Recording - August 2021 - 67

Readers'
TRACKS
BY MARTY PETERS
Readers' Tracks is where respected engineer
and producer Marty Peters listens to your
recordings and critiques them, pointing out
where and how you can make them better.
Listen to the songs, read the reviews, and
submit your own materials online.
" And, So " / Ernie Galarza
Equipment: MOTU Digital Performer, iMac, Universal Audio
Apollo, Neumann U 87, PMC Result studio monitors, Mogami cables,
Toontrack EZdrummer, Native Instruments Komplete, Waves
Mercury Bundle, iZotope mastering software, Fender guitars.
Music: " And, So " is a soft rock track. Ernie handled all
the instruments, vocals, mixing, and mastering except for the
piano, which Alex Malsan played.
Recording: A fine overall effort here with plenty to like and
only a few minor areas of concern. The first thing that we noticed
was how clean everything sounds throughout, not clinical, just well
performed, recorded and presented. The vocal chain is without
reproach; the Neumann U 87 into the Universal Audio Apollo is
a recipe for success, and Ernie's performance does them proud.
The piano also came out beautifully in performance and tone, with
great sound from the software-based plugin. We dig the thoughtful
panning and Ernie's use of the stereo field-tasty! Any cons are
centered around the rhythm section. Through various speakers and
Grado Labs SR 325 headphones, the bass lacked strength and
presence, while the drums, though creatively assembled by Ernie,
are bashful in the mix compared to the forward-placed vocals.
Suggestions: A predominant issue that we've seen through
the years in this column is a propensity to duck the drum levels
in the mix when they are programmed. Our advice remains:
mix the drums as if they were tracked on an actual kit by a
real drummer. Mix balance supersedes origin every time, and
we have The Cars, Eurythmics, and a plethora of 80s artists
to corroborate our point of view. We urge Ernie to remix the
track while referencing commercial releases in this genre, paying
attention to the volume of the bass and drums for a more
effective balance.
Summary: Good bones!
64 RECORDING August 2021
" Steely Eye " / John McCracken
Equipment: Steinberg Cubase Pro, Focusrite Clarett 8 Pre,
Focusrite ISA Two preamp, Yamaha HS7 monitors, Beyerdynamic
HD 990 Pro headphones, Gibson, Fender and Samick
guitars, Fender amps, Waves plugins, Mapex drums, Shure
and SE mics on the drums, Avantone CV-12 for vocals. Brass
sounds are a mixture of Spitfire Audio Studio Brass and NI
Session Horns.
Music: " Steely Eye " is a 70s-influenced rock track. John did
it all except the drums, which were played by Laneus Franklin.
Recording: This is another fine effort from John and one
that certainly carries some 'Steely' vibes! John's previous submission
was a soft rock tune that featured wonderful slide
guitar work reminiscent of George Harrison. This time out,
he tackles the 'Peg'-era Steely Dan sound with an order of
Michael McDonald / Doobie Brothers on the side. A tall order
that, and a successful one for the most part. The fact that John
handled the performance (minus the drums) and the recording
is impressive indeed. John obviously spent time on the arrangement,
and with the number of instruments present, that was
a wise decision. Highlights include an awesome Larry Carlton-esque
crunchy panned electric guitar solo. Great tone and
performance here and absolutely genre correct. The panned
keyboards also work well, as do the faux horns, and dig those
backing vocals-brother brought some soul to the party! On
the flip side, the drums are not working for us here. The kick is
faint, and the snare begs for some ambience. We also found
the wide-panned tom fills to be boxy in tone. Our other concern
centers on the lead vocal. John tells us that he employed some
de-essing to address a nasty 5k issue, and in spots, we detect
artifacts from the finagling. We also feel that the overall volume
of the lead vocal is a tad high in the mix.
Suggestions: This was a heck of an undertaking, and John
should take pride in his work. As for fixes, we would remix
from the ground up, centering on the drums. The relationship
between the kick drum and bass guitar is critical, and John
should take his time on it. After that is settled, we'd love to hear
a bit of reverb or delay on the snare, along with some brightening
of the toms. As for the vocal, while we have found the
Avantone mic to be a fantastic tool for many folks, condenser
mics are not always the best fit for every voice. We would encourage
John to experiment with a dynamic or ribbon mic and
see if it marries up better with his pipes. That said, we found the
backing vocals to be superb. If John employed the same signal
path, perhaps positioning, EQ or pre/post-processing was the
culprit. We suggest John look at the information on his backing
vocals in his DAW (EQ, compression, processing) and see if/
how they differ from his lead vocal and adjust accordingly.
Summary: Making great strides, John!
Listen online at RECORDINGMAG.COM
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Recording - August 2021

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