Recording - July 2018 - 66

Readers'

TRACKS
BY MARTY PETERS

Listen online at www.recordingmag.com

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David Newell
EQUIPMENT: PC with M-Audio 24/96 soundcard and
MIDI controller keyboard running Cakewalk SONAR 8 and
Toontrack EZdrummer. Event Precision 8 monitors. AKG
C3000 mic for vocals, Line 6 POD 2, Tech 21 SansAmp Bass
DI, Fender Stratocaster, Simmons bass guitar.
MUSIC: "I Know Your Secret" is a one-man-band male
vocal rock song (whew!).
RECORDING: Great straightahead effort here by David,
with only a few small issues keeping it from our SPOTLIGHT
feature section. Both the composition and arrangements are
topnotch, giving the track a leg up throughout. We found both
the programming and performances to be solid as well.
So what is keeping the track from reaching its full
potential, you ask? Well, as the man said, "The devil is in
the details." The lead vocal through our monitors and Grado
Labs SR325 headphones sounded thin and, at times,
borderline sibilant. We also felt that the Chris Squire-style
bass guitar could have benefited from a midrange boost to
give it additional presence, and that the electric rhythm guitar
was too narrowly centered in the stereo field, resulting in
some low-midrange masking.
SUGGESTIONS: First of all congrats to David for a darn
good track, it is certainly in the upper percentage of the
many submissions we receive. That said, the closer one gets
to "perfect," the easier it is for minor issues to be exposed as
real problems.
As for suggestions, while David is in possession of a fine
vocal mic, perhaps a dynamic rather than condenser would
be a better fit for this rocking track. Regarding the bass, go
back and listen to Yes's classic "Roundabout" for a great example

RECORDING July 2018

of a growling, driving bass tone. Lastly, panning the electric
rhythm guitars would further open up space and clarity for the
rhythm section in its rightful center position.
SUMMARY: Almost there!
CONTACT: David Newell, davidbn27@sbcglobal.net

Tony Morgan
EQUIPMENT: Windows 7 Pro quad-core 32 GB RAM Lenovo
laptop with Steinberg MR816CSX interface and Alesis Q25
MIDI controller keyboard (also used for drum programming)
running Steinberg Cubase 9.5 and Toontrack Superior Drummer
with Basic Rock Drums in multichannel mode. Mackie HR824
Studio Monitors and AKG K240 headphones. Mics: Shure
SM57 and SM58, AKG Perception 420. Fender Deluxe Strat,
Epiphone Les Paul style guitars, Line 6 Spider 3 1x12 and
Spider 4 Half Stack amps, Fender Precision bass guitar.
MUSIC: "Summer Love" is a male vocal "rock ballad". Tony
did it all at his home studio.
RECORDING: In his production notes, Tony relates that this
is a re-recording of a song he had released on cassette way
back in 1984! Let's see what the 21st-century version sounds
like, shall we?
With its heavily processed vibe, the vocals and guitars still
maintain some of that mid-Eighties feel-plenty of delay and
ambience here. We dug the big open kick drum sound that
Tony achieved via his Alesis Q25/Superior Drummer setup.
Less successful to our ears was the snare/side stick sound.
Where the kick drum had a full organic sound with ample
head and beater head emphasis, the snare sound was rather
lifeless in comparison through our monitors.
Moving on, the synth strings and arpeggiated guitar
parts were nicely panned and added some needed
bulk to the track in general. That said, we couldn't help
but feel that the track never really "took off" in terms of
its arrangement.
SUGGESTIONS: Those of you faithful readers who follow
Recording's monthly SPOTLIGHT feature will be aware of the
light that we shine on these superb recordings, and specifically
the impact that arrangements can have on a song. While we
feel that Tony has some fine ingredients to work with here,
we found ourselves on several occasions wanting a change
in snare drum sound (particularly during the electric guitar
solo) or for the bass guitar to switch from whole notes to the
syncopated feel of the kick drum. Small things, for sure, but
the kind of subtle addition/subtraction that can breathe life
into a track.
While we recognize that "Summer Love" is a ballad, small
changes in a mix can many times bring benefit without compromising the intended feel. In that spirit, we suggest that Tony
check out past and future SPOTLIGHT tracks on our website-
it's a great resource, if we do say so ourselves!
SUMMARY: Arrangements are your friend!
CONTACT: Tony Morgan, tmorg@clnk.com

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