Recording - October 2021 - 44
Inside the
Studio
with Mark Hornsby
Nothing but
the Mic
O
ver the past few years, I have come across a few studio
cats recording sessions with just one microphone,
as in, one microphone recording an entire ensemble at
the same time. In another twist, I recently saw my buddy Bobby
Dellarocco doing a whole session using a Sennheiser MD 421
mic. As in, multiple 421 mics used repeatedly-on every source.
My typical modus operandi is tracking a bunch of musicians
playing in a room together simultaneously. That's my comfort zone.
But change could be a good thing. To quote the great English philosopher
Ted Lasso, " I think that's what it's all about. Embracing
change. " That got me thinking: Could I record a whole song featuring
real instruments using just one or two mics only, into my Universal
Audio Apollo Twin interface? This idea generated several
questions: What mic(s) would it be? What kind of song could I do?
How would I record the drums? What's in the briefcase in Pulp Fiction?
I came up with a plan to record a pop/rock song using real
drums, bass, guitars, vocals, and some programmed keys/synths.
Here's how I did it; head to recordingmag.com/inside-the-studio to
download the session and follow along at home.
In the year 2011
Just like you, I choose different mics for different reasons.
From a technical point of view, it's certainly not
rocket surgery to tackle a bunch of overdubs with the
same mic. However, that can cause some problems. One
of the beautiful things about using different microphones
is that they are, in fact, different. If I record a bunch of
tracks with the same bright microphone (for example),
the mix, by default, will have a smiley Q sound to it. In
other words, it's going to sound thin. One of the things
we like about having different mics is that they all have
their vibe to them. When used tastefully, we can swap
them out to create unique sonic landscapes without painting
ourselves into a corner. For me, there are very few
mics out there that can do it all-from loud to soft, bright
to dull, and everything in between. So, for this project, I
chose the DPA 2011. It's a small, versatile desert island
mic that sounds good on almost anything. Is it the perfect
choice for everything? No. Can I use it and get a great
sound for the instruments on this project? Yes, I can.
Breakdown
The song we're looking at is 'I Put a Spell On You',
a spooky pop/rock song that's driven by keys and a
powerful female vocal. Since this song would be done
in layers of overdubs, I needed to create something to
play to. I charted it out and programmed some keyboard
parts: Piano, pads, strings, organ - enough
parts to capture the vibe and carry the song so that
the overdubs are more of a checklist than a needed
exploratory process.
For this project, all the tracks were recorded into Pro
Tools using the Unison preamps on a Universal Audio
Apollo Twin, monitoring through the UAD Neve 1073
for EQ. I usually commit and print the EQ, but foreseeing
that this session would be available for download, I
made notes on my settings and re-instantiated the Neve
1073 as a Pro Tools insert after the fact. That way, you
can A/B the mic's sound with and without the processing,
and see what I was going for while recording.
44 RECORDING October 2021
http://www.recordingmag.com/inside-the-studio
Recording - October 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2021
Fade In
Tech 21: Bass Fly Rig v2
A Family of Microphones Compared: The Shure Unidyne... or, The SM57 & Friends
Soundware Showcase: Spitfire Audio Originals Jangle Box Piano
Closer to GWAR: Recording and remixing the masters of the Slave Pit, with Ronan Chris Murphy, Pustulus Maximus and the Berserker Blöthar
Zeppelin Design Labs: Cortado MkIII Contact Microphone
Session Log: The AngelHeaded Hipster, Part 10: Bass and Percussion
Plugin Outlet: Slate Digital FG-2A and Custom Opto
Morton Microphones: KickTone Microphone
Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby: Nothing but the Mic
L-Acoustics: L-ISA Studio
KEMPER: PROFILER Head
Inside the Box with Joe Albano: Compression in the Box
Teegarden Audio: PPC-125 MD Condenser Microphone
Hit’n’Mix: RipX DeepAudio
Thirty-Five Years of RECORDING
Fade Out: The Right Mic for You!
Recording - October 2021 - Intro
Recording - October 2021 - Cover1
Recording - October 2021 - Cover2
Recording - October 2021 - 1
Recording - October 2021 - 2
Recording - October 2021 - 3
Recording - October 2021 - 4
Recording - October 2021 - 5
Recording - October 2021 - Fade In
Recording - October 2021 - 7
Recording - October 2021 - 8
Recording - October 2021 - 9
Recording - October 2021 - Tech 21: Bass Fly Rig v2
Recording - October 2021 - 11
Recording - October 2021 - A Family of Microphones Compared: The Shure Unidyne... or, The SM57 & Friends
Recording - October 2021 - 13
Recording - October 2021 - 14
Recording - October 2021 - 15
Recording - October 2021 - 16
Recording - October 2021 - 17
Recording - October 2021 - 18
Recording - October 2021 - 19
Recording - October 2021 - 20
Recording - October 2021 - 21
Recording - October 2021 - Soundware Showcase: Spitfire Audio Originals Jangle Box Piano
Recording - October 2021 - 23
Recording - October 2021 - Closer to GWAR: Recording and remixing the masters of the Slave Pit, with Ronan Chris Murphy, Pustulus Maximus and the Berserker Blöthar
Recording - October 2021 - 25
Recording - October 2021 - 26
Recording - October 2021 - 27
Recording - October 2021 - 28
Recording - October 2021 - 29
Recording - October 2021 - 30
Recording - October 2021 - 31
Recording - October 2021 - 32
Recording - October 2021 - 33
Recording - October 2021 - Zeppelin Design Labs: Cortado MkIII Contact Microphone
Recording - October 2021 - 35
Recording - October 2021 - Session Log: The AngelHeaded Hipster, Part 10: Bass and Percussion
Recording - October 2021 - 37
Recording - October 2021 - 38
Recording - October 2021 - 39
Recording - October 2021 - Plugin Outlet: Slate Digital FG-2A and Custom Opto
Recording - October 2021 - 41
Recording - October 2021 - Morton Microphones: KickTone Microphone
Recording - October 2021 - 43
Recording - October 2021 - Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby: Nothing but the Mic
Recording - October 2021 - 45
Recording - October 2021 - 46
Recording - October 2021 - 47
Recording - October 2021 - L-Acoustics: L-ISA Studio
Recording - October 2021 - 49
Recording - October 2021 - KEMPER: PROFILER Head
Recording - October 2021 - 51
Recording - October 2021 - 52
Recording - October 2021 - 53
Recording - October 2021 - Inside the Box with Joe Albano: Compression in the Box
Recording - October 2021 - 55
Recording - October 2021 - 56
Recording - October 2021 - 57
Recording - October 2021 - Teegarden Audio: PPC-125 MD Condenser Microphone
Recording - October 2021 - 59
Recording - October 2021 - Hit’n’Mix: RipX DeepAudio
Recording - October 2021 - 61
Recording - October 2021 - Thirty-Five Years of RECORDING
Recording - October 2021 - 63
Recording - October 2021 - 64
Recording - October 2021 - 65
Recording - October 2021 - 66
Recording - October 2021 - 67
Recording - October 2021 - 68
Recording - October 2021 - 69
Recording - October 2021 - 70
Recording - October 2021 - 71
Recording - October 2021 - Fade Out: The Right Mic for You!
Recording - October 2021 - Cover3
Recording - October 2021 - Cover4
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