Illusive Sky Pattern – Not Over You

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New Experiences:  Micing a piano and violin

Post-Recording:

Everything went fairly smoothly since both of the other Aaron’s were involved in the session as well (one performing and one observing).  I first created a temp track for the piano and violin to play back with.  I then recorded the piano separately, followed [...]]]> Apologize Final

New Experiences:  Micing a piano and violin

Post-Recording:

Everything went fairly smoothly since both of the other Aaron’s were involved in the session as well (one performing and one observing).  I first created a temp track for the piano and violin to play back with.  I then recorded the piano separately, followed by the violin and guitar, then each individual voice.  Lastly I went back and recorded the guitar solo.  We spent the first 30 minutes on setup followed by another 20 setting levels and creating the temp track.  The remaining hour and 10 minutes was used to record the individual parts.

I felt like the most important part of this song was balance surrounding the vocals since this song was turned into a quartet of sorts (or two separate duets).  The other important thing was the piano.  I worked hard at creating the best piano sound for this song.  I added a rather large reverb along with boosting the mid-low frequencies in the track with the low strings of the piano and the mid-highs in the high strings.  I also added some reverb to the vocals and warmed up various aspects to give it a similar somber-like feeling.

In the future, I would like to try adding some sort of percussion into the mix.  While a full drumset may not have been the way to go for this mix, a cajon if miced right could do a nice job giving the background that little extra edge and drive.  A suspended cymbal would be nice as well if played with yarn mallets to add suspense or tension.

Afro-Cuban 2

Afro-Cuban 3

Afro-Cuban 4

For this project, I was faced with both a music style I was unfamiliar with (Afro-Cuban drumming/singing), a recording style I was unexperienced in (four-track portable recorder), and six musicians all eager to play their parts.

I set up a Rode NT4 [...]]]> mi guanguanco: Afro-Cuban 1

Afro-Cuban 2

Afro-Cuban 3

Afro-Cuban 4

For this project, I was faced with both a music style I was unfamiliar with (Afro-Cuban drumming/singing), a recording style I was unexperienced in (four-track portable recorder), and six musicians all eager to play their parts.

I set up a Rode NT4 above the half-circle of musicians to capture a varied  stereo image of the ensemble as a whole. For the other two tracks available, I used two Neumann TLM193s to the left and right of the Rode for a fuller sound and one that could capture the musicians as they sang together and separately. I didn’t individually mike the primary vocalist both due to limited tracks and because the musical style did not lend itself to a “lead and backup instruments” mentality, but rather to an organic blend of egalitarian musicians.

As the ensemble performed different songs, we talked about what was important in each and re-arranged the musicians accordingly (rather than the mikes). For one song, the female vocalist was important, so I had her sit towards the center of the semi-circle, facing one of the Neumanns (though in the recording she still sounds more distant than she really was). For another, the repetitive electric bass riff was crucial, so I had the bass amp set behind the semi-circle and slightly off-center to face all of the mikes and carry the musicians along with it.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable recording experience. The performers had a lot of fun recording, and I enjoyed being right there in the room with them and getting the live representation fully as I recorded.

Bolling Trio Mvmt 2

Bolling Trio Mvmt7

Faced with a purely acoustic classical/jazz trio, I was definitely challenged in this recording process.

Miking decisions: Neumann KM184s for the piano, Sennheiser 421 on the flute. SM57 for the snare, AKG d-112 for bass drum, AKG c-451s for the cymbals.

Heartbeats

Cover of a Jose Gonzalez song. I used the AKG C415 condenser mics to double mic the two guitar parts. Vocals were recorded on the Neumann TLM 193 mic. I wanted to capture all of the warmth of this song. There [...]]]> Here are some of the other songs I recorded in the studio.

Heartbeats

Cover of a Jose Gonzalez song. I used the AKG C415 condenser mics to double mic the two guitar parts. Vocals were recorded on the Neumann TLM 193 mic. I wanted to capture all of the warmth of this song. There was no set plan going into the recording studio, but we (me and Eric Firouzbakht, my main recording subject) wanted to finish this song in time to record a second one. We were fortunate that most parts we were able to get done in one take, including the main guitar and singing parts. Mixing was pretty easy on this as well. I added moderate reverb to both guitars, and also a little to the vocals, but I tried to not make the reverb overbearing.

