Recording - July 2012 - 12

Guitarists worldwide know Grammy-winning player Frank Gambale as the creator of the “sweep picking technique.” In addition, he has earned a place in the history of jazz thanks to his work with Chick Corea. Gambale is also a composer, songwriter, and author of numerous instructional books and DVDs. Robert M. Biles is an LA-based recording and mixing engineer with enviable album credits such as Smokey Robinson, Brian McKnight, Tom Coster, Vital Information, and most recently, Kevin Eubanks. He has recorded live groups for album projects, television music and orchestral film scores, and has an affinity for acoustic music and extensive experience as a front-of-house mixer for large and small venues, specializing in remote recording for live albums or DVD releases. The two veterans had worked together in the past, and recently teamed up again for Gambale’s latest album, Soulmine, which was recorded by Frank at his home studio in Palm Springs, CA, and mixed by Biles and Gambale. Following is an in-depth exploration into the process of obtaining a wide variety of guitar sounds for this CD of original songs, which features Frank’s wife, vocalist Boca. Frank and Bob shared many of the techniques they used for this project and past collaborations as well.

What was the initial process for recording Soulmine? Frank Gambale: The preproduction was done at home, and when I’m in the writing process I record all the parts and then replace the scratch MIDI drum parts, for example, with a real drummer. A lot of the demo guitar parts, like a solo, end up being the final thing because I get so used to hearing it. I could probably do another solo, but why? [laughs] Boca did a lot of vocal scratch tracks that also ended up being final. I am more aware now that the initial tracks most likely will become final tracks, so I always make sure I have the sound I want. I’ve often made the mistake of having a great solo with an awful direct sound, and I’m trying to manipulate it later to make it sound good and regretting that. What gear was used for recording? FG: I have a Pro Tools setup with a 003, which I love. It’s very user-friendly: you plug it in and it works. I’ve gotten very good at Pro Tools; I know everything I need to know with that software.
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RECORDING JULY 2012

Robert M. Biles: Frank used a Shure SM58 on his amp/cabinet and a Shure KSM27 for the acoustic guitar recording. I used an AKG 460 on one or two acoustic guitar overdubs. On previous albums I’ve mostly used SM57/58s up close on his amps/cabinets, a little off center, and pointing towards the outside of the speaker. Why is it a good idea, in your experience, to place it off center? RMB: I always found that placing the mic right in the center would result in too much midrange. It also gives me better separation, when miking two speakers in a tight space: one mic is pointing to one speaker and the other mic to the other speaker. If the mics are pointing away from each other you get much more isolation. How do you record acoustic guitars, Bob? RMB: If the acoustic guitar is the main focus of the project, I cut it in stereo and sometimes add the direct sound if possible, mostly for low end. Once or twice, when in an excellent large room, I’ve used three mics: a pair of large-diaphragm mics a few feet apart and a small-diaphragm mic in the middle. For Frank’s acoustic trio album, which had piano, bass and acoustic guitar, I actually used two mics and the direct signal too. I rolled off the top of the direct signal and just used the low end. This gave me a much bigger image.

Recording - July 2012

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