The EM Poll

Bring 'Em Back Alive

Jan 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Rusty Cutchin

           

Recording live bands has changed a lot since 2-track tape recorders first allowed overdubbing, but in many ways, the song remains the same. Instruments must be miked appropriately or recorded direct to achieve optimum results. Recording engineers must isolate drums and other acoustic sources, without inhibiting communication between musicians, to prevent sounds from spilling into other performers' mics. Vocalists require balanced mixes in their headphones or stage monitors to stay on pitch and to benefit from the energy generated by singing live with the band.

This article presents several tips for recording a band during a club or concert performance and live in a studio environment. Although a full discussion of tasks such as selecting mics and setting up consoles for live recording is beyond the scope of this article, many such techniques have been explored in past issues of EM (available online at www.emusician.com; see the sidebar “For Further Reading”). Some of the processes I will discuss are familiar to studio veterans, but quite a few new tools — including low-cost, high-quality microphones, mixers, and digital interfaces — have improved these techniques.

In whatever location engineers record live bands, they strive to get a good sound from several performers at the same time. In the studio, bands are most comfortable performing exactly as they usually do in their rehearsal space or on gigs. A surprising number of singers, even experienced professionals, feel that their performance suffers without the presence of live players. If a band's performance takes place in a live venue, the recording engineer faces additional challenges that range from mixing the audience into the captured audio to ensuring that the recording setup doesn't interfere with the sound-reinforcement setup.

In the Trenches

For this article, I spoke with three engineers who have extensive live recording experience. Stewart Lerman (www.stewartlerman.com) has recorded a multitude of ensembles, including the Irish rockers Black 47 and New York singing-songwriting legends the Roches, who have recorded all their albums live since 1978. Lerman also recorded the big-band soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's film The Aviator.

I also talked with producer-engineer Arty Skye (http://skyelab.com), who has helmed recordings by musicians as diverse as James Taylor, Tito Puente, and Pink at his own facility, Skyelab, and other New York studios. In addition, I spoke with Dave Darlington (www.davedarlington.com; see Fig. 1), who recently recorded small groups on albums by Joan Osborne and jazz legend Wayne Shorter (Darlington picked up a Grammy Award for the latter album), as well as several orchestral projects. A classically trained upright and electric bass player, Darlington was the composer and audio producer for the HBO TV series Oz.

On Your Mark

All of the recordists I consulted agreed on a principle that can be boiled down to four words: garbage in, garbage out. “The best thing a band can do for their recording is to be thoroughly rehearsed and prepared before a studio session,” Darlington says. “Taking care of details beforehand will not only save time and money during tracking, but also make the mixing process much smoother. And obviously, it will make a live performance better.”

FIG. 1: Grammy Award winner Dave Darlington, whose credits include mixing sessions for artists such as Herbie Hancock and Madonna, warns, “Less experienced musicians sometimes don’t realize that noise levels that are acceptable onstage can be fatal flaws in a studio.”

A band that gigs regularly should have its sound together before going into a studio. According to Darlington, “Good preparation means that every player has made sure his instrument — especially a guitar amp, drum pedal, or anything with moving parts — is properly maintained and free of extraneous noise before attempting a session with microphones.”

Preparation involves rehearsal, of course. But many bands forget organizational tasks that can come back to haunt them when the studio clock is running. For example, if you're recording a band that relies on improvised solos, it's best to determine song lengths ahead of time, and every band member should be clear on the form and order of sections within the song. If songs have open-ended solos, each member should be clear on cues that will bring players out of a solo.

Although digital editing makes it easier to fix mistakes within a song simply by mixing in portions from another take, editing still takes time away from performance and mixing. With good planning, a well-rehearsed band can cut down on the amount of editing later in the process.

Bandleaders or producers should take care that all supplies are on hand for emergencies. Nothing ruins a session like a broken string or drumstick if someone forgot the spares. If the session involves previously recorded material that will require a sequencer or sampler, discs should be clearly labeled to indicate the location or content of a needed file.

Ultimately, recording quality depends on the musicians' sound and playing technique. Although creative engineering can bring out the best in a vocal or instrumental track and perform sonic tricks in the mix, there's no substitute for a tight band that plays together with the right equipment and a carefully crafted sound.