I’m tucked up in bed with man-flu at the moment. Between my general wailing, sobbing and will-writing, I thought now’s the time to take stock of what’s been going on around these parts.
Production-wise, I’ve been working with a few superb singer/songwriters. I’m coming to the end of production of a rather brilliant album from George Simpson. You can hear one of the tracks here. I’ve also been working transatlantically with an exceptionally talented singer from LA called Allison Gray. It’s all been done over the internet and you can hear one of the tracks we’ve done here. Kezia Gill is preparing for the launch of her debut album, recording with me this year; more information on that and all the above projects soon.
I’ve recently started outsourcing all my mixing work to James Burton of JBB Sound who has managed to transform my mixes into something out of this world. I’ll have more information on him, including website and contact details, at a later date.
Composition-wise, I’ve been busier than a mosquito at a nudist colony. Highlights have included working on an animation series for kids called Food Dudes, which will be taken round schools to encourage kids to eat more fruit and veg. I’ve completed the soundtrack for a video for The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN IFRA), championing the press freedom work they do. I also worked on two separate videos for TSU Professionals promoting what they do, one a film and one an animation. Both videos used the same compositional theme but different genres.
I also delved for the first time into boom micing. As a Derby County fan it pains me to say that my first boom mic job was at Nottingham Forest’s football ground, but then it was presented by Pollyanna Woodward, so every cloud and all that. Plus, I managed to catch a stray ball on the pitch and blast it into the goal from 35 yards, which was pleasing. As well as recording and mixing the audio, I provided the music and sound effects. You can see the results here.
Haynes Music Productions…Hating Forest With A Smile. (Picture by Chrissa Wadlow)
Finally, October will (hopefully) see the launch of AnimatID, a collaboration with local UK animator Mair Perkins and Leicester Animator Richie Phillips, offering animated logos with sound. We’re pretty excited about it and this website will tell you all you need to know when we launch properly.
Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, back to the Lemsip, bed and quests for sympathy.
By Ben Haynes