Archives for May 2018

Time in the studio is precious, and as such, a producer will benefit from taking some time before the recording gets doing to run through a checklist and see if everything is in order. Most of these factors, however, deal with the band – not the equipment. Is the band sounding tight? Are they in a groove? And can the vocalist cover the needed range? If so, you're ready to roll. If not, things might need to be sorted out – preferably outside of the studio.

Key Takeaways:

• Studio time is valuable, so producers and artists need to make the most of it.
• In doing so, run through a basic list of questions about your band before you get going with a recording session.
• Is the band in a groove? Are the vocals in-range? If so, great. If not, iron things out and regroup.

“hances are that there will come a time when your band is playing either in rehearsal or in the studio and suddenly there’s a train wreck where something sounds way off”

Read more: https://www.prosoundweb.com/channels/recording/in-the-studio-10-questions-to-ask-during-preproduction/

As a recording engineer, you want to give every instrument it's best chance to shine. So, you use a lot of different techniques. It's possible, however, that you may not have considered double-miking.
There are certain times when this method is an especially solid choice. If, for example, the console you're working with is new to you, the EQ is a bit sub par, or there's a second engineer working at the console, then two mics makes good sense.
Let's assume you need a rich, rumbly drum sound and you just aren't getting it. You can try endless positions with one mike, different mics, EQ, compression and other techniques. Or, you can go for the double-mike. It's faster, easier, and by fading the channels you'll get a virtual wealth of tones and timbres to work with, without ever bothering with the EQ.

Key Takeaways:

• There are countless ways to record sounds from various instruments, and the configurations of the studio and mikes can make all the difference.
• One key technique is to use two microphones to record instruments, especially drums.
• The result is a stereophonic capture which adds depth to the resulting recorded tracks.

“Properly utilized, the technique provides a whole new palette of tonal colors, along with surprising ease of control.”

Read more: https://www.prosoundweb.com/channels/live-sound/it_takes_two_double-miking_approaches_for_drums_other_instruments/

MusicTech.net has just done a review for the admittedly high-tone and very classy looking SR-2N Microphones, put out by Stager. The microphone in question is a vintage, ribbon-style microphone, handcrafted in Nashville. The ribbon measures out to two by one half inch, with a thickness of one point eight inches. It also features a strong neodymium magnet and a handwound toroidal transformer.
The extremely lightweight ribbon could require some extra looking after. The Mic itself is nice and light and comes with a nicely engraved wood case. On testing, the mic proved to have a clean smooth, rich sound, designed to soothe high end cackles and a sound that felt large and in charge, even with a small amp.

Key Takeaways:

• The SR-2N vintage ribbon microphone recorder, from Stager, is handcrafted in Nashville and comes with a laser-engraved, wooden box.
• This microphone is the second one designed and put together by Matt Stager, in his own Nashville workshop, where Matt also assembles his ribbon motors by himself.
• MusicTech reviewers found the microphone able to produce a clean, dark sound that was a good antidote for a recording leaning towards an excess of brightness.

“Regular readers of MusicTech reviews will know we’ve always had a soft spot for ribbon microphones.”

Read more: http://www.musictech.net/2018/03/stager-microphones-sr-2n-review/

Key Takeaways:

• There’s a traditional way of doubling the vocals on a track – but it’s extremely laborious.
• However, now there’s a new plugin that can help you out – the Sonnox Vocdoubler.
• This handy little tool gets up and running in no time, adding depth and thickness to any vocal tracks.

“It’s surprising how much vocalists love the sound of their voice doubled, but manually matching a previous vocal can sometimes be a time consuming process.”

Read more: http://bobbyowsinskiblog.com/2018/02/26/sonnox-voxdoubler-toolbox/