Christmas in Halloween w/ Danny Coz

SpeakerSonic

Dan Costello and I are working together on a Christmas record with the kids he teaches down in Tribeca. The goal: Record 6 backing tracks in 3hrs to bring to the school over the next two weeks, so then the kids can add their vocals. 

I had my piano guy come over to tweak my piano. I had in mind that we would be doing most of the session on piano. Of course Dan came in planning on doing mostly guitar. We changed gears and set up the guitar station. After a quick set up of some AKG C414 in a stereo pattern on the old Martin, we were ready to have a go. I also set up a dynamic mic for Dan to sing a scratch track into. We had to figure out the best way to get a clean guitar take and also a scratch vocal. After two passes of singing and playing guitar, it was apparent we were getting too much vocal in the quietly plucked guitar tracks. Dan decided to sing a scratch vocal after and then rerecord the guitar. And around and around we went.

I suggested again that we return to the piano. Dan is, by far and away, a fantastically talented pianist. A quick movement of the stereo mics into my standard placements, and we were ready to go. 

Daniel on the Piano

Set up: My old Wurlitzer piano has a lot of charm. Its very warm and buttery for an upright spinet. However, age is not without its quirks. If I open it up to mic it from the interior, there are few notes that are a bit tacky. Meaning they tick, or make noise when struck. So I mic this piano from the sound board. It has a very smooth and rich sound. It still captures the full range of the piano, and it alleviates any pedal noise or hammer ticks. I spread the mics apart, and put them right up on the board. I use my ears to find the best spots, although at this point, I've done it enough to know right where to put them. I add a room mic high in the room to capture the natural ambience of the overall instrument as well. Sounds Great!

Jingle Bells came to life like a lightning bug. Dan laid down a smooth and quintessential Christmasy sounding rhythm track and then overdubbed a simple melody track with the same set up. We both agreed, this was the way to go.

The six Christmas songs came pretty quick and easy. We maybe did two passes of each, and then the same for the melody. We can keep the melody or lose it after the kids perform. Its handy to have it in the mix for the kids to sing along too. Its like the bouncing ball.

After piano was tracked, we went back to guitar. I suggested whole note open chords. That seemed to work on the verses, but Dan felt it a little boring on the chorus'. He played another pass with a jangley strum on the chorus and the song felt much better. Then Dan played Ukulele to the Dredil song and we were finished.

We're a good team. Always have been. I enjoy working with Dan and look forward to a few more projects with him here in the near future. 

Next step is to capture the kids. No, that came out wrong. The next step is to record the kids. Then we'll add some jingle bells, badda boom badda bing, and the thing is done… after mixing = )

Killy Mockstar Day 3

SpeakerSonic

Kelly came in like a storm. She always has lot on her mind and with being a Semi-Finalist in the Andy Kaufman awards, she also has a lot on her plate right now.

We spent the first part of the session mixing one of the songs. God Wants You To Cum (GWYTC), is not the kind of song I would share with my Mother, but it does have a good moral. Its about a woman and her intent on letting you know just exactly how to get the job done.

photo by Craig Schober

MIX: I inserted some EQ, compression and a mild gate on the BeatBoxer's thumper and vocal mic. A "gate" is basically an envelope that opens and closes. It opens to let the sound thru, and closes to reduce it or cut the sound off entirely. This gives the percussion more punch and helps subdue some of the breaths and slight bleed from other instruments. A BeatBoxer isn't exactly going to sound like a drum kit, nor should it, but you want to resemble the drums as much as possible regarding the beat. Steady, pumping and moving the song along.

With the bass, I inserted EQ, added some mid-range and rolled of the bottom at 45hz. The mid boost depends entirely on the player and where they fit in the sonic spectrum regarding the drums and guitars. So I usually boost 1khz a few decibels, and then move it around till it brings out some nice details in the playing. You can hear it pop right out of the speakers when its in the right place. A compressor can keep the bass right in the center of the track as well. Slow attack, fast release and let it bump the meter around -4 to -6 then add some make up gain. I used a gate on Joe's bass as well. I've found that a gate can help shape the groove. You close the gate with the beat, so again, it helps move along the rhythm of the song. It also cleans up some unwanted string noise and between note undertones.

For Mike's guitars, we had two performances. The original live take, and the big guitar overdubs. The song has a Reggae vibe so I panned them out left and right. The subtle differences in the playing make for an interesting stereo effect. A little low mid EQ adds a world of good to fatten up a guitar sound. I sometimes boost 250hz up to 500hz depending on the sound, then roll off the lows at 150hz. Getting rid of low end leaves room for the kick and bass guitar.

