60's Recording

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jmorris said:
...Today, you go to school for 2 years for recording engineering, or like us here, learn from the communication of others on the internet....
Or you go to school for 4 years, and learn a combination of music, producing, and engineering. And also use the internet. But nothing beats experience.
 
IronFlippy said:
Or you go to school for 4 years, and learn a combination of music, producing, and engineering. And also use the internet. But nothing beats experience.
Bingo!!!!!!!!!
 
cmaaaaaaaaaaan guys... I can't seem to get an anwser anywhere

help a brother out :D
 
Mo-Kay said:
don't mean to hijack your thread, but...speaking of motown/chess.... I want to record some stuff like violin, trumpet, sax.... etc. maybe track stuff a few times and layer it....


any tips for that?
point horns to wall, mic's behind horn players. Not my idea! I read in one of these post that it was done that way for "Songs in the key of life" by Stevie Wonder and I think Motown stuff?
 
that's excactly what's been said in this thread :confused:

haha


an STRING ideas anyone? :)
 
jmorris said:
point horns to wall, mic's behind horn players. Not my idea! I read in one of these post that it was done that way for "Songs in the key of life" by Stevie Wonder and I think Motown stuff?

Well, it depends on whether you're recording horn PARTs or horn soloes. With soloes, just stick a mic in front of the horn - but not pointed right at the bell.

Usual method for strings: The top of the instrument is where the sweet vibrations come from, so position mic accordingly, not too close. It's not rocket science.

By the way, +1 on jmorris's remarks on "vintage" recording and "vintage" gear. Those folks back then had some great stuff and a lot of good experience! Fidelity has not advanced significantly since then.
 
Originally Posted by Mo-Kay
don't mean to hijack your thread, but...speaking of motown/chess.... I want to record some stuff like violin, trumpet, sax.... etc. maybe track stuff a few times and layer it....


any tips for that?



I'm a violin session player and here's what I do to capture the violin. In the studio I use two U-87's (not the remakes). Place them approx. 2 feet above the violin and stand six inches in front of the mics. Record the violin through your favorite compressor about 2:1 ratio. 4:1 at max. Record flat eq. My mixdown on my violin is flat also but it depends on your box. I play a $47,000 instrument but my $3500 dollar ones require heavy eq. The violin is rather easy to record as you can see. Hope this helps. As far as getting that 60's sound with a violin. Try using 60's gear. That tape bias noise had allot to do with the 60's sound in my opinion and overloading an analog board to create compression instead of using an actual compressor was another characteristic back then.

Jim
 
ok... except for the expensive mic's and gear, I'll try to make the best of this :D

thnx
 
Mo-Kay said:
that's excactly what's been said in this thread :confused:

haha


an STRING ideas anyone? :)
well, i SAID i KNEW i SAW IT SOMEWHERE. Hey, I only had 4 hours sleep last night ;)
 
Well I got some Altec compressors and an Altec 1220 mixing console 11 channels...a few Presonus Tubed compressors ...and as far as mics , I dont have very many but i do have...2 Sm 57's, 1 PG 52, Ev RE-15, RE-18, At 811, a 2 Rode Nt's...
I really like those RE-18s they sound like the Dick Cavett show.... if that makes any sense...
Thanks again
 
I need some help on this too..

About to start recording my bands debut album and we're all fans of that classic Chess/Decca/60's sound and my question is:

Dead Room or Live Room???

We have a number of studios to choose from but i'm stumped as to wether we should be aiming for a dead or live room. We are aiming to record everything pretty much live bar the vocals and one thing being particularly important, the drum sound needs to have that bright and punchy sound of these old records, like the snare sound that almost bites your head off! And the kick that thuds along with a really nice tight 'thuddy' bass (The Zombies being a great example here, which i presume is Decca studio 2?!)

WE've been experimenting with a number of mic set ups and favour the minimal 1 kick and 1 or 2 overheads (U67's) for the drums. Bass we're also going for flatwound strings and felt muting (Carol Kaye style) but yeah, we just need to figure out wether we need a dead or live room.

Please help!!
 
Mo-Kay said:
ok... except for the expensive mic's and gear, I'll try to make the best of this :D

thnx

It's a pain in the ass not to have $$$, isn't it? But I have seen a couple plug-ins (if you are using a software program) that simulat analog tape sound. I haven't tried out this approach but it might be a cheaper approach.
 
jhodges72 said:
I play a $47,000 instrument...
Ouch, Stradivarius? My mother inherited a violin, but knows nothing about them. When her friend looked at it, he saw the word "Stradivarius" and said "I think you have a very expensive instrument here." On closer inspection, we noticed it said "based on" before that. It was funnier at the time, I suppose.
 
One thing often overlooked with those oldie classics is the simplicity. Very few if any efx, clear bass, soft drums, crisp guitars, vocals as the main feature, horns and strings to highlight or accent certain parts. Back "in the day" people were recording songs, not so much individual parts to be cut up and assembled later. Many of the songs were recorded in a fashion so they could be played live, exactly like the record. They had to keep it simple, many of those bands toured with only as much gear as they could haul in a Buick station wagon.
 
FALKEN said:
of course, dude. fender jazz bass. I think it might be the 2x12 cab that is distorting.

I've always prefered 4x10's for bass, helps get the mud out maybe try this.
 
i remember reading an article about the motown recordings somewhere and if i find it, i'll post it. the reason the drums sounded so huge is because mics from the other players (bass, strings, etc..) were picking them up.
 
Dani Pace said:
One thing often overlooked with those oldie classics is the simplicity. Very few if any efx, clear bass, soft drums, crisp guitars, vocals as the main feature, horns and strings to highlight or accent certain parts. Back "in the day" people were recording songs, not so much individual parts to be cut up and assembled later. Many of the songs were recorded in a fashion so they could be played live, exactly like the record. They had to keep it simple, many of those bands toured with only as much gear as they could haul in a Buick station wagon.

I would like to see the zombies "odessey and oracle" performed live or "pet sounds." I think that alot of the what is cosidered psych rock from that era was created soley as a studio project, in that the studio became an instrument. I.e., layers of vocal harmonies, backwards guitar, symphonic arrangements. Why didn't the Beatles perform Sgt. Pepper's live? I guess there has always been a divide btwn a live performance and a studio performance. IMO the studio is where my songs take a truer form; the personality i add in the studio through impossible live arrangements makes it original. Anyhow
 
Granted, the 60s was a time of experimentation and inovation. Many bands were out to prove themselves as artists, both in the studio and at live performances. Some recordings (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for example) were made as a studio work and were never intended for live performance. While some bands were working in the big studios with all the techknow available others were more involved with simply recording good music which they could reproduce live for their fans. Advancements in equipment during the 60s changed music dramatically in both the studio and live performance. While I am impressed with some of the studio inovations from that era and the complexities which clearly demonstrate the artistic creativity of some artists, it was the simple, clear, and pure music that I remember most. In my opinion the best music from the 60s (or any era for that matter) is the music which showcases the musicians and their ability.
 
I love O & Oracle

I agree. The effects and sound used by bands in the 60s only worked because the songs themselves were written well, the performances were professional sounding, and the effects were chosen and used like how an instrument would be played. Effects for the sake of effects is a clear sign of amateurism, thats why everyone loves protools but cant play their instrument.

Where are all the Chris Whites of todays world? Too ugly to make it on mtv probably.
 
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