Human

recorded the same day as heartbeats, this is the cover of the Killers’ song “Human”, with a few variations. We tried to capture a country feel with the song (in particular by changing the line “are we human, or are we dancers?” to “are we human, or are we drinkers?”) Very little effects were added to the song in order to maintain a “real” feel to the song. I boosted the EQ in the mid to high range on the singing in order to make the vocals sound more country. I used the AKG C415 mics to record the piano, and the Neumann TLM mic to get vocals again. We were able to record these two songs in one session.

Knights of Cydonia

I submitted this one with my second project, but I have done some additional mixing to it. This one was hard to mix. Our initial recording was chocked full of errors, so it took some nifty cutting and pasting to get it to sound right. On this track, we used the AKG C414 mic for the vocal parts, and the Neumann KM184 mics to record the guitar parts. I had to do a lot of modifications to the reverb in order to help all the parts mesh together. Compression was also added to the guitar parts.

Once again I have recorded the Aggie Fiddlers, but this time using a different style piece.  Rather than mic-ing an amp for the bass, we used direct input.  Also, unlike the previous recording, we recorded everyone sans-percussion at the same time, as I learned that the Fiddlers take subconscious cues from [...]]]> Reptilia… Now Fixed!

Once again I have recorded the Aggie Fiddlers, but this time using a different style piece.  Rather than mic-ing an amp for the bass, we used direct input.  Also, unlike the previous recording, we recorded everyone sans-percussion at the same time, as I learned that the Fiddlers take subconscious cues from each other.

The schedule was planned to be:

2:30 – 3:00  Set-up to record scratch track with panel mic.

3:00 – 4:00  Re-setup and record the violins, bass, and guitar all at once.

4:00 – 4:30  Re-setup and record the drums.

4:30 – 5:00  Wrap-up cables and whatnot.

However, the actual schedule went more like this:

2:30 – 3:15  Set-up to record scratch track with panel mic.

3:15 – 4:15  Re-setup and record the violins and bass, but not guitar, as they opted him out of the song due   to his bringing an acoustic over an electric guitar.

4:15 – 5:00 Re-setup and record the drums.

5:00 – 5:30 Wrap-up cables and whatnot.

Things generally worked out pretty well.  We got two solid takes of each instrument.  The one major problem was that the guitarist didn’t bring his electric guitar, so the guitar track is missing from the piece.  Fortunately, the fiddles have the melodic line as well as two harmonic parts, so the missing guitar does not hinder the overall work so much.

Coming Together at the Seams

Composers: Bennet Kirchhofer, Gabriel Jagush

Musicians: Bennet Kirchhofer (guitar), Gabriel Jagush (bass, piano), Aaron Word (harmonica), Aaron Eaton (drums)

Anticipated new experiences: Utilizing DI box for bass/acoustic guitar, using four or more instruments (two guitars, bass, vocals).

Session Schedule: Studio reserved from 9-12.

9-10: Rent and [...]]]> ­­­

Coming Together at the Seams

Composers: Bennet Kirchhofer, Gabriel Jagush

Musicians: Bennet Kirchhofer (guitar), Gabriel Jagush (bass, piano), Aaron Word (harmonica), Aaron Eaton (drums)

Anticipated new experiences: Utilizing DI box for bass/acoustic guitar, using four or more instruments (two guitars, bass, vocals).

Session Schedule: Studio reserved from 9-12.

9-10: Rent and set up mics, troubleshoot ProTools, etc. (allowed an hour for this given past experiences)

10-10:30 – record a rough version of the song (and have the musicians listen back to it) and see if separate tracking might be a better option.

10:30-11:30 – proceed with recording and re-recording to get the necessary tracks.

11:30-12 – musicians’ feedback then clean-up.

Discussion/Reflection: My two friends both play guitar/bass and sing, so I was a bit surprised when they arrived and immediately began composing a song involving more than just those components. I wasn’t sure if the mics I had would be sufficient for the drum recording they wanted, but we decided to forge ahead regardless.