On Blair's alto sax, I also added a little bit of mid low, and he had asked for an echo delay while recording. It adds a nice bit of depth to the track and we can keep him rather light in the mix since he sticks out so much in the upper frequencies. 

Next was Kelly's vocal. We used her live performance with the band. Almost no edits, easy and breezy. With Pro Tools 10 and 11, you can adjust volume within the waveform instead of automating each move. Such an easy way to even out a performance without messing with the dynamics. Lets you use a compressor for just those big notes and you don't have to go in and draw your levels anymore. I added some EQ for warmth and presence. Bumped up a little 7khz and a shelf at 10khz. Rolled off the bottom to about 120hz and gave another smidge of 300hz for warmth. I also added a very slight (9%) short delay (87 ms) with a medium feedback. This helps give the vocals a roundness, and is like an "uneffect". You don't hear any effect, but it sounds SO much better with it. Tricks of the trade. With a bit of ambient from a Vocal Plate, splish splash we're

moving on.

Backing vocals, again I leveled out the performance a bit with the waveforms. I spread them out left and right. Pamela's voice is so clean, I didn't use any reverb or anything. They sound great and with two performances, give a natural chorus effect. I tucked them behind Kelly's lead vocal and vu-ala! We're done.

We spent the second half of the day recording vocal for Robot and putting together a quick mix of Hypochondriac. There's still a few sessions to go. I'll basically use this first mix of GWYTC as the template for the entire EP. It sounds big and full. 

Outernational Vox & Comp

SpeakerSonic Studio

I received a message from an old friend on facebook about a band looking for a quick vocal recording spot ASAP. Outernational had played a midwest tour three years prior and she's kept track of them ever since. A facebook post lead to this session.

Outernational

Leo, Miles and Jesse came in late Monday to sing on the Lou Reed cover, Waiting For the Man, for a tribute project. It seems they had recorded the track a few years ago, and once the news got out that Lou had passed, they decided to dust off the cover, put some vocals on it and put it out in his honor.

The Goal: Record several takes of lead vocal and several takes of backing vocal. All comped and ready for mix down at another studio. 3hrs.

I had everything setup on their arrival. I checked out the band's music as well so as to familiarize myself with the singers style and volume. U87 sounds great on any male vocal, I added a touch of EQ and a pretty stiff compressor. The singer has a very loud and transient delivery, so I didn't want there to be any issue with distortion at peak levels. I also added a bus compressor to get the volume up to the bands loudly recorded and mixed track. 

Waiting For The Man Lyrics

Another simple trick I use for recording overdubs such as vocals and or guitars, is to bus the entire track (except for what's being recorded) to a mix bus prior to the master. This way you can adjust the band volume without effecting the volume of the vocal. Its like having one, pre master, fader that does not effect the original mix. 

Miles sang 5 passes of the song while Leo made notes line by line for his performance. This helped save a lot of time while comping. We had 95% of the song on those few passes and then Miles went back to the mic to punch in a few lines we missed. Jesse was singing a pretty great chorus in the control room while Miles was on mic, so once we finished comping the lead vocal, Jesse knocked out a nice even low harmony in a few takes. Then Leo added a high harmony. We comped the backing vocals in no time and after a bit of clean up and crossfades, the vocal tracking was complete.

Really nice guys, very easy to work with. Well organized. Everything was done on time and out the door. They seemed to like the space a lot, and that always feels good. They're playing a show with Brook Pridemore at The Paper Box Nov. 2nd.

Update: Here's the final mix: Waiting For The Man by Outernational

Killy Mockstar Day 2

SpeakerSonic Studio

With the Killy Mockstar band parts recorded, we spent the morning cleaning up small bits and overdubbing some Beatbox tracks with the "Human Drum Machine". 

Then it was onto recording one of my favorite things to do, guitar overdubs. First we did a quick acoustic track. Simple and easy, with the Martin and the U87, you can't go wrong. That was finished in a flash. Then, for the big electric sound, I used my little homemade radio amp. Its a 1940's tube radio converted into a guitar amp. It has a great overdrive if you turn it up pretty loud. I wore my earplugs for this one. I put a Sennheiser E609 up on the face just off center, and add the U87 about 5 feet back for some room. It scared off most of the crew for a short while. Mike, the guitar player, was quick and well performed so things went really quick and smooth. 

