Recording - May 2017 - 64

Readers'

TRACKS
BY MARTY PETERS

Listen online at www.recordingmag.com

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Bret Wilson / Thallium
EQUIPMENT: 2.4 GHz iMac with Presonus FP10 interface running
Steinberg Cubase LE and "miscellaneous plug-ins", ART Tube MP mic
preamp, Event Project Studio 6 monitors. Mics: Shure SM57 (guitars,
toms), AKG D112 (kick), Shure SM81 (overheads). G&L L2500 bass,
Burny Les Paul, Ibanez JS1000 guitar, Ampeg VST4 bass amp, Hartke
410XL & 115XL cabinets, Marshall JCM800 amp with 4x12 cabinet.
MUSIC: "Disintegration" is a male vocal rock song. Bret co-wrote

the track with Bob Jacobs. In addition, Bret played bass and
rhythm guitar, sang the vocals, and handled the recording end
of things. The other members of Bret's band Thallium were
Matthew Johnson on drums and Rick Seifken on lead guitar.
RECORDING: Lots of talent to go around in this heavy rock
number, along with some not-so-great artifacts and tonal/
balance issues. The track intros with the rhythm section, and
we were impressed with the sounds that Bret and Matthew got
on the drum kit. The kick drum had a lot of snap, as befits the
genre, and the snare had a muscular 'crack' that married well
with the deeper tom sounds.
Unfortunately, the upper register bassline was far less effective. The repetitive nature of the bass must have played a
central role in the group's arrangement plans, but in our view
it went on waaaay too long before dropping down to fill in
the low frequency range of the mix.
Moving on, we found that the low-mid-based electric rhythm
guitar benefited from some nice panning, adding some bulk
and movement to the proceedings. This was in direct contrast
to the brittle "ice pick" tone of the lead guitar later in the song.
We also found our old nemesis Señor Sibilance in attendance,
all over Bret's lead vocal-elongated syllables and smear,
impossible to miss through our monitors!
SUGGESTIONS: As we mentioned earlier, Thallium are a
talented bunch and Bret certainly has some recording chops.
But the track needs fixes, starting with the sibilance.
64

RECORDING May 2017

While most of the cases that we get stem from improper
compression/limiting (a whole other story unto itself), the fact that
so many of you loyal readers seem to either (a) not hear it, or (b)
not care, is rather puzzling to us. Sibilance is never going to pass
as proper recording technique in these pages; learning to properly
use gain reduction/leveling tools is as essential as it comes.
While the bass arrangement is ultimately the band's decision,
waiting well over a minute for it to drop down and muscle up
this mix seems achingly long in our book. Lastly, taming the
super-bright tone on the lead guitar would help take some of the
"crispy" out of the overall mix; we urge the fellas to give it a try.
SUMMARY: Good band, easy fixes.
CONTACT: Bret Wilson/Thallium, thalliumsphere@gmail.com

Ringo
Steinberg Cubase 5.5 and Toontrack Superior Drummer, Fender
Telecaster designed by the painter Tanja Scheithauer (www.
tanja-scheithauer.com), Epiphone Elitist ES 335 Dot, Yamaha bass.
MUSIC: "Burrito Time" is a male vocal blues track done in

its entirety by Ringo.
RECORDING: Man, typing "Ringo" without "John, Paul,
George and" is just plain awkward! Nevertheless, let's take a
look at this track by "our" Ringo, shall we?
Diving straight in, our overall impression of the track is that
it sounds "thick". By that, we mean there are a lot of instruments
sharing not only the same sonic signature, but also the same
general area in the stereo field.
The Billy Gibbons-inspired boogie electric rhythm guitar is
positively massive (in a good way) with a slight 11:00-1:00
panning placement. The lead guitar resides inside this space,
as do the drums, bass, and lead vocals. Ringo has chosen
some fine-sounding drum tones here via his Superior Drummer
software, and though the programming is quite basic, the
snare and kick share an articulate snap that cuts through the
mix. We are also treated to some mighty tasty lead guitar playing,
particularly during the last quarter of the song, greasy as a
big ol' plate of enchiladas... or burritos!
As for areas of concern, we heard little if any bass guitar in
the track, and the vocals were a bit of a mixed bag. The lead
vocal, with its "spoken" style, certainly fits the genre, but the
backing vocals seemed somewhat disconnected in placement
and ambience from the "in your face" nature of the overall mix.
SUGGESTIONS: When you pile your plate this high with similar
frequencies, something is bound to get smothered. (Get it?
Smothered burritos... ah, never mind!) In Ringo's case, it's
the bass guitar that gets "masked" by the low-mid bulk of the
guitars. Every Billy Gibbons needs a Dusty Hill and "Burrito
Time" needs a bass. Ringo could easily widen the panning on
the rhythm guitars out to, say, 9:00-3:00, thereby allowing
the bass to claim its place in the center of the stereo field. He
could also choose to thin the guitars a tad with a lowcut filter.
As for the backing vocals, mixing ambiences can be a
tricky proposition. We suggest that Ringo "dry" them up a bit
to bring them into better focus with the rest of his mix.
SUMMARY: What time is dinner?!
CONTACT: Ringo, ringo@rockmydream.com

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