Balancing technique and humanity: Eva seeks emotion in her music productions
- Music
"If it means I have to bike from location to location with recording equipment stacked up on the luggage rack, then I’ll do it," says Eva Stuiver. She is graduating this year from the MediaMusic bachelor’s course. Her curiosity about the world of audio production has taken her from Chicago to Berlin and then to the ArtEZ Academy of Music in Enschede. When we spoke to her via Zoom, she was still in Norway for the final internship of the course. Eva shares her experiences at the conservatory and what she learned during her final project in this ArtEZ finals story.
Producing is Listening
"What I’ve realized over the past few years, is how important it is for a producer to understand what the artist wants to convey. Before you start recording, it’s crucial to talk extensively with the musician and ask the right questions. Most beginner producers and engineers are mainly interested in technical aspects: which microphones to use and their specific placements. While that's important to me too—I love geeking out on hardware and software—it has become more of a means rather than the goal itself. MediaMusic is a technical program, but it also has a strong artistic character. My main subject teacher, Phil Mills, has had a significant influence on my development. Together, we explored my style and strengths. He has also greatly motivated me and enriched me with knowledge. I applied all of this to my final project, which I did in collaboration with Pop Academy student Levi Major."
Levi Major EP
"Before we started recording, I spent a lot of time listening to Levi. I asked him what the songs meant and delved deeper into his answers. This allowed both Levi and me to understand and feel the songs better. Only then did we start thinking about the sound and recording process. We searched for the right places to record. I found a ‘sterile’ studio setting unsuitable, so we recorded in a church, an abandoned factory, and in front of an audience. Ultimately, we recorded each song in a different location. This posed challenges during post-production, like filtering out passing cars or slamming doors. In a studio where you record track-by-track and have almost everything under control, you encounter these issues less. But for me, production is primarily about emotion, something you inherently can't control. So, with a recording process like this, there remains something that feels closer to the listener and lets emotion take center stage. I think this project demonstrates the value of a program like MediaMusic or the Academy of Popmusic For both the (beginning) artist and the producer, this project would take up too much space and pose a financial risk in a professional setting.
Room and space to develop
"Now that I’m about to leave the ArtEZ Academy of Music, I can say that my educationprocess has been incredibly valuable. I had done some gigs before the program and could have chosen to continue working as a producer from there, but I needed room and space to experiment and develop myself as a sound engineer and producer. I found that space—and the right people—at ArtEZ. During my studies, I regularly attended events organized by the conservatory. One event that stands out to me was a panel where producer Pim van de Werken spoke about communication in the studio. In this case, it was about giving criticism in the studio and whether it makes a musician play better. He believes it doesn’t. According to Pim, as a producer, you are mainly responsible for creating a good atmosphere and motivating the musician. The other panel members disagreed, but it clicked with me. After the talk, I got in touch with him, and I can say that he has since greatly influenced my development. By talking a lot with him, I started thinking about my intuition and its role during production. He helped me stay true to myself as a producer and also to trust my intuition and humanity. Ultimately, I worked on part of the Levi Major EP in his studio as well.