Then we found out Lou Reed died. Lou Fucking Reed. A one of a kind NY treasure. I say NY treasure because I want to feel like he was ours, but he truly was this worlds and beyond. He shaped a big part of my musical love life and it left an uneasy feeling in my heart. We all paused a moment to take it in, and then I did the only thing that I can do with news like that. I put my head down and headed full steam ahead into work.

With all of the band overdubs complete, it was time to move onto vocals. Kelly and I encouraged the band to get the F* out so we could focus. Kelly had some pretty solid foundation in her scratch vocals, which can make you feel confident knowing you've already got it good. My focus was on getting her to perform like a live show. She terrorizes audiences and its so incredible to see and hear, I myself, as a fan of their band, wanted to see and hear that. 

With a quick pep talk and a couple of swigs of whisky, we were underway. Here's a few picks which I think explain it better. We got there and then some. A little later in the day, Pamela, the backing vocalist came in to lay down her sweet sounds. She was a pro and we had a good vibe and work flow immediately. She came prepared and willing to improvise. We knocked out 2 songs of lead vocal and three songs of back ups.

We didn't finish everything in these two days. But we also didn't rush to a finish line. Kelly and I are getting back together on Tuesday and I think its good to have a day between what we've put together so far and the final mixes. I feel good about it and know the band is going to love the way Kelly Killed the Band!

xoxo - RIP - Lou Reed

Day 1 with Killy Mockstar

SpeakerSonic Studio

Take 5 A type personalities and put them in a band = Killy Mockstar.

Goal: 5 song EP, 2 10hr days.

Variables: Beatboxer, Bass, Guitar, Sax and Vocal all recorded live.

Challenging set up again for this one. The guitar and soprano sax take up a lot of sonic space in a live situation, and… a beatboxer? Yup. They want a live feel, so I put them all in the same room, but it was clear from the first roll, we had to separate the vocals. We put Killy in my control room with the window. She is responsible for a lot of visual cues, and needed to focus on the guys getting their parts. We also want to be able to manipulate her vocals easily. Maybe replace some parts, or effect them without effecting the band sound.

Killy and Superman

We acquired "The Thumper TH100 Vocomotion" throat mic to add some bass to the beatboxer's sound. Along with an MD 421 thru an API 550b bass boost and LA-3A for his spit parts, I feel pretty good about the outcome. The guitar player is using one of two very small amps for each song. Simple, I put a Sennheiser E609 in front of each on of them and built a little fort to tame the sound in the room. I ran the bass direct with an API 550b and LA3A insert, then put another MD 421 on the Sax. Great players = great outcome.

A couple of Thumpers taking a break

As things go, a few songs were harder to capture than others, but we were able to get pretty solid takes of all 5 songs plus some gang vocal overdubs and scratch mixes by the end of a long day. Of course, then I had to run out of the house with a remote system to record M Lamar's new show at La Mama. I'm tired today.

Day 2 begins today and I'm told there will be a Diva backing vocalist to prepare for. Are you kidding, after working with 5 Divas, I'm prepared for anything. Hardy har-har, just jokes, wink wink, nudge nudge. No but seriously, I'm afraid!

"Pop" Vocal with Al Calderon

Producers Corner - SpeakerSonic Studio

Today's session was with an up and comer making his way through the entertainment machine. Al Calderon was a featured performer on The X Factor recently. A mutual friend of ours put us together to work out a recording for future release. My role, producer & engineer. Al's role, sing his ass off.

Sarah Smiles, by Hall and Oats, has made a comeback with the help of Al and the television show. His performance led to hoards of fans and his star is on the rise. 

Posing for a picture

I put Al in a room with Ben Pegano for a rehearsal. My idea was simple, get that old school Wurlitzer electric piano sound with a clean and well performed vocal. I had a sound in my head and thought Ben, with his soul and keys background, would be the perfect match. After a shaky, feeling each other out rehearsal, there was some uncertainty. I barreled ahead with Ben coming in the next day and he laid down a smooth and dynamic performance on the first take. We recorded several more takes after that, but we ended up using 90% of the first take. WTG BP!

Al loved the track and came in to sing a week later, that being today. I warmed him up a bit with some scales and his voice was right where it needed to be. Al has a great voice. Its very clean and he can throw down a riff. It took a take or two to get the headphones and levels just right because on a track like this, where the vocal is wide open, the singer needs to be able to hear every single breath and nuance of the performance. The soft parts have to be loud enough, and the loud parts have to not overdrive the input, nor blow out the ear drums.

