Thesis submission ID 931 | created | last updated

Stephanie Caffrey, Evolving a signature sound: blending Celtic roots and aesthetics with divergent music production practices in studio albums recorded by The Corrs
MA, Dundalk Institute of Technology, 2021


Volumes, pp.: 1 (204pp.) + DVD  Wordcount: 40000
Supervisor(s): Dr. Daithí Kearney and Mr. Seán Keegan
Repository (online): https://eprints.dkit.ie/731/
Repository (hard copy): De Chastelain Library Dundalk Institute of Technology

General specialism: Musicology: Popular Music Studies
Historical timeframe: 1994-2017
Key terms, concepts: music production; music production content analysis; ethnomusicology
Key terms, persons: Jim Corr; Andrea Corr; Sharon Corr; Caroline Corr; David Foster; Mitchell Froom; T Bone Burnett
Key terms, places: Dundalk; Dublin; London; USA;
Key terms, genres, instruments: Violin; Fiddle; Tin Whistle; Bodhrán; Drums; Guitar; Vocals; Piano; Irish Traditional Music;

Abstract:
Successful bands and artists have a distinctive sound that makes them instantly recognisable to audiences and differentiates them from other performers within their genre. By examining practices within music production, this thesis will demonstrate how multiple decisions and creative collaboration between music producers and a band impact on the development of a particular sound that is disseminated to an audience. Taking into account that music producers can have their own distinctive signature sound due to divergent working practices, bands often choose to work with specific music producers to shape or refine their sound. While a band can have an overall recognisable sound across a recording catalogue, each album can vary within that sound, resulting in a varied portfolio influenced by divergent music production choices and socio-cultural contexts.

Using Irish music group The Corrs as a case study, this thesis critically examines three albums from their recording catalogue. Through a music production content analysis, which is supported by the reverse engineering of specified singles and album tracks through the use of digital audio workstation Pro Tools, the building blocks of The Corrs’ identifiable sound and recurring patterns are revealed.

By examining the music production of each of the three albums in parallel with a critical study of the Irish music industry and cultural environment, this thesis adds to the field of musicology in record production.

Thesis submission ID 931