While they were composing, I set about trying to convince ProTools, mics, live input 3, etc to cooperate. It wasn’t until about 10:30 that we actually started recording. We started by recording a drum track with my friend (who didn’t play drums but wanted a simple drum foundation for the song), followed by a guitar track, followed by a bass track. The drum and guitar tracks each took several takes. Afterwards, I had both musicians step into the control room and review the material we had thus far. Consensus was that further work was required, so we scheduled a second recording session later that week.

Lessons Learned: Talk with musicians prior to recording session to get an idea of what exactly they want to record (also so they can coordinate prior to stepping into the studio). Adapting to the format of musicality offered by the performers—ie, I expected them to record concurrently rather than disjointedly.

Session Schedule 2: Studio reserved from 6:30-9

6:30-7:30 Set up, listen through previous tracks and decide which instruments to add/re-record.

7:30-8:00 Record each needed new track.

8-8:30 Get musician feedback (after listening through) and re-record where needed.

8:30-9 Cleanup/extra time.

Discussion: Aaron Eaton and Aaron Word were both still working in the studio when I arrived around 6. Eaton offered to re-record our drum track and Word offered to add a harmonica track to whatever we already had.

The drum re-take went well; Aaron’s drumming experience really helped lay a firmer foundation to the burgeoning composition.

Next, we recorded piano and harmonica together while they both listened to the new drum track and old guitar/bass tracks play back. Piano played by a non-pianist—mainly for texture.

Re-recorded this combination (piano/harmonica) several times; after listening back, we decided to re-record with the harmonica dropping out during one of the sections and re-appearing to add a greater dynamic and textural variability to the piece.

Lessons Learned: Be prepared to improvise along with your musicians. Realize that a musical idea may be disconnected from its recorded performance (example of the drum foundation). The whole may indeed be greater than the sum of the parts; this composition especially surprised me when it all came together after having recorded each thing separately.

The desired effect of this piece is primarily textural. There is no primary, recurring melody to follow on its adventures. There are no swiftly altering rhythmic motifs to consider. It is instead like a lasagna: individually crafted for the same purpose, layered together by a master chef, and coming together at the seams.

Pre:

I had planned to spend about 30 minutes for set up, about 15 for levels and balance, 55for recording, and 20 for take down.  I was going to have the Rode NT4 as a room mic in front of the xylo and then the AKG C451s as close mikes on [...]]]> Dill Pickles

Pre:

I had planned to spend about 30 minutes for set up, about 15 for levels and balance, 55for recording, and 20 for take down.  I was going to have the Rode NT4 as a room mic in front of the xylo and then the AKG C451s as close mikes on the vibes and marimba, both from above.  It would be recorded with the 4 tack portable, so everything about this recording was new.

Post:

Well to start noone knew where the portable was for about 45 minutes and so by the time everything was setup we had an hour to record.  The vibes were very quite so I switched to the AKG C414.  This sounded ok as a whole but I wasn’t getting enough xylo through the stereo mic, so I switched the vibes back to the AC451 and used the C414 as a room mic about 6-7 feet in front of the xylo and about 10 feet in the air.  We then ran through it many times because small parts kept having big mistakes and the song was very continuous and thus hard to splice.  Also, since there was so much room noise, recordings of individuals would not have worked well.

In the end I had to take the best overall working because combining takes was not sounding very good.  The only part that isn’t so great is the Xylo solo but his wrong notes still fit ok.  I really wanted this to sound live as that was the point, so the ambience of the room played very nicely.  I added some slight reverb and delay to the marimba, as well as just reverb to the vibes to flesh out their parts slightly.  Mainly though it was just eqing as they balanced themselves fairly well.  I also had to boost the master a lot as it was a quiet recording.

Overall I am happy with the result though I wish we had been able to start at noon and thus they might have had some of their better takes still in them.

