Help Needed: Logic Pro X Project Template (Brit Invasion-ish)

[tommyzai]

Hi!! I hope someone can help me.

I'm preparing to teach a class on popular music of the 60s. I had a dream that I needed to create a template to reflect the Beatles tracking. They used 4-track/8-channel, but I thought I could double that to give me more flexibility, i.e., each drum could have its own track (BD, SD, etc.).

Any help is appreciated. The more authentic and detailed with the appropriate plugins where they belong would be fantastic.

Thank you.

[jonljacobi]

When you say template, you're talking about a project template, not a skin/theme? What pops to mind are the Wave's Abbey Road plug-ins (never used them) and Matthew's Abby Road theme (own it).

https://www.waves.com/bundles/abbey-roa ... collection

http://logicproxthemes.blogspot.com/201 ... -x-10.html

As to a template, there's plenty of info available on the recording technology, which you seem to have already discovered.

[tommyzai]

I have an excellent designer working on a special theme/skin and now I need to set up a project template for the track layout and mixing. Trying to keep it simple, but useful and as authentic as possible . . . taking some liberties to ease the limitations they faced, i.e., bouncing.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

taking some liberties to ease the limitations they faced, i.e., bouncing.

Why? You're already cutting so much of the hassle inherent in tracking to reel by using the daw. As someone who had a lot of fun making music with four-tracks, when that's all that was really available to me, I think you should really go for it

[tommyzai]

taking some liberties to ease the limitations they faced, i.e., bouncing.

Why? You're already cutting so much of the hassle inherent in tracking to reel by using the daw. As someone who had a lot of fun making music with four-tracks, when that's all that was really available to me, I think you should really go for it

Wait! Wait!! Please explain. What do you suggest?

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

taking some liberties to ease the limitations they faced, i.e., bouncing.

Why? You're already cutting so much of the hassle inherent in tracking to reel by using the daw. As someone who had a lot of fun making music with four-tracks, when that's all that was really available to me, I think you should really go for it

Wait! Wait!! Please explain. What do you suggest?

Mop-top haircut, left-handed Rickenbacker and some tight trousers, for starters



Just kidding! I'm referring to limiting yourself to using four tracks, and all the bouncing that went along with such a medium

[tommyzai]

I'll commit to as much authenticity as I can, but bouncing is painful. That's the one thing I really didn't like about my old Tascam 4-Track.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

At the time I would dream of unlimited tracks. However, being forced to make decisions and committing to the bounce now seems liberating in hindsight; moreso when I dare to think about the ton of works that I currently have 'in progress'.

[macmuse]

Especially if it's a class for people who most likely never used anything but a DAW (and unlimited tracks), I agree with el-bo: limit it to 4 tracks to approximate the 'real thing'. It will stretch their thinking abilities (plus force them to make decisions, as he said), which IMO is always the best learning environment a teacher can provide.

[tommyzai]

I agree on most points, but my student need me to work fast or I lose them to daydreaming or texting. I could go with the Beatles later setup of 8 tracks. Or, I could expand to 16 as a fixed number and worry about the other details. Either way, I need to figure out how to set it up with what FX on what and the order of the tracks. I hope to find some handwritten track names or something, but no luck so far.

[nerner]

Not sure if you are asking for technical help or visual help...since your last post mentioned hand written labels I will assume you are asking for assistance with aesthetics. If so, I did find these images of Beatles tracking sheets. The resolution is good enough you should be able to zoom in and get some good screen grabs. Good luck with the class!

https://entertainment.ha.com/itm/music- ... 4-89404.s#

[tommyzai]

Thanks, Nerner.
The recording sheets are groovy. I wonder if there are any examples of the actual tracks with stickers or tape with writing indicating what's on each track.

I'm asking for any/all help. . But on this thread, I'm mostly hoping someone can help me assemble a simple, but fairly authentic project template to use for recording and mixing. I realize the early Beatles used 4-tracks, but later they used 8 and then 16 on their final album. So, I figure I can pick up where they left off at 16 to avoid bouncing. I just don't know how to set this up. I hoped to modify an existing template, but all I can find are EDM templates, which are way off the mark.

[Deep Purple]

If you're talking about when they moved to 16 track, they were experimenting all over the place, so it would be less about tracking, and much more about experimenting with sounds before they hit the mic.

Even if you look back to the 4 track days, much of the recording was about room acoustics, separation and mic placement. I really can't think how to translate that to a DAW format.

[tommyzai]

Yeah, this is sort of apple and oranges. What if I set up 16 tracks that represent similar instrumentation and then add the same type of FX for respective tracks?

[Deep Purple]

Maybe you could set up groups of mics as separate buses, and use some kind of mic emulation on each channel? For the room ambience and mic placement maybe you could use impulse responses?

I really can't think of an easy way to do this as the DAW integrates so many things that would have been considered separately for The Beatles. George Martin relied on the support of studio engineers who each had dedicated tasks to perform. I doubt George would have been concerned with setting up the mics on the instruments, nor would he have been setting levels at the mixer.