The recording/mixing/mastering techniques thread

[JemDooM]

Thanks for the thoughts there guys, I'm still thinking on budget while figuring out which of the entire set up I need first and then what can wait until later, even at that the budget will be small but not rock bottom, what I want to know is the difference between getting passive or active monitors?

Thanks lumpy DIY room treatment should be fun! I'll be recording in an old warehouse that has a choice of about 20+ various rooms, any tips on what I should look for? There's a room i recorded in the past and I was happily surprised with the result despite the room basically being like a small box and recorded with falling apart nameless mics!

Will check out the tapeOp forum!

I'm looking forward to seeing where this thread goes too, especially if we can start posting up some mixes for constructive criticism, should be really interesting!

[Drama]

what I want to know is the difference between getting passive or active monitors?

Without some brands for direct sound comparison/critique, it's weight vs. space. Actives will weigh more due to having the amps built in to the speakers, passives will require a separate amp. Some actives are better than some passives and vice versa, sound wise.

I'd suggest going active at this stage. Adam make good monitors and some pretty decent small sized also. I use SE Munro Eggs as primary monitors at home, with KRK Rocket 8's as secondary. At my studio I use Event Opal's as primary and SE Munro Eggs as secondary. KRK's can be had for a good price, they're decent enough but they can be a tab boomy, at least the 8's.

[jibberish]

active monitors also have bi amps, special crossovers and many have servo feedback to really control speaker motion, some of those actives have amazing freq response due to the amp's control and often many adjustable settings. that's the real reason why you should get actives.

bi amping means a dedicated amp for each speaker. no IM distortion due to the amp playing a wide complex freq resp, so each speaker is tighter with it's bandpass of music vs the whole spread. also servo control works best when only 1 coil reactance is being dealt with vs several drivers in the circuit

[JemDooM]

Thanks guys really appreciate it

[JemDooM]

I'm recording at the weekend, using my 2 input presonus audiobox, shure sm58 and Shure beta sm57a...

I was thinking of getting the bass stack and guitar stack on either side of the drums and placing the mics infront but I'll have to experiment with the best placements for them, anyone got a good guess of what'd work best?

If I mic the stacks close up, the drums might get too drowned out, so I reckon the best result will be having the mics a few feet back, but still directly infront of each stack facing directly at them? Or slightly angled inwards towards the drums too?

Hmmmmm.....

[Chovie D]

Ill be recording this weekend. Live Guitar and drums. I only have two inputs...so one mic for drum, one for guitar. I got a couple goosenecks with podium mounts so I can always have my cabs ready to mic and not have floor space taken up..pretty handy.

[Jake]

^ Nice idea and execution! Very (miss ice cream) cool.

[Lumpy]

I'm recording at the weekend, using my 2 input presonus audiobox, shure sm58 and Shure beta sm57a...

I was thinking of getting the bass stack and guitar stack on either side of the drums and placing the mics infront but I'll have to experiment with the best placements for them, anyone got a good guess of what'd work best?

If I mic the stacks close up, the drums might get too drowned out, so I reckon the best result will be having the mics a few feet back, but still directly infront of each stack facing directly at them? Or slightly angled inwards towards the drums too?

Hmmmmm.....

You're on the right track, I think. I would try to get the best "room sound" with your two mics. Separate the amps as you said. I would probably put the mics on boom stands, up it the air, relatively far apart from each other and not too close to any one instrument. But what about vocals?

[JemDooM]

Those goosenecks are cool!

I'll overdub vocals Lumpy hadn't thought to have the mics fairly high up, I want to capture separate bass and guitar sounds, last time I recorded both tracks sounded pretty much the same because the instruments were all around the room and mics propped in a corner each one on a backpack and one on a sofa as we couldn't move stuff around with it not being our practise room, playing in our hometown practise rooms this time so we'll have boom stands and set up from scratch, really looking forward to it!

[rayinreverse]

Got some of the best tones Ive ever laid down with a Royer 121 and Heil PR-30 on both amps, same speaker each cab.

[jibberish]

all I ever read is how a ribbon adds the "ooh-la-la" to a recording. been eying the lower end royer for a while. you have just strengthened this conviction. i'm not grown up in my listening refinement to hit the hi end mics yet, but I bet that mic was sweet

[rayinreverse]

those Royers are expensive, but man they have really changed the quality of guitar sounds for us. I know AP the engineer has been using them a ton lately and its really made his guitars sound great!

[Chovie D]

those Royers are expensive, but man they have really changed the quality of guitar sounds for us. I know AP the engineer has been using them a ton lately and its really made his guitars sound great!

Check this guy out for ribbon mics...Shinybox.
http://shinybox.com/index.php?osCsid=56d0bad17039aedee0f922ef95d0a65b

They are about half the cost of the royers and he has some serious fans/users.
Very cool guy to deal with also.

I wish I had one of these RCA ribbons . This studio is where Badmotorfinger was recorded (also Lionel ritchie's dancing on the ceiling..haha). The amp was for pedal steel


this is from the same session, on the bass cab... I DO know that speakers can be used as microphones , but honestly I have NO clue wtf is going on in this photo...looks crazy right? anyone?


and the board from the same studio. supposedly rod stewart pissed on it when it was nin england.   dig those crazy Altec  human sized monitors!

[rayinreverse]

Speakers can be used as mics. It's pretty common to use on kick drums.

[Chovie D]

did some recording yesterday...super hungover today anyway, heres the kit with the single mic technique. the mic is a cheap SDC in an LDC capsule. mxl990 $49

[RAGER]

Wasn't that also the place where meatwood flack camped out to record rumors.

[Chovie D]

supposedly eric crapton crapped some of his crappy guitar playing there...

[RAGER]

Dat muffuka needs a heli ride like a boss. Gnome sayun.

[jibberish]

Dat muffuka needs a heli ride like SRV. Gnome sayun.

fixed it for ya

edit: forgot why I really posted.

chovie, can you soundcloud just the single mic drum track for us?
I am really curious now to hear the overall balance of all the kit pieces.
I wish that dude who spammed his band in gen would explain the mics. to me it sounded like a cymbal was closer than a drum for the same mic.

ALSO, I linked a nice live uriah heep 73-75 compilation from 3 different concerts in general sunday morning. I saw so much vintage gear I want someone to ID, I saw how the singer went over to the drum kit during a song and I heard the cymbals climb onto the vocal mic.
the keyboard player is also a fearsome bottle-slide guitar player. he uses an SG for his slide work. very cool to watch that.
my music gear ear is getting more refined.

more edits: hey chovie, [snicker snicker like a tweeny] did that beer fart cross the 0dB mark seein' as how that's the closest "percussion" instrument  to the mic?

[JemDooM]

chovie, can you soundcloud just the single mic drum track for us?
I am really curious now to hear the overall balance of all the kit pieces.

I second that, I'd love to hear it....

[Chovie D]

chovie, can you soundcloud just the single mic drum track for us?
I am really curious now to hear the overall balance of all the kit pieces.

I second that, I'd love to hear it....

I will try and do that some time this week, tho the drummer would probably want to kill me if he found out...everyone hates to hear their isolated tracks.

[rayinreverse]

Pic is a little blurry. This was the rig I used.  You can see the heil/royer set up on both cabs.

[JemDooM]

Nice...

Has anyone mastered for a cassette before? Is there anything in particular you need to do?

[Jake]

Eh. It'll sound kinda like shit anyways.

[Lumpy]

I would check the Googles, that question has surely been asked and answered.