Yesterday I posted on my Facebook page that I was re-amping an acoustic guitar that had been recorded direct. Ugh ;-( I was trying to breath some life into it. I almost never record guitars of any sort direct, but I was just mixing this track. Overall the production of the album was great, but they had a logistics issue on this one song and had to do the guitar direct for one song, so they get a pass. Several people on facebook asked for info about the re-amping, so here it is…

I have no details about how the guitar was recorded except that is was direct.

We ran out of pro tools into an original REAMP box.

Then into my Rivera TBR-2SL tube guitar head out to an old Mesa-Boogie 4×12 cabinet.

We miked it with a Shure SM-57, but not too close because I wanted to get some air into the sound.

The SM57 went into an A Designs Pacifica, then compressed a bit with my LA-2A and back into Pro Tools with my Agogee AD-16X.

Here is the original DI guitar (all levels have been bumped up a bit for the online samples. I would never record with levels this hot!!)

Acoustic Gtr DI

Here is the re-amped track

GTR Reamped

Most of the mixed just used the re-amp track, but a couple spots I used the DI guitar and the re-amp track panned hard left and hard right. The natural latency of the re-amping made a nice stereo spread. Of course I checked the mono compatibility and it held up OK. Probably not enough to use for the whole track for fine for a few bars. To warm up the DI track, I EQ’ed out some honkiness with the stock Pro Tools EQ, and compressed and saturation it a bit with the Kush UBK-1 plug-in.

Both tracks Together

The end result will not turn a DI guitar track into a track that sounds like it was recorded with a Neumann U47, but it can create a track that blends into the mix much better, has interesting character and sounds a whole lot less like a demo tape.

What do photos on my new Canon 70D have to do with recording?

I was really into photography when I was young. Really into it! I won a minor award for my work and even made a tiny bit of money from it. In my early 20’s I realized that I did not have enough time or money to do both photography and music at the level of mastery I was aspiring to. I chose music. I think I made the right choice.

Venice Beach Skate Park. Canon 70D

This month I bought the awesome new Canon EOS 70D camera. It is a DSLR, a camera primarily designed for still photography, but I bought it because it can do great things with video and I am investing a lot to try and up the quality of video production for a new series of audio training videos I am working on. In my free time I have been playing around with the still photography capabilities of the camera. It is rekindling my love for photography. I have been shooting lots of photos and having a great time using the giant range of digital filtering and manipulation capabilities we could not even dream of when I was first obsessed with photography decades ago.

I took this shot of a skateboarder down at Venice beach, capturing him in mid-air with a fast exposure. I then used a filter called “Focus 2” to artificially make the background out of focus to draw attention to the action. I was pretty happy with the 10 minute experiment.

Marina del Rey Canon 70D

I took this photo from the back of my boat and used a program called ColorStrokes to make the boats and water black and white but the sky blue and filtered to be a bit more painting like.

As much fun as I have been having with all these filters, the photo I am most proud of and show off the most is this next photo of Venice Beach at twilight. What cool photo filters did I use on this?

None.

Venice Beach Canon 70D

Aside from slightly cropping off the left side of the photo, I have not done anything to this. It came out as the best photo of the month because the scene I captured was beautiful in front of the camera, I used good gear to capture it and I did not screw it up.  So why am I thinking about this and putting it into an article about recording…….?

This weekend I was teaching a Recording Boot Camp course and working with some students on projects they had in the works. I was teaching the guys how to use various analog and digital tools to process sounds to either make them work better in a mix or be more interesting, but we all noticed that the sounds and parts of the mixes that we loved the most, we did almost nothing to. As a guy that has worked on thousands of songs in the studio it is amazing how often I see this over and over. Most of the time, the sounds that are the most exciting, most engaging and work best in the final mix, often have them least done to them in the mix. The magic happens before the mic.

The secret to most great records is that the magic happens before the mic. So many of the great classic records we love from the 60’s and 70’s were mixed in minutes rather than the hours or even days that people can often spend mixing now. How could they do it? Engineers using good gear captured magic and great art and blended it together quickly. Those records sound great and still touch people musically all these decades later.

Wayne Hankin on the Pearlman TM-1

While I am not suggesting we need to spend only 20-30 minutes on our mixes, one thing that almost every experienced producer or mixer can tell you is that most of the truly great records are truly great because of what happened before the mic: in the writing, the performance, the quality of the instruments, etc. It is always worth it to try and make your tracks sound great before the mic. Even if you are using virtual instruments, spend the time to make sure that your arrangements are great and that you find the absolute best sounds to serve your songs.