Today's setup; U87 with -10db pad, into the Trident. Outboard inserts; API 550b with a boost in the bass, LA-3A compressor edging off the peaks, API 550b with a reduction in the bass. This is a similar principle to a previous session. Boost the bass on the way to the compressor so the compressor leaves the high frequencies buoyant. Then reduce the bass after, leaving a very tasty and lively sound.

Photo by Alex Beaufort

For Al's headphone mix, I added a touch of reverb, and then a very heavy compressor "in the box". I simply set up an Aux and bus it to the channel. The actual recorded track would not be squashed, but in order to feel and hear all of those little vocal breaths and do dads that pop vocals love, we had to compress it for the headphone mix. The song is Very dynamic, the soft parts are practically whispers and the loud parts are like Stevie Wonder. You can't expect a singer to whisper, and then not hear themselves. You also can't have them wail, and blast out their hearing. 

For the mix, which still needs to be finished, I'm creating two separate vocal tracks. One will be for the soft stuff, and one will be for the louder stuff. I can compress them differently according to how they need to sit in the track and then I'll adjust for volume accordingly to maintain a linear sound. ~ adjust my nerd glasses ~

He sang the shit out of the song, it sounds Fantastic, and I'm glad to have worked with him. He's humble, cool, talented and he's doing some pretty great things. Success!!

I'll post a link to the track when it "drops".

Jesse Cannonball Statman - lofi Experiment

SpeakerSonic Studio

Jesse Cannonball Statman is a quirky, non-traditional, singer/songwriter with a unique set up. His guitar is… different. His songs are different too. He is, IMO, the perfect subject for this experiment.

I've been kicking around this idea of using the mic input on my crappy old hand held tape recorder as a vocal mic. It has an interesting tape saturation/distortion sound. I was hoping to plug into the mic input, but I couldn't find the one particular cable I needed. DAG! So I just taped the tape recorder to a mic stand and used the internal mic. It has less frequency range than plugging a decent mic into the unit, but the principles are the same. The input is overdriven, it hits the tape heads and produces a broken up, compressed, colorful lofi sound.

On the guitar I used a junky old webcor mic into a mediocre ART Tube MP. I cranked the Input and the +20db switch to get a crunchy sound there as well. That was sent DI thru the Trident console.

For Jesse's guitar, he uses a nameless broken open hollowed out "semi acoustic" guitar in which he places a drum mic for live amplification. To his mic, I added EQ and Distortion and sent it into my old handmade Tube amp (made from a 1940's radio). I added two room mics, one in front of Jesse  and one high up in the room for ambience and to pick up some nuances that you just can't get with close mics from a guy like Jess Cannonball Statman. He moves incessantly. 

I have this old tape delay I thought might be right for a few songs so we added that into Jesse's vocal chain with an on/off foot switch. What a wonderful tool in this world of tape and saturation and warmth. It ended up adding a tinge of noise to the input, but this is lofi, so who cares. It also added a world of good to the songs!

For the mix, I spread the Room mics out far Left and Right, to get a nice stereo image of the room and so I could also avoid using many effects in post. Jesse asked for a bit of reverb on his guitar so I put a "Warm Plate" in the bus and we sprinkled in a small amount. The guitar tone is a blend of the miked up amplifier and the preamped mic placed in front of his actual instrument. It gets a lot of meat from the amp, and gets the quick paced strum patterns of Jesse's "semi acoustic" sound. The Vocal has a pinch of delay and EQ in post. Just classic room sound and tape delay when pressed. I think it sounds crazy good. Its probably not as far out as I'd like to go… eventually. But with what I have kicking around here, I'm very happy with the outcome. I'm anxious for others to hear it to see what you think. Here's one of the songs.

Tiger by Jesse Cannonball Statman

Fun day with Erin Kleh and Friends

SpeakerSonic Studio

Goal: Demo 2 songs, recorded and mixed 5hrs.

Variables:  3 players, live recording, Guitar & Vocal, Backing Vocal and Cajon with a few overdubs.

Songs: Just A Friend (JAF), a speedy doot doot song about regret. Get Me Off (GMO) a coming down out of the clouds song about falling in love.

I enjoyed a set of Erin Kleh's a while back at a show she hosted called Animals Animals Animals. She played with a small group and blazed through 10 songs in 30 minutes like nobody's business.

