Tape Notes

In this episode, John joins Orla Gartland and producer Tom Stafford to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Orla’s debut album ‘Woman on the Internet’.

From the early stages of throwing musical ideas at the wall to the almost infinite list of recording secrets picked up from their time at Middle Farm Studios, Orla and Tom look back on trying to capture and emulate the original magic from their early sessions, along with bringing light and shade to the record as a whole.

Unearthing old voice memos and opening up the original sessions, we hear stories of blind microphone testing, trying and failing to recreate cheap sounds with ‘posh’ synths, and introducing some of Tom’s modular madness to Orla’s folk-pop sound.

Listen to find out how to get good results when recording with a kids karaoke machine, what making things sound orange and sparkly means, and how gigs at a cereal cafe may have been the start of numerous musical careers.

Tracks discussed: You’re Not Special Babe, Over Your Head, More Like Your

Listen to ‘Woman on the Internet’ here.

‘Woman on the Internet’ - New Friends Music

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

GEAR MENTIONS

A100 Analogue Modular System

Korg Stage Echo

Moog One

MicroKorg

Nord Keyboards

Organelle Synth

Fender Telecaster

Echoplex Pedal 

Warm Audio 47

API Channel Strip

Summit TLA 100

Shure 267 Preamp

Antares

Freakshow Industries Mishby

Output Movement

Soundtoys Alter Boy

Soundtoys Devil-Loc

Logic Flex Time

OUR GEAR

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HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

If 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 :) 

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YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast

Discord: Tape Notes

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! 

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In this episode, John links up with Lauren, Iain and Martin of CHVRCHES to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Screen Violence’.

Largely working remotely from different parts of the world, the trio look back on how they adapted their writing process, discussing how the effects of the pandemic ended up shaping some of the themes and meanings within the album.

Sharing some of their day one demos, we hear stories of forming entire songs around single elements, combining and blending vintage gear with modern recording techniques, and using creative production tricks to respond to and reinforce certain lyrics.

Listen to find how powerful hidden live drums on an electronic beat can be, why you should always keep your day one demo in a session, and how to react when Robert Smith emails you saying “what do you want?”

Tracks discussed: How Not To Drown, He Said She Said, California

Listen to ‘Screen Violence’ here.

‘Screen Violence’ - EMI, Virgin Records

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

GEAR MENTIONS

Auto-Tune

Melodyne

Soundtoys Alter Boy

Soundtoys Microshift

Soundtoys Decapitator

Valhalla Delay

Universal Audio OX Amp

Arcade

Roland D50

Roland Juno 106

Siel Orchestra Synthesizer

Fender 6 Bass 

AMS Reverb

Space Echo

Tube-Tech CL 1B Compressor

Pultec

1176 Compressor

LA-2A Leveling Amp

OUR GEAR

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear 

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

If 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 DATE

For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: 

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Twitter: @tapenotes 

Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  

YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast

Discord: Tape Notes

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

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In this episode, John ventures over to Baltic Studios to catch up with Frank and Dean of Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes about how they wrote, recorded and produced their latest album ‘Sticky’.

Unearthing demos and recordings from their time in a Norfolk holiday cabin, the pair look back on how their process has changed over the years, sharing thoughts on broadening their horizons and blurring the lines of writing and recording.

As well as personal stories of self-sabotage, imposter syndrome and competition within music, the pair single out the ingredients that form their chaotic cacophony of sound, from homemade microphones and recycling unused material, to tuning gunshots from Call of Duty.

Listen to find out why you should collaborate with people that make you feel lazy, how to react when Dave Grohl brings you a tray of shots mid set, and why Frank may soon be performing Moonlight Sonata.

Tracks discussed: Rat Race, Go Get A Tattoo, Take It To The Brink

Listen to ‘Sticky’ here.

‘Sticky’ - International Death Cult, AWAL Recordings Ltd

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

GEAR MENTIONS

Arturia 

Waves MondoMod

Valhalla Room

Soundtoys Decapitator 

Soundtoys EchoBoy

Soundtoys Alter Boy

Splice

Telephone Mic Conversion

Shure SM7B

Universal Audio 1176 Compressor

Thermionic Culture Vulture

Fender Mustang Bass

Fender Amps

Selmer Amps

Roland TR-808

Whurlitzer

OUR GEAR

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear 

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

If 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 DATE

For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: 

Instagram: @tapenotes 

Twitter: @tapenotes 

Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  

YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast

Discord: Tape Notes

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

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In this episode, John catches up with Mr Jukes, aka Jack Steadman, and Barney Artist to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced their joint album ‘The Locket’.

Breaking the elements down to their very beginnings, Jack talks us through his sampling process, from YouTube crate digging and detailed editing, to processing and pitching individual hits from his vault of free sample packs.

As well as sharing their thoughts on privilege and ‘making it’ in the world of music, the pair reflect on their partnership, as friends and creatives, discussing some of the most fundamental elements that enabled its success.

