A coffee shop performance?

  • Thread starter Thread starter 37point5
  • Start date Start date
3

37point5

New member
Hey all,

This is my 3rd paid recording gig, still with the same artist, Marcel Tirado. I'm also just starting to record someone else, and I'm very excited about him because he looks like Enrique Eglesias (sp?) and sings like the guy from Live! Luckily I'm acting as the manager/producer/engineer for these artists, so who knows whose coat-tails I may ride to fame!

Anyway, for this one I was going for more of a live feel, so I broke out the percussion, cut down on the 'verb, and set the limiter a little lower for more dynamics.

Equipment used: Rode NT1, Oktava MC012, 2 ART Tube MPs, a Behringer MX602A, and the Delta 66 sound card recording at 24 bits through Cakewalk Pro Audio. Most of the plugins were from the Waves NPP2, but there was some reverb and random stuff from the Hyperprism pack. The bass was recorded direct into a Tube MP. The guitar was miced with the Oktava and mixed with the pickup's signal.

The song is called "Raleigh" and can be found at http://mp3.com/37point5

Hope you all enjoy it. Feel free to ask any questions and give any opinions, positive or negative, about the recording of the song. Opinions about the composition itself are also more than welcome. Thanks in advance for any feedback!

Ryan
 
I'll check it out but I'm still not clear on a very important aspect of the recording process. Was this recorded at a real coffee shop or just a band that usually plays coffee shops and was recording at your studio? I see this was done direct to PC. I'd be all over you with questions about how this was done at a live venue. So separating the thread upfront makes sense. :)
If this was a live gig at a real operating coffee shop, post replies in the Recording Techniques Forum and neither of us can be accused of fucking up a thread.

[Edited by drstawl on 01-08-2001 at 18:45]
 
OK- I just got it and I haven't gotten Marilyn that excited since I added a rhythm track to a JitteringJim song. If the line I just wrote is still there in my mind in a couple of days I'll record a track....

Oh yeah- that was a promise, not a threat... :)
I'm not one of those thievin' Napster freaks.
I always get permission first.

One more question. Did you record this song with the guitars tuned down to Eb?


[Edited by drstawl on 01-08-2001 at 18:48]
 
yup, had a "live" sound...I think the micing of the acoustic is what made it so....I could almost see that guitar...you used the stuff you listed to the max....it was great....gibs
 
Well, just to clarify upfront: No, this is not an actual live performance. It's all Marcel (except for me on the shaker). All the tracks were recorded separately, and I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could make it sound "live", kinda like you're sitting there listening to someone play in a coffee shop. Plus, the song lended itself to an unproduced type feel, and since I'm very aware that I often overproduce things, I wanted to try something different.

Now for specific replies:

Drstawl, glad this song passed the Marilyn test! I know what an honor that is, and I'll try to properly convey my excitement about it to Marcel, who probably will never fully understand what the hell I'm talking about. And please do record a track if you're inclined to do so. I'll mix in your contribution to the original and post it up on the mp3.com page for this site (if contributions are still being accepted, that is; if not, I'll just put it on my site). And yes, the guitar was tuned down to Eb.

Gibs, thanks for the compliment on the guitar sound. I just panned the miced signal to one side, added some chorus and just a smack of roomish 'verb, and then panned the direct signal to the other side with the same 'verb. I don't even think I used any compression or EQ on either signal (actually, I think I cut out some low end on the direct signal, but that's about it). That Oktava is one hell of a mic for acoustic guitars!

Thanks again,
Ryan
 
I like the sound of the vocals, especially when all the background vocals come in and fill it out. Kinda wordy in some places, and it sounded like he had to rush to fit everything once or twice, but that's a minor thing. I like the mix too, and think that the acoustic sounds good except for what sounds like mp3 artifacts on the high end. I bet it sounds great without that compression. I could listen to this one and not for a second think it wasn't on the "Dawson's Creek" or one of those other WB or UPN show soundtracks that they seem to put out every single week for teenagers to blow money on. ;) That's a compliment to the recording, and even sorta the song itself unless this guy was going for something completely different than that. Great job on the recording either way, and the live feel is certainly there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top