 She came in with a Backing vocalist, herself playing a nylon string guitar while singing, and a Cajon player. Another live recording setup. I put a pencil condenser on her guitar facing away from her voice aimed in from the 12 fret. I also used the input on her guitar since it had a really nice sound. That way I can blend the two and capture a nice full tone. I used an AKG C414 on her vocals and aimed it slightly angled up and away from her guitar. Her voice is great as well as the Backing vocalist, Danielle. They had a really nice blend with very different qualities. Brian, the Cajon player came in a little later and I set him up quick with a small barrier in front of his Cajon for a little bit of isolation. I placed a Sennheiser MD 421 in the rear inside the hole, and then I put a U87 in the front of the box, aimed slightly down as to pick up the tambourine he played with his foot.

The group is well rehearsed and prepping for a month long tour in Italy. They played very well together and I like the songs very much. Brian added a shaker and bongos to GMO. And Danielle ended up replacing all of her vocals on the song, so we doubled them and spread them out. Then she added a few choice harmonies.

On JAF we added a tiny little harmony underneath a sweetly sung ooh by Danielle, then myself and the two ladies added some hand snaps. The rest was the original set up, GTR/VOX, Back VOX and Cajon. I put a room mic in the setup, but found that it wasn't adding much to the mix, so its just a quiet layer underneath.

MIX: Very easy on the reverb, and then I spaced things out. Erin's voice has a lot of character, so it was important to not lose that by adding anything that would take it away. Basic reverb on the Backing vocals, shaker and hand snaps. I added a touch of reverb to the front mic of the Cajon and left the back mic without. Good sound for a quick mix. I could see taking these songs to put some time into the mix to get them polished, but the goal was to have these songs for demo as much as anything else. Eventually they'll re-record them with a cellist and additional backing vocalist.

Another day with Dan of Jagged Leaves.

SpeakerSonic Studio

Today was cleanup on aisle Mix. I'm never really sure what to expect when Dan Penta comes over. Sometimes its one thing, and then it becomes another. But today was simple and straight-forward. Mix day.

He had a few scratch mixes of the songs and came in today wanting them to be more flushed out. Some of his notes were about the drums. So we basically focused on them and found the sound that will be the drums for the entire record. 

Different artist work… well... differently. Some say leave it untouched until mix down, some say give me a polished mix each step of the way. Dan likes to hear the track develop fully each step of the way. This first mix is really how he and the band rehearse. Dan on vocals and guitar, Bryan on bass and the other Daniel on drums. 

To the drums, I added a gate for the Kick. A gate basically stops a sound. It can give the kick drum a tight punch and also alleviate any bleed from other drums or instruments. The toms were Dan's biggest concern. They just seemed too loud and upfront, so I put a gated reverb on them and tucked them in by turning them down. The snare also was treated subtly with the same reverb. The great thing about a gated reverb is that the effect only lasts for a short while and then it goes away. It doesn't stay in the mix and muddy things up. I don't use it very often, but in this open sounding, acoustic based guitar and upright bass, I think it leaves a lot of room.

Dan also had a few ideas on where he wanted to put his guitar and vocals. Dan has been working in many studios for many years so he has a lot experience with finding what he wants. He'll conceptualize and experiment, bring it home, listen, makes notes and then move on to the next step. 

So now we have a solid mix of his songs and he can also pass them along to the Trumpet player to work on for overdubs, and the Backing vocalist as well. To be continued…

Whitford Five

SpeakerSonic Studio

Whitford Five are a rootsy acoustic, modern throwback.

Goal: 2 songs recorded / mixed & mastered, 6 hours

Variables: 6 players, Violin/vocal, Ukulele/vocal, Drums, Piano/vocal, Acoustic Gtr/Lead Vocal and various Horns. 2 setups for live tracking. No DI's.

Songs: On My Way  (OMW)- a ballad about the journey back to love. Its A Long Way (IALW) - a crossing the sea back to you.

Here's a midday shot from the rooftop taken by their manager Dante.

RECORDING: We tracked the entire band live, which is hard for the most seasoned of bands, and they are very young. It was a challenge to set up, but knowing my room, I went with what I knew would work. We recorded about three takes per song and once the takes were in the can, we did a few overdubs of Backing Vocals on OMW, then a second Horn and 2nd Uke for IALW.

Both the ukulele and the violin's contact mics were busted, so I had to mic everything. Tough to get any isolation with such a set up, but good for the live sound and feel. You want their first dip into a real recording studio situation to be comfortable and successful and I think it was.

I used a ton of mics, and very little outboard. The only thing I added on the way in was on the Kick Drum. I put a pinch of compression and an EQ to bring out the bottom end.

