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January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | I've been listening back to the Members' Night out and to various threads. There are some FANTASTIC sounds out there. I'm working on getting a good recorded sound now and would like to hear how YOU did it: Dweezil, Templemann, Sergio Lara and many others. Share! Share! |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | tell the engineer to make it good |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | buy shear, dumb luck.
And even then it's not so good. |
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December 2006
Posts: 6995
Location: Jet City | The Readers Digest condensed version...
A Mac running Logic Pro, an audio interface, and a few ok mics. |
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January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | Isn't Stephen28 the expert? (or Avatar) |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | What Damon said. Except you don't need a Mac or Logic Pro. ;)
Some good post-recording plugins (and a little knowledge) helps. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | When I first heard Waskel's album, I had all the knowledge I would ever need: I knew I would never be able to do anything that well. So far, I've been right. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Originally posted by Slipkid:
buy shear, dumb luck.
And even then it's not so good. Where Brad? I'd like to buy some dumb luck too! :) |
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August 2009
Posts: 602
Location: Hanau, Hessen, Germany | +1 on what Mark said. Shakehands. |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by dark bar:
Isn't Stephen28 the expert? Not by a long shot. I've got some good equipment and growing knowledge but everyday is another learning experience.
Training your ear is the most important tool you can have and mine got pretty damaged from the '60s through the '80s when volume was king. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7228
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | There is a very important few words that you will hear nearly every engineer use when describing a micing or recording technique.
As example for recording an acoustic guitar they may say.. "I usually start with a condenser mic between the sound hole and where the neck meets, and a nice cardiod pattern up near the headstock" or something similar.
For Drums they may say "I usually start by micing all the drums, with such'n such"...
The important word is "START!!!!!" Most engineers have a baseline where they START, but rarely do things "end up" where they started.
There is no magic bullet. While many engineers can turn out amazing recordings, they will likely say that their favorite recording was more "luck." than anything else. It may have been luck based on good technique, but it was still luck.
Same goes for the musical aspect. Get the tune you are recording down so you can play it in your sleep. When recording NEVER stop for mistakes, unless you've completely derailed. Miss a note, skip a chord, don't stop. Again, many musicians can track all day long without a mistake, but chances are one of their "favorites" came about because of some sort of screw up, mistake, or complete train wreck that turned into a hit song.
Was it Perl Jam at the Columbia MD, outdoor fest where the sound guy made what was going to be a bootleg 2-track recording of a sound check that turned out to be one of their biggest hits? |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
Was it Perl Jam at the Columbia MD, outdoor fest where the sound guy made what was going to be a bootleg 2-track recording of a sound check that turned out to be one of their biggest hits? Yup. Last Kiss.
The other most important thing to getting the greatest sound is to truly play it to "the audience" with all you've got. Remember, it's still a live performance ... |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4061
Location: Utah | There are some obvious things, such as turning off the furnace/AC so the noise level is as low as possible. Isolate power hum, use fresh strings on your guitar, tune each instrument, etc.
I like using a bit of compression on guitar and vocals. A multi-band compressor can be handy for the final mixdown. EQ with care, placing each instrument in it's own place in the mix left/right, and in terms of frequency spectrum. Use only a little bit of reverb, and don't use it on everything. Reverb on one guitar can give the impression of space without muddying the sound with reverb on every instrument. Listen to the final mix on several different systems, such as your home stereo, on your computer, and in your car. Listen at low volume to see if it still sounds good. Come back tomorrow or the day after and listen again.
Nothing substitutes for talent in the performance. |
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Joined:
October 2004
Posts: 256
Location: chicago | Theres a few things that are critical,capturing a breath of life in you recorded performance can bring a spark to even a poorly recorded song.Fixing it in the mix doesnt work so well,I like to hear the sound Im going to record at the time im recording it.Compression can be a good thing but not too much.Trust your ear because your the one who will be listening to it the most. |
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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 629
Location: Houston, Texas | And make notes on how you record each song. There's nothing worse than coming back and listening to something you recorded two years ago and saying, "Damn, that sounds good, now how did I record that?" |
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How did YOU do it (get that great recorded sound)?
