Recording - October 2010 - 20

I wanted to record as many quality tracks as possible while still having all the options and control I would want later on in the mixing process. One of the biggest things I noticed was that the solos from the fiddle and the guitar were ever-changing. Typical

Two down, more to go By the end of first day, we had two songs completely done. At this point we discussed and agreed that we would try and get four to five songs the next day and keep the focus on the rock-based material.This made sense with the time we had versus the progress we were making. If we had some time at the end, we could redirect to some of the acoustic material. But, ultimately, that never happened. By the end of day two, we had four more songs in the can and plenty of material to choose from. It was to become a six-song EP that represented the core of what the band does. Also, this left room for a follow-up full-length album that could encompass some of the acoustic material.

The mix When it was all said and done, I ended up taking the tracks back home to the States for editing and mixing. Needless to say, when you record a live band in a big room, there’s only so many places you can go in the mix. The most time was actually spent comping from all the different solo takes. With some judicious eq, compression and proper automation rides for the dynamics of the solos, my work here was done. I mixed the project in Pro Tools HD through a Tube-Tech SSA 2B Summing Amplifier and Daking FET III Stereo Compressor/Limiter—straight to halfinch tape. That’s right: A half-inch MCI tape machine that had been pimped

of the jam band, they played what came to them in the moment. I liked this, but in a room where everything was bleeding into one another, I felt that separating the solos and being able to get multiple takes of those would be ideal. So, what we ended up trying and eventually doing for every song was to record a couple takes of the entire band playing the song without the solos and then overdubbing numerous takes for all the solo parts till we had ones we were really happy with. Since there are no vocals to be dealt with, the solos and melody work became the focal point of the songs. It seemed like a good idea to approach them much like you would a lead vocal track, and the band agreed. We kept every take. My assistant Paul was very much on the ball in labeling every playlist and keeping detailed notes I could use later on in the comping process.
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In the end, everyone was happy with the way things turned out. We came together as a team and made choices that were logical and consistent with the time at hand and the goals of the band. On top of all that, we had a great time working in probably the most famous room in the world. In retrospect, this, like so many other sessions, goes back to some core principles that aren’t emphasized enough to today’s up-and-coming engineers: Organization, proper planning, and being able to stay focused on the goals at hand make for a way better product than just memorizing what all the gear does. The gear is the fun/easy part, but being able to deliver the goods is what it’s all about.

out by good friend and Nashville native Chris Mara. I don’t mix everything to tape these days, but since it was, after all, recorded at Abbey Road, it seemed like the right thing to do. Oh yeah, if you do ever make it out to Abbey Road, that intersection is still packed with tourists—all day, every day. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Learn more about Gallus at www.gallusrocks.com. Mark Hornsby (hornsby@recordingmag.com) is a producer/engineer based out of Java Jive Studio in Nashville, TN. For more information, check out www.markhornsby.com. All photos by Erick Anderson.
http://www.gallusrocks.com http://www.markhornsby.com
Recording - October 2010

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