Expensive Mics vs. The Mixing Process...

[SouthSIDE Glen]

"Considerable time was spent selecting and placing microphones, with individual track equalization heavily frowned upon".

That's how it's supposed to work, but then they set some records for time and money spent on their albums.
-RD

I have no doubt that many of the Big Boys go in the green room and light their Cohibas with burning fifty dollar bills while the studio clock ticks away another ten bucks every minute...

I would not advocate that.

Nor would I advocate burning precious studio time trying a million mics in every possible physical space in the studio (do that off-hours on your own time if you have to.)

What I am advocating is that judicious knowledge and use of microphone technique during the tracking phase can actually *reduce* mixing and mastering costs. If you get good at it, you can front load your studio time, shift hours from the mixing and mastering phases to the tracking phase and get it right right from the start, and you can wind up with a better sounding recording for about the same overall studio budget.

G.

P.S. I am not yet a great engineer.

P.P.S. Giraffe...glad your enjoying it. Hope you got yourself some popcorn and a drink to enjoy while you sit back and read it.

 

[chessrock]

I am not yet a great engineer.

But you're well on your way with statements like this :

What I am advocating is that judicious knowledge and use of microphone technique during the tracking phase can actually *reduce* mixing and mastering costs. If you get good at it, you can front load your studio time, shift hours from the mixing and mastering phases to the tracking phase and get it right right from the start, and you can wind up with a better sounding recording for about the same overall studio budget.

That's a very true statement, and I tell my clients this all the time. The more time we spend setting up and sound-checking, the less time I have to spend futzing around during mixdown trying to get things to sound "right."