Listen to find out why Barney’s battered Peugeot 307 is on the album cover, why it’s not always best to tell a rapper you’ve been making beats, and how to turn a 70s jazz-fusion track into a football chant.

Tracks discussed: Blowin Steam (Open Up Your Mind), The Locket, Vibrate

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Listen to ‘The Locket’ here.

‘The Locket’ - Locket Records, Virgin Music

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS

Serato DJ Software

MWM Bluetooth Needle

OUR GEAR

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear 

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

If 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 DATE

For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: 

Instagram: @tapenotes 

Twitter: @tapenotes 

Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  

YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast

Discord: Tape Notes

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 

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In this episode, John heads over to Jungle’s West London HQ to catch up with Josh Lloyd-Watson about how the band wrote, recorded and produced their latest record ‘Loving in Stereo’.

Having written a lot of the album in their shed over the last two years, Josh takes us all the way back to the almost 30-minute demos, talking through the process of cherry-picking the best parts and forming the tracks as we know them.

As well as sharing his thoughts on originality, natural creative flow and knowing when to stop, we hear stories of building samples, constantly layering vocals, and blending synths, guitars and orchestral elements into a singular unified sound.

Listen to find out how to get as close to the cheesy line as possible, what happens when you combine a Ron Burgundy flute solo with Baker Street sax, and how to do a great siren impression. 

Tracks discussed: Keep Moving, All of the Time, Bonnie Hill

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Listen to ‘Loving In Stereo’ here.

‘Loving In Stereo’ - Caiola Records, AWAL Recordings Ltd

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS

MPC Sampler

Sequential Prophet 8

Neumann U67

Neumann U87

Moog One 

Mellotron

Sequential Prophet

How Music Works - David Byrne

Roland RE-501 - Chorus Echo

Soundtoys Decapitator

Hammond Organ

Kemper Profiler Rack

ProTools

Logic Pro

OUR GEAR

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear 

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

If 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 DATE

For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: 

Instagram: @tapenotes 

Twitter: @tapenotes 

Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  

YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast

Discord: Tape Notes

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

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In this episode, John links up with Dan and Wayne of Imagine Dragons to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced their latest album 'Mercury - Act 1.

Having spent almost three years writing almost 300 demos, Dan and Wayne look back on the process of whittling down the tracklist and forming the album, from capturing their ideas as quickly as possible, through to working with legendary producer Rick Rubin and deconstructing everything to its purest essence.

As well as sharing their thoughts on creativity, songwriting and their life experiences in the world of music, the pair speak openly about the inspiration and meaning behind some of their most honest tracks to date, while also demonstrating how they let the subject of each song help define its production.

Listen to find out why samples can sometimes work better than a live performance, how raw magic often is captured on a first take, and the wealth of instruments that Dan can create using only his mouth.

Tracks discussed: Dull Knives, It’s Ok, Wrecked

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Listen to ‘Mercury - Act 1’ here.

‘Mercury - Act One’ - Interscope Records, KIDinaKORNER 

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS

Analogue Design Black Box Plugin

ApTrigga

Soundtoys Devil-Loc

TrackSpacer Plugin

Fab Filter Pro-Q3

Melodyne

Antares Auto-Tune

Goodhertz Wow Control

UAD E SSL Channel Strip

Valhalla Reverbs

Native Instruments Guitar Rig

Native Instruments Drum Lab

Native Instruments Rickenbacker

Gibson Les Paul

Ebow

Vox AC30

Marshall ShredMaster Pedal

Shure SM57

Royer Microphone

Neumann U47

Neumann U67

Neve 1073

Kemper Profiler Rack

Fender Telecaster

Fender Princeton Amp

Roland TR-808

Ableton Tube Amp

Ableton Compressor

Ableton

Cakewalk

Logic Pro

Cubase

OUR GEAR

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear 

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

If 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 DATE

For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: 

Instagram: @tapenotes 

Twitter: @tapenotes 

Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  

YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast

Discord: Tape Notes

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 

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Back in summer 2020, John headed over to The Church Studios to catch up with James Vincent McMorrow, Paul Epworth and Lil Silva to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced James’s album ‘Grapefruit Season’.

Taking tracks from Dublin to London to LA and back, James talks us through the myriad of iterations the songs went through, exploring the different writing situations and how all of his collaborators had such varied musical impacts.

Paul and TJ lend their producer expertise pulling out individual stems and breaking songs apart, as well as discussing their approaches towards bringing energy to the studio, and sharing thoughts on how production, sounds and songwriting are one and the same. 

Listen to find out about the lyric James spent all of his life waiting for, why Paul was such a terrible studio assistant and how a serendipitous ‘adapter’ hunt led to the trio’s partnership.

Tracks discussed: Headlights, Gone, Paradise

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Listen to 'Grapefruit Season' here.