If you have done your “production” right, you should be able to push up the faders and have a cool record, and everything else is just the polish and frosting to step it up a level. You will probably find that the work you end up loving the most had way more to do with the performance and core sounds than the things you did to try and ‘fix” the productions.

Today in the studio we test the Granelli G5790, which a Shure SM57 modified to have a right angle in the body. The build quality is very good and great for placement, but does it still sound like the beloved SM57 after the change?

To watch on your iphone or ipad, download the m4v version

When mixing a song there are an infinite number of ways to put together the stereo field or the left to right image across the speakers.  When I am working with mixing clients, or training others to do mixing, one of the topics that often comes up is the idea of symmetry or left-right balance. If there is a guitar panned to one side, is there another guitar on the other side of the mix so it does not feel lopsided? This always leads to the question of whether or not left-right balance is something important that we should strive for. “Won’t it sound weird if we have something on one side without something to balance it on the other side?”

The answer to this is not as straightforward as it might seem. If we look at mixes from some of the great mixers, we will find that many do have almost perfect balance between the left and right side in terms of both arrangement as well as spectral balance. What I mean by “spectral balance” is that they seem to have an equal amount of each frequency range on the left and right side of the mix. Check out this Green Day mix as a near perfect example of this. Except for the fact that the hi-hat is panned to the left side, the general sound of the left and right side are virtually identical.

But as we start to listen to a wider range of mixes we will also find the complete opposite. Check out this mix for U2 in which most of the song has a single guitar hard panned to the left side with absolutely nothing to “balance it” on the right side.

In the last few decades the norm has been to pan the bass, kick drum, snare and main vocals straight up the middle, but what happens with the other elements is all over the map. We can find examples of very balanced symmetrical mixes as well as completely lopsided mixes. What can we take away from this?

You may have a strong feeling that mixes should have a strong left-right balance, but music fans do not care at all!

It is all just a matter of mood and personal preference. I tend to do both fairly often. Sometimes it is just letting the muse dictate where things should go, but often if I am making a mix asymmetrical it is because I want a particular instrument to stand out or have more presence in a mix. When a guitar (or any other instrument) sits alone on one side of a mix without a “complimentary” instrument on the other side it will generally have more personality and connect with the listener in a more direct way. Instruments with left-right counterparts will tend to blend in as part of the ensemble. Another positive aspect of this is that when a primary instrument is set off to one side without an opposite counterpart, it will often compete less with the main vocal in the middle. While one is not better than the other, it is pretty obvious that both are completely valid.

One of the great tools we have available to us in mixing is to experiment with panning and see how it affects the overall feel of the mix, and even experiment with muting parts that have multiple versions of the same instrument/part to feature the part more. Regardless of what you do, the important thing is to mix in a way that you feel is best for the music because music lovers do not really care about anything else.

Here are a few more examples of some great lopsided mixes.

The entirety of Van Halen I

One fairly common mixing technique you will find is a trick where the mix will be fairly balanced in one section and then completely asymmetrical in another. This helps build a sense of dynamics even in very compressed recordings. Check out this John Mayer tune as an example.

Here is Lenny Kravitz doing the same thing

Have Fun!!

Like me, you probably still have some last minute Christmas shopping to do. If there is a person on your list that is a studio owner or recording enthusiast, it can be tough to find that perfect gift. For starters, lots of the cool recording stuff can be really expensive, but also as recording folks we generally have fairly specific tastes about what sort of things we like or don’t like. But fear not, there is a good and cheap option that will always be a hit….

Percussion!

A small portion of the studio percussion collection.

Giving interesting percussion toys is always a great gift because very cool things can be found inexpensively, percussion is one of the great secret weapons of producers, and you can never have too much around the studio. As an extra bonus, they will always be thinking about you when they use it on a production.

Any good drum or music store will have lots of good options, and I recommend trying to find things that are odd or unique, that will be fun to pick out and offer some interesting sounds. I probably have more than a dozen different shakers, half a dozen tambourines and well as many oddball bells and whistles (literally!)

You can check out an article I wrote a few years ago about one use for a $13.99 Tambourine here.

