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.