The Recording Thread

[Coronado]

speaking of double tracking,now you can do it live too-

VERY interesting Blues!! Wondering if this is something you could turn on and just leave it on? Or would it be too much to always have going?

 

[blues_n_cues]

VERY interesting Blues!! Wondering if this is something you could turn on and just leave it on? Or would it be too much to always have going?

you could do a number of things but it works best in a 2 amp or stereo loop configuration. you could add verb &/or delay to one amp or side or split them for leads & it would come out sounding huge.
when I get mine I'll be using it in my Tri-amp configuration using it on the stereo outer amps then a separate fx chain in the middle amp for leads to see how that sounds.

 

[JimiRules]

I find the same results - I will do 4 - 6 rhythm guitar tracks and pan 3 hard left, and 3 hard right (sometimes not quite all the way right and left). I noticed that individually, the track may have the right amount of gain. Mixed with other tracks, it tends to get a bit too muddy and thick. I pull back my gain quite a bit and try to shoot for a more well rounded tone than overall gain. It seems to help when blending the tracks. I also will use different amps and cabs (and guitars). The JCM800 with V30's and 75's are often a bit bright, and they seem to balance out nicely with the H30 from my Orange and DSL.

Blues is right on with the double tracking of leads (an idea he clued me in on a few years back). It really helps bring out your leads and helps them stand out. For my leads, I will do 2 tracks, both panned up the middle, with one being slightly more bright than the next. I often will turn off the delay and reverb when I do 2 lead tracks - sometimes for me, the delay and reverb almost bump into each other. I bet if I played them exactly in sync, I wouldn't have this problem.

When we did our last CD I used more gain and I ran into a big problem when I was trying to mix in the bass. It seemed like they were competing for the same space in the mix and everything was very muddy. When doing these new tracks I noticed it was much easier mixing and there was no mud at all. The guitar and bass was very defined and wasn't trying to fit in the same space.

As far as doubling the leads go, I'm going to have to really practice on that one. Most of my leads tend to be off the cuff. I may plan how I want to start it and end it, but what happens in between usually just happens!

Right on!! Before Blues taught me this technique, I thought why not just copy the lead track? That will save time, AND it will be a perfect match! Unfortunately, it doesn't translate very well. You are so right - those slight differences help bring out that stereo sound, and gives it that cool sound. Who knew that playing an imperfect match would actually make it sound better?!

Me and the singer in my band met up this past weekend to write some songs and we recorded what we came up with so we wouldn't forget it. I usually try to mix those demos too. They're not going to be used, but I like to do it for practice. I only recorded one guitar track as it was only a demo, but I cloned my guitar track and offset it by 40 milliseconds and it had almost the same effect. I'm not saying I'm going to continue doing it as it's more fun to play the part again, but I guess if you're in a pinch for time it's not a bad method. I even did it with the vocals and it gave somewhat of an ADT effect.

 

[4Horseman]

I need a little interface advise, please . I've been using a firewire interface, which has been great, but my computer is about to be replaced due to age and performance issues. It seems that firewire is not so popular anymore and I would like more than 2 XLR inputs, preferably a rack unit. Do any of you guys use Thunderbolt interfaces? Are they worth the extra money? I've had no latency problems with firewire and would like to keep it that way. Do any of you use a Motu? Suggestions appreciated, thanks.

 

[Ghostman]

I have used the Thunderbolt interfaces in other applications other than my own home studio. They have worked flawlessly. One thing I noticed is that using my interface for my Mac Mini via USB, there's a very small amount of latency when I turn my mix between "live" and "monitor" feeds on my interface. When I did the same test with the Thunderbolt setup, there was not latency, and no difference between "live" and "monitor" feeds.

I would use my Thunderbolt interface on my Mac Mini, but I'm using it as a monitor out to feed my second monitor. I will get a hub eventually, but for now, that's the setup.

I have not compared Firewire and Thunderbolts directly though.

