Free your microphone placement and gain structure, and your EQ and compression will follow.
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another Dojo! In the last two columns, Iāve focused on bus mixing techniques to get your recordings more on pointāand I hope that was helpful. This time, Iād like to place focus in the other direction and give you three tips to capture your best recorded tones yet.
In my experience, the best way to get great recordings begins with getting in tune with your inner ear and the tones you are hearing in your head. This understanding will act as a catalyst for the first important tip: choice and placement of microphones. As simple as this is, we run the risk of listening with our eyes instead of our ears, because we are creatures of habit. How many times have you placed the same mic in the same place on the same amp (or same place at the guitar, for acoustic players)? Did you really explore the possibilities, or was this the best solution at the time and now it has become ingrained? Maybe itās time to re-think the process and try something new?
Regular Dojo readers are already familiar with the three most common microphones used in recording: condenser, ribbon, and dynamic. Regardless of what mics you have, use your ears and listen to the source you want to record. For example, listen not only to where the amp sounds the best at the speaker, but also in the room. For acoustic guitar, placing the mics near the 14th fret in addition to other locations can yield a wide variety of tones. If you are recording by yourself, make several different short recordings and document the mic placement for each, listen, and then make decisions. The idea here is that you want to get the sound youāre looking for without using any EQ. In short, if you donāt like the sound youāre getting, move the mics until you do!
Once the decision has been made, the second tip for making better recordings is to pay careful attention to your gain structure (aka recording level) and give yourself plenty of headroom. The best way to do this is to set the recording trackās fader in your DAW to unity (zero), and then adjust your preampās gain level until the signal meters between -15 and -5 for most DAWs (check your specific DAW to find out which VU metering type you are using). If youāre somewhere in this range, youāll have good signal-to-noise ratio and ample headroom for loud passages, like when you kick in the overdrive channel for the chorus and solo sections.
A scenario like Fig. 1 has bad news written all over it. The track faders are pushed near the top of their range and the master bus has already peaked. This can happen quicker than you think if you didnāt set your input levels properly to begin with. If you find yourself in this predicament, youāll need to recalibrate your gain structure for every track for the entire mix. Ouch!
The final tip is focused on signal processing and preserving the efforts of the first two tips. Once your tracking is completed, donāt be too quick to start adding copious amounts of EQ and compression. The reason for steps one and two was to mitigate the need for EQ and preserve the natural dynamic range of your tracks. Now, when you need to use EQ and compression, you can use it with subtlety and not out of necessity to fix a poorly recorded track.
As always, if you have any questions you can reach me at recordingdojo@premierguitar.com, and I also want to invite you to checkout my new single āChristian Graffitiā on your favorite music platform to hear all of these tips in action. Until next time, namaste.
Christian Graffiti
Provided to YouTube by DistroKidChristian Graffiti Ā· Bryan ClarkChristian Graffitiā Rainfeather RecordsReleased on: 2022-09-30Auto-generated by YouTube.Comprehending one of the studio's most important but mysterious toolsāwith metaphorical cocktails!
[Originally published 6/8/2020]
Welcome to Recording DojoāPGās new monthly column pertaining to recording and engineering, with guitarists in mind. Think of this column as your place to develop better audio-recording skills, experiment with new techniques and gear and, most importantly, mindsets. So bring your best self forward and your willingness to learn ā¦ the dojo is now open.
1. TKARR
Letās begin our training with compression: a confusing topic for guitarists as players and as engineers wanting to make their recordings more professional. Compression has five core parameters: threshold, knee, attack, ratio, and releaseāor TKARR. Iām going to explain this metaphorically, as if you are at a major event, say, the Grammys, and youāve just won. Youāve condensed a lifetime of āIād like to thankā into 15 seconds, and youāve been regally whisked offstage by an anonymous beauty in a ball gown.
2. Threshold
The next thing youāre instructed to do is leave backstage, go through the giant ballroom (where a band is playing and people are partying), and go to the press room for photo ops and post-win interviews. You walk down the long hallway towards the ballroom door, where a burly 6'8" doorman stands behind velvet ropes. The doorman is the threshold and the velvet ropes are the knee.
3. Knee
In order for you to get into the ballroom, the doorman has to let you in. As you arrive at the door, he takes his hands off the ropes (hard knee), crosses his arms, coldly stares at you, and says, āWhat are doing here? This is for Grammy winners only.ā Ouch! He doesnāt recognize you. He only listens to Siberian reggae bands. High threshold. So high that you canāt pass though. Conversely, if, as you approach, he gently unfastens the ropes (soft knee), says āIām a huge fan,ā and moves aside without you having to break stride, you have crossed the threshold and are now inside the ballroom. This is a well-set threshold, only allowing in those who are authorized. Or perhaps, as you arrive at the ballroom entrance, you notice that the doorman has passed out, the ropes have long been knocked over (no knee), and anyone can enter. Low threshold.
4. Attack
As soon as you enter the ballroom, within a millisecond, a waiter comes up to you: āChampagne? The press room is on the other side of the ballroom.ā Thatās quick attack. You notice thereās a string quartet playing Haydnās Op. 76, and the volume is comfortably loud (low ratio, somewhere between 1.5:1 to 4:1). Almost as soon as you enter the ballroom, youāve got your libation and move directly to the press roomāquick release. You arrive at the press room with your wits about you, ready to talk about your big win.
Or, upon entering the ballroom, you mill around in the crowded room looking for directions and youāre in the middle of the ballroom before a waiter comes up to you and shouts: āDrink? Press room is over there.ā Thatās medium attack. The band is an ā80s cover band and the volume is rather loud for the room (medium ratio, 5:1 to 9.5:1). You eventually find your way to the press room and arrive slightly stunned, but ready.
Another version: Upon entering the ballroom, youāre immediately lost in a sea of people, shouting for directions and hopelessly trying to be heard above the Mƶtorhead tribute band. Your ears are ringing. Time passes, and you somehow find the press room door and a waiter shoves a drink in your hand just before you leave the ballroom. Slow attack. You arrive, dazed and confused, in the press room (high ratio, 10:1 and above).
These simple scenarios should help you understand the parameters of compression. Itās very important you know that all of these scenarios are equally and musically valid, and by no means exhaustive. Want that āWhen the Levee Breaksā drum sound? Low threshold, high ratio, quick attack/release. Want your acoustic to sound natural and dynamic? High to medium threshold, medium attack/release, medium to low ratio. Remember, the focus of this article is to explain the five parameters of compression (TKARR). Based on their highly varied and different designs, not all compressors give you access to every parameter. So, this will be our subject next month!
Blackbird Studio ace Bryan Clark breaks down the versatile studio technique and provides some advice on how to avoid phasing issues.