Recording - May 2015 - 56

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Michael Brebes
Equipment: Apple Mac Pro with MOTU 2408 audio interface
running Steinberg Nuendo and Universal Audio UAD plugins. Mics: Shure SM7 and SM57, AKG C414 P48, AudioTechnica ATM25, modified Oktava MC012. Symetrix 501
compressor, Soundtracs MidiPC mixing console, Hafler TRM
8 monitors, Seventh Circle Audio A72 mic preamps.

Music: "On The Screen in Eden" is a male vocal rock
song. Michael did it all-vocals, guitars, bass, and drums,
tracking and mixing-in his "one man shop."
Recording: Michael has submitted a slinky, bluesy
track, and a mostly successful one at that. We say "mostly successful" because there are still a few areas that
could use some sprucing up.
First for the good stuff. We love the Mark Knopflerstyle electric guitar that introduces the song... lovely
tone and performance! We also felt that Michael did an
admirable job with his kick drum and bass guitar. The
bass in particular shines here, with a growly tone that
brings good energy to the mix.
On the down side, the aforementioned intro is marred
by some excessively loud/loose cymbals, as well as a leftpanned acoustic guitar that is seriously lacking volume
through our monitors. We also felt that the snare drum
had a rather boxy tone, and that the lead vocal exhibited some sibilance in places during the track.
Suggestions: Overall we sense that Michael is on the right
track here, and that the repair work should be fairly painless!
While we can't be sure exactly what was going on at
his mix position (a heartfelt thanks for including monitors in the gear list, though!), several if not all of the
issues here could be a result of some suspect room
acoustics. Excess bass buildup at the mix position may
have led to Michael increasing the high frequency/
volume on both the cymbal and lead vocals, thereby
explaining the balance and sibilance issues. As always,
56

RECORDING May 2015

listening to one's mix through various types of speakers can
go a long way towards identifying these potential problems.
As for the snare tone, "boxiness" can usually be found in
the 500 Hz range. We suggest that Michael sweep through
this area on the snare EQ and reduce the offending frequency until his snare opens up. Lastly, we would love to
hear more of the acoustic guitar in the mix. It seems quite
well played and recorded, and adding several dB of volume
would balance it nicely with the stellar electric.
Summary: The more listening sources, the better.
Contact: Michael Brebes, mbrebes@hotmail.com

Luc Gilbert
Equipment: Windows XP PC with PreSonus Inspire 1394 audio
interface running Steinberg Cubase LE. ART Tube MP Project
Series mic preamp, Behringer B-1 mic connected to TC-Helicon
VoiceTone Correct pedal. M-Audio BX8a monitors. Casio CTK611 keyboard used as drum machine. Epiphone DOT guitar
using Native Instruments Guitar Combo effect, Jay Turser bass
with Zoom BFX-708 effects pedal, flugelhorn part played with
Roland GR-20 guitar synth on Gibson SG guitar.

Music: "Don't Give Up On Us" is a male vocal rockabilly
song. Luc wrote, performed, programmed and recorded it in
his Ottawa, Ontario studio.
Recording: A little slice of rockabilly from north of the border, eh? Lest you readers find that incongruous, remember
that Canada was the stomping grounds of one Mr. Ronnie
Hawkins, a true rockabilly legend, and his group The Hawks,
five of whose members went on to future fame as The Band.
So how did Luc fare with his effort? Well, he certainly captured the essential elements required to provide us with a
convincing demo-style recording, albeit one that could use a
tad bit of rebalancing in our humble opinion.
One of the cornerstones of the original Sam Phillips/Sun
Records sound was the use of slapback echo on not only the
vocals, but often on the entire mix as well. Luc certainly understands this, and has set about recreating it here. Unfortunately
for Luc, Mr. Phillips achieved his signature sound with the aid
of two analog reel-to-reel tape machines (plus a lot of trial and
error, along with a little luck!) that physically "delayed" the signal, and like a lot of "old school" sounds, achieving the same
results in the digital age will get you close, but no cigar.
In addition, the early engineers at the Memphis Recording
Service (the studio's original name) worked in glorious monophonic sound, which, if you have ever tried it, requires a fairly
different mindset in terms of sound source placement. This is
relevant in Luc's case because his right-panned electric lead
guitar sounds a good deal too loud and out in front of the rest of
his mix here, creating the balance issue we spoke of earlier.
Suggestions: Well, Luc, "in for a penny, in for a pound," as
they say. Our advice to you is to make your mix as authentic
as the genre you are working in. In plainer terms, we would
like to see you remix the entire track in mono!
If your software will allow it, find its mono function and
rebuild your mix; if not, use stereo but with all sound
sources and effects panned to center or run in mono. Trust
us that you will learn a great deal about not only balance,
but spatial relationships, EQ, and volume in the bargain.
Summary: Mono to the rescue!
Contact: Luc Gilbert, luc.gilbert44@yahoo.ca

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Recording - May 2015

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