 

[Coronado]

Roland drum question: Hello gentlemen, I have heard that I can download different drum "sets" to my Roland TD-11KV. Does anyone happen to know any good sites? I've started looking, but thought I would check and see if anyone knew of any decent sites. Thanks!!

 

[renips]

I use the IMAC 5k with Thunderbolt. I use the Apollo UAD 2 Quad interface. It is not the cheapest alternative on the block but the plug ins!!! WOW!!!! Latency is a very common problem when recording. With the UAD format it is minimal. I never have problem. Always mute the track when recording. This will help eliminate latency. There is much more I could get into but I don't have the patience LOL

 

[blues_n_cues]

I would love to keep up w/ this secrion & this thread but lately I have come up w/ de·il·i·tat·ing cramps.
i can't even sneeze or cough w/out my body going into cramping fits from neck to ass to ribs to toes & the midsection is really bad.. hard to describe it...............I can wake up in the mid of the night in freakin' knots,i can look to the left & the whole body spasms,I can sit here lazy in my studio chair & all of a sudden it's like getting tazed in the belly & I STAND UP,straighen up,& someone flashes me in the hammy, then right again in the ribs............but ..it's not electrical,,, it's just cramps..........it sucks.
anyone else get this?

 

[Ghostman]

three words Blues, "See a doctor"

 

[Frodebro]

I use the IMAC 5k with Thunderbolt. I use the Apollo UAD 2 Quad interface. It is not the cheapest alternative on the block but the plug ins!!! WOW!!!! Latency is a very common problem when recording. With the UAD format it is minimal. I never have problem. Always mute the track when recording. This will help eliminate latency. There is much more I could get into but I don't have the patience LOL

I have the Apollo Twin Duo, which I've been extremely happy with. As soon as finances allow I'll be picking up a Satellite Octo to bump up the horsepower.

 

[bulldozer1984]

During the recording of Back in Black, Engineer Tony Platt recalled, "With AC/DC, it had always been about the riff - and on Back in Black, there would be plenty of them: “Hells Bells,” “Shoot to Thrill,” “You Shook Me” (eventually the band’s first Top 40 hit) and the unrelenting title track featured the dynamic interplay between Angus’ right-channel SG lead and brother Malcolm’s left-channel Gretsch rhythm. From his control-room vantage point, Platt realized the sound he was after was already coming through the monitors; processing and other add-ons would be purposely left off the rhythm tracks. “We all had a good idea of how we wanted it to sound right from the start,” says Platt, “and so our goal was to get it on tape there, rather than leaving it for the final mix. Being restricted to 24 tracks meant that a lot of the decisions would be made early on, which also added to the feeling of immediacy. But most off all, they just played it like it is! There was hardly any patching required - we’d just cut takes until we had a nice balance of perfection and feel.”

As so often happens, on Back in Black the make-up of the studio itself helped determine the recording dynamics. “The set up and approach was quite different from Highway,” notes Platt, who’d come aboard during the mix phase of the previous album. “Highway had been recorded in a very dead studio, so much so that during mixing I’d fed various parts back through the speakers and into the studio, recording the result for extra ambience. So when it came time to do Back in Black, the idea was to get that ambience on tape right from the start. The room at Compass Point was fairly large but had a low-ish ceiling, which concerned me a little as I didn’t want the room to compress the sound. We spent some time choosing the right position for the drums by hitting a snare in various parts of the room. I discovered a ‘sweet spot’ where the snare suddenly sounded bigger, deeper, fuller and most important, snappier. I subsequently discovered that there was a void above this position that was obviously allowing the sound to rise without choking it!”

For Angus’ solo tracks (which were overdubbed), Platt employed two stacks, one in the main room and another in a live chamber at the far end of the building. “We used Angus’s radios to transmit to these amps,” says Platt. “The radios actually proved to be quite an important part of the sound, as they added some mid bite. I used two Neumann U67s on each cabinet, so I could pan the result where I wanted. And absolutely no compression was used at all.”

