Dean’s bringing live music back
LET’S NOT put too fine a point on it, it’s been ages since we’ve been able to go to a gig and we’re missing it. Hopefully, with coronavirus rates continuing to fall, it won’t be long before live music returns and pubs can reopen. It’s certainly going to be a heck of a party.
In the meantime, we’re grateful for people like Dean Nelson. He’s busy behind the scenes helping Third Lung prepare for a virtual concert on Saturday, February 27.
We know it won’t be the same as heading to the bar, ordering a pint and then enjoying it in the mosh pit, but we’ve got to take what we can get at this time.
The gig will feature some of the tracks they’ve been working on during lockdown and will be a great way to support local music.
Dean manages Generation Studios, which in normal times welcomes bands looking to rehearse as well as record.
It’s all been a bit different. “A lot of bands haven’t done any recordings at all, but they have been a couple that have the ability to record at home,” he says. “They’ve been in the bedroom, and then sending audio files for me to edit and mix. That normally includes cutting out household noise in the background and people clicking on their computers.
“And a lot have worked out new ways to work, independently at home, collaborating with each other and then sending me projects to fine-tune, mix and master to a releasable level.”
Dean says it does mean projects are taking longer to complete – in normal times, it would take a day or so to record a song, now it can take weeks for perfection to be reached.
Does creating music from home mean a reduction in sound quality?
“You’d be surprised,” Dean says. “They like to get a really clean, clear signal with good quality mics, preamps and audio converter.
“The home sort of interfaces can lack some clarity and it does affect the sound more than people think, which makes the mix job a bit harder.”
But Dean is a maestro, and is doing very well at sewing a silk purse from a sow’s ear – and ensuring bands know what they need to do.
“Lockdown has changed the way we’re working, communication has become such a key thing, talking to artists and helping them out,” he says. “And this streamed gig is part of that.
“The production levels we’re offering now are so much higher than they were 12 months ago, with full lightning setups and multiple cameras being used, rather than one feed straight to Facebook.”
Alt-rock Third Lung have been able to record during lockdown thanks to Dean’s wizardry, and with the new music on hand they thought about how best to release it.
“They haven’t gigged in 12 months and they’ve been looking for an opportunity to show their fans the new music they’re working on, as well as some of the fan favourites,” Dean promises.
The event is a stream that starts at 8pm and there’s the chance to chat with fans during the show.
“The band are excited as it’s a new experience for them. There’s individual cameras on all the band members, with stage lighting, as if you’re in a gig venue … just without people spilling beer on you.”
But after so long without music, I don’t think anyone will mind being given a beery shower.
Tickets cost £6, or £20 with a band T-shirt.