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The studio section gives an explanation of what I bring to a recording session.
For a list of gear listed below. There is also a list of Equipment for sale
Philosophy
The following quote is from Sandy Burnett of Saskatoon Recording"Making a record is like constructing a building.
You start with the blueprint; that's your song.
You lay foundations; that's arranging.
You create the basement; that's rehearsing.
You build the ground floor; that's your bed tracks/basics.
Each subsequent floor is an overdub.
The top floor is your final mix.
The penthouse suite is mastering."
I have my own list of ingredients that seem important to consider as an engineer and producer. Like the last set they are built upon each other and can't stand on their own without each layer in order.
The most important ingredients in a successful recording
are:
1. Good material / Good arrangements (Really; why bother with a
song or tune that's sub-par? Test market to a target audience if
you have doubts. Pre-production will weed out material not ready or
in need of better arrangements)
2. Good performance (This is pretty self explanatory, your first
take may not be your best)
3. Good Room (This one surprises people. Yes there are many fancy
plug-ins and machines to create ambiance and eq, but it is not a
fix for a bad room.)
4. Good Gear and Knowledgeable use. (the best gear will bring out
all the details and subtleties of a steps 2 and 3 but only if used
artistically and with good technique.)
Pre-Production
The following quote from Jeremy Krull nicely sums about what pre-production is all about.1. "I try normally to work with the group or artist to make sure that at the very least all of their songs are written (and to a point of completion that the artist is satisfied and committed to)
2. Depending on how dense the songs are, we'd at least try to hammer down most of the major arrangements (especially the 'essential' parts, whatever the artist has in their head as something that sticks out)
3. Demos, at varying degrees. A lot of the time if I've started with working with a group or artist beforewe go into the actual studio, they'll be sending mockups over of songs and ideas. I don't know what use that is to everyone else, everyone goes about it differently, one thing I try to avoid is rehearsing/writing in the studio. My need for preparedness doesn't really stem from wanting to save money on studio time, but more that I want the talent to be as comfortable and at ease with what they're doing as possible (and not having to worry about fundamental stuff that late into the game either)."
Production
THE ROLE OF THE PRODUCER: Producer (pro-doo! cer) n. 'Someone who sits in a studio control room and periodically freaks out. Never eats, sleeps, or goes to the bath room. Occasionally will eat your pizza.' But seriously, at most sessions there is one person who has the final word about musical things. A producer decides things like the tempo of the song, which take of a particular performance is the "keeper", what the general sound of each instrument should be, how are all the instruments best combined during mixing, and with what kind of effects. He has to be as reliable and constant as a CEO, and treat the job like he's running Nestle, o2 or Sony ...it is hard work keeping all those musicians in line! It is his job to oversee the recording project as a whole including the setting of budgets and devising a plan-of-attack to produce the recording within the time and financial constraints.Hiring a producer can greatly enhance the quality of your project because he/she functions as an objective, fresh set of ears. The producer's job is to constantly evaluate the recorded performances with respect to how they fit together to create the best, most creative, end product. He is supposed to work with "big picture" in mind at all times, taking the information given to him by the performers as to what their overall intentions are with their music, and using that knowledge to create the final mastertape.
Editing and Mastering
After mixing you will need to put all the songs in the correct order and decide how much space should go in between them. This is called "pacing" the album and is part of the process known as Mastering. Sometimes songs will need an internal edit in order to reach a particular target length or shorten an intro. You can even combine portions of different mixes and takes to create a composite master performance. You can also change the relative loudness of the songs individually, or tweak the tonal balance (EQ) so each cut flows smoothly into the next.
Gear
The studio is equipped with:
Microphones:
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Recorders:
- RME Fireface 800 4 channels of preamps 10 channels of converters
- Peavey VMPII Stereo Tube preamp
- Millennia Media HV-3 Microphone Preamps (2 Channels)
- AKG 240M headphones (2)
- MoreMe Studio Deluxe (2)
- AKG 414 Headphones
- Tannoy PBM 8 monitors
- Cubase 6
- Wavelab 7, Mastering and CD burning software
- Waves Mercury bundle plugins
- Fender Blues Junior
- Tubeworks Mosvalve
- 1732 Joannes Schorn Violin
- 2003 Scott Marckx Violin
- 1980 Martin M 38
- 1939 Epiphone Blackstone
- Archtop F hole guitar w/pickup
- Yamaha SE1230 electric guitar
- Lawrence Nyberg Octave Mandolin
- 1924 Gibson A2 Mandolin
- 1924 Gibson TB4 Tenor Banjo
- Harmony Roy Smeck Concert Uke
- Djembe's, Dumbek, Tar and loads of percussion toys
- A large collection of Organic, Ambient, and Vitual, Samples and Sound Effects
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Instruments
- Archtop F hole guitar with pickup in good condition. Spruce top, mahongony back, sides and neck. Rosewood finger board and bridge. Sunburst finsh binding around front, back, neck, and F holes . Lovely warm tone with or without pickup. No name or date, I'm guessing 1930-40's. Recent neck reset, fret job, tuners replaced and bridge compensated. $750.00 w/ hardshell case
- 2003 Scott Marckx Violin $6,000.00
- AKG C452EB w/ck1 $300.
- AKG 1200e's (2)$40 each
- ATM 25 $120
- AT 808G $80
- Blue Babybottle $350
- Blueberry $600.
- Sennheiser K3 Omni $150.
- Kel HM1 $100.
Preamps
- Peavey VMPII Stereo Tube preamp $700.
Recorders
- Tascam DA-30 MKII (DAT) $250.
- Yamaha QY70 Midi Sequencer $225.
- MoreMe Studio Deluxe (2) $35. each
- AKG 414 Headphones $50.
Pedals
- FB4 foot pedal for line 6 Pod or Pod 2.0 $65.
Odd Sods
- Music stands (3) $20- $30. each
- XLR female to 1/4 TRS male cables (8) $15. each
Converters & Preamps:
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Monitoring:
Recording and mastering software:
Amps and Instruments:
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Equipment for sale:
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Mics Monitor |