Authors:
Ingvild Koksvik, Joel Hamilton and Eirik Askerøi
Ingvild Koksvik, Joel Hamilton and Eirik Askerøi
Abstract:
How can we discuss aesthetic value judgments without just attributing them to “instinct” or “intuition,” or even the instructor’s personal taste? What criteria are used to assess what is “better” in a particular audio production? In this chapter, we argue that when teaching studio production, we need to find ways to share and discuss what determines what “better” means in a given musical context. Drawing on the authors’ broad experience in music production – Koksvik as a recording artist, song-maker and PhD fellow in popular music performance, Hamilton as an audio engineer and producer, and Askerøi as a performing musician and professor of popular music – this chapter introduces compositional intention as a guiding principle for considering and communicating aesthetic decision-making in the recording studio. By framing “better” as a tangible, working concept, the chapter opens a space for more structured and transparent discussions about aesthetic choices. In this regard, it proposes both a conceptual framework and practical strategies for assessing and articulating production aspects that often remain tacit.
How can we discuss aesthetic value judgments without just attributing them to “instinct” or “intuition,” or even the instructor’s personal taste? What criteria are used to assess what is “better” in a particular audio production? In this chapter, we argue that when teaching studio production, we need to find ways to share and discuss what determines what “better” means in a given musical context. Drawing on the authors’ broad experience in music production – Koksvik as a recording artist, song-maker and PhD fellow in popular music performance, Hamilton as an audio engineer and producer, and Askerøi as a performing musician and professor of popular music – this chapter introduces compositional intention as a guiding principle for considering and communicating aesthetic decision-making in the recording studio. By framing “better” as a tangible, working concept, the chapter opens a space for more structured and transparent discussions about aesthetic choices. In this regard, it proposes both a conceptual framework and practical strategies for assessing and articulating production aspects that often remain tacit.
About the authors:
Ingvild Koksvik is a singer and song-maker whose career includes several albums and extensive touring as a live artist. She is a PhD candidate in popular music performance at the University of Agder and has worked as a researcher at CreaTeME.
Joel Hamilton is a multi-platinum-selling, multi-Grammy-nominated record producer, mixer, recording Engineer, and songwriter whose credits include Paul McCartney, Rick Rubin, Highly Suspect, The Black Keys, Pretty Lights, Norah Jones, Danny Elfman, Sparklehorse, and more. Joel lives in New York City and is a partner at Studio G, Brooklyn.
Eirik Askerøi, professor of music at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, has been a musician since 1998. He holds an MA in Musicology and a PhD in Popular Music Performance. He has published several articles and book chapters and contributed to numerous album recordings.
Ingvild Koksvik is a singer and song-maker whose career includes several albums and extensive touring as a live artist. She is a PhD candidate in popular music performance at the University of Agder and has worked as a researcher at CreaTeME.
Joel Hamilton is a multi-platinum-selling, multi-Grammy-nominated record producer, mixer, recording Engineer, and songwriter whose credits include Paul McCartney, Rick Rubin, Highly Suspect, The Black Keys, Pretty Lights, Norah Jones, Danny Elfman, Sparklehorse, and more. Joel lives in New York City and is a partner at Studio G, Brooklyn.
Eirik Askerøi, professor of music at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, has been a musician since 1998. He holds an MA in Musicology and a PhD in Popular Music Performance. He has published several articles and book chapters and contributed to numerous album recordings.
Accepted for publication in B. Anthony, C. Boehm, T. Canfer, P. Thompson, & S. B. Ward (Eds.), Music Production Pedagogy: Perspectives on Innovation in Music Production Education on Routledge.
https://www.routledge.com/Music-Production-Pedagogy-Perspectives-on-Innovation-in-Music-Production-Education/Anthony-Boehm-Canfer-Thompson-Ward/p/book/9781032732435