Recording - July 2011 - 64

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Recording: Although our mission statement is really to focus on the technical aspect of things, once in a while we are simply blown away by the quality of the writing on the submissions that we get. Damn, Paul, ya done yourself proud! O.K., now on to the “techie” stuff. In his cover letter, Paul tells us that while he is a member of a five-piece band, he decided to wear all of the hats on this track. So how did he do? Well, pretty admirably for the most part. The acoustic guitars are full sounding and the tremolo electric provides some nice “jangle”. We also liked the way that the harmonica was recorded. No joke, folks, it can be one of the most difficult sound sources to capture, and Paul did it well. Less to our liking was a slightly unintelligible bass guitar part and the fact that the vocals, both the lead and harmonies, were set too far back into the mix, at least through our monitors. Suggestions: Nothing here that a few tweaks can’t cure. We suggest that Paul add some mids to his bass eq to bring out a little “bite”. As for the vocals, dude, you wrote a great tune, lyrics included... so let us hear them loud and proud!
Summary: We hope your music has a chance to be heard by a wider audience.
Contact: Paul Sticca, psticca2010@gmail.com, www.thechickenyard.com.

Paul Sticca / THeCHiCKeNYaRD
Equipment: TASCAM 2488neo digital multitrack recorder, JBL Control 2P monitors. Mics: AKG Perception 220 and Perception 170, Shure SM57s and Sm58s. Takamine acoustic guitars, Fender American Standard Stratocaster, Fender Tweed Blues Deluxe amp, BOSS Tremolo pedal, Fender Jazz Bass, Stewart drum set with Ludwig snare, Zildjian cymbals, cowbell, shakers, Hohner Blues Band harmonica.

Kyle Davids
Equipment: Propellerhead Reason 3.0, Roland electronic drums.

Music: “Count to Ten” is a male vocal rock song. Paul did it all at his home studio. In his own words: “I started with a dry acoustic guitar and vocal track miked through the Perception 220, then added the drums, which were miked overhead with the Perception 220, snare with Perception 170 (from about 2 feet away) and kick with a Shure SM57. I added some compression and short reverb to the drums. After that I added the bass line direct into the board with a little compression. Then I reran the acoustic guitars (you’ll hear two tracks panned—one strumming and one picking), both miked with the Perception 220 and Perception 170 at the same time, which gives it a really full sound, very little reverb. Then I added the Strat (again two tracks panned, one strumming and one picking), the picked part through the BOSS Tremolo pedal and then into the Fender Tweed Blues Deluxe amp miked with a SM58 and minor eq on the board. Then I added the two vocal parts, lead and backing, both miked via Perception 220, and got rid of the scratch track. Then, the harp miked through the Perception 220. Finally, added the shakers and cowbell for effect. Had a lot of fun with it, hope you’ll review and provides some constructive feedback. Thanks!”
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RECORDING JULY 2011

Music: “Pico de Nablina” is a jazz instrumental. Kyle was the one-man-band on the project, playing everything himself. Recording: A “drummer by trade” (Tell it, bra’!), Kyle used a set of Roland electronic drums and keyboard/computer generated “instruments” to create this fine recording. We think that Kyle is perhaps a tad modest with his “just a drummer” persona. In addition to being a killer drummer, he is also a cut above when it comes to his composing, arranging, keyboard and mixing skills. Rarely have we heard a better sound/performance from an electronic kit, and the additional sound sources are quite “realistic” considering their origin. Our only real complaint is the amount of reverb placed on the drums, which to our ears give them a dated 1980s sound. Other than that, the cat can flat out bring it! Suggestions: All apologies to the often-maligned Phil Collins, the Uber-reverb so common in the drum recordings of the 1980s places a time stamp on the sound. Whether that is good or bad is a personal call, however in the case of “Pico De Nablina” it causes somewhat of a disconnect between the drums and the other sound sources. We would encourage Kyle to dial it back some for a better overall blend.
Summary: Talent as big as the reverb, no lie!
Contact: Kyle Davids, Hav3atps@hotmail.com.

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Recording - July 2011

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