If you want to spend a little more we have a few options from Recording Boot Camp. We are selling certificates for our 2-Day Recording Boot Camp ($199),  as well as certificates for Skype or phone consulting with a special 2 for 1 sale (get credit for double the amount you purchase before December 25). The consulting can be used for mix critiques, equipment advice, or consulting on any aspect of recording or studios. Order before Christmas and we will send you a printable certificate. Consulting  or 2-day Recording Boot Camp registration can be purchased via paypal links on the 2-Day Recording Boot Camp or Skype or phone consulting pages.

Have a great holiday from all of us at Recording Boot Camp.

The most important advice I ever got about personal recording studio insurance.

As we were working at the studio on some updates to the recording equipment insurance policy, I was reminded of some great information I was given years ago, that I want to share with you.

My first Recording Studio

Like most of us, my first studio was in my bedroom. It was a tiny set up and it was the most exciting thing in the world to me.  Thanks to growing up the son of a man that valued insurance, I always had a renter’s insurance policy in case my gear got stolen or destroyed.  Like most of us, my collection of gear started to grow and so did my professional aspirations.  Eventually I started to make a few bucks using my equipment. I was now a professional!!!

One day, years later, I was out on tour working for a fairly well known band and we started having a discussion about how we deal with being on the road making sure everything is OK at home.  I said that I did not own much of value except my music and audio equipment, but I did not worry too much because I was well insured.  Knowing I was still a bit of a professional newbie, one of the guys in the band asked me a question that shook me to my core: “Are you sure?”

You see, this veteran musician guessed that I had made a typical mistake many music professionals make. HE WAS RIGHT.

I, like many musicians, had a renter’s insurance policy for my home and figured that all the gear I kept at home was covered. After doing some research, I found I was completely wrong.  As a professional musician and recording engineer, all of my equipment is considered professional business equipment and many (as in probably most) renters and even home owner’s insurance policies have exclusions for professional equipment.  Should your equipment ever get stolen or destroyed, there is a good chance that the insurance company will not reimburse you for the loss, even if you have a special amendment to your policy for musical instruments.  Keep in mind that insurance companies make money by taking in more money than they pay out, so it is in their best interest to find ways not to pay you. If you have ever made ANY money with your gear, there is a good chance they have a legal right not to cover your loss. Myself, and many of my professional friends, keep all of our recording gear and musical instruments on a separate policy dedicated to music professionals. While I am not the one to give advice about specific policies, I will say that it is worth looking into dedicated policies, and if you are going to include your recording gear and instruments on a renters or home owners policy, make sure that you specifically ask if your stuff is covered if you use it professionally.  I would strongly recommend that you get the insurance agent to answer that question in writing.

My current recording studio

Speaking of insurance, if your studio is anywhere that could get hit with floods, tornadoes, earthquakes… you might want to be sure your insurance covers those things. I have heard some heart breaking stories of people losing all their gear in a natural disaster and not having their stuff covered, because the policy had exclusions for the specific disaster that struck their home.

It is also strongly recommended that you keep detailed documentation of all your gear. Take photographs of it and keep a spread sheet with model numbers, serial numbers and declared value. MAKE SURE TO KEEP ALL THIS INFO SOMEWHERE OTHER THEN YOUR STUDIO!! store it at some one else’s house and keep it in the cloud. If a fire wipes out your studio, you do not want it wiping out all your documentation of the gear you lost.

I graduated from a home studio years ago, and these days almost all of my equipment is in my commercial facility. Thankfully, I have never had to make a claim, and I really hate cutting that big insurance check every year, but the peace of mind that comes from knowing I have a safety net should disaster strike is well worth the expense.

Disclaimer: I am a studio owner and not an insurance expert. Consult an insurance professional before making any important decisions about your insurance needs.

Ronan Chris Murphy is the founder of Recording Boot Camp. His diverse discography ranges from Youtube sensation Tay Zonday to over a dozen albums with King Crimson. Known as the man behind the boards for many virtuosos including Terry Bozzio, Steve Morse, Chucho Valdes, Tony Levin, Steve Stevens, Jamie Walters, Ulver, and Nels Cline.

We are moving Ronan’s Recording Show to the Recording Boot Camp site. Until we get them moved over, Watch older episodes at Ronan’s Recording Show

In this episode we test a wide range of microphones on the appalachian dulcimer and see how different mics can affect the sound of an instrument.

