African percussion

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sjoko2

sjoko2

New member
If anyone is interested........
I've just done a "session work sampler" for Bara M'Boup, the Senegalese percussion master who plays with Uru's band.
http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/?aid=1739

Recorded here at NGS Studios.
The instrumental tracks are done in three takes;
One for the dun-dun, which are three large wooden drums with goat skins over them (the low sound).
Next a djembe rythm track.
Next a djembe lead track.

For Yado - double tracked a vocal, and added another 'bell-like' instrument (forgot what its called) - looks like a Xylophone with large seed pods.

Microphones used:
Dun-dun; left Neumann KM54 - center Lawson U47 - right Neumann KM54
Rythm Djembe; Audio Technica 4050 on top - Neumann U98i on the floor
Solo Djembe; Lawson U47 - AKG C12 in omni mode as a room mice, placed approx 20 feet away and 20 feet high
Vocal; AKG C12
Pre amps; True Systems Precission 8
Converters; Lucid ADA8824 and AD2496
Clock; Lucid SSG192
DAW; Pro Tools
No effects or processors applied to any of the instrumental tracks. All are mic only sound - 'reverb' on lead Djembe is the room mic.
Vocal chant has a little TC reverb on it.
 
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sjoko2,

This is the best sound I have heard from your studio ever and the best I have heard in a long time, pro or otherwise. It reminds me of some of MixMASTER's best work.

Ok, listening to the first two tracks, Mendiani and Sunu, I almost feel like I need to shed tears. This is what a marriage of good equipment, a good engineer, and a good artist should sound like.

This is how I describe the sound:

HUGE. The detail is there, but there is a CREAMINESS in the low mids that defies explanation. It sounds like the old stuff (elvis) even though there was no tape involved.

The separation is amazing. The detail is perfect without any stridence or smallness. You managed to capture a perfect balance that takes a lot of self-confidence and assurance.

The room sound is astounding. It sounds like a room I would love to record all instruments in.

I am downloading both pieces as reference for what a perfectly balanced piece should sound like, with the perfect type and amount of room, and the right type of creamy smoothness.

Now, off to listen to the piece with vocals.
 
I just listened to Yado.

I think the vocals are characteristic of C12s. Not my favorite. I would have preferred the u47 you used on Bittersweet or a vintage u87.
 
CyanJaguar said:
sjoko2,

This is the best sound I have heard from your studio ever and the best I have heard in a long time, pro or otherwise. It reminds me of some of MixMASTER's best work.
Click to expand...
:) That's the first sound you've heard from the studio --- all the previous stuff was done at home or in the 1/2 finished control room.

I'm very happy with the room, all the time spend on putting the designs together has proven to be 100% worthwhile.
A lot of the 'conventional' designers thought my ideas were downright weird - building a floating drum riser with moving walls and roof, using straw panels for diffusion, using recycled rubber tires as floorcovering, and especially building huge bass traps in both tracking rooms.
However - it all works brilliantly. Back to what recording should be .... good sound and good mic placement, eliminating 95% of processing.

Regarding the C12, this is a vintage one and sounds brilliant, under the right circumstances (like any mic). I do not like to use any processing - therefore, if you analyse the frequency range of the material, you'd ascertain that the 'sound' of a 47 would peak in the same mid frequencies as a djembe. You would therefore have to process it to 'stand-out' in a mix. The C12, on the other hand, has the extended top end to make it stand out without any processing. (apart from that, Bara definately is NOT a singer:( )

Another thing about recording drums / acoustic environment:
I've just finished tracking 2 CD's of material with Aynsley Dunbar, who has played on over 220 albums sofar, and is known to be very demanding re. his drum sound. Started with my 'normal' 12 plus mics on the kit, plus 4 room mics. Ended up with a D12 on the kick and 2 (tubed mod) 87's as overheads - and that's all, the kit, his playing and the acoustics did the rest. According to Aynsley we got the best, most natural drum sound he's ever had.
Which, in my opinion, proves that its all about:
1. Get the instrument to sound good.
2. Record in a good sounding space (which does NOT have to be a studio).
3. Mic placement
(playing well helps too:)
 
Wow...just listened to Yado. What a beautiful piece, the entire soundscape is full of detail and deep. The piece itself is hypnotic, a beautiful blend of performance and recording.
Awesome.

Mark
 
Hey Sjoko, why are you signing up multiple users? You can manage all artists through one user account.

(P.S., having more than one user account is a no-no, and usually winds up in your account disappearing)

W.
 
technically, realwaldo, wont the artists be separate entities?

different artists who happened to by mixed by the same guy? I dont know, Im just wondering.
 
TheRealWaldo said:
Hey Sjoko, why are you signing up multiple users? You can manage all artists through one user account.
W.
Click to expand...


'Coz I'm a dumbass?
:o :rolleyes:
 
Cyan Jaguar>

The system is designed so that you can have ONE username/password and manage multiple artists.

You are allowed to have only one user account, but can add as many artists as you want from your control panel.

The artists will appear as seperate entities, but are all controlled by the one user account.

Sjoko, starting using just one user account, and the 'add an artist' feature in your artist admin, or the servers gonna delete your extra accounts (and artists/tracks uploaded).

W.
 
nice sounding stuff. glad to see you around again posting some stuff you've done. Your room sounds like it IS a winner. ...even with all those "shabby' mics you used...:)
 
Sounds really great!

Feels like he's in the room playing.
The instruments you mentioned,are they from Africa,I mean like hand made stuff?
Only reason I ask is you mentioned seed pods.

I enjoyed it,thanks.


Too bad about John eh!
Another tragic loss.:(

Best to you,
Pete
 
Bara makes all his own drums, the wood as well as the skins.
He has just returned from a month "back home", and, so I've been told, went back to his town, killed a cow and a goat, took their skins back to the hotel where he hung them over the balcony railing to dry them, then prepped them and brought them back here. His instruments sound amazing.

John is a sad loss indeed. Miss him
 
WOW WOW WOW WOW !!!!!

This guy is amazing and so are you, sjoko2 (is there a sjoko1?). Both the recording and the performances are top quality, man. Even thru my not-so-good computer speakers it makes my hairies stand up!

So you recorded Ansley Dunbar, right? I recall the guy's name and relate it to great records, but can't point exactly what records he has played in.

Peace

El flapo
 
I'm not amazing, just have been at it for a while.

Aynsley started with Joghn Mayall, then Zappa / Mothersfor 10 plus years, founding member of Journey, Also played with Bowie, John Lennon, Lou Reed, Whitesnake, and lays on too many albums to mention.
 
Thanks, Sjoko2

Where I recall him from, is Journey's albums, I didn't know he had such an extense and impressive career
 
Where is it? I just get a bibilo.

Maybe they've deleted the account?
 
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