Guerrilla Tactics: work arounds for the rest of us

[nate_dennis]

I thought I'd start a thread devoted guerilla recording tactics. I'm shamelessly stealing this term from the book "Guerilla Recording Techniques." The idea being that using less than pro gear requires us to get creative with our work-arounds but that, ultimately, we can get great results from less than great gear. I'm not so much interested in the "buy better gear" answers. So, if you have a work around to a common problem or you have a problem that you can't find the answer to drop it in here with a list of the gear you have available and we'll see if we can't work it out. Here's a tip for those of you using drum machines that want realistic sounds;

I use a Boss Dr. 660. I think all of the later Dr. Machines have this feature too, and that is "nuance." The idea behind nuance is that hitting a drum in different places (or a cymbal) will give you slightly different sounds. So what I did was assign the same drum sound to two different pads, and added a little bit (about +3 or so) of nuance to one of them. This way if you are going to play multiple hits (i.e. a roll or fill or something) on the same drum you get slightly different sounds but they still sound like the same drum. Small things like this will go a long way to better the illusion of "real" drums. Just a thought for you.

Lets hear your tips and questions . . . .

 

[noisewreck]

I have the complete opposite view than making things sound like what they're not as you attempt in your case of making the drum machine not sound like a drum machine.

I am of the school of thought that one shouldn't be apologetic for the equipment one has, but rather use it and exploit it for what the equipment is. This perhaps comes from from my upbringing as a pianist. You won't try to make a piano sound like a violin would you? How would you do a volume swell on a held note on a piano? You don't

So, use the medium that you've got for what it is instead of trying to make it what it is not. Take Four Tet for example. The guy makes some incredible music with just a contact mic, Audition and SoundBlaster.

 

[A Reel Person]

2 Words:...

bathroom echo!..........

 

[Todzilla]

I yanked the microphone element out of an old telephone, soldered some wires to it, and used it for the 3rd verse of this song:

It had a wicked hum (60 cycles, I'm guessing), which was easy to notch out. Plus, it was so lo-fi to start with, it's not like I had to worry about compromising the sonic quality.

Also, on the same song, all the distorted guitars on the bridges are my $40 Ibanez going into a cheap RAT distortion pedal, then plugged into the back of an old Fostex reel-to-reel. By leaving the low pass filter on the pedal wide open, the impedance mismatch on the tape deck cut-back on the high end in an interesting and creamy way.

And the drum machine is a piece of crap Alesis HR-16, while the keys are all old 80s Roland cheapo synths.

 

[nate_dennis]

I yanked the microphone element out of an old telephone, soldered some wires to it, and used it for the 3rd verse of this song.

While I can't listen to it here at work . . . the concept is killer! I love it.

I've done entire tracks in the bathroom and loved the result.

About not apologizing . . .I completely agree. I don't apologize for the fact that I use a drum machine, I just try to make it sound as realistic as possible. I also enjoy using the 808 programs and distroting them and using/abusing them that way.

Keep the ideas coming! If you have any problems, drop them here too!

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

This one is extremely low-tech - you might even say no-tech - but it's great for getting the most out of home recording conditions:

When looking to record in a imperfect room like a living room or family room or garage, have someone play the instrument you wish to record as you walk around the room, even crawl around the room, or even stand up on a chair to get near the ceiling or into a corner, listening closely to the sound of the instrument in as much of the cubic space of that room as you can. Listen both to the primary sound of the instrument as well as the room reflections.

One can be surprised not only at how the sound of the instrument changes from one cubic foot to another, but also at how if you find just the right spot to stick the mic, you can get a far better sound (direct or room, depending on what you're looking for) than you'd expect out of a generally lousy-sounding room.

And when setting up for room sound, don't assume that you want to point the mic back towards the source; sometimes you might want to record what's bouncing off the rear wall or the hardwood floor or the far corner or something like that.

G.

 

[buckkillr8]

I yanked the microphone element out of an old telephone, soldered some wires to it, and used it for the 3rd verse of this song:

Man that's actually a killer track!

 

[Todzilla]

Man that's actually a killer track!

Thanks!

That was my everything-but-the-kitchen-sink tune. It took about 120 hours, but it's all me, for better or worse. As you can hear, I'm not much of a guitarist. I did it back in the mid-90s on a weenie Fostex reel to reel, before I upgraded to digital hell.

It's all cheap crap except for my Neumann U-89 microphone, the imparter of coolness.

 

[nate_dennis]

Southside Glen, those are really great ideas/comments. I know I tend to think that I need to point my mics directly at my guitar. I think I'll go home and mess with mic placement and room sounds when I get off work! Great stuff guys . . . keep it coming!!!

 

[Todzilla]

Southside Glen, those are really great ideas/comments. I know I tend to think that I need to point my mics directly at my guitar. I think I'll go home and mess with mic placement and room sounds when I get off work! Great stuff guys . . . keep it coming!!!

We used to joke about hanging a mic from a ceiling fan to get a Leslie effect.

I was too chicken to try it and I figured we have about 30 seconds per take before the cable got to be a horrible tangled mess.

Still, the visual image of it and the potential for cool sounding recording is kind of compelling!

