Recording - May 2012 - 36

By Chris Pelonis

I’ll get right to the point. It all started and/or stopped when multitrack recording came into existence. There were so many options suddenly available. Those options really spawned a whole new generation of techniques and technologies. There is a ton of positive that has come from this, but there has been a bit of a downside as well. One up- and downside is the ability to fix things. With the advent of multitracking, if someone couldn’t get their part right, they could just overdub or punch in on “their” track. It spawned a generation of musicians who haven’t had to play their instrument as well—or at all in some cases. Just drop in a sample. Buy some loops. Steal some loops. There is now the art of playing loops and samples. Nothing wrong with that. I think it’s cool, but the art of playing and capturing the realism of the instrumentalist and his/her instrument, including voice, is becoming elusive. I was asked by Recording Magazine to share two techniques about recording, and I am honored to do so. I will be discussing a couple of recordings where these techniques were used, in the hope that readers will learn from my experiences. There will be audio clips available to go with this article, too, on the Recording website at recordingmag.com; just look at the Resource Library under Magazine Extras > Audio and Music.
36
RECORDING MAY 2012

Vocal and Guitar recorded at once
I recorded a solo acoustic artist named Mason VanValin. In this project, he played acoustic guitar and sang at the same time—I would not allow for the guitar and voice to be recorded separately. He was a little freaked out by the idea; he was so used to overdubbing, pitch-correcting, punching, cutting, pasting, etc., as opposed to capturing it all at once. But I wanted to capture the true essence of what happens organically when he performs his songs. I did not want it disjointed. When using the techniques I’m going to share, it is important to realize a couple of key factors. You must start with a few crucial elements. You must have an instrument that sounds good, someone who can play it well, a room that sounds right for your recording, and the equipment to capture it in the best way possible. (I know, simple, right?) I used six microphones for this project. What you are hearing is 90% one mic—the one that Mason is singing into. It is a Manley Cardioid Reference mic, placed about 12" from Mason’s head and just slightly lowered



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Recording - May 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - May 2012

Recording - May 2012
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
Lynne Arriale’s Solo—A Piano Solo Recording Of Note
Kel Audio HM-7U amd HM-3C Microphones
Fanny Franklin’s Get Wet—A Conversation With Producer/Engineer Jason Gutierrez
AKG Perception 120 USB Microphone
Miking Instruments: The Lost Art
Earthworks SR20 Microphone
SXSW 2012
Radial Engineering MC3 Passive Monitor Switcher
Readers’ Tapes
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 5: Introduction To Microphones—Part Two (Directionality).
Miking A Symphony Orchestra For A Commercial
Audio-Technica AT4050ST Stereo Microphone
Alclair Reference In-Ear Monitors
RME Fireface UCX
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - May 2012 - Recording - May 2012
Recording - May 2012 - Cover2
Recording - May 2012 - 1
Recording - May 2012 - 2
Recording - May 2012 - 3
Recording - May 2012 - Fade In
Recording - May 2012 - 5
Recording - May 2012 - Contents
Recording - May 2012 - 7
Recording - May 2012 - Talkback
Recording - May 2012 - 9
Recording - May 2012 - Fast Forward
Recording - May 2012 - 11
Recording - May 2012 - Lynne Arriale’s Solo—A Piano Solo Recording Of Note
Recording - May 2012 - 13
Recording - May 2012 - 14
Recording - May 2012 - 15
Recording - May 2012 - 16
Recording - May 2012 - 17
Recording - May 2012 - 18
Recording - May 2012 - 19
Recording - May 2012 - 20
Recording - May 2012 - 21
Recording - May 2012 - Kel Audio HM-7U amd HM-3C Microphones
Recording - May 2012 - 23
Recording - May 2012 - Fanny Franklin’s Get Wet—A Conversation With Producer/Engineer Jason Gutierrez
Recording - May 2012 - 25
Recording - May 2012 - 26
Recording - May 2012 - 27
Recording - May 2012 - 28
Recording - May 2012 - 29
Recording - May 2012 - 30
Recording - May 2012 - 31
Recording - May 2012 - 32
Recording - May 2012 - 33
Recording - May 2012 - AKG Perception 120 USB Microphone
Recording - May 2012 - 35
Recording - May 2012 - Miking Instruments: The Lost Art
Recording - May 2012 - 37
Recording - May 2012 - Earthworks SR20 Microphone
Recording - May 2012 - 39
Recording - May 2012 - SXSW 2012
Recording - May 2012 - 41
Recording - May 2012 - Radial Engineering MC3 Passive Monitor Switcher
Recording - May 2012 - 43
Recording - May 2012 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - May 2012 - 45
Recording - May 2012 - Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 5: Introduction To Microphones—Part Two (Directionality).
Recording - May 2012 - 47
Recording - May 2012 - 48
Recording - May 2012 - 49
Recording - May 2012 - 50
Recording - May 2012 - 51
Recording - May 2012 - 52
Recording - May 2012 - 53
Recording - May 2012 - 54
Recording - May 2012 - 55
Recording - May 2012 - Miking A Symphony Orchestra For A Commercial
Recording - May 2012 - 57
Recording - May 2012 - Audio-Technica AT4050ST Stereo Microphone
Recording - May 2012 - 59
Recording - May 2012 - Alclair Reference In-Ear Monitors
Recording - May 2012 - 61
Recording - May 2012 - RME Fireface UCX
Recording - May 2012 - 63
Recording - May 2012 - 64
Recording - May 2012 - Advertiser Index
Recording - May 2012 - 66
Recording - May 2012 - 67
Recording - May 2012 - 68
Recording - May 2012 - 69
Recording - May 2012 - 70
Recording - May 2012 - 71
Recording - May 2012 - Fade Out
Recording - May 2012 - Cover3
Recording - May 2012 - Cover4
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