Pay attention here:

"Mixing for the album took place at Electric Lady Studios in New York shortly after the sessions were completed. “The size of the sound is really a combination of things,” says Platt. “The tuning is good, the arrangements are spacious, the recording isn’t heavily processed, aside from some subtle addition of delays and light reverb just for extra ambience. I remember we also monitored quietly so we could balance carefully.”

Been an AC/DC tone guy for a long time....

This is awesome information and just confirms what other pros always say. Get it right in the room. Know your parts so the band is tight, record in a good room, get good tone on tracking day, use room ambience etc.

Another important aspect is the Mics they used. You don't need U67's but just know that they are LDC's which I think are integral to good Marshall tone. I'm not a SM57 guy on mid heavy Marshalls and its good to hear pros using JUST LDC's
On some of the best recorded Marshall tones in History !

 

[blues_n_cues]

yes........ crank it up.
point being... this sounds like loud cranked guitar (or 3) complete w/ sustained harmonic feedback but I recorded this direct-in w/ a power amp sim & 3 tracks using 3 totally different techniques. HAHA........
enjoy.
if you wish to discuss or debate I'm more than willing to discuss the technique involved and how to achieve it.

 

[AAHIHaveNoIdeaWhatImDoing]

So what LDCs do folks like (and what do they cost)? Only one I own I bought for vocals (AT4050). Have not messed with it much for amps.

 

[Sound Of A Gun]

So what LDCs do folks like (and what do they cost)? Only one I own I bought for vocals (AT4050). Have not messed with it much for amps.

I bought a Rode NT2-A about a year ago; don't like it on my vocals (I seem to bring out a metallic harshness in it!), it is pretty good on a guitar cab though and has a 10db pad so you can give it some abuse. I use an MXL 990 on my vocals which has always worked pretty well (SDC though) and I have a Pure XIX which is good on both vocals and cabs at low volume; it has quite a flat sound to it, but cannot do a high SPL due to the lack of a pad.

Never tried an Audio Technica mic, but my M50X headphones are awesome!

 

[Coronado]

I would love to keep up w/ this secrion & this thread but lately I have come up w/ de·il·i·tat·ing cramps.
i can't even sneeze or cough w/out my body going into cramping fits from neck to ass to ribs to toes & the midsection is really bad.. hard to describe it...............I can wake up in the mid of the night in freakin' knots,i can look to the left & the whole body spasms,I can sit here lazy in my studio chair & all of a sudden it's like getting tazed in the belly & I STAND UP,straighen up,& someone flashes me in the hammy, then right again in the ribs............but ..it's not electrical,,, it's just cramps..........it sucks.
anyone else get this?

Holly shit Blues! Somehow I missed this post until just now... How are you doing?! Is this still happening? That has absolutely got to be the WORST experience ever!!

 

[Ghostman]

Mic placement fix: I hate setting up my mic to record. It takes too long and I lose my mojo quickly. I found this product and just had to buy it and try it.

Buy the extra clips to put on other cabs and you can swap out mics almost instantly. Goodbye mic placement woes

 

[AAHIHaveNoIdeaWhatImDoing]

someone makes a robotic arm that can move the mic around for you that you can control remotely, so you can listen from another room or wherever while listening to the actual to-be-recorded tone while making adjustments.

 

[blues_n_cues]

oiops am I banned or di I JUST GET A BIT HONEST.
just when 3 years later the dreyn stupidity of the MF came homne to no-nunk-ville.. we got Blades amps & some jackwagon thiking that LED, cupholder, bees in dabox firehazard is worth $3000+ is dollars........ so funny.......
http://bgky.craigslist.org/msg/5987354423.html
Le Meow Le Purr......NOT.........

 

[blues_n_cues]

oops.. then there's the Blades crap,

 

[Ghostman]

when your product is crap, fall back on gimmicks to sell them.