Prerecording I came in at 1 to set up.  this gave me an hour to get the mics, cables, and stands set up and ready.  I planned to take around 45 min for total set up and when the musicians arrived I would only need to mic check.  It took 15 min to [...]]]> we_cry_out

Prerecording I came in at 1 to set up.  this gave me an hour to get the mics, cables, and stands set up and ready.  I planned to take around 45 min for total set up and when the musicians arrived I would only need to mic check.  It took 15 min to get the right set-up when they came in.  the most difficult item was trying to figure out the cajon.  I had read that there is a sound hole in the back and that is where I planned to direct my microphone.  I was able to record 2 songs in around 45 min, and left a quick 15-20 min for retakes and secluded tracks.  My goal was to use the ‘live’ sound by having them play together to give a nice atmosphere for the musicians.  I left myself with another 45-55 min for break down.

During the small ensemble recordings I worked with Letting Go.  This group was built around an electric guitar, synth, acoustic guitar, cajon,  piano, and two voices.   I recorded live.  In order to insure that there was not a massive amount of bleed coming form the cajon, I placed him into the hallway to isolate his sound.   This technique worked really well and I was able to capture a very clean drum sound while being able to separate the other tracks from the cajon.  I positioned the two singers side by side using the SM58 on the male voice and the TLM193 for the female.  as for the cajon, I used an SM57 pointed at the back sound hole.  My piano was miced using the C414 pair for a bright and full sound.   As for the electric guitar I used the MD421, and for the acoustic I used the C451.  The synth was plugged directly into the system with a DI box.

The cajon was very unique and I have heard people talking about how difficult it was to mic it.  I feel as if the technique I used by aiming the microphone just above the sound hole in the back was quite effective.  I was able to get good bass and treble sounds form the instrument without leaving it muddy.

During the editing portion I focused on making the piece sound as if it was being performed in a live hall of some sort.  By adding reverb to the vocals and piano I was able to make the tracks sound bigger.  The voice and understanding the lyrics are important for praise songs, so, I put a compressor on an aux track that had been linked to the vocals.  I sent all the instruments to this track and I was able to use the compressor to keep the instruments just below the vocals while maintaining a powerful sound.  I was disappointed in the levels of my vocals.  The musicians seemed to be scared of the mic and they were very far off.   I was not able to boost the vocals too much without losing clarity or clipping.  next time I will explain to the musicians that they need to be closer to the mic.  Also, I would like to attempt the same style of recording with out having to use the compressor to keep the vocals above the other tracks.  I feel it will be able to add to the dynamics.

nothing_can_seperate

-this is an additional recording using similar techniques.  I mixed in different takes of vocals and piano.

Pre-Recording:

We have the studio from 10-1, so about 20-30 minutes for setup, about 20 minutes for levels,  1 and half hours for recording guitar, bass, voice, and harmonica.  About 30 minutes for retakes/random extras and 20 minute take down.

I put one AKG C451 pointed just below the sound hole [...]]]> Straight Razor

Pre-Recording:

We have the studio from 10-1, so about 20-30 minutes for setup, about 20 minutes for levels,  1 and half hours for recording guitar, bass, voice, and harmonica.  About 30 minutes for retakes/random extras and 20 minute take down.

I put one AKG C451 pointed just below the sound hole and then the second about where the neck met the body of the guitar.  I just the AKG C414 for the voice in a normal spot.  I used a DI box for the Bass.

I had never used a DI box or a bass guitar.  I had also never done the amount of doubling required for this.

Post Recording

The session went fairly well, we only had limited technical difficultly with the computer running out of space and having to delete a few things.  We wasted some time experimenting with the bass amp before going straight into the DI box.  We also scrapped the harmonica in favor of doubling guitars.  We probably should have done a few more takes to get a better tracks as there are a few rhythmic and pitch errors, but Aaron was very tired and there was not another day to come in.

I felt the over character of the song needed to be brought out.  It was comical but also something that needed to be taken seriously.  Hence there was a lot of reverb and delays to create a full and hopefully rich sound.  This hopefully envelops the listener without totally washing them out.  It hopefully also enhances the lyrics somewhat.

Overall I am very happy with this recording, I would only like to be able to have a few more takes to get some better tracks.  I probably would have added something to create some fuller tones for the ending, possibly just another guitar part that wasn’t as busy.  I really did like the way guitar parts I had layered though.