Boots on the ground, part eighteen: Rolling bits

This week, let’s talk about how the music gets made. I’ll give you a brief look at the nuts-and-bolts recording process at my label.

The title of the post comes from a figure of speech I use. Back in the day, recording was always done on magnetic tape, either reel-to-reel or cassette. So when the red lights were on and the magic was happening, we were “rolling tape.” Today we still have red lights and magic, but no tape. My deck records directly to SD memory cards. So instead of rolling tape, we are “rolling bits.” Don’t ask me why they roll or where they’re going. They just do.

As part of my need to turn every weakness into a strength, the fact that I can’t afford to rent a studio building becomes “Our studio is MOBILE. We come to YOU.” This has been an unintended blessing. It has forced me to strip down my recording setup, and stick to simple and effective techniques for capturing the music. Not counting the mic stands, my entire studio fits into two footlockers and a padded tool box that holds the digital deck. I can haul it all myself, and can go from load-in to first take in 20 minutes.

My digital recorder includes a mic input section, the multitrack recorder, and an 8-channel mixer with an A/B switch so I can actually monitor 16 channels at a time. This gives me all the essential pieces for recording and overdubbing in a single integrated package – just plug in the mics! The deck includes a single headphone output; I use a 4-way headphone amp to drive additional headphone sends for the artists.

All inputs are recorded as-is, with no compression, reverb, or bass/treble adjustment (referred to as EQ, short for “equalization”). The only thing I need to do is set the input levels to get maximum signal without clipping the peaks. The mixer section allows me to set pan and level for each signal, plus add reverb and EQ if needed, so the artist gets a usable rough mix during tracking. The deck also provides an adjustable metronome we can use to keep a steady beat.

For microphones, I use a Rode NT1 large diaphragm condenser plus a pop stopper, or a Shure SM58 with a foam windscreen for vocals; and an MXL 603 small diaphragm condenser or Shure SM57 for guitars. I have specialized mics for drums and bass guitar, plus the ability to record bass direct if needed. The Shure and Rode mics are inexpensive but considered professional quality; the MXLs are semi-pro, as are my drum and bass mics.

For the classic guitar-and-vocal demo. I will put the NT1 in front of the singer’s chin, pointed up towards their face. This points the front of the mic away from the guitar to reduce guitar sound in the vocal channel. For guitar, the MXL pencil mic is an inch or so back from the spot where the guitar neck joins the body. Though it makes no sense, this location gives a much better sound than putting a mic in front of the guitar’s sound hole, which can be too boomy. For electric guitars, I mic the speaker an inch or two back, halfway between the center and the edge.

For recording a full band, we have some choices: We can either mic up the whole band at once, including vocals (which is how we do live performance recording); record the instruments live and add the vocals later (a process called “overdubbing”); or build the finished piece as a series of overdubs, one part at a time. Recording live saves time, but limits the quality of the finished recording. In general, mistakes stay in. If they are bad enough to ruin the take, the band needs to do the song again. The other problem is that the more mics you have on at the same time, the more likely it is that a mic set up to capture only one sound will also pick up something else. This is known as “leakage,” and gives the producer fits during mixing. You can set the volume and tone of the drum mics, but what about the drum sounds coming through the vocal mic?

So recording live becomes a process of “close enough is good enough.” Band members like it because it makes recording similar to a live performance, which is something they’re already good at. It saves time and can produce a great natural feel to the music. But when the artist has a very strong vision for the sound of the finished project, sometimes we need to break it down and record it one piece at a time. This takes patience and planning, but can produce that studio-perfect sound if done right.

When our voices, fingers, and ears are tired, we call it a day and pack up. I take the raw tracks back to my home studio, where the work of assembling and mixing a finished piece begins.

Next week I’m recording a four-piece band at a unique location, using the “keep it simple” techniques I just described. Stay tuned for all the joy and pain. Wish me luck.

{Catch up with Norm’s “Boots on the Ground” series about starting a 21st century record label here: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12 part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16 and part 17.}

{Photo by Jeremy Burgin, used from Wikimedia.}

Norm Bowler (34 Posts)

Norm Bowler is a writer and musician in the Seattle area.