Ep Journal
Below, in no particular order, identifies some of the processes and procedures used to create the EP.
Song 1:
Crocodile
Live Drums test
​
Mic’s used:
​
Kick in – AKG D112, Kick out – EV – RE20, Snare top – SM57 Snare bottom – AKG C451 B, Hi hats – AKG C451 B, Tom 1 – Senheiser 421, Tom 2 – Senheiser 421, Tom floor – Senheiser 421, OH L – AKG C414, OH R – AKG C414, Room – Neumann U87.
Wanted a thick reverb flooded sound that replicates that of ‘Breather’ and ‘Mallory Knox’(reference bands for EP) which I intend to blend in with midi drums. I want primarily real drums in verses and bridge compared to the chorus section with a higher blend of midi.
​
I set up all of the mics ready for drummer before he got there and matched all the gains to -12db on desk. When drummer arrived I re-did the gains to match his comfort on the kit. Recorded 9 takes of the song after giving him about 20 mins to warm up and learn basic rhythms of track.
Issues had:
-
Hi hat sounded tinny so we moved the mic closer to the bell.
-
The kick drum mic (D112) kept falling out of its mic clip inside the bass drum.
-
Planned to record one shots for drum replacement however had no time left so will redo one shots in overnight studio session next week.
Overall the drums sounded okay but not close to what I wanted. Giving the drummer more time to practice and rehearse would get it tighter however he said he was really busy with his uni course as well.
Pre Mix
​
I wanted to see how the track could sound so I decided to pre mix it using the guidance and tutorial videos (provided by Uni) on the mixing module. I set the pro tools session up all colour coded with VCA faders and auxiliary busses e.c.t ready for the final mix. Applied some basic EQ to try and get each instrument to sit in the mix. Again guitars sound muddy and not how I want them to so will have to re-record them.
Preparing the mix
​
I couldn’t figure out how to export them stems with the archetype – Nolly plug in on the guitars – when I exported the stems it would only play the clean DI version of the guitars not the distorted tones I created for them. So to fix this issue I sent each track to a separate bus and record each individual track to a new track which printed the distortion onto the guitars. The original tracks are hidden and made inactive in case I need to redo or change things at a later date. This not only allows me to export the stems with all guitar tones on it but eases the CPU on the computer allowing the mix to be uninterrupted by Pro Tools telling me I have not much CPU power left.
​
I Colour coded all the tracks, arranged them so the instrumentation is the same throughout the EP – Drums first, bass second, guitars, FX then synths. Added in some synths to solidify the chord progressions in the background. Created a Master bus , Instrument VCA’s and Buss’s. Added in some parallel compression (shown in picture win the right) on the bass guitar to give it some extra punch especially in the slap section. This song is now ready to record vocals properly.
Demo
​
I made the song using a software called guitar rig at home, layering up guitars, recording the bass via DI and adding in midi drums. I wanted some FX to add to the texture of the tracks and to add impact at the start of the chorus so I used a Logic Pro X ‘boomer’ effect. I created reverse cymbals and used ‘massive’ to design some white noise sweeps to add to the build up of the track. I wrote a guitar solo and tracked it utilising guitar harmonies. Used Kontakt to make a string section at the beginning, in the 2nd verse and as the outro. As much as I liked it, it made the song too long (about 6 minutes) so regretfully decided to leave it out.
​
​
OS Catalina issues
​
I updated my iMac to OS Catalina and I have encountered a few problems. Pro Tools simply will not work until they patch and update the software so I haven’t been able to progress with ‘Crocodile’ and the other tracks on the EP.
I made another song called ‘You’ve seen me Cry’ (which didn’t make the EP) on Logic Pro X which did work, however it kept crashing because the new OS doesn’t like guitar rig. The only work around I have is to go into Uni and carry on writing and producing however I have no studio bookings left for this month. I’ve emailed both Apple and Avid to explain my problems however both replied saying they are working on a patch but don’t know when it will work again.
​
​
​
​
​
Guitar and Bass Research
Guitar
​
-
Small amps are better for recording – less hum than the big ones
-
Use a cardioid dynamic mic with a boost around 5kHz.
-
Mic one inch from the grill, off centre.
-
For solos – Have a close and distant mic several feet away
-
For bright tone – Mic directly in the centre of the speakers cone
Bartlett, B. and Bartlett J. eds. (2005) Practical Recording Techniques. 4th ed. Oxford: Elsevier.
​
Huber, D. and Runstein, R. eds. (2005) Modern Recording Techniques. 6th ed. Oxford: Elsevier. Page 156.
Bass Guitar
​
-
Direct pickup gives deeper lows than miking up but the amp gives more midrange punch .
-
Blend them both together
-
Use condenser or dynamic mic placed 1 – 6 inches from the speaker.
-
When mixing – make sure both DI and mic signal are in phase of each other – set both to equal levels and reverse the polarity of the signal that leaves the most bass.
-
Try cutting around 60 – 80 Hz or at 400 Hz.
-
Boost at 2- 2.5 kHz to add edge or slap.
-
Boost at 700 – 900 Hz to add growl and harmonic clarity.
-
Playing with a pick can increase the frequency range of the bass upwards of 4 kHz.
-
Playing Slap gives a brighter and harder attack, fingered produces a mellower tone.
-
Can be DI boxed or miked.
