a looped swing drum sample.
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Music & Lyrics - The Killers
Instrumentation, arrangement & production - Christopher Cullan |
Christopher Cullan - Producer, Engineering, Mixing
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Cover of Swallowed (Bush)
An exercise in producing a replica of an existing work with a focus on critical listening and research to determine production methods and mixing techniques. The band, Pleasantly Confused, was kind enough to lend their talent to this exercise.
An exercise in producing a replica of an existing work with a focus on critical listening and research to determine production methods and mixing techniques. The band, Pleasantly Confused, was kind enough to lend their talent to this exercise.
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Performance - Pleasantly Confused
Music & Lyrics - Gavin Rossdale Production - Christopher Cullan, Peta Evans-Taylorvans-Taylor |
Peta Evans-Taylor - Producer
Christopher Cullan - Engineering, Mixing |