Download the 16/44.1 Audio files. To watch on your iphone or ipad, download the m4v version

Dulcimer: Folkcraft Ash FSH dulcimer

Pick: V-Picks Bing Futch model

Mic Pre: A Designs Pacifica

Converter: Apogee 16X
_____________________________________________________
Microphones:

Shure SM57-LC Microphone Cascade¤Microphones Fat Head Ribbon Microphone (Black / Gold)

Pearlman TM-1 Tube condenser Mic

Shure SM7B – Cardioid Dynamic Announcer Mic

Cascade¤Microphones Elroy Multi-Pattern Tube Microphone

Audio-Technica AT4060 Microphone

Electrovoice 408B (out of production, and replaced by the Electro-Voice N/D468 )

Shure KSM32

Audio-Technica AT4051b Cardioid Condenser Microphone

AKG D1000E

Electrovoice RE-18

We had a last minute cancellation for our 6-day Recording Boot Camp December 9-14, so we have one spot available again. Let us know if you would like to attend. If you cannot make that one, the next 6-day program is January 27-February 1 (starts the day after NAMM) Details>>>

Maybe you already own the right gear.

For a year or two I have been doing consulting (and mastering) for a great artist from Indiana named Briagha McTavish and her producer/father, Neil. On a recent trip to LA they came by the studio to have me help them pick out the best vocalmic for her.  They brought their own mics to add to the ones I have in my personal collection and we borrowed and rented a few others to get a good wide range of microphones including condensers, ribbons and moving coil dynamics. The value of the mics we tried ranged from about $100 to well over $3,000.

One of the big things I have learned about comparisons and “shoot outs” between gear is that people will usually pick the louder option as the “better” option, and that we will very often pick the one we expect to sound better as the one that sounds better (even if it doesn’t). So I had my engineer (and RBC associate instructor), Diego Lopez, set up the mic shoot outs in a way that I would not know which mic was which when we listened. He also made sure all the recordings were level matched.

One thing that was obvious is that a voice as good as Briagha’s is a hard thing to make sound bad with any mic, but we did find that some of the mics sounded surprisingly similar and others radically different. Many sounded good and, oddly enough, the two mics that sounded the worst on her voice were the least expensive mic in the shoot out and the most expensive!!

In the end it came down to a VERY close tie between a Pearlman TM-1, an Audio-Technica AT4050, and a vintage Neumann U87. Each mic sounded great overall, but each mic had particular aspects where it beat out the others (better on high notes, better on low notes, etc). In the end we decided that all 3 of these mics sounded great on her voice and none could be described as truly better than the other two.  The great thing about this is that the Audio Technica 4050 was a mic they already owned and had used on her recent EP. Buying new equipment is, of course, exciting and tons of fun, but it is important to make sure that when you spend part of your limited budget the money is going to the right place…. Speaking of which, after the mic shoot out we tried recording Briagha with the AT 4050 through one of the high-end compressors at my studio and the improvements were dramatic. So now, instead of spending money on an expensive mic that would not be an improvement, they can use that money on an investment that can make a big difference.

The important take away is not that the 4050 was a “better” mic than the others, but that it was the right match for this singers voice. In the previous shoot outs I did for another project the Pearlman TM-1 was the winner, and before that it was a Shure SM7B.

To hear Briagha McTavish’s music check out www.briaghamctavish.com

I am excited to be at the Taxi Road Rally again this year. I will be doing lots of lecturing and mentoring, most of it free if you are already attending the Road Rally. I will also have a table in the book sellers room, so come by and say hello to me or one of the Recording Boot Camp staff.

Friday, November 8th

Driver’s Ed: Vocal Recording & Mixing Master Class
11:00 am – 12:30 pm – Orly Room, 2nd floor
One on One Mentoring
3:00 pm – 5:30 pm – Trattoria Restaurant, 1st floor

Saturday, November 9th

Mentor Lunch
12:15 pm – 2:00 pm -Concourse Ballroom, 2nd floor

Driver’s Ed: 5 Secrets for Creating Broadcast Quality Recordings
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m -Kennedy Room, 2nd floor

Production Bar
6:30-9:30pm -Orly Room, 2nd Floor

Ronan is available for private consulting throughout the Rally at a special discount rate of $45 for 30 minutes.

If you need another reason to come out to a Recording Boot Camp at the RBC studio in Santa Monica, check out the sunsets in the neighborhood.