RECORDING January 2023 - 64

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.
" The Curse " / Rick Lecksell
Equipment: Tascam 4-Track recorder, 1978 Guild F-50
acoustic guitar with Barcus-Berry Hot Dot Box Pre-amp/Boost,
Shure SM57, Suzuki harmonica and Sony MDR-F1 headphones.
Music: " The Curse " is a male vocal folk song written, performed
and recorded by Rick.
Recording: Rick has submitted a stripped-down acoustic tune
here that is squarely in the 1960s Greenwich Village era-the
Dylan, Eric Andersen, Phil Ochs vibe is alive! Recorded on
a basic Tascam 4-Track (cassette?) machine, this classic folk
troubadour, acoustic guitar, harmonica and vocal arrangement
focuses on the storytelling.
Sonically the recording lands firmly in the demo category.
The Guild F-50 (my first " real " guitar back in 1972) is a fine
instrument, but it definitely has a plugged-in pickup sound
here. The vocals are quite a bit better. The venerable Shure
SM57, while having gained legendary status as a snare,
guitar amp and horn mic, can be passed over as a vocal mic,
often in favor of its neighbor, the SM58. In our experience,
the SM57 can be sensitive to plosives, and we did detect
some here, primarily on the " P " s. Aside from that, the vocal
part was well recorded.
The genre-correct harmonica is well played and captured,
although it could have been a tad more present in the mix. A
noticeable volume disparity between the vocal and harmonica
leads to energy fluctuations throughout the song.
Suggestions: Rick's recording has a live performance feel,
and we'd love to hear the song individually tracked, primarily
to use a mic on the acoustic guitar. Anyone who has
ever seen the incredible Gillian Welch/David Rawlings can
attest to the capability of the SM57 as an excellent acoustic
guitar mic. Next, individually tracking the harmonica would
64 RECORDING January 2023
offer more volume and balance flexibility during mixdown.
Lastly, a pop filter or windscreen during vocal tracking is a
way to combat the plosives. They can be obtained for very
little money (homemade in many cases) and are a great tool
to have in general.
Summary: Easy repairs.
" If I Ever Met Santa " / Cash and Gillman (and
Arlen)
Equipment: PreSonus Studio One 5 Professional, PreSonus
StudioLive 32R, Native Instruments PERCUSSION, Spitfire Audio
Abbey Road One Orchestral, Toontrack Superior Drummer
3, Tech 21 GED-2112 Geddy Lee Signature SansAmp Bass
Pre-amp, Shure SM7B and various plugins.
Music: " If I Ever Met Santa " is a pop Christmas parody. The
track was arranged, recorded, mixed and produced by Jeff
Gillilan. Tom Cash sang the vocals. The music is by Harold
Arlen, with new lyrics by the duo.
Recording: It's that time of year--eggnog, tree trimming, and
last-minute shopping. Appropriately, Cash and Gillman have
submitted a holiday-based track.
Jeff and Tom have done a pretty nice job putting the swing
on Arlen's melody of " If I Only Had a Brain. " The walking bass
guitar pattern gives the track a nice groove, and the drums
(via Toontrack Superior Drummer 3) lope along in concert. The
bass has a rich, full tone, and we dug the drum programming
overall, particularly the tom fills. Though they came across as
somewhat " mono-ish, " they were well-balanced in the mix.
The ancillary sounds-timpani, faux horns, vibes and strings-
were sufficient to get the point across. As with many demo-type
recordings, these help create the right atmosphere.
While the music was generally robust and focused, the vocals
seemed dispersed in sections. Through our monitors, headphones
and particularly our computer speakers, we had a bit
of a rough go making out the words. Part of the reason may
lie in Jeff's liberal panning scheme, which finds the lead vocal
at 9:00 and 3:00 in sections, followed by a center placement
in the stereo field, then panned out wide again and repeated
throughout the length of the recording.
Suggestions: It shows that these guys genuinely had a good
time putting their seasonal twist/homage together. As for tips,
we'd like to hear the lead vocal volume increased and centered
in the mix along with the kick, snare and bass, saving the
left and right for the harmonies. We'd also encourage Jeff to
expand the panning on his tom fills. The parts are great, and
widening their placement will give them even more shine.
Summary: Ho Ho Ho!
Listen online at RECORDINGMAG.COM
https://recordingmag.com/readers-tracks/ https://recordingmag.com/readers-tracks/
RECORDING January 2023

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