Recording on a Dime

Jun 14, 2005 5:11 PM

           
 

When instructing bands about cheapo recording tactics, I always push for recording as live as possible. This has a variety of time-saving benefits. One, everyone plays at once, so you don't need to waste time overdubbing. Two, recording live often requires having several instruments in the same room; thanks to mic bleed, it becomes all but impossible to replace parts (if you do, you will hear “ghost notes” from the original track bleeding into other instrument mics, which tends to sound like someone playing wrong notes in the

background), so the musicians are married to the take. Three, mic bleed also means that the group is pretty much locked in to the sound, which also simplifies the mixing stage (although setup tends to take a little longer). For example, if the drums bleed into the guitar mic and you EQ the guitar sound during mixdown, you will likely alter the drum sound as well. In addition, bringing up the guitar will raise the drum levels — sometimes a good thing, sometimes not. You therefore need to commit to as many decisions as possible when setting up and tracking. That way you limit mix decisions, making mixing go much faster.

FIG. 1: The workhorse Shure SM57 remains a reliable studio pick, especially for miking snare drums. The author typically uses two - one for the top head and another for the bottom - and then reverses the polarity on the bottom mic.

It's vital to explain these things to the musicians ahead of time so that they understand the limitations this approach imposes. Let them know that they can't replace solos and vocals, and that they will have fewer options in the mix process. In short, they must play their parts “perfectly” or else be willing to accept an imperfection here or there — something people did all the time before digital editing became commonplace.

Naturally, you must be prepared for plans going south. I recently completed a record that we had planned to cut 95 percent live in a couple of days. However, once we got going, it turned out the singer was under the weather and couldn't nail his takes. Furthermore, the guitarist, whose amp was in the live room with the drums, wasn't up on the arrangements, so we had to regroup and overdub much more than planned.

Musicians are human, and they can't always accomplish what they hope to. That often puts more pressure on the engineer to get things done quickly. Be prepared to skip meals and not go to the bathroom for long periods of time.

When you need to record in a hurry, use familiar mics and preamps. That will not only ensure that you get a good sound, but will also eliminate the risk of wasting time on something that might not work — this is not the time to try out that new kick mic you've been dying to hear.

FIG. 2: The Royer R-121 ribbon mic has become a mainstay for many studio engineers. It's great for miking guitar cabinets, bass cabs, drum kits, percussion, horns, and strings.

For my part, if I have to get a solid drum sound for a pop-rock recording in 15 minutes, I know what to do. I put a Sennheiser E602 on the kick (just inside the hole, if possible), a Shure SM57 on the snare top and bottom (remember to reverse the polarity of the bottom mic; see Fig. 1), Sennheiser MD 421s on the toms, and a pair of Neumann KM 84s as overheads (I start with an XY-coincident setup and move them out to a spaced pair if that's not working). That gets me a solid, close-miked sound, and as long as the drums and drummer sound good, I know I'm in business. (Equally important is the fact that every studio I work at has those mics available.)

I also add a pair of room mics. I have a half-dozen different combos and placements that I like to use, but I go with what I know will get me a good sound in a hurry. I arrange a pair of Earthworks omnis (TC30Ks, QTC1s, or the inexpensive SROs — they all work great) in a spaced pair and give them a moderate squashing with a stereo compressor such as the Joemeek SC2 or Tube-Tech LCA 2B. I will also add a Royer R-121 (see Fig. 2) or R-122 about knee-high, two to four feet in front of the kit. Again, it's not that those particular mics will always yield the best sound possible, but that I know what I'm going to get,