The Stanford Mendicants sought to capture a live performance to integrate into their studio album, Unlucky. I recorded and edited three tracks -- It Will Rain, Fallin', and You Are the Reason -- which comprised their ICCA set for 2024. Rather than tracking vocalists one-by-one in the studio, the group performed together and I recorded their excellent performance using individual wireless microphones.

With this approach naturally came issues with microphone artifacts and momentary connection drops that I mitigated with editing after the fact. Thanks to the unparalleled mixing expertise of Ed Boyer, the tracks landed with both the polish of a produced recording and the energy of a live performance. Reviewers from the Recorded A Cappella Review Board celebrated how "it is nearly impossible to distinguish between the studio recorded and the live tracks on the album" and appreciated "the intimacy of getting to hear raw singing" brought by their inclusion.

Reviews

• Unlucky. was rated 4.3/5 by the Recorded A Cappella Review Board.

Video

Collaborators

• The Stanford Mendicants, Stanford University's oldest a cappella group
• Ed Boyer, mixing
• Bill Hare, mastering