Recording - May 2010 - 56

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Michael Mahoney / Sole Prerogative
Equipment: HP Pavillion a1730n PC with Presonus FireStudio Project running Cakewalk SONAR Producer Edition and Truepianos Amber Module plug-in; Mics: Sterling Audio ST55, Samson C03, three Shure SM57, AKG D112; Samson Resolv 65A Monitors; Pearl Drums, Fender American P-Bass, Fender 210 Bass Amp, Gibson SG Standard, B-52 AT-212 guitar amp, VOX Tonelab LE, Casio PX330 Piano (used as MIDI controller).

While we’re as up for mystery as the next guy, the words are pretty hard to gather in, especially given the high motor that the song is running at. Suggestions: Let’s start out by backtracking a bit. Given the relative newbie status of Michael as a recordist, along with the less-than-ideal tracking setting, we would have to say that overall, he and the band have done a pretty darn good job here. That said, it is obvious from his cover letter that Michael is eager to improve his skills and serious enough about it to accept some advice. Given that, we would like to impart the following, starting with the bass guitar: Michael told us that he consciously rolled off some low end from his overall mix during the “mastering” stage of the project. At the risk of opening a Pandora’s box, let’s just say that successful mastering requires an extremely developed skill set, and attempting it with limited experience in an untreated room is “tough sledding” as they say up in our neck of the woods. We would encourage Michael to replace some of that low-end information as a way to beef up his bass and drums. While we are unsure of the nature of the drum distortion, hopefully it happened during mixing and not during tracking. If so, a readjustment of the console’s gain structure during the remix may be in order. Regarding the cymbals, while they are clear enough, we suggest that Michael reduce the volume of the hi-hat for better balance. Lastly, although vocals are perhaps the most difficult part of a good mix, we would encourage Michael to practice getting them to sit and speak (too much “Dog Whisperer” lately) legibly in his mix. If after gaining this knowledge and experience, he chooses to tuck his vocals à la R.E.M., well that’s his “sole prerogative”...
Summary: A solid freshman effort.
Contact: Michael Mahoney/Sole Prerogative, mahonmic@yahoo.com.

Music: “Still Waiting” is a male vocal rock song. Michael handled the recording, mixing and mastering along with the guitar and backing vocals. Brian Breitsch is listed as the primary songwriter as well as the lead vocalist and piano player. Nathan Breitsch played bass and added backing vocals and Evan Breitsch rounded things out on drums. Recording: Michael tells us that he has only been recording for a little over a year, and that “Still Waiting” was recorded in an “acoustically probably not so great basement” and mixed in an untreated computer room. Well Michael, you’d be surprised at just how many other folks are making music in practically the same type of settings these days! Be that as it may, let’s take a look at what the guys have brought to the table. Starting out with a spirited piano-and-drum combination, the track quickly builds to include all of the individual players. The result? Well, it’s kind of a mixed bag, actually... We liked the piano, the guitars, and the backing vocals pretty well. Less successful to our ears were the lack of bass guitar presence, the out-of-balance cymbals, and some rather distracting distortion on the drums, particularly during the more aggressive tom fills. We also question the placement of the lead vocal in the mix.
56
RECORDING MAY 2010

Justen Cimino
Equipment: Mac Mini with PreSonus FireBox interface running Apple Garageband; AKG C1000S condenser mic; Seagull S6 acoustic guitar, Aria nylon-string classical guitar.

Music: “Daybreak” is an acoustic instrumental with a Latin/Flamenco vibe. Justen did it all. Recording: With just Garageband and one AKG C1000S mic, Justen has used some creative layering and panning to create a pretty compelling recording.Tone-wise, things hold up fairly well, the performance is solid, with only a minor bit of string squeak in the track.To us the real standout here is the way that Justin has used some nicely devised left side/right side panning to create a “rolling” effect as the piece gains a flamenco-style groove. Well done! Suggestions: Justen tells us in his cover letter that he set out to create a simple recording, and while that’s true, the creative nature of the mixing and arrangement provide the piece an energy that is far from dull or boring. Regarding the string squeak, we have certainly heard worse, and to some extent it’s the nature of the beast when recording a fingerstyle piece with this much movement.
Summary: We like it.
Contact: Justen Cimino, justencimino@gmail.com.


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Recording - May 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - May 2010

Recording - May 2010
Fade In.
Contents
Talkback.
Fast Forward.
Keb’Mo’ And His Home Studio.
When Your Studio Meets Your Wallet.
Pragmatic Design For Project Studios.
CAD Audio E100S.
Universal Audio UAD-2 SOLO/Laptop.
Recording’s Guitar Column.
Square State Solid State EQUALIZER model one b.
Akai LPK25 and LPD8.
Recording’s Keyboard Column.
Know Your Audio Interface.
SXSW 2010 Report.
Readers’ Tapes.
Advertiser Index.
Classified Ads
Fade Out.
Recording - May 2010 - Recording - May 2010
Recording - May 2010 - Cover2
Recording - May 2010 - 1
Recording - May 2010 - Fade In.
Recording - May 2010 - 3
Recording - May 2010 - Contents
Recording - May 2010 - 5
Recording - May 2010 - Talkback.
Recording - May 2010 - 7
Recording - May 2010 - Fast Forward.
Recording - May 2010 - 9
Recording - May 2010 - 10
Recording - May 2010 - 11
Recording - May 2010 - Keb’Mo’ And His Home Studio.
Recording - May 2010 - 13
Recording - May 2010 - 14
Recording - May 2010 - 15
Recording - May 2010 - When Your Studio Meets Your Wallet.
Recording - May 2010 - 17
Recording - May 2010 - 18
Recording - May 2010 - 19
Recording - May 2010 - Pragmatic Design For Project Studios.
Recording - May 2010 - 21
Recording - May 2010 - 22
Recording - May 2010 - 23
Recording - May 2010 - 24
Recording - May 2010 - 25
Recording - May 2010 - CAD Audio E100S.
Recording - May 2010 - 27
Recording - May 2010 - Universal Audio UAD-2 SOLO/Laptop.
Recording - May 2010 - 29
Recording - May 2010 - 30
Recording - May 2010 - 31
Recording - May 2010 - Recording’s Guitar Column.
Recording - May 2010 - 33
Recording - May 2010 - Square State Solid State EQUALIZER model one b.
Recording - May 2010 - 35
Recording - May 2010 - Akai LPK25 and LPD8.
Recording - May 2010 - 37
Recording - May 2010 - Recording’s Keyboard Column.
Recording - May 2010 - 39
Recording - May 2010 - 40
Recording - May 2010 - 41
Recording - May 2010 - 42
Recording - May 2010 - 43
Recording - May 2010 - 44
Recording - May 2010 - 45
Recording - May 2010 - Know Your Audio Interface.
Recording - May 2010 - 47
Recording - May 2010 - 48
Recording - May 2010 - 49
Recording - May 2010 - 50
Recording - May 2010 - 51
Recording - May 2010 - 52
Recording - May 2010 - 53
Recording - May 2010 - SXSW 2010 Report.
Recording - May 2010 - 55
Recording - May 2010 - Readers’ Tapes.
Recording - May 2010 - Advertiser Index.
Recording - May 2010 - Classified Ads
Recording - May 2010 - 59
Recording - May 2010 - 60
Recording - May 2010 - 61
Recording - May 2010 - 62
Recording - May 2010 - 63
Recording - May 2010 - Fade Out.
Recording - May 2010 - Cover3
Recording - May 2010 - Cover4
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