Make Do Breathe Mind

The album was recorded primarily over three intensive days at Sound Department Studio in Toronto, with the single “Violet” recorded separately at Phil Hurst's Toronto studio. My bassist and I handled the recording engineering, from preparing and tuning the drums to establishing microphone placements and managing the multitrack sessions in Pro Tools. We performed together in the live room, with guitar and bass amplifiers isolated in another room to provide greater control over the recordings. The sessions incorporated multiple amplifiers, vintage hardware, and varied signal chains, allowing me to blend different tonal characteristics during mixing.

One of the largest challenges was achieving a spacious, natural sound from a relatively acoustically dead recording environment. While the room provided excellent isolation and control, creating the sense of depth and energy appropriate for the music required careful balancing, equalization, and spatial processing. Additional challenges included managing microphone bleed, cymbal resonances, and overdubbed performances while preserving the character of the original live recordings.

The project also involved considerable experimentation, including sitar, organ, additional percussion, and unconventional arrangements. One track, “In Terra Nullius”," was constructed by editing an extended improvisational performance into a focused six-minute composition. I completed the mixing and mastering in Pro Tools, incorporating iZotope RX for precise processing and cleanup during mastering. Ultimately, the experience reinforced the importance of balancing technical precision with the imperfections and spontaneity that give live music its character.