Recording DB--How do YOU do it?

Mingus Fingus · #1 11-11-2008, 05:29 PM

Hey Friends,

I've done a decent amount of recording in the studio, but next week is my first session that I really have a lot invested in. A band I love to play with, we play original music some of which are mine, and I am putting a share of my own money up for the recording. So I've really been spending some time thinking about mic techniques for DB in the studio. We are recording live, but with headphones so I should have a fair amount of isolation. In the past I have really liked the sound of supporting a mic in the middle of the bridge with rubber bands, and possibly add a small condenser at the nut for more definition. What works for you guys (especially the guys who have spent a lot of time in the studio)?

The band can get loud, like rock band loud, so I am also taking a direct out from my focus in case the loud sections need a bass bump where the actual sound of the instrument isn't so exposed. Any suggestions would be great. Can't wait to share the music with all of you. Thanks,

Adam.

Marc Piane · #2 11-11-2008, 05:36 PM

What kind of isolation are we talking about? For best results with a mic you need to be in a booth.

If you insist on a DI (which I consider EVIL) don't go out of the amp. That can add noise. The engineer will split the signal with a direct box.

Mingus Fingus · #3 11-11-2008, 06:31 PM

thanks for the feedback. the studio has the movable type walls, so i can essentially build myself a booth. i have no intention of using the DI for anything unless something ends up being really loud and dense, in which case i would consider blending it for depth. the DI from the focus is surprisingly good from my experience.

Mingus Fingus · #4 11-11-2008, 06:32 PM

I should also add that the sound for the record we are going for is essentially a "live" studio recording. complete isolation isn't really something we are striving for, however as much as possible is desired to leave more options in the mixing process.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #5 11-11-2008, 06:56 PM

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When I'm not in a booth, the engineer will usually place a couple of movable sound absorbing panels between me and the piano to minimize bleed. I hate wearing cans, so I'll usually have one on and one off to better hear the real sound of the bass. Make sure you're getting enough of yourself in the mix either way.

Marc Piane · #6 11-11-2008, 07:52 PM

I guess I'm a little confused. Are you going to be on headphones? If so why are you using an amp?

Also, I almost never wear headphones unless I am in a booth and can't hear anything. Even at that I often will just hang them around my neck and just hear them ambiently.

Mingus Fingus · #7 11-11-2008, 08:57 PM

sorry just realized i said with headphones in the first post...hoping to not use headphones at all. the amp would be so the rest of the band can hear me, although my sound wouldnt be recorded from it. the problem with this is making sure that sound (amp) shows up in the mix as little as possible.

my main question is more mic placement and mic types that works for you guys, not so much the setup of the band. any feedback is appreciated.

adam.

Treyzer · #8 11-11-2008, 10:32 PM

Have a great session and play your $#@^ off!

Isolation booth, no amp, good phones, one ear off to hear the real sound, Great Mics like a Neuman 67. If the engineer is into good mics and knows how to use them. You should have a great experience. There are a few pictures around here somewhere that show mike placement for a session Ed Fuqua was doing. That set up looked pretty good!
All the best!

Marc Piane · #9 11-12-2008, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Treyzer

Have a great session and play your $#@^ off!

Isolation booth, no amp, good phones, one ear off to hear the real sound, Great Mics like a Neuman 67. If the engineer is into good mics and knows how to use them. You should have a great experience. There are a few pictures around here somewhere that show mike placement for a session Ed Fuqua was doing. That set up looked pretty good!
All the best!

+1

It'll be hard to prevent your amp from getting in other mics especially the drum overheads. If you are going to do it that way you will really need to focus on balancing the sound of the band. If the drummer is loud and you have to turn up it'll get tricky. Plus as stuff gets louder all kinds of strange acoustic stuff starts to happen (like standing waves and cancellation) that negatively effects the sound.

EggyToast · #10 11-12-2008, 01:08 PM

Hey Adam, why am I not surprised to find you asking this here? I just added you on facebook a few days ago. My wife and I are going to try to see you guys play next Thursday, but she may have eye surgery that morning which would obviously make it more up in the air ;D

If you guys are going for a live feel and somewhat a live sound, having you play together in mild isolation, no amps, is probably the best way to maintain that. The setup of the studio itself should lend itself to decent acoustics, and defer to the studio engineer when it comes to placement. If you want to retain some of the live feel, you should actually welcome any bleed that occurs -- within reason -- as it prevents a particular instrument from sounding like it was copy-pasted into the final mix.

Plenty of high-energy, lo-fi music was recorded with a simple 3 mic setup -- one in front left, front right, and overhead behind the drummer -- so separating you guys off with close mics, but allowing some bleed to occur, will probably preserve a lot of the live sound you guys may be looking for. Mostly, you would want to avoid bleeding if you needed to make a serious change to the EQ of a particular track once you've got it down, or if you were trying to add effects after the fact, but the key to a good mix is to start with a solid performance (duh, right?).

If you guys were going for a clean sound you'd obviously want to head right into isobooths, but it's certainly not the only way to do it.

I do think getting a few different ideas for setups is good, though, as you can record one way, and if it's just not working, move immediately on to a different way to save time (and money!).

Mingus Fingus · #11 11-12-2008, 03:35 PM

Thanks again for all the feedback. Definitely know the sound I am striving for, and I'm going to speak with the engineer in the next couple days to get a feel for what's going on. We're not trying to eliminate all bleed, so complete isolation shouldn't be necessary in this case. My biggest concern is keeping enough bleed out of the two horn mics (one being bass clarinet, with always seems a little difficult to record), so that we have enough room for adjustment when mixing.

Eggy, have we met before around Baltimore? I don't know if I got your friend request, but hopefully we'll get to meet soon. Maybe see you out on the 20th. Thanks for the advice!

Adam.

EggyToast · #12 11-13-2008, 01:26 PM

Yeah, you played at my wedding with Cory! ;D