For both projects we agreed that my main role would be to organise communication with the bands and book the studios whilst Zac would do more of the mixing. Whilst we both overlapped and helped each other; these were the main roles. In the studio we worked together and had looser roles.
Live Band
Our initial plan was to record a band which Zachary knew (Jeanine). I booked the studio for when everyone was available but unfortunately a classmate didn’t save the session properly, so we lost the recording. I managed to organize a brand-new band to record as the initial band was no longer available. I discussed with the band when they would be free to record and we settled on Thursday 10am-3pm.
In the lead up, I communicated with the band and we decided to record a cover of “Misty” but they wanted to do their own interpretation. As we now knew the style of the song this helped us develop a microphone list.
When recording Jeanine we developed the best setup for drums and used the same for the 2nd band. We found that in 422, if we surrounded the drums with the movable walls, we could create a focused, tight recording which was perfect for a jazz song.
We recorded an in and out kick drum, giving us more control when mixing, allowing us to increase or decrease the attack of the kick as well as getting a detailed, authentic recording.
Both mics are cardioid so helps reduce instrument bleed which could have been an issue in a live environment.
Both pick up low frequency well as well as some high end to add clarity.
As this was a jazz recording, we didn’t necessarily need the kick in as high attack isn’t necessary in jazz so in future, we may not need to include this but we wanted the option.
We also miked snare top (Beyerdynamic-M201), snare bottom (Shure SM57) and toms (Senheiser-MD421). All of these were cardioid thus helping prevent bleed and we selected each microphone so they would help capture the kit most authentically (best suited for Jazz).
For overheads we used Octava MK319; these ribbon mics were perfect for creating a vintage jazz sound as well as picking-up a high level of clarity. Overheads are the most important part of jazz recording as they provided the personality to the drums especially as, when mixing jazz, the overheads are most prevalent.
For bass we chose the Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver V2 DI. This captured the vintage sound that we wanted as it replicates vintage tube mics. This DI gave us control to adjust the tone until it was perfect and by using a DI we removed any risk of bleed.
For guitar we used Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Guitar Amp. This is best suited for jazz due to its warm, clean tone and use of valves. We used another ribbon mic, the Beyerdynamic 160, to record this amp, bringing more warmth and a natural, vintage recording.
Vocals: Warm audio WA-251
This valve microphone is great for picking up a warm vintage sound which complimented the vocalist. When setting up this mic, I placed it upside down to avoid any noise which would occur as the valves heat up, I also placed the mic higher than the vocalist so it was more in-line with their eyes than mouth. This reduced the harshness of the plosives. I then set up a pop shield, providing the singer with a guide of where to direct their vocals; the pop-shield also protects the mic from built-up saliva which can damage it. I also spoke to the vocalist about where they should be positioned and emphasised not to lift their head and strain their neck as this poor technique would lead to a poor recording.
Time Management on the Day:
My classmates and I arrived 40mins before the band to set up. After the band arrived we adjusted microphones accordingly. My role was setting up the channels in Protools, the vocal mic, guitar mic, bass DI and kick drums whilst Zac did the rest of the kit and desk. We then worked on the tone of the bass. Finally, we did some run throughs so the band could feel confident. Leading up to this recording the band also rehearsed the song separately.
We then had time to do multiple takes, making slight changes to the structure, i.e changing the ending and redoing takes if the players made mistakes. This led us to our final take which everyone was happy with. Throughout the session the band came into the control room to listen to the recordings and make requests and decisions about their playing.
We did gain staging in the studio and didn’t need to alter the levels too much when mixing. Phase was not an issue. This track ended up being slightly too long, so we added a fade-out. We panned the overheads hard left and right with the snare in the centre to give the mix space. For a jazz recording, it is important to maintain natural dynamics, no effects such as compression were applied.
Overdub Production
I found the band for this recording, got in contact with them and created a group chat.
I discussed with my classmates and the band members and set up a schedule for recording the instruments. I then booked the studios.
We did end up making slight adaptations.
With all instruments I had them do a couple unrecorded play throughs to help with their confidence and then we would go ahead and start doing takes.
For drum micing, we used a similar approach to live recording, however, we did not have access to 422 so had to record in 104. The room dramatically impacted the sound of the kit, making it less tight and losing some clarity even though the setup of mics as mostly the same. In future we would definitely choose to record in 422 but we used the resources we had access to at the time.
However, we did change the overheads for this recording and went for the AKG 414XLS’. These mics are far better suited for a more modern sound and are great for picking up drums as they pick up both low and high end beautifully, thus making them perfect for this recording.
We used a spaced pair of mics as this created a wide sound which would help fill out the recording. We panned each microphone far left and right.
When recording drums we had an issue with the demo sent by the band; their demo was out of time and impossible to play along to for the drummer. We didn’t have time to make a new demo so the drummer had to play along with a live recording instead which wasn’t ideal but was the only option. We did a few takes as best we could but couldn’t use a click due to the nature of the live recording. In future I would more thoroughly check the demo or record it myself before overdubbing.
Guitars: Sontronics Delta 2
This mic is really good at recording electric guitar as it can record a loud sound source without losing detail or distorting. We recorded in the vocal booth as we were using a figure-8 pick-up pattern so we needed lots of control over the room sound to prevent ugly reflections. This mic is also a lot cooler than the vocal mic used so created a good contrast in the mix as well as introducing both modern poppy and jazz inspiration to the track.
Bass: ElectroVoice RE20
I was responsible for recording bass alone so I selected this mic. This is perfect for recording this bass on this type of track due to its flat frequency response with high sensitivity and natural, rich sound. I recorded bass in the vocal booth again to prevent unwanted reflections.
Vocals: Warm Audio WA-251
When recording vocals we wanted them to stand out so I chose this mic to contrast warm vocals with cool guitar. This mic gave the vocals a slightly more vintage sound which we felt brought in some of the jazz elements the band desired whilst still maintaining a modern feel. This mic fit the vocalists voice very well.
We started with a run through but didn’t waste time on this as we didn’t want to wear-out the vocalist. We started with 2 full takes then I suggested we worked on the vocalists. We then we had the vocalist listen to the recording and we re-recorded some of these transitions again to further clean them up. We did one last run through just in case so we had options for coming.
In post we did comping to ensure that we were using the best takes. Instruments and vocals were levelled in a way typical of the genre and gain staging during recording meant this was easy. We added another short fade out to appeal to time constraints.
