Great Mix Recording

Great Mix Recording – Audio Blog

  • More Recording Tips for Electric Bass Guitar

    A friend of mine who plays bass said to me “Is that all you’re going to say on recording bass”? 😉 So here’s more… if the project is personal to you, think about the style of playing for the song you are playing to. Laid back? Aggressive? Finger? Pick?
    1 – 2 – 3 finger(s)? Fretted? Fretless? Flat wound strings? Round wound strings?

    All of this helps determine the sound of the bass itself. How about a 4 string versus a 5 or 6 string bass. Ever hear a “stick” bass? If you have the right recording space, set up a bass cabinet and use a dynamic or better yet a large diaphragm condenser mic to capture the sound of the cabinet and mix that in with the DI when you mix. You’ll get some great tones this way.

    I say the right space because the low frequencies of the Bass will go everywhere there is a mic. If you are recording other instruments at the same time keep the cabinet in its own room. Here is a big tip to remember when recording with a mic and a DI. When you go to mix you will need to alter the Phase/time of one of the signals to the other. This is because the time relationship between the DI and the Mic is not in sync. The easiest way to do this is to move (slip) the mic track to be inline with the DI track in mixing/editing. Then listen to the kick/bass relationship to make sure all is good.

    What are your favorite methods for getting a good bass tone?

    . Record . Mix . Master . Music .

  • Tips for Recording the Guitar – Electric & Acoustic – & Bass

    First and foremost, and I cannot stress this enough, get your guitar in the best condition possible. Make sure it is set up properly, is in tune with itself, that it’s tuned correctly and have strings that are very new. Put new strings on several days before recording to give them time to stretch and relax to the instrument.

    Check your tuning after every take.

    Make sure your amp/cabinet is in good condition. New power tubes, good cords. Extra batteries, if you use them, for your pedals/boxes.

    Electric 6 string:
    It’s all about the tone. The Shure Sm 57 is still the best all-around mic to use. The newer ribbons are good too. The Sennheiser E609 is another great choice.
    Mic the cabinet, try different locations on all the speakers. It’s amazing how different the sound is from speaker to speaker. Plugin simulations are okay but the real thing is always best. Split the guitar signal and record one track straight into the recorder. Try a room mic, sometimes it works sometimes not.

    Guitar Recording TipsAcoustic:
    mono: a nice pencil condenser aimed between the sound hole and the fret board is a good starting point. If too brite move towards the body below the sound hole. If the guitar has a bridge pickup use that as well.
    Stereo: the xy technique works very well in this situation. Or a mic aimed at the lower body and one aimed at the neck.

    Bass guitar:
    If you can, use a DI and mic the cabinet using a large diaphragm condenser or dynamic.
    Apply a bit of compression to control level differences between strings.

    What are your favorite techniques for recording various guitars?

    . Record . Mix . Master . Music .

  • Tips for Recording Woodwinds

    Oboe, Bassoon, english horn, clarinet, saxophone, recorder.

    All the above can be mic’d pretty much the same as the sound emanates from the whole instrument. A ribbon works quite well on these instruments as the sound can have an edge to it that the ribbon can tame down. A condenser mic can work just as well. Place in front of the instrument about 2′ aimed towards the middle of the instrument.

    Flutes, Piccolo: because the sound comes from the whole of the instrument mic-ing just the end or the mouth area will not give you the proper sound. Use a omni condenser placed above the instrument about 2′.

    What are you favorite techniques for recording woodwinds?

    . Record . Mix . Master . Music .

  • Tips for Recording Brass

    Trumpet, bugle, cornet, and flugelhorn work well with a large diaphragm dynamic mic placed about 2′ in front of the bell.

    Trombone, bass trombone, and baritone work well with a large diaphragm condenser mic placed about 2′ from the bell.

    Tuba, sousaphone, and euphonium work well a large diaphragm dynamic or condenser.

    These lower frequency instruments need to be mic’d farther away in order for the sound wave to develop. Mic too close and you will not get a good balance the lower frequencies.

    French horn or horn (as it is called today) is a very different animal. So much of the sound is controlled by placement of the hand in the bell. The sound is very mellow not much attack. Use a large diaphragm condenser placed about 18” in front of the bell.

    What are your favorite techniques for recording brass?

    . Record . Mix . Master . Music .

