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Method 1 – Live Band/Ensemble Capture
After getting into contact with the jazz band, we were sent a brief demo of some of their performances and information on the track they planned on recording for the live ensemble. Once a studio location and date were confirmed, we asked the band to book a jam room or space to practice, which they did a couple of days before the recording day. On the day of recording, we found out the planned vocalist was not able to record due to the loss of her voice, which was unfortunate but resolved with the recommendation of a suitable alternative vocalist. Once the band gathered in Studio 422, we decided on the arrangement of the track, which resulted in the interpretation of a jazz standard with space for instrumental solos.
For the recording, we made some important decisions regarding microphone choices. Firstly, the drum microphones we decided on were as follows: the kick-in mic was the Audix D6 for its well-rounded low-frequency response and inherent EQ curve; this allowed for an effective capture of the beater sound. The Sontronics DM-1B was used as a kick-out for a more focused capture; its cardioid polar pattern and versatile frequency response made it ideal for this position. For the snare top, a Beyerdynamic M-201 was used to capture a clear and accurate recording of the instrument, and it did an excellent job at capturing the snare brushes. A Shure SM57 was used as a snare bottom due to personal preference in its tone for the 422 kit. Only a high and floor tom were used in this recording, so a pair of Sennheiser MD-421s were used for their high-pass attenuation modes and strong off-axis rejection, ideal for focused capture. We planned on using a pair of AKG C414 XLII as overheads for their top-end response; however, these were not available. Following a recommendation at the desk, we settled on a pair of Oktava MK-319 as a warmer alternative with an unbiased output. This worked really well for the cymbal-heavy performance. It is key to note that these were spaced equal distances from the snare on each side at the same vertical height to avoid phasing issues and to achieve a wide stereo spread. The electric guitar was mic’d with a Beyerdynamic M160 for its hypercardioid polar pattern, which meant bleed from the drums was less of an issue. The bass used an Electro-Voice RE20 and DI, so interference with other instruments was not a problem. The vocals were recorded with a WA-251 for the valve architecture, which resulted in a warm tone for jazz vocals, and were recorded in the vocal booth to mitigate spill.
The room setup involved all instrumentalists in the live room of 422 and the vocalist in the vocal booth. This allowed for optimal control when balancing the instruments at play. Further room control was added in the form of sound-dampening walls around the drum kit, which was beneficial in eliminating as much spill from the electric guitar as possible. Additional steps were taken to position the microphone stands as close to the drum kit as possible to dial in the right amount of dampening. The guitar amp was positioned in a way that controlled bleed in both the drum mics and the guitar mic. The bass was DI, so did not need tending to.
The musicians themselves were free to decide on the arrangement and performance aspects with minimal input, which set a comfortable atmosphere for recording. The vocalist was prepared with water to keep hydrated for his performance. All musicians were asked which instruments they wanted to hear and how loud they wanted to hear them in their headphones. Takes were reviewed by the band, and further adjustments were made.
Mixing the track was minor, as the instruments were gain-staged properly and phase was not an issue. The overheads were panned hard left and right. The track ended up being eight minutes long, so a fade-out around 6:30 was made to keep within the time constraints. Minor volume changes were made to the mix, and no FX were added.
Method 2 – Overdub Production
For contact with the overdub band, we created an Instagram group chat with all members of the band. It was here we were sent rough demos of the planned arrangement, which was an original piece of work for their specialist group study module. After some back and forth, we decided on the order of recording for the instruments: drums first, followed by rhythm guitar, then bass, lead guitar, and finally vocals. Instrumentalists were given notice of the dates of studio sessions for adequate practice.
During the recording of the drums, a band member made it known that the key of the track had changed slightly due to the guitarist tuning up from E♭ to E standard. This led to a minor rehearsal issue for the rest of the instrumentalists. During the recording of the drums, we discovered that the backing track the drummer planned on using for the headphone mix was not arranged properly, as an error in looping the backing track meant the provided tempo of 106 BPM was not accurate. This hindered the ability to set up an accurate click track. To solve this, we discussed with the drummer a suitable workaround of using an earlier recording to follow. As we were not able to access the file of this in the studio, the drummer decided it would be best for him to use his personal headphones with an audio recording. This made the recording difficult, but we ended up with a workable performance.
The mic setup for the overdubs was similar to that of the live recording. This meant using an Audix D6 as a kick-in and a Sontronics DM-1B for the kick-out. These were phase-checked with a polarity flip on the kick-out. For the snare top, we used the Beyerdynamic M-201 positioned close to the skin and angled to the centre. An SM57 was used for the snare bottom, positioned close and angled toward the rim. A pair of AKG C414 XLS were used as overheads for their accuracy in frequency response. The pair were spaced equidistant from the snare, measured with an XLR cable. Two Sennheiser MD-421s were used for the toms for isolation, which worked well with the tone of Studio 104. For the bass, an Electro-Voice RE20 was used for its ability to handle high SPL. A Sontronics Delta 2 was used for both the rhythm and lead guitar recording for a warm pickup of both the speaker cone and the room (vocal booth of 104). For the vocals, we used the WA-251, following the success of the live recording. As a studio was not able to be booked for the vocal session, Room 108B was used with its portable vocal booth stand.
The room setup for recording the drums involved removing unused mic stands to avoid unwanted reverberations. No dampening walls are available to use in that studio, which meant the room was captured clearly—this worked well for the track. Guitars and bass were recorded in the vocal booth for optimal control. The location of the vocal booth was useful for communicating directly with the instrumentalists during setup and recording. The aim for recording the guitar, bass, and vocals was to maximise signal-to-noise ratio for a balanced production; we found the polar pattern choices and microphones used supported this.
Mixing the overdub recording consisted of comping the takes we had and finalising the levels of each track. For the drums, the overheads were panned hard left and right for stereo image and to centre the snare. The kick-out and snare bottom were phase-checked for an appropriate outcome. Vocals, guitars, and bass were levelled with genre norms in mind, which was made easier with consistent gain staging during recording. No post-production effects were added to the mix, and a short fade-out was applied toward the end of the song to stay within the time constraints.
To manage this project, our group made use of the hours we had to book the studio; this involved lots of back and forth about ideal recording times. We made sure to arrive 10 minutes before the session began to allow time for checking out the microphones, cables, and other equipment needed. When entering the studio, one of us would log on to the computer and open a Pro Tools session, name the tracks, check the I/O settings, and set a click track up. The other would set the microphones on stands, move equipment around to the desired locations, and begin positioning the microphones. Notes were made on which channel each mic was sent to. This was beneficial as it reduced the wait time for the musicians, who would sometimes arrive earlier than expected. This process was applied to both the live recording and the overdub.
