THE last tracks were laid down at the Eastern Hotel earlier this week for the first round of a recording project aimed at bolstering Ballarat\u2019s music scene.<\/p>\n
Dubbed the Eastern Recording Project, the initiative\u2019s final session was held on Monday, with the venue\u2019s band room treated with soundproofed partitions and directional microphones to put down four artists\u2019 original songs.<\/p>\n
Funded through the Ballarat Creative Inspiration Grants, the program gave artists the opportunity to record their track for free.<\/p>\n
Coordinator, Jackson Cass, said the reaction to the project has exceeded his expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were measuring the success of the program around what the reaction of the local music community was and their overall interest,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d mark this well over a success.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re limited in what we can and can\u2019t do purely because it\u2019s a live music venue and we\u2019ve got to watch the train timetable and bleed coming in from the street but that\u2019s very easily battled.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsing this space hasn\u2019t been intimidating. I think all the artists have been able to feel relaxed and comfortable coming into this space which is how you get the best performance out of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the recordings have gone, we\u2019ve just had a great time with this. We\u2019ve managed to carve out a great overall process in this space.<\/p>\n
The four selected acts included Hectic Hawks, Liv Moneghetti, and Sylvie May and the Silverbeets, who were chosen out of a pool of more than 30 applicants.<\/p>\n
Each artist recorded their work in single sessions on Monday evenings when the Eastern wasn\u2019t operating and a pub.<\/p>\n
Cass worked behind the desk, or laptop, as producer and engineer of the songs, which saw the occasional help from additional musicians and overall little overdubbing.<\/p>\n
Marcus Frangos of folk duo The Darlings Family Trust was one of the artists on stage during the last session and said it was a step up from his normal recording environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything we\u2019ve recorded I\u2019d done myself in a little tiny room in Gordon through Pro Tools,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s always going to be a positive thing to be able to record for free as well and then have a gig to prop up the tracks and meet other bands.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project\u2019s first round is set to conclude with a concert featuring all four acts, to take place at the Eastern on Saturday, 1 July during the Be Hear Now initiative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE last tracks were laid down at the Eastern Hotel earlier this week for the first round of a recording project aimed at bolstering Ballarat\u2019s music scene. Dubbed the Eastern Recording Project, the initiative\u2019s final session was held on Monday, with the venue\u2019s band room treated with soundproofed partitions and directional microphones to put down […]<\/p>\n