Simple tracking setup

K-dub

Well-known member
My first attempt at this didn't go well ...

I had set up a triangular mic array w/ 2 stereo MXL603s through my Peavey tube VMP2 set wide in the rear, and a 4050 through a Joe Meek VC3Q ... to track my son.

Since my son has a pretty wide dynamic on his vocals, I engaged the compressor on the Joe Meek ...

... and totally fucked up the sound.

When the compressor hit, the vocal went wide to the wings. When it turned off, the vocal came back center. It was weird.

I didn't care much, as I didn't really like the sound of the 4050 through the Joe Meek anyways ... and it was noisy.

So yesterday, I was at Guitar Center and fell into a great deal on a used Trident T4 channel strip.

I brought it home, setup the basic array as above, except this time I didn't utilize compression on the way in, and only mildly on the way out.

Bry is a bit of a purist, preferring his folk style to sound natural and live. He wouldn't care much if it was recorded through a cassette deck, if the energy and emotion of the performance showed through.

OTOH, I like things to sound more polished, and yet I want things to sound as natural as they can, whilst letting the emotion and performance come through.

So this is what we got, bearing in mind it was tracked live (Bry doesn't mind a few human warts in a performance):

Sorry I saw you


Sound live and natural? Thanks!

Kev-
 
I like the tune. Recording is balenced and clear.

Its quite a simple song, so the only real advice I can give is to record in a different room - the acoustics sound very closed and small. This may be the result of a plugin, but it sounds natural. Maybe add some acoustic improvement or find somewhere larger with a different verb response. Almost sounds like a room without any carpet.

I like it though, fairly simple but it works well.
 
Yeah Kev,
you hear the bathroom too much. It makes it sound authentic to a degree, but a bad choice of ambience.
 
Yeah Kev,
you hear the bathroom too much. It makes it sound authentic to a degree, but a bad choice of ambience.

Not my call ... (The artist likes it)

:D

But the array captures it accurately ... so I guess that counts for something!

K-
 
the artist may like it, but who's the producer:D

Heh ... being a PROPER producer means delivering to the artist what THEY want to hear themselves doing.

... and don't think for a moment that I haven't made alternate suggestions.

I'm not a big fan of the bath, but it was better than the outside venue we started with ...

It was windy and every song we did sounded like it was performed in a hurricane.

:D
 
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