MIX: I spread all those instruments out so that the center wasn't overloaded with midrange, and it also made room for the Vocals. The violin is particularly sweet on these songs with melody and counter melody. I placed it on the left side because that's where the ear tends to hear best in headphones, especially subtleties, then I put the horn on the right side. It seemed important that all the instruments be balanced as they are very much a group and no one person is the lead. Looking forward to seeing and hearing this group grow.

MASTERING: I softened a few frequencies and tamed the low end of that giant kick drum I created. Then added a basic compressor to the stereo channels and left the center channel where the vocals sit, uncompressed. This technique I learned from Mark Christensen at Engine Room Audio. It holds the band in place while letting the voice be as dynamic as ever. Then I slapped on a limiter for volume and kablam. 

Jagged Leaves Vocal Day

SpeakerSonic Studio

Short day with Dan Penta, laying down some vocals for three of the four songs we've been working on. I set up a few acoustic panels and a room splitter to get a tight sound. We've got a little bit of room bleed from the initial band recording. It was important for Dan to be in the same room with his drummer and bass player. He also wanted to have some bleed in the instruments, so I put them in a circle and placed a small sound barrier between the drums and bass to maintain the details of the instruments but also allowing for a modest bleed. I've got such a great drum and bass sound from this session! Woot Woot!

Dan wants the record to have a very live and performancey feel ala The Grateful Dead recordings from the 60's and 70's. This is a great space for that kind of sound and I find myself doing this style of band recording quite often. The Telethons, Kung Fu Crimewave, Crazy and the Brains, Ifrit, and the band I'm working with tomorrow, Whitford Five, have all requested this setup.

After the vocals,  we put together a quick mix of a few of the songs for notes and overdubs. You can record a million different ways to achieve a great sound. These songs all have very lively dynamics and its important to maintain that on mixdown. I've found a real nice reverb for the vocals and guitar, but as of now the drums are live and uneffected. The bass too is uneffected. What does uneffected mean? Basically, no reverbs, chorus, delays or ambients. I've added subtle compression on a few inputs and rolled off a little mud with EQs, but that's it.

Most clients I work for want a clean and professional sound. So I go with what I know will work and that helps save time, and therefore, money. However, if I come up with an experimental idea, I can always find a way to put it into motion. For instance, I've been kicking around this low-fi recording idea and thinking about the right project to put it towards. Instead of waiting for someone to come to me, I've asked Jesse Cannonball Statman to be my guinea pig. That will commence on Wednesday. Should be fun! Details to follow. Its really hi-fi, with a low-fi twist.

SpeakerSonic Studio

Today I'm working with Dan Penta, one of my favorite artists. Dan and I have been friends a long time and we've recorded together on many of his recordings since 2007. His moniker has changed many times, but his constant barrage of fantastical songwriting has not. Cockroach, Whisper Doll, Daniel Bernstein, The Everybody Knows, Erratic Rabbits and Jagged Leaves are just a few since I've known him.

We're getting a pretty sweet acoustic guitar sound today. The goal is a very natural and organic sounding guitar for some, rootsy style, new songs. Simple set up; Vintage (1972) Martin D-18, with a Neumann U87 into the Trident 80B. I'm also adding a bit of color with an API 550b and an LA-3A compressor. I read somewhere about an idea that I've been incorporating into the sound. If you add some low end to an acoustic or vocal on the way to the compressor, the compressor mostly responds to the low end rather than the higher frequencies. Thus, it compressors the lower frequencies while leaving the high frequencies uncompressed. This lets the higher timbers dance much more freely and dynamically once you roll off and subdue the low end in post. Such a beautiful and full sound in a singular acoustic guitar.

We also used the old 12 string ovation for one song. It adds a nice jangly texture.

We recorded acoustic for 4 songs today. 2 of them went quick and easy, and of course, 2 of them were a struggle. Most of the issues we had were getting Dan's mix, vibe, and tempo on track. The songs all have the same setup, live drums, bass, scratch guitar and scratch vocal. But it all comes down to how they sound when you work on them. If the new guitar is too loud, the player pushes the tempo, too soft, the player drags the tempo. We tried a few different things until we got it just right. I even muted the acoustic while recording it, so that the focus was on the drum and bass entirely. Whatever works!

I realized today what glue Dan's guitar playing is to the sound of this new project. There was slight push and pull in the overall feel of the track, but once Dan's mighty downstroke is implemented into the song, all seems to smooth out seamlessly.