Recording - November 2009 - 39

The important thing to remember is not to overdo it. You want to boost the mids, but not so much that the guitar is too brittle. It’s also helpful to listen to the mix on as many different speakers as possible, so you can really hear how the different instruments stand out and if the tone’s outcome is what you expected. I found using a parametric eq rack is very useful, being able to really pinpoint the frequency you’d like to boost. Orban made a number of broadcast ones that you can find for a couple hundred dollars on Ebay. There is also a Pultec plug-in that works really well. An alternative device to controlling guitar tone is to use a limiter or compressor. It works like a charm and really helps center the guitar in the mix. In fact, compressors give guitars presence and provide control over the various dynamics, particularly on bass and crunchy rhythm guitar. I found using a mic-pre/compressor, such as the Universal Audio LA-610, particularly useful. One of the wonderful things about the unit is the onboard eq, which is very subtle and works great on acoustic guitar, lead guitar and even bass. For those of you who are not familiar with the LA- 610, it is a channel-strip format based on the legendary console modules developed by Bill Putnam back in the 1960s. It combines the 610 Mic-pre/eq/ DI sections and a T4 Opto-compressor. Because of its tube circuitry, it adds warmth and depth to the tone. But by far my favorite compressor is the Urei LA-4, which absolutely loves all guitars. The great thing about the LA-4 is that it is very transparent in capturing your tone and controlling the level in the mix. Extremely easy to use—I recommend it highly, even if it’s the only compressor you ever buy. Making sonic room Whether you record on hard disk or analog, there are many components involved in shaping the guitar track in the mix. The best way to approach it is to make sure you can hear every instrument in the mix along with the guitar. If the guitar is the lead instrument, then treat it like you would lead vocals, something you can clearly hear in Satriani’s mixes. If your guitar is a rhythm instrument as in many of Nugent’s songs, then make sure you have made sonic room for other instruments, including the vocals. Sonically one of the most interesting portraits is Eric Johnson, with his use of various guitar tones via real amps to achieve a wonderful musical canvas. He uses different guitars and amps to get his clean sound as opposed to his overdriven sound. This makes the most sense, because some cats get so attached to a certain guitar or amp that they box themselves in. For example, if you want a 12string sound, don’t just plug in a chorus pedal, use a real 12-string guitar. Speaking for myself, I find that combining digital technology and analog gives me the most interesting results. Nugent has the last word I’ll leave you with the immensely charismatic message that Ted passed on to me: “Ah yes, the sweet smokey BBQ grease drip of the mighty Gibson Byrdland in the hands of a pure, primal-scream aboriginal dogman fresh from a steaming gutpile campfire somewhere way back in the Spirit Wild hinterland that we all love so dearly. Such romance! It is indeed the unleashing of numerous Byrdlands from my glowing arsenal of assault guitars that were not turned over to the evil government when they attempted to ban them years ago. It is insanely fun and the guitar tone is merely the manifestation of our united love ” Brian Tarquin (tarquin@recordingmag.com) is an Emmy-winning recording engineer and guitarist, who runs the guitar-centric label Bohemian Productions based in New York. Learn more at www.bohemianproductions.net.

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Recording - November 2009

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