RECORDING September 2022 - 28

My Band
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MIXING
When it comes to panning, this was
the first time I tried the L/C/R approach.
In the past, I would pan sources 30%
left or 20% right, but for this album,
everything was panned straight up the
middle or hard left/right. I like the width
I achieved more than previous material,
so I think I will continue to explore the
L/C/R method moving forward.
Vocals
I started vocals with a tuning pass using
Melodyne, and I like to print the tuning
once completed. Editing vocals with
a real-time Melodyne plugin can be a bit
clunky, so I always find it best to print it
before moving on.
After that, I used a very healthy dose
of serial compression (Waves CLA-2A,
Arturia Comp FET-76, followed by FabFilter
Pro-MB acting as a de-esser), a few FX
throws, and usually one instance of Sound
Toys Decapitator that stays in bypass for the
most part. At least for this particular project,
I found it handy to automate it to come on
during parts that called for a touch of grit
or to thicken up the vocal even if you aren't
pushing into overdrive. Listen to " Fistful " for
more liberal use of the Decapitator.
Once again, my go-to vocal effect was
Clearmountain's Domain by Apogee. I
used the stereo slap setting on every tune,
even if it's incredibly slight. I found it most
effective to bring in a touch of the stereo
28 RECORDING September 2022
slap specifically for the choruses, which spreads out the vocal and creates more contrast
from the verses. It makes the chorus vocal pop!
As a side note, the second verse in " Ruckus " was rewritten after I had already returned
the ADK Z-Mod Z-47 microphone that was in for review (see last month's tracking installment).
I was actually in the process of reviewing the Warm Audio WA-8000 at the time
(published February 2022), so I had lead singer River sing into that microphone without
much thought. After wrestling with the tone trying to match the ADK Z-47, we ultimately
gave that verse the 'telephone treatment' (HPF @ 300 Hz, LPF @ 3kHz). It worked out musically,
as it now drives into the chorus with more intention-which was a happy accident.
What started as a trouble spot matching two competently different mics and vocal takes
in the mix became one of our favorite verses on the album!
Samples
We added various samples throughout the album, some of which are musical, and
some are just different phone recordings that River had throughtout the years. Those just
added a bit of lighthearted fun to the mix. For additional sample-fun, everything from hand
claps, reverse swells and trumpet licks (in the chorus of " Cali Blues " ) were all sourced from
a program called Splice. Splice is a subscription service loaded with awesome musical
samples. It usually takes some editing to match your tempo and key, but we found it to be
an excellent source for some extra textures to sprinkle throughout.
Final Thoughts
Like any final mix, Two More Skip The Last is far from perfect, and we're already discussing
what we'd like to approach differently for the next album, which is currently in production.
That said, we're proud of how it turned out. It can be challenging to record and mix
the same band you play in, especially with longtime friends. In this context, I found it particularly
important to keep the big picture in mind and not sweat the small stuff. We couldn't
be happier with the fine mastering work Justin Perkins contributed to the project as well. I'd
highly recommend checking out Mystery Room Mastering (mysteryroommastering.com) for
any finishing needs! And for anyone curious about the album name, Two More Skip the Last
is a skiing phrase we use all winter in Colorado-because you should NEVER call last run.
Check out Üfer Two More Skip the Last at
ufermusic.bandcamp.com
or your favorite streaming service.

http://www.mysteryroommastering.com http://ufermusic.bandcamp.com

RECORDING September 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of RECORDING September 2022