-
Use a dynamic mics with a large diaphragm because they subdue the highs, coupled with a boost around 100 Hz creates a warm mellow tone that adds power to the low end.
-
EQ frequencies to increase clarity : 125- 400 Hz, Harmonic Punch at 1.5 – 2 kHz.
-
Use a compressor : ratio: 4:1, fast attack: 8-20 Ms, slow release: ¼ – ½ S.
Bass re- Recording
After thinking long and hard about the track I decided to record the song in drop C rather than the original drop D – this makes it easier for me to sing and musically, sounds lower and heavier. This meant that everything had to be re-recorded . The guitars were re recorded at home using the Archetype- Nolly amp simulator and drums were programmed using Matt Halpern P1V kontakt pack.
​
I recording the bass guitar with a re20 and a 421 on an Ashdown cab- again to match the guitars in drop c. The re20 matched with the 421 has really nice warm tone coupled with the DI signal. Much better suited than the AE2500.
​
For the pre chorus within this song, I decided in the recording session that instead of just playing the notes with a plectrum, it might be powerful and beneficial to have a slap bass section. It changed the feel of the section and made it groovier and more focused on the rhythm than the melody. The slap section was recorded with the same mics directly after the rest of the bass was tracked, however the mics kept clipping with the gain set for normal playing. Separate gain was done in order to control this.
Vocal Mixing
​
I played around with some effects on the vocals to keep it interesting. I added a white boost and an overdrive on specific parts of the verse vocal by automating the master bypass. I automated the amount of reverb being sent to the track and the volume to get a constant loudness level. The parts without these distortion effects felt a little week in comparison so I added the Pro Subharmonic plugin to fatten out the bass and automated the bypass so that the clean vocal only revives the bass boost.
​
After receiving feedback I decided to keep the vocal clean in the verse with just reverb and delay with the emphasis on the vocal. When the pre chorus kicks in, the focus is on the rhythmic slap bass allowing space for the vocal to engage the distorted effect.
​
I wasn’t happy with the phrasing of the chorus vocal so I decided to rerecord it. I used an SM7 in studio 2, recorded in the control room like Miles Kennedy (from Alter Bridge) does, patched though a drawmer MX30 to lightly compress on the way in, controlling the transients.
Hardware Experimentation
​
Sent the slap bass section through a dbx166XL to gel it together.
The vocal was sent though a TB12 Tone Beast in order to warm it up and glue it together.
​
It was later compressed using a dbx166XL.
​
BV’S sent though the rev500
​
Vocal Autotune
​
To align and phrase the vocal sections, Melodyne was used. It allowed me to sync sections together and maintain a constant flow. Ive never used autotune software before so it was great to experiment and try it out. Will definitely use in the future.
I used this software on all layers of the vocal part inclusion main vocal, double tracks and harmonies with the idea that it sounds like one big voice.
Guitar recording:
​
Mics used:
​
Ribbon mic – AT4081 – Off axis, Senheiser 421 – on axis, AKG C414 – back of cab, Lo Fi Mic (don’t know name) – off axis
​
For the intro, verse and bridge sections a clean guitar tone is needed. So I dialled in a warm crisp tone that favours the low end and mids on a Vox 1×12 amp with exact tone shown in photo bellow.
​
Used 4 mics: ribbon mic to get the bulk of the tone placed off axis with a condenser mic placed at the back of the cab. Also used a low Fi mic to get a crisp distorted tone that blends in combined with a senheiser 421 placed on axis. This was a tester as a practical experiment and is not featured in the final mix.
Recording Bass and Guitar
​
Started out by micing up the Bass amp using a senheiser 421 and an AE2500. Used a DI box to get a DI tone as well – will be mixed and blended together. Once the bass was tracked a few times (about 6-7) takes all the way through we moved to guitars.
​
Mics uses: Ribbon mic – AT4081Senheiser 421, AKG C414 -1.5 meters in front, Lo Fi Mic (don’t know name), Senheiser 421 – back of cab
I liked the sound of the bass on the 421 mic however the AE2500 sounded a bit boxy so I was advised to try an RE-20.
​
Recorded a few takes all the way though of all the rhythm guitar parts. Then I changed the tone of the amp and recorded another few takes so that can double track the guitars and pan them to create a wide stereo image. Then spent hours getting the right takes for each section for the bass and the guitars.
The guitars after being pre mixed sound muddy and grainy so I will have to probably re-record them. Next time I’m going to follow guidance form Paul White when it comes to mic placement and pay more attention to phase issues – after all Ken Scott says that you should get the best tone from the amp and the guitars and try to not do much in the studio.
Vocal Recording
​
Recorded with a SM7 with a pop shield and a absorption filter. Jason Perry who recorded Don Broco says “SM7 is probably my favourite mic” (Perry, 2017) Recorded in sections so verse, PC, chorus and bridge. Recorded multiple takes of each sections to comp later. Including DT and TT to make the vocal side big and full. Double Tracked harmonies to give a big full texture. Recorded with some outboard compression on the way in using the Drawmer compressor in studio 6. Following advise from Mark Mynett and Rick Beato – using a slow ratio and attack time.
​
Sweetwater. (2017) Best Vocal Mics for Metal. [Online article]. Available from: <https://www.sweetwater.com> [Accessed 1st January 2018].
