Some details on the recording of Ryan Adams’ album Rock And Roll.

Candiloro used Neumann U47s on all vocals … For guitars, Candiloro “always settles” on two Shure SM57s, positioned on the amp “right where the cone and paper meet.” For bass, the L.A.-based engineer miked an Ampeg B15 cabinet with a Sennheiser 421. Drums were miked with a combination of an AKG D112 (kick), an SM57 (snare), AKG 414s (toms), Neumann KM84s (overheads) and various Coles ribbon mics. “They suck a bunch of great stuff out of the drum kit,” he says of the Coles. “I also had a [Shure] 58 going through a Distressor loose in the room. That was featured on some tracks just as a gnarly rock sound.”

Depending on how you feel about the album, these will either be great tips, or pitfalls to avoid.

Tags: mixing, tracking

Terry Manning (yes, that Terry Manning,) posted a great breakdown of his vocal tracking and mixing technique on ProSoundWeb:

I like to build a special area for the singer, moving tall baffles into a “squared-off U shape” behind and to the sides of the singing area, not only for the purpose of controlling unwanted reflections, but also to provide a “cocoon” space in which the singer can feel comfortable.

Read the full description on the ProSoundWeb forums.

Tags: mixing, tracking, vocals

Are you tired of folks constantly asking why you haven’t been signed yet? Wish they would leave you alone to focus on your music?

Here are 8 reasons why you might want to avoid a major label record deal.

Many contracts still apply deductions for packaging, free goods and returns reserves in calculating an artist�s royalties from electronic sales even though there are no packaging costs incurred …

That should quiet them for a while!

This article from Sound on Sound magazine dissects James Brown’s I Feel Good to learn how we can add real feel to programmed drum beats.

… the timing of each instrument in a live performance constantly changes from section to section, so a fixed one- or two-bar groove template will only ever provide a certain amount of live feel. Using a selection of grooves for different sections of a single part, on the other hand, will be likely to humanise and enliven your material much further. I’ve found that hi-hats in particular benefit from slight variations in groove, as these help maintain the interest of the listener.

While a drum machine thumping at 130 BPM is great for dance tracks, rock musicians wanting more life in their programmed drums will be interested to learn that the tempo in I Feel Good swings between 153 BPM and 136 BPM.

Tags: drums

Musictech Magazine maintains a fairly comprehensive microphone reviews page, with reviews of many popular consumer class mics. The reviews are glossy and informative. (Note that you’ll need a PDF reader like the free Foxit Reader to read the reviews.)

Tags: microphones, reviews

If you’ve read about Equal Loudness Contours, but have difficulty applying the concept, try out this fantastic application (Flash) from the University of NSW:

This site allows you to measure equal loudness contours–the frequency response of your own ears. The flash script allows you to play sound files with a range of frequencies and sound levels with the click of a mouse.

Test the frequency response of your ears

Tags: hearing

If you record live drums in your home studio, proper setup of your drum kit plays an important role in capturing a good sound. Clearly, a poorly configured kit is harder to play which will affect the quality of your recordings. However, there are some less obvious issues to consider:

• Mic placement: A well arranged drum kit, with the proper space between each piece, is easer to mic.
• Stereo image: Unless you’re moving components for a particular effect, it’s much easier to get an accurate stereo imagine from a drum kit with all its pieces in the correct place.
• Relative volume: Drum placement affects the volume level at which each piece is recorded in the overhead mics. This is due both to proximity, and to the physical effect that drum placement has on the drummer. For example, if the cymbals are placed too low, even a well-trained drummer will tend to hit them too forcefully.

Pearl Drums’ fantastic introduction to the basics of drumming guides you through ensuring your kit is properly configured.

Tags: drums

Elemental Audio offers a free Spectrum Analyzer [Mac/Windows, RTAS/VST/AU]. While you should use your ears to make important mix decisions, a spectrum analyzer is a great tool for finding problem frequencies (for example, where to set a de-esser,) and Elemental Audio’s offering is as straightforward as they come.

Tags: plugins

An hr.com user gives a detailed description of his vocal “sweetening” technique, complete with examples:

So, what is this “effect”? Simply, it is a stereo effect that pitch shifts one channel up 12 cents, and pitch shifts the other other channel down 12 cents, then uses a delay of about 25ms. The effect, again, is very much like a chorus, but not quite as obvious.

Here’s an interesting discussion between many of the hr.com regulars about the limits and possibilities in the mastering process.

I have tried isolating the problem freqs using two seperate [Multie Band Compression] plugs as well as multi-level compressor plug. The problem is not one of needed expansion or compression, however. The results with these is really pretty similar as it is with the EQs (yes I tried other EQs than the ones listed); I can only remove the unpleasantness by removing the sound.

Tags: mastering, mixing, vocals

While he’s got a vested interest in assuring you that mastering at home is a good idea, Dave Moulton’s Tips ‘n’ Tricks for Mastering article is still a great resource for those learning the craft.

I’ve taken you through this brief review because I believe it is essential to get and keep in your head these basic relationships when you are preparing a recording for public release. You need to keep in mind all of the digital, analog and acoustic issues and their interactions as you work. Otherwise, your success will be restricted to what dumb luck will give you.

The advice is solid, and not at all specific to the iZotope products that Dave pimps.

Tags: mastering