Getting a "live" effect?

S

s3-09

New member
Hi!

(First post here, so bear with me..!)

I'm working on a story-driven concept album, and one of the tracks is supposed to be a "live" performance within the story of the album. I record everything by myself here at home, but I want to get an authentic live sound (think a small sized venue).
What is the best way to achieve this? It might be as simple as to slap a room reverb to the master and tweak around, but I wanted to know if anyone more experienced had any cool tips or tricks?

Thanks!

(It's a sort of bluesy, jazzy piece, if that helps at all!)
 
Not something I would typically recommend, but I did this once for a similar situation.

Played back a full mix through PA at a smaller venue (300 capacity empty) and used two mics to record the room.

A reverb plug will definitely get close, but something about the real (fake scenario) thing seemed to work better. :)
 
Thank! Sounds like it would work, it's a neat trick. Now I might not have a small venue at hand, could the same thing work recording it playing back from my own monitors or something, and then mix that signal back in to give some space to the song?
 
I did a song in studio and stripped it down to two acoustic guitars and lead vocals and background vocals

Did a small room reverb on everything and filled up 8 tracks with people shuffling, talking, beer bottles clanking,etc. and set the "room ambiance" tracks low in the mix as if the stage mics were picking it up.

It fooled a record reviewer in an LA music magazine. He thought it was a live track on the record and liked it.

It was easy. Just play around with your reverbs.
 
s3-09 said:
Thank! Sounds like it would work, it's a neat trick. Now I might not have a small venue at hand, could the same thing work recording it playing back from my own monitors or something, and then mix that signal back in to give some space to the song?
Click to expand...

Or find a friend with a large living room with bad acoustics and do the same with his stereo system.

A small room is not likely going to give you anything worthy as far as sounding like a live recording.

Messing around with reverbs is much easier...
 
Oh, to add to my earlier posting, Track as much of the song as you can live. Don't punch, don't edit, don't fix.
Capture a good live performance in one take and overdub as needed.

A real live performance is never perfect even if very good, That imperfection is what convinces the listener (along with the sound) that this is a live recording.
 
Unfortunately, if you are doing all the parts yourself, it's never really going to sound like a live performance, so you've got to add the 'ambiance' of the place. If it's supposed to be a bar or small club - use RFR's suggestion - bring a portable recorder (like a Zoom or Tascam) to a place like the one in the story, and record the sounds of the room from a few different locations in the room. You may need to blend some of these together on additional tracks in your DAW, with the same reverb used on your instruments to make them sound in the same place.
 
If you want it to sound live then mix the guitar and cymbals too shrill and too loud. Bury the vocal. Then add a bunch of medium room. Finally, massively overdrive it to simulate the iPhone's mic circuit distorting.
 
jimmys69 said:
..A small room is not likely going to give you anything worthy as far as sounding like a live recording.

Messing around with reverbs is much easier...
Click to expand...
And I'd add do it (the FX's- plural likely) at the track level not the mix. Inevitably (pretty much) it's going to go like any good staging'- best fit for each of the instruments or parts, and one size, or wetness' does not fit all.
 
I've never tried this but a thought and something I would have a try at.

Record the audio playing from a Stereo/Hifi with a mic at some distance or from your monitors with a Camcorder, or both. Then blend the audio from that recording with your original. Camcorder audio would probably take enough "sheen" off the recording to make it sound more genuinely "live" and you could back up the important parts with your original mix.

Add the odd bits of random crowd noise in there as well. :thumbs up;
 
Thanks for all the super solid suggestions, guys! I'll try them all out, and spend some time figuring out what works best!
 
bouldersoundguy said:
If you want it to sound live then mix the guitar and cymbals too shrill and too loud. Bury the vocal. Then add a bunch of medium room. Finally, massively overdrive it to simulate the iPhone's mic circuit distorting.
Click to expand...
Also, pick exactly one of kick or snare, make it the meatiest, baddest-assed kick or snare sound you've ever heard (doesn't have to actually be appropriate for the context), and then turn it up way too loud to show it off! ;)

Also, don't forget microphone feedback. You can get that from headphones in front of the mic without actually having to hear it.

I occasionally use one or the other of the bass amp/cabs in PodFarm to emulate a PA, and a good large room/hall IR verb should get you pretty close.
 
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