Recording - February 2014 - 70

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Ryan Nadon
Equipment: Windows 7 64bit PC with M-Audio Profire 610 interface running Cakewalk SONAR X2 with Celemony Melodyne, IK
Multimedia AmpliTube 3 (rhythm guitar) and Native
Instruments Guitar Rig Pro 5 (bass) and Kontakt 5 / Steven Slate
Drums 3.5. Mackie Big Knob monitor controller, M-Audio BX8a
monitors. Mics: Shure SM58 (vocals), Studio Projects condenser
(ac. guitar). Primacoustic Voxguard vocal enclosure. Jackson
Soloist through Behringer V-AMP Pro for lead guitars, ESP LTD
EC-1000 and a PRS Mark Tremonti with Zakk Wylde EMG pickups used for rhythm guitars. Cort acoustic guitar, Ibanez bass.

Music: "Be Somebody Else" is a male vocal rock song.
Ryan did it all with the exception of the vocals, which
were sung by Lauren Mackenzie.
Recording: Big anthemic rock tracks seem to span generations, from Bon Jovi to the Kings of Leon, and Ryan's
submission has all of the ingredients necessary to compete with these "big boys". The first thing required is a
well-written track with a strong hook, and "Be Somebody
Else" is certainly that. The majority of the music bed is
equally strong, with perfectly compressed/ distorted guitars (via AmpliTube) delivering a wall of sound.
We also dug Lauren's gritty lead vocals, sung dry through
a standard issue Shure SM58 dynamic mic. Legend has it
that both Mick Jagger and Elvis Costello were fans of the
SM58 in the studio, and its ability to handle powerful voices like Lauren's make it an excellent choice here.
If there was a negative to be found with Ryan's submission, it would be with the drums. While the programming was capable for the most part, there were some
level issues with the tom fills at times. We also felt that
the snare drum tone was a bit on the "plastic" side
through our monitors. The Steven Slate Drums 3.5 plugin that Ryan used is one of the best in the business, and
a bigger, deeper snare drum sound would have been a
better fit for the size of the track in our opinion.
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RECORDING February 2014

Suggestions: Ryan has done an excellent job overall here.
The tracking and mixing are free of artifact/heavy limiting
that often spoils many of today's rock recordings, major label
releases included. As for the drums, it's very rare that we
hear programmed drums compete with a good live player in
terms of feel. Hey, it's their job, you know!
Our suggestion to Ryan is that he consider teaming up
with a top notch drummer in his area, or take advantage of
the many pro players who offer their services long-distance.
Computer-based recording and the Internet has made it possible to connect with all types of monster players, many with
gold/platinum credits, who will lay down parts on a track,
often for much less coin than one would think. Both Ryan
and Lauren are serious talents; with a pro drummer "Be
Somebody Else" would be headed to our Spotlight feature.
Summary: Good stuff!
Contact: Ryan Nadon, rn1111@gmail.com

Steve Bonaccorsi
Equipment: PCAudioLabs custom PC with M-Audio FireWire 410
interface and M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 MIDI keyboard, running Digidesign Pro Tools M-Powered Version 7 and MOTU
Symphonic Instrument plug-in. Mackie MR5 Studio Monitors,
Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Headphones, RØDE NT1-A mic (vocals).
Fender Stratocaster 70s version, Takamine EF341C acoustic guitar,
BOSS GT-10 guitar processor, Yamaha PSR550 keyboard.

Music: "Cooper Street" is a male vocal rock song. Steve
did it all in his home studio.
Recording: This is Steve's second appearance in Readers'
Tapes, the first one being back in July of 2007. At the time
Steve had relayed that he was "an old guy" just getting back
into recording after a long absence. So what has changed with
Steve 2.0? Well, track count and arrangement skills for a start!
"Cooper Street" is a full 24-track project, the core drum
beat and opening train effect were played manually on a
Yamaha PSR550 keyboard. It also has 5 tracks of guitar, 3
tracks of lead main vocal, 4 tracks of "ooh's & harmony" in
the interlude sections supported by choir vocals from a
MIDI keyboard, along with 9 MIDI orchestration tracks via
MOTU's Symphonic Instrument plug-in. Well, Steve, it looks
like you've been making up for lost time!
As for the individual sound sources, the results are a bit of
a mixed bag. To our ears the strength of the track is the vocals
(and the lyrics, a heartfelt tribute to his dad) along with the
string arrangement, which add a nice Moody Blues vibe to the
proceedings. Less to our liking were the acoustic guitar tones,
along with the mushy low-end bass/drum sound.
Suggestions: Steve has come a long way with his recording
chops since 2007 and we're mighty pleased to find him still at
it. As for suggestions, the tone of the acoustic guitar would indicate that it was tracked using the instrument's onboard pickup.
While this can sometimes be effective as a supplemental technique, it will never replace the sound of a miked-up acoustic in
our opinion. Combining the pickup with the RØDE NT1-A condenser mic would almost certainly yield superior results.
Regarding the bottom-end sounds, clarity and frequency
management are vital regardless of what sound sources come
into play. We encourage Steve to define what he wants the
drum/bass relationship to be, and then find a good solid
"voice" for each sound.
Summary: Welcome back, Steve!
Contact: Steve Bonaccorsi, stephen.bonaccorsi@comcast.net

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Recording - February 2014

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