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Horns / Mar 1, 2009 5:45AM
Cheat Sheet delivers concise, explicit information about specific recording/ audio-related tasks or processes. This installment describes basic vocal processing.
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Horns / Feb 1, 2009 9:30AM
In addition to being one of rock’s iconic drummers (Guns N’ Roses, The Cult, Velvet Revolver), Matt Sorum is also an accomplished engineer and producer with his own production company (Orange Curtain) and tracks for Poe, Candlebox, Ronnie Spector, Little Milton, Sen-Dog, and others under his belt. His most recent production project was for Los Angeles “youth rock” band, Drive A—a gig that prompted Sorum to share some miking techniques, recording philosophies, and studio drummer bummers that can help EQ readers track bigger and better drum sounds.
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Horns / Feb 1, 2009 9:15AM
I’m beginning to feel “writing in the studio” is an oxymoron. In fact, it seems that writing a song and recording it are two totally different activities, and need to be treated as such.
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Horns / Jan 1, 2009 6:05PM
You don’t see a lot of musicians asking for smaller amps—but then there’s Philly-based bassist/producer Owen Biddle. “Backline companies never seem to have the smaller, inexpensive amps I like—the big rig thing is cool, but I prefer the sound of a smaller amp distressing itself.”
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Horns / Jan 1, 2009 7:45AM
STUDIO NAME: Central Command Studios
LOCATION: North Hollywood, CA
CONTACT: www.centralcommandstudios.com
KEY CREW: Julian Beeston, Ullrich Hepperlin, Jason Miller
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Horns / Jan 1, 2009 5:00AM
If there’s a lesson to be learned from
the vocal recording techniques that
have worked so splendidly for
Antony Hegarty of Antony and the
Johnsons—careful, you might not
want to hear this—it’s that the vocalist
should concentrate on rehearsal,
vocal exercises, and nurturing one’s
psychology, and leave the technical
side to the professionals. To detail
this approach, EQ spoke recently
with Emery Dobyns, who recorded
Hegarty’s 2005 breakthrough, I Am A
Bird Now, and Stewart Lerman, who
worked on 2008’s Another World
[Secretly Canadian].
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Horns / Nov 1, 2008 9:45AM
STUDIO NAME: Cave Studio
LOCATION: Hollywood, CA
CONTACT: www.ryanhoyle.com/thelab.html
KEY PLAYERS: Ryan Hoyle
CONTROL SURFACE: Digidesign Digi 002
COMPUTER: Apple MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo w/ 4GB RAM
DAW: Apple Logic Pro 8; Digidesign Pro Tools LE 7.4.2
CONVERTERS: Apogee Rosetta 800
MONITORING: Extreme Isolation Headphones; JBL LSR4328P
PRES/DIS: API 3124+; Apogee Mini-Me; Vintech 473
MICS:Audio-Technica AE 3000(3), A-T 4050 (2), A-T 4041, ATM 250, ATM 450, ATM 650; Audix D6 (3), i5; Heil PR40; Mojave MA-200 (2); Royer R-121 (2); Sennheiser 421; Shure SM57, SM98; Yamaha Subkick
ROOM TREATMENT: GIK Acoustics Acoustic Treatment and Diffusers
POWER CONDITIONING: Monster Pro 3500 PowerCenter
KITS: 1940s Leedy Mahogany w/ 26" kick, 11", 13", and
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Horns / Nov 1, 2008 6:30AM
SIBILANCE
Singers can produce “s” and “sh” sounds (known as “sibilants”) in the range of 3kHz to 10kHz, and some vocalists produce more sibilance than others. So, if you’re recording a singer with a condenser mic that has a rising high-frequency response, you might hear annoying hisses. If you want to smooth out the “s” sounds, try one of these fixes.
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Horns / Oct 1, 2008 3:20PM
We all want huge, thick drum tones that drive the mix and give it backbone. To this end, we employ better microphones, top-of-the-line cables, quality preamps, and high-end converters. Each of these things will certainly make improvements in the sound, but I would argue that the most important element in the recording chain—besides the source sound, of course—is the room itself.