'Grapefruit Season' - Sony Music Entertainment UK

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS

Sequential OB6

Moog One

Moog Grandmother

Paul's Big Modular Moog

Teisco Synth

Xfer Serum Synth

Roland TR-808

Spectrasonics Omnisphere

Universal Audio Apollo Twin

Mellotron 

iZotope Iris

Faith Saturn Guitar

LinnDrum

ProTools

ProTools Air Kill EQ

Apple Mac

OUR GEAR

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear 

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

If 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 DATE

For 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 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, John returns to Pixel studios to chat with Maisie Peters and producer Joe Rubel about how they wrote, recorded and produced Maisie’s debut album ‘You Signed Up For This’.

Going through their WhatsApp log of voice notes and ideas, Maisie and Joe look back on the chaotic methods of bringing an album together over lockdown, pulling apart how they carefully married Maisie’s original acoustic sound with more produced elements.

Alongside the wealth of Joe’s production goodness, Maisie sheds some light on her lyric writing process, from the internal rhyming patterns and carefully considered syllables in her writing, to the subtle nods hidden throughout each track.

Listen to find out why Maisie wouldn’t play instruments on her own songs, how to proceed after deciding it’s time to write a banger, and which part of a song you will now have to try and clap along to.

Tracks discussed: You Signed Up For This, I’m Trying (Not Friends), Love Him I Don’t

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Listen to ‘You Signed Up For This’ here.

‘You Signed Up For This’ - Warner Music, Asylum Records, Gingerbread Man Records 

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS

Arturia Prophet V3 Plugin

Roland Juno 60 

Binson Tape Machine 

LinnDrum

Sequential Prophet 

Splice

Spectrasonics Keyscape

Shure SM7B

Austrian Audio OC818

Chandler Preamp 

Tube-Tech CL 1B Compressor

Nashville Guitar Tuning

Martin Guitars 

OUR GEAR

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

If 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 DATE

For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: 

Instagram: @tapenotes 

Twitter: @tapenotes 

Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  

YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast

Discord: Tape Notes

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

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In this episode we look back over Season 8 picking out a selection of highlights and some of the most memorable moments from the artists and producers we were lucky enough to speak to.

If you haven’t heard every episode from the last season, this is a good way to introduce yourself to some of the guests we’ve had on and hear some of their top studio tips, writing processes and all-round philosophies towards creating a record. 

You’ll hear highlights from: 

Royal Blood

Girl In Red and Matias Tellez

Rostam

Dodie and Joe Rubel

Johnny Flynn and Charlie Andrew

Fred Again..

Easy Life and Rob Milton

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Listen to the albums featured this season with the links below.

Royal Blood - ‘Typhoons’

Girl In Red and Matias Tellez - ‘if i could make it go quiet’

Rostam - ‘Changephobia’

Dodie and Joe Rubel - ‘Build a Problem’

Johnny Flynn and Charlie Andrew - ‘Lost in the Cedar Wood’

Fred Again.. - ‘Actual Life (April 14th – December 17th 2020)‘

Easy Life and Rob Milton - ‘Life's A Beach’

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective

OUR GEAR

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear 

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

If 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 DATE

For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: 

Instagram: @tapenotes 

Twitter: @tapenotes 

Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  

YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast

Discord: Tape Notes

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  - http://www.tapenotes.co.uk 

‘Typhoons’ - Warner Records UK, Imperial Galactic Limited, Black Mammoth 

‘if i could make it go quiet’ - World In Red, AWAL Recordings

‘Changephobia’ - Matsor Projects

‘Build a Problem’ - doddleoddle, The Orchard

‘Lost in the Cedar Wood’ - Transgressive, Johnny Flynn

‘Actual Life (April 14th – December 17th 2020)’ - Warner Music UK Limited. An Atlantic Records UK, 2021 Fred Gibson

‘Life's A Beach’ - Universal Music, Island Records

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, John is reunited with Murray Matravers from Easy Life and producer Rob Milton, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the band’s debut album ‘Life’s A Beach'.

From recording in and around lockdowns, in basements, bedrooms and studios, Murray and Rob reflect on the writing process, singling out the sounds, ideas and samples that encapsulate the meaning within the songs.

As well as thoughts on retaining fun in the music and creating joke ideas, we hear stories of intentionally not wanting things to sound good, along with the not very Easy Life elements that are crucial to an Easy Life track.

Listen to find out what to do when you’re stuck in garage MC mode, how many times Rob recorded the word ‘Skeletons’, and which synth line made Murray cry (and still does).

Tracks discussed: skeletons, ocean view, homesickness

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Listen to ‘Life’s A Beach’ here.

‘Life’s A Beach’ - Universal Music, Island Records

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS

Shure SM7B

Neumann M149

Roland Juno 106

Sequential Prophet Rev2

Sequential Prophet 5

Sequential Prophet 6

Arturia Synth Emulators

Waves J37 Tape Plugin

OUR GEAR

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear 

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

If 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 DATE

For 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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices