Convolution reverbs are awesome. They really made mixing inside the box sound as good as using high end outboard gear. But one of my favourite uses for Logic’s convolution reverb, Space Designer, is as a speaker simulator. Take a listen. FYI, this is Fender Jazz Bass played with fingers (no pick), direct into Logic. I’m using the “Speaker 1” preset. No additional EQ or compression was used on either sample. This recording is an out take of Showroom’s The World Is Too Much With Us sessions.
Note: The difference is mostly in the low, low end so you won’t hear much difference listening though built-in computer speakers. Plug in a good pair of headphones or make sure you’re hooked up to some good monitors.
1. Original DI bass guitar
2. Processed bass guitar
The difference maybe subtle, but to me the processed bass has a lot more weight to it. I find it sounds more “real.” Of course, this won’t work in all situations, but if your bass is sounding thin and you’re looking for something phatter, give this a try. It’s usually best to blend the two sounds. Have fun! -mc
When starting a session I always ask, “do you want to do this to a click?” Most of the time the answer is yes. When recording on a computer it is so tempting to always play to a click so you can have all the parts of your song aligned nicely on the grid. Editing is easier this way. It makes it easy to set up delays or tremolos that sync perfectly with your song. It can also kill the feel of the track if you’re not careful.
Preproduction is important here. Decide weeks (or months) in advance of recording if you want to use a click track. And spend time finding the right tempo for your songs. It’s amazing how much difference there can be between 112 BPM or 113 BPM. Many metronomes, and all DAWs I’m aware of, allow for more tempo detail than that (try 112.6534 BPM, for example).
Now that you’ve got your tempo, make sure everyone in the band practices at that tempo. This will make a world of difference when it’s time to record. It’ll also make a world of difference to your live shows.
Practicing with a click will help you improve your timing in general. This advice doesn’t just apply to drummers. It doesn’t matter what instrument you play, practicing to a click will help you perform better with a click in the studio, or without one at gig.
Electronic music aside, the click should just be a reference. The drummer should choose where the beats actually fall. Without practice playing to a click can be very awkward. You can end up listening to click more than thinking about the song, and that’s not good. Once the drums are recorded, turn off the click, and play to the drummer!
If you chose to forgo the click, practice is just as important, perhaps more so! Choosing to record without a click track is better suited to live-off-floor style recordings, where the band all play together with minimal overdubs.
A third option is to start with a click to get the tempo right off the top, and then turn it off halfway though and let the rest of the song go on feel.
Some bands are so good they don’t need a click. Some bands are so bad they can’t play to a click! Ultimately, it’s up to you. But the key is to decide before you start recording. -mc
Constant listening levels during mixdown is critical, as our perception of frequency changes according to sound pressure levels. In plain English: we hear pitch differently depending on the volume.
For example, at high volume, our perception of sound frequencies may resemble this:
…whereas at lower listening levels, it’s more likely to resemble this:
So when you alter your listening level halfway through mixing, you might inadvertently overcompensate for the “missing” lows and highs. This doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t ever raise/lower the volume when mixing – just be aware! -kf
Here are four points to keep in mind before you start mixing:
What are the acoustic properties of the room you’re mixing in? Surface treatments, walls, etc.? Is the room “live” or “dead”? You’ll need to take this into account when mixing, as it will affect the amount of reverb you’ll add.
Do your monitors (speakers) have a flat frequency response? Are any frequencies being boosted? This will also affect your mixes as you may unknowingly compensate for this in your mix, and end up with a different tonal balance than you had originally intended.
Are there standing waves in the room? Move around the room and use your ears – use a reference CD you’re familiar with and compare the perceived tonal balance at various locations in the room. This also has the potential to affect how you mix your recordings.
Do you have the choice of using several types of monitors (speakers) in order to compare your final mixes? Ideally, you’ll want to monitor your final mix on several types of speakers – including:
Good quality nearfield monitors for a more accurate representation of how your music will sound on regular speakers.
Headphones to verify your stereo imaging.
Cheap car stereo speakers. If your mix sounds good here, it’ll sound good almost anywhere!
Want a clean recording? Start with a clean room. I’m not joking!
It’s not fun to to wade through a mess of cables searching for lost guitar pics, adapters, notebooks or (occasionally) missing musicians. Keep your cables running neatly together. One caveat: make sure power cables don’t run along parallel to audio cables! Run power and audio cables perpendicular when possible to avoid getting hum from the AC into your audio.
I don’t want to sound like a nagging parent telling you to clean your room. I’m just saying I’ve had my share of headaches because of messy cabling situations. Most of these could have been avoided by being more neat and organized. -mc
triple j Unearthed is a gem of a website from Australia. Not content to simply feature terrific new artists from down under, they also offer a free 3-page PDF primer on DIY recording. Three pages is admittedly just a very basic intro to do-it-yourself recording, but it’s surprisingly useful if you’re just getting started. Their mixing tips are bang on.
