The picture was taken at Nellee Hooper’s studio in Queens Park, London, about five years ago. As Jake recalls, Ed was around 18 years old and in the thick of working on his debut album +.
I’d first been introduced to Ed by my publisher Sarah Liversedge from BDi Music. She’s really proactive and always sends me loads of artists to look at. She showed me Ed’s Myspace page and played me some demos. I really liked what I saw in him so I made him a priority to work with. Sarah fixed up our first session in early 2009 and we wrote The City, which made it onto the debut album.
Once we got started, the album came together pretty quickly. When you really gel with someone, things usually go fast. I remember it was a really good time and there didn’t feel like there was much pressure on us. We were just left to get on with what we wanted. Atlantic Records’ A&Rs Ed Howard and Ben Cook were great at understanding what was important and knew that the album had to be organic, which really helped the process.
When recording + we used quite a lot of different equipment, but mainly Cubase SX3, plus ReWired with Ableton. I’ve used Cubase for years and know how to get the best out of it - it wasn’t by any means a so-called ‘top end set-up’ but it worked. I also used the Se Electronics Gemini microphone. It’s a really great mic, especially for the price, and really captured Ed’s vocal tones. Guitars were recorded through Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig, which worked really well too.
Most of the album was recorded at my own Sticky Studios in Surrey, although we did some work at Sarm Studios in London for strings and overdubs. The atmosphere at Sticky was no different to how it’s always been; laid back, fun but at the same time hardworking. I think that if you have a good mix of these elements, you get a great end result.
I think it’d be presumptuous to assume you have a hit record on your hands at any point. I knew what we had created together was special, but I had no idea it would be as successful as it has become. We both had a feeling it would connect with people, and I’m so happy it’s connected to so many.
Jake Gosling, a multi-platinum-selling producer, songwriter and manager, is best known for his work with artists including Wiley, Paloma Faith, One Direction and Ed Sheeran. He is signed to BDi Music, alongside his co-venture publishing company, The Movement.
Ivor Novello Award-winning singer songwriter Ed Sheeran released his sophomore album x on 23 June. His debut, +, is certified six-times platinum in the UK and has topped charts around the world.
themovement.uk.com/edsheeran.com
I’d first been introduced to Ed by my publisher Sarah Liversedge from BDi Music. She’s really proactive and always sends me loads of artists to look at. She showed me Ed’s Myspace page and played me some demos. I really liked what I saw in him so I made him a priority to work with. Sarah fixed up our first session in early 2009 and we wrote The City, which made it onto the debut album.
Once we got started, the album came together pretty quickly. When you really gel with someone, things usually go fast. I remember it was a really good time and there didn’t feel like there was much pressure on us. We were just left to get on with what we wanted. Atlantic Records’ A&Rs Ed Howard and Ben Cook were great at understanding what was important and knew that the album had to be organic, which really helped the process.
When recording + we used quite a lot of different equipment, but mainly Cubase SX3, plus ReWired with Ableton. I’ve used Cubase for years and know how to get the best out of it - it wasn’t by any means a so-called ‘top end set-up’ but it worked. I also used the Se Electronics Gemini microphone. It’s a really great mic, especially for the price, and really captured Ed’s vocal tones. Guitars were recorded through Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig, which worked really well too.
Most of the album was recorded at my own Sticky Studios in Surrey, although we did some work at Sarm Studios in London for strings and overdubs. The atmosphere at Sticky was no different to how it’s always been; laid back, fun but at the same time hardworking. I think that if you have a good mix of these elements, you get a great end result.
I think it’d be presumptuous to assume you have a hit record on your hands at any point. I knew what we had created together was special, but I had no idea it would be as successful as it has become. We both had a feeling it would connect with people, and I’m so happy it’s connected to so many.
Jake Gosling, a multi-platinum-selling producer, songwriter and manager, is best known for his work with artists including Wiley, Paloma Faith, One Direction and Ed Sheeran. He is signed to BDi Music, alongside his co-venture publishing company, The Movement.
Ivor Novello Award-winning singer songwriter Ed Sheeran released his sophomore album x on 23 June. His debut, +, is certified six-times platinum in the UK and has topped charts around the world.
themovement.uk.com/edsheeran.com