  • Tips for Recording Strings

    Usually a string “date” involves 2 or 3 violins, viola, cello & violin bass. A nice medium size room works really well with the players arranged in a semi circle. Mic the instruments individually using high quality condenser mics. Mic the violins and viola from overhead, the cello and bass about 18” in front of the “F” hole. If you don’t have enough mics for the instruments you can also use a stereo pair and mic it like an ensemble. Pay attention to balance and move the players forward and backward, in relation to the microphone, to achieve the desired balance between the different instruments.

    Great Mix Recording MilwaukeeSolo instruments: Violin, Viola, mic from overhead using either a small condenser or a ribbon about 18” above the bridge area. Most of the sound comes from the body, like an acoustic guitar. Watch out for bowing angles from the player.

    Cello, use a large diaphragm condenser about 18” from one of the “F” holes. Aiming the mic towards the lower body will give you more of a mellow sound, while aiming towards the bridge/fingerboard will give you more of an aggressive/bitey sound.

    Violin bass/double bass/acoustic bass, is very similar to the cello. For live sound or recordings using a bridge pickup or a hyper cardioid dynamic mic will keep feedback at a minimum.

    These tips will also work quite well with other string instruments as well. Zither, mandolin, auto harp and the like.

    What are your favorite string recording techniques?

    . Record . Mix . Master . Music .

  • Top Summer Tunes

    Just for fun we thought we’d bring out some Oldie But Goodies!
    Check out these hot summer tunes! 😀

    The Drifters – Under The Boardwalk
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hjD0Ne3CuaY

    Mungo Jerry – In The Summertime
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=os3tMLlxTPI

    Don Henley – Boys of Summer

    Chicago – Saturday In The Park

    Bryan Adams – Summer of 69

    Alice Cooper – Schools Out
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qga5eONXU_4

    The Motels – Suddenly One Summer

    Bananarama – Cruel Summer
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fdEKMCHvtQ&feature=player_embedded

    DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UtTbxwpfb74

    Richard Marx – Endless Summer Nights
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9rT2hZwk2k&feature=player_embedded#!

    Comment & share! What are YOUR favorite Summer Songs?


    . Record . Mix . Master . Music .

  • Lee Hawkins – Midnight Conversations

    Lee HawkinsAnother new mastering project fresh from the Great Mix cue!

    Lee Hawkins is an American Quiet Storm R&B/Dance songwriter/singer and media personality. After a long hiatus, Hawkins recently released “Midnight Conversations” an 11-song album, on I-Tunes.

    You can preview tracks on Reverb Nation ===> Lee Hawkins <===


    . Record . Mix . Master . Music .

  • Light The King

    Light The KingGreat Mix Recording is proud to be part of this recent rock project covering all bases: pre-production, recording, mixing, and mastering.

    Keep a look out for this new up and coming band as they are about to start playing shows in the Greater Milwaukee Area. Be sure to check out their NEW MUSIC on Reverb Nation ===> Light The King <===

    . Record . Mix . Master . Music .

  • Recording Piano

    The piano is also one of the most difficult instruments to get a great sound from. There are so many harmonics and playing styles to work around. You need to know the genre of music/style that the piano will be doing. Also, how the player plays it. Light? Aggressive? Dynamic? Rock? Country? Classical? Jazz? Yikes!!!!! 😛

    Solo piano will require a pair of condensers aimed at the side of the piano where the lid opens up. And most likely the lid will be fully open for this type of playing. Mics need to be about 6 feet away, a couple of feet above the strings, one on the player end and one near the opposite end. You are looking for a balanced sound in low to high frequencies. Rock piano usually has more hammer sound to it so you can get closer to the strings. An XY configuration over the bridge area or split mics to cover the lows and highs works well.

    What are YOUR favorite piano recording techniques?

    . Record . Mix . Master . Music .

  • Recording Live Jazz

    The Original Dixieland Jazz Band makes the first jazz recordings.Typically you will not need to use many mics for this style of drum set. The kick is not the main time-keeper. The hat or bass keeps the time. The snare is played with lots of dynamics and accents. The kick is also used to accent the rhythm. A stereo pair over the drummers seating area and maybe a mic on the front of the kick 2 to 4 inches is all you’ll need. It’s about the whole sound of the drum set not the individual drums, like in rock. Do not even think of trying to muffle the drums. You will get evil looks from the drummer. 😉

    What are YOUR favorite live jazz recording techniques?

    . Record . Mix . Master . Music .