Here in Canada, I like Exclaim! magazine’s Where I Play section, which gives an inside peek into the home studios of musicians from across Canada—from Ninja Tune heavyweight Amon Tobin’s “mountain of digital and analog gear” to avant-garde musician Jesse Zubot’s “chaotic mess of wires, cords and blinking electronics.” It’s fun inspiration for any recording musician. -kf
Every guitarist is searching for the perfect guitar tone. It’s the reason we keep buying new amps, new effects, new guitars with new pickups, even new cables. Problem is, there is no perfect guitar tone. And more often that not, it’s not our gear that’s letting us down, it’s our technique.
The same can be said for recording electric guitar. This brings us back to the old adage: It’s not the tools, it’s the carpenter.
The more I read about recording electric guitar, the more it becomes clear there’s no one “right” way to do it. The trick is to find a few techniques that work for you most of the time. Try these first, then use your ears to assess the results – does it work? If so, great! If not, try something else!
Two different amps, two mics
In the photo to the right, you can see one of my favourite methods for getting a great guitar tone. My secret is two amps and two mics. In this case, on one amp I’ve got an SM57 on axis positioned where the dustcap meets the cone about 1 inch away from the grill cloth. “On axis” simply means pointing directly at the speaker.
On the other amp I’ve used a Sennheiser BF521 with similar positioning. The Sennheiser BF521 is no longer in production, but it’s very similar to an MD421.
Amp #1 (top) is a 1970s Traynor Bassmaster that’s been mounted into a homemade combo amp with a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. This Bassmaster with its EL34 output tubes and Vintage 30 speaker has very well defined mid-range reminiscent of something between a Marshall and a Vox. And it sounds nothing like a Fender!
Amp #2 (bottom) is a 1990s Fender Blues Deluxe. It has a great Fender tone with a smooth low end and some top end sparkle.
The two amps sound completely different and complement each other really well.
This technique really pays off once I get to the mixing stage of my project. Rather than relying on using an EQ to fix the tone, I can audition each amp, and then find a blend of the two that works well. This way I can get away with using minimal EQ. Typically the only EQ I’ll use on guitars is a low cut filter at about 150 Hz to keep the guitar from fighting with the bass.
One amp, two different mics
Using two mics on the same amp can also give similar results. You’ll end up with two differently voiced tracks of the same performance that can be blended to “EQ” the sound without actually using an EQ.
When I’m putting two mics on the same amp, I like to use a dynamic mic (almost always an SM57) and a condenser mic (usually a large capsule model such as an MXL 2001). The basic idea is to use two mics with different characteristics.
Whenever using two mics on the same sound source it’s important to make sure the mics are “in phase” with one another. The best way to keep the mics in phase is to place the diaphragms of the mics as close together as possible. For a technical description of what “phase” means check out Sweetwater’s Word For The Day Archive.
One amp, one mic on axis + one mic off axis
Mic placement can also have a huge impact on the tone of the recording:
A mic pointing directly at the speaker – “on axis” – will sound bright, biting or brittle (or some other adjective beginning with the letter “B”).
If the mic is pointed at a 22- or 45-degree angle – “off axis” – you’ll get a smoother sound.
So… you could use two SM57s on the same speaker, one on axis and the other off axis. This would create two different tones to blend together when mixing.
Another note about mic placement
Lots of great guitar recordings where made using the close mic’ing techniques described above. However, some engineers won’t even consider putting a mic less than 1-foot away from the amp.
More distant mic’ing techniques can create bigger, or at least more realistic “guitar amp in a room” recordings. But it’s been my experience that this doesn’t work well unless you have a good acoustic space to record in. Bathrooms, hallways and kitchens can be good for this – experiment for yourself and listen to the results!
Beyond mic technique
Give yourself some time to play around with mic placement. When you find something that sounds great, write down what you did… or better yet, take a photo of your setup! This can save a lot of time later on if you really liked the tone you got.
And remember mic placement and technique aren’t the only things that will influence your guitar tone. The real keys to getting a perfect guitar tone are:
Practice, practice, practice. Make sure you know your parts inside and out before you record. No mic placement or recording technique will make up for lousy playing.
Make sure your guitar is properly set up. This including checking the intonation and eliminating and buzzes or rattles coming from the guitar. Have this done by a professional if you’re not confident doing it yourself.
Likewise, ensure your amp is also working perfectly. No amp will be perfectly quiet, but make sure you don’t hear any unnecessary hum, buzz or rattling tubes.
Triple check that your guitar is in tune. Then check it again! This is right up there with practicing and knowing your parts. -mc
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Convolution reverbs are awesome. They really made mixing inside the box sound as good as using high end outboard gear. But one of my favourite uses for Logic’s convolution reverb, Space Designer, is as a speaker simulator. Take a listen. FYI, this is Fender Jazz Bass played with fingers (no pick), direct into Logic. I’m using the “Speaker 1” preset. No additional EQ or compression was used on either sample. This recording is an out take of Showroom’s The World Is Too Much With Us sessions.
When starting a session I always ask, “do you want to do this to a click?” Most of the time the answer is yes. When recording on a computer it is so tempting to always play to a click so you can have all the parts of your song aligned nicely on the grid. Editing is easier this way. It makes it easy to set up delays or tremolos that sync perfectly with your song. It can also kill the feel of the track if you’re not careful.
Here are four points to keep in mind before you start mixing:
The British go one step further. 
Here in Canada, I like 
