Ccr

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m98ter

New member
Although I know I'll probably get laughed off the forum for this considering the gear I have, I'm in the process right now of recording my bands demo and I was hoping for some tips. I really really love the sound of Creedence Clearwater Revival records (take "Down on the Corner" for example), and I was hoping for some tips on achieving that sort of sound without an old analog reel to reel. It's actually kinda funny to me when I listen to that song through our new Bose system, because to me it really sounds fairly noisey (but I like that style for some reason), and it seems like alot of mistakes stick out through a $2000 set of speakers. I guess maybe I'm more after some tips on getting that type of acoustic sound..eq, compression, and the like.

We use a Alesis 12 Firewire mixer running into a Macbook running Garageband (I know it's not as good as the cubase that comes with it, but it's just soooo easy to use). We mainly use dynamic mics for recording as well, as I like that "live" sound they give us...plus after dropping $3000 in the past month our mic budget is non existent.

Any help is appreciated.

Will
 
Emulating analogue sounds without analogue equipment is gonna be tough. Part of what amkes that song so great is the catchy bass-line and John Fogertys amazing vocals. Are you going to be tracking live? A live tracking would probably lend to that 'rough' sound, be it for better or worse.
 
Yeah, we may track it live...it's kind of strange to me coming from an old cassette four track to our new digital setup, because it almost seems too clean sometimes. I wonder if it would be totally pointless to dump my tracks to tape then back to CD to add a little noise?
 
m98ter said:
Yeah, we may track it live...it's kind of strange to me coming from an old cassette four track to our new digital setup, because it almost seems too clean sometimes. I wonder if it would be totally pointless to dump my tracks to tape then back to CD to add a little noise?
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You should always aim to get anologue in the chain somewhere IMO. when tracking i usually run my audio through old anologue gear to warm the signals. Also i do it at other points when mixing.
 
m98ter said:
It's actually kinda funny to me when I listen to that song through our new Bose system, because to me it really sounds fairly noisey (but I like that style for some reason), and it seems like alot of mistakes stick out through a $2000 set of speakers.
Will
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You should fix your sound chain starting at the source. If your recording sounds noisy on playback it's probably because it is noisy before it even hits a microphone. Try lowering the volume on all the instruments and record again. Try not to record the tracks too hot and if possible monitor the mix from another room.

If mistakes are sticking out then practice more before recording and stop making them. Another thing you might want to consider is lowering the key you are using because Fogarty is a hard act to follow.
 
I was talking about CCR's songs sounding noisey and full of mistakes (but good noise and good mistakes)...ours sounds too clear for my taste....
 
There are actually pugins that put in hiss, pops, crackles, whatever you want. As far as the CCR sound, I may be wrong, but I think if you could time warp CCR and their gear from the 60's into a modern digital studio, and you didn't edit and otherwise sterilize the takes to death, they'ed probably still sound like CCR, minus the hiss and a little tape saturation.
 
Yes, I'm wondering if what you perceive as "noise" isn't really room sound, a raw open sound. But I don't think adding noise is the anwer. Use similar gear, play like them :), record live, find out how they recorded those tunes (mic placement, etc...) and I think you'll get alot closer than you will buy adding "noise".
 
Robert D said:
There are actually pugins that put in hiss, pops, crackles, whatever you want.
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For something like that I would recommend IZotope Vinyl which is free. But I don't think it would give you the kind of sound you're looking for, it might be worth a try though.
 
RAMI said:
Yes, I'm wondering if what you perceive as "noise" isn't really room sound, a raw open sound. But I don't think adding noise is the anwer. Use similar gear, play like them :), record live, find out how they recorded those tunes (mic placement, etc...) and I think you'll get alot closer than you will buy adding "noise".
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I was (and still am) a huge CCR fan. I know it's not the same album that Down On The Corner is on, but, if I remember right, the album "Cosmo's Factory," was the name of drummer Doug Clifford's recording studio. "Cosmo" was also his nickname. And if I remember right, there were photo's on the back of that album as well as the inner sleeve of the guys in the studio which shows the mic placement in the background. Damn, wish I still had those vinyl's...
 
why not record on cassette?? get aTascam 8 track like the 488/688, or even better 388. Adding noise on purpose after recording seems strange to me, there must be a plug in for eveything nowadays!
You're making it very difficult not recording analog, since you're not ccr in the first place.
 
Go back & listen to their version of I Put A Spell On You or even Suzie Q. Everything that's needed is on the track. Passion, talent, energy, fun, rehersals, solid gear well recorded & a hot guitar player.
You can replicate most anything except the the 1st 4.
If you want to be a thematic covers band - it's a long road to getting a "sound" like the one you aim for.
Why not try to record your stuff as best you can?
 
Yeah, I guess this was kind of a loaded post. My band is nothing like CCR...we have acoustic guitar, violin, mandolin, upright bass, and a female singer....I just like the sound of their records. I liken it to this...If a band came into your studio and they were big fans of say Foo Fighters and Nirvana, and wanted their record to have the same sound as those bands it would be doable I would assume. As in there's probably a way to get that Nirvana kind of drum sound on their CD for example? I guess my case is a little harder considering I'm talking about a band who did the bulk of their recording fourty years ago.
 
Yeah, I guess this was kind of a loaded post. My band is nothing like CCR...we have acoustic guitar, violin, mandolin, upright bass, and a female singer....I just like the sound of their records. I liken it to this...If a band came into your studio and they were big fans of say Foo Fighters and Nirvana, and wanted their record to have the same sound as those bands it would be doable I would assume. As in there's probably a way to get that Nirvana kind of drum sound on their CD for example? I guess my case is a little harder considering I'm talking about a band who did the bulk of their recording fourty years ago.
 
If a band wants to sound like Nirvana or whoever, they need to use similar equipment and musicians that know how to play in a certain fashion. It has little or nothing to do with recording. A band's sound isn't made in the studio, at the most it may be enhanced a little. You need to give the musicians more credit for the sound they produce.
 
m98ter said:
If a band came into your studio and they were big fans of say Foo Fighters and Nirvana, and wanted their record to have the same sound as those bands it would be doable I would assume. As in there's probably a way to get that Nirvana kind of drum sound on their CD for example?
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Sounding like a Nirvana recording and getting the drums to sound like Nirvana's are two entirely different goals and animals, and equally difficult (though not impossible) to acheive.

Consider this: Have you ever gone to an open mic night at your local club and listened to several different drummers play? Exact same drum kit, exact same tuning, exact same room acoustics, same sticks, etc. Yet the drums sound entirely different. Same thing with guitarists; same axe, same amp, same pedals, noticably different tone. To sound like another performer or band, one needs to play like like that performer or band.

That said, for your recording I'd recommend live tracking, a simple 3-mic drum setup, not too many LDCs. Keep it simple; garage band live, and not too pristine. If you have a decent legacy mic pre for vocals that can stand to be just slightly over-driven, try a little of that here and there (making sure you stage those levels nack to normal for the rest of the chain.)

Finally, get in touch with Fantasy Records and see if they'll still cut some vinyl for you :D.

G.
 
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