The making of 'Seed' In-Depth: Motiv's Music Production Process

When singer-songwriter Jeremy Roske asked us to produce 5 songs in just 12 days on location in Bali, Motiv producer Benjamin Last knew it would be a tall order! To help create, record, program, edit, mix and master all required content in that time, Ben called on co-producer Pete Robinson to assist remotely from our production studio in Byron Bay on several aspects of the music production.

The recording process often involves multiple takes of each instrument or layer, which then have to be reviewed, selected, edited and cleaned. It greatly helps the next performer to give their best performance when the previous layers have been refined in this way, before the next recording session.

Each day, while Ben and Jeremy were recording the vocal, instrument and percussion layers, Pete was busy handling the editing remotely: selecting takes, tightening the timing, cleaning up parts and providing a basic sonic balance. This workflow allowed Ben and Jeremy to focus on the creative process and on getting the best possible performances, knowing that the next day, everything would be ready for recording subsequent layers. Motiv’s remote collaboration system was key to this, allowing instant syncing of the project files between the two studios.

After the recording phase in Bali ended, music production continued back in Australia. This time it was Jeremy who worked remotely via Skype screen-sharing sessions and cloud file-syncing, where we would upload files almost daily for review. Because of the trust built during the recording stage – that we could work together remotely so seamlessly – we were all able to maintain a high level of intuitive flow throughout the rest of the project. Jeremy was blown away by how effortlessly he could add his creative input when required.

Once all the creative and editing phases were completed, Motiv began mixing the project in our Melbourne and Byron Bay studios. With identical monitoring speakers and precisely calibrated listening environments at both locations, Ben and Pete could hear exactly what each other’s mixes sounded like, enabling them to provide accurate reviews and feedback on each other’s work, after which, the final mix adjustments where made.

Once Jeremy had signed-off on the final mixes, Pete took them through the critical mastering phase – the final sonic polishing – to ensure the best possible translation of the music on the widest range of playback systems. Pete also prepared CD masters and high-resolution versions for online streaming platforms. This marked the completion of the project.

Overall, the team effort on this project directly contributed to the quality of the end result. At every stage, the Motiv team and Jeremy listened carefully to each other and collaborated deeply in the creative process, putting the music first and honouring this offering from Jeremy’s heart to the world.

We invite you to listen for yourself to these beautiful songs and to the quality of music production we are able to offer. Listen here.