 

[nate_dennis]

We used to joke about hanging a mic from a ceiling fan to get a Leslie effect.

LOL!!! That's like when The Beatles were recording "Tomorrow Never Knows" (on Revolver) John Lennon wanted to sound like "a hundred chanting Tibetan monks" so that everyone could hear. So he proposed being hung from the ceiling and spun around!!!! LOL The ended up using a Leslie. That's funny.


So here's a thought and I've never tried it but it seems like it "should" work. A lot of people complain about how "brittle" or "Sterile" digital guitar processors/amp emulators sound. So I'm going to try running my guitar (through a DI) and into my boards preamp. Then I'll use the insert to run into the processor. It's kind of like a modified 4 cable method. I'm thinking that the boards preamp should warm up the signal a bit and keep it from being so sterile. When I get some A/B tracks done I'll post them.

 

[A Reel Person]

Yikes!

I hope Todd didn't fry the input of the Fostex in the process!

 

[dean1964]

Listen both to the primary sound of the instrument as well as the room reflections.


G.

That is excellent advice, even if working in a pro quality studio. I would like to add that plugging your finger into one ear will help you hear the room sound more than the direct sound. It does this by limiting your ear's ability to localize the sound source.

Cheers!

 

[Wilbur]

Here are a few things ive picked up from time spent in experimentation with a budget setup:

Micing cymbals for reverb - read an interview once that briefly mentioned this, so figured i would try it out. Setup the guitar rig, grabbed the ride from the kit...then put the stand as low as it would go, with the cymbal about ~3 feet in front of the cab, then mic'd with a unidyne a few inches away - shazam! not exactly a normal sounding reverb but a fun way to spice things up...

For a huge acoustic sound with two dynamics, try this out: One mic fairly close to the bridge, angled toward the sound hole, and another on a boom stand from over the guitarist's shoulder, about 12 inches above and a few inches ahead of the guitar. Mixed 50/50, I've had some pretty great results.

--in a pinch, ive made a pop filter from cheese cloth (or a bandana) and some popsicle sticks, tapped up to another boom stand in front of the mic

--going along with the telephone idea, I've mic'd things up with headphones as well for a tinny/interesting sound...

And last, a failed idea...I once took the piezo off my upright bass, wrapped it in some cloth, and tapped it to the batter head of a kick drum, expecting something at least decent.I was atrocious, but everything's always worth one good try

 

[MasteringMills]

great thread! here's a few off the top of my head.

a friend of mine set up his drum kit in the middle of a skateboard half-pipe and placed mics into the curves of the ramp for reverb. it worked great.

keep a wide variety of guitar picks handy. sometimes using a metal pic instead of a plastic one adds just enough boost to make the track stand out without changing the gain settings. works well on solos and it's cheaper than a new pedal.

when doubling guitars - play one normally, then tune down and add a capo to compensate for the tuning in the overdub. this changes the harmonics just enough to give the guitar its own space in the mix even with the same amp settings.

reamping! a cheap amp with a spring reverb might sound like ass if you use it like you're supposed to - but sometimes the verbs sound great in weird places. *run a digital snare through a real one for more fur.

do i need to mention the old "wallet on the snare" trick? is that common knowledge at this point? anyway, it works.

do everything "backwards" for fun. put the 57 on the kick and the d112 on the snare, etc. mic the back of the amp instead of the front... or point the amp "up" and mic it from above.

play from your heart. "jagged little pill" isn't a hi-fi album but it's performed by people who really really gave a shit. honesty translates.

never underestimate carpet and blankets. digital recordings capture way more treble than analog ones, and the treble often clutters up the mix with abstract phase issues that you won't notice until they're gone.

pick up a 360 degree phase tool. aligning the phase of 3 mics can do everything you'd want in an EQ without adding any of the crap that most EQs generate.

don't drink and mix. the ears go first.

 

[Todzilla]

I hope Todd didn't fry the input of the Fostex in the process!

nosiree. It wasn't an overload as much as an impedence mismatch.

That deck was retired while fully functional. Now, it sits on a high shelf, jealously eyeing my Mac based DAW.

 

[stevieb]

I have the complete opposite view ...I am of the school of thought that one shouldn't be apologetic for the equipment one has, but rather use it and exploit it for what the equipment is...

That is EXACTLY what the OP is proposing.

 

[mcmetal]

--in a pinch, ive made a pop filter from cheese cloth (or a bandana) and some popsicle sticks, tapped up to another boom stand in front of the mic

i made a pop filter using a pair of pantyhose and cross stitch hoop and tied it to a boom stand with the pantyhose legs.it works

 

[nate_dennis]

I love it!!!! So many great ideas! I really like the cymbal in front of the amp idea. I don't have what it takes to do it right now, but I'm definately going to try that someday. I used to use capos all the time. Rather than detuning I would rework chord voicings. It works well. Good stuff!!! Keep it up!

 

[Todzilla]

I've always wanted to try this:

Get a mini-amp (like a pignose), put it at the bottom of a metal trash can. hang a bunch of chains over the lip of the trash can. Turn the amp way the hell up and mic the sound of it rattling the metal.