Singing Tips, on/off Key

SpeakerSonic

Perfect pitch isn't a myth but notes on the piano aren't' all the notes to sing. There's tones and vibrations created by bending, easing into, blending, breaking, screaming, a-tonal 2nds, 6ths, and dissonance. Can you sing on pitch? Do you want too?

Haaaaaaaaaaaaa-llelujah!

A singer's voice is often the most forward instrument in the mix. I say instrument because the voice is an instrument. Its the most flexible, sophisticated and badass of all the instruments. There is no reed and no strings attached. The voice makes sound when air passes through the vocal chords, yes its true. But the color, timbre and quality of your voice is asserted by much more than this simple function. Your body, bones, your lungs, your placement, your inhale and your exhale, all play a part in YOUR sound.

What is placement? When you exhale you can do so through your nose or through your mouth. But you can also breathe with and through your entire body. Your eyes have ducts, your pores let out oxygen. Ever sing a note that vibrates your teeth, or rumbles your stomach? Know that feeling? Ever thought about it? Know what raising your upper palate entails? Know what you sound like when you move the sound around in your head? 

Tip #1: Record yourself singing a note and then alter its sound by yawning the note, or singing through your teeth, or opening your mouth wider, or pushing more air behind it, or lightening it. See what it sounds like. Sing a few lines of your song and apply these variables. How does it change your tone?

Okay, enough with the chalk talk. A good voice is appealing to the ears. It sounds "pretty" or "smooth" or "dark", or "gritty" or "nasty". As a listener, I want the voice to be on pitch or close enough that it doesn't distract from the song. And if it bends, or breaks or cracks, I hope that it does so in an emotional way and not a contrived way. Nothing drives me out of a room quicker, or pushes fast-forward faster than a singer that is constantly off pitch or a singer that uses affectations or contrives their voice. 

Nice teeth, but does it sound good? 

EX: I know an artist who sings constantly flat, or under the pitch, as part of their style. It hurts me to listen to. There is style in bending into a pitch, but when you're constantly underneath a pitch in order to slowly, sometimes not even making it, bend into the pitch, it drives me crazy. Same goes if you're always sharp, or over the pitch. This often happens when a singer is pushing too hard with their voice. You push past the pitch. 

Then there's "affecting" your voice. The speaking voice is very telling to what a singer might sound like. If you speak "normally", in your regular voice, and then start singing and it sounds like baby talk, I find that to be very distracting. I ask myself, "Why are they doing that?", "What would they sound like if they didn't do that?" 

In recording vocals, the goal is to get the best tone and sound from a singer. 

1. Make them comfortable, sure. "Tea with lemon?"

2. Find the right mic for their voice, of course.

3. Make a clear headphone mix so the singer can hear the band or performance in a way that makes them feel good and want to sing the song well, absolutely. 

4. Reverb, Compression, Delay? Whatever you want!

But there is a whole other world of singing that comes into play in the studio. Just the mere mention of studio, or recording, can send a singer into a head-spin. "What are the words?, When do I come in? What's my voice going to sound like?" STOP! I always tell a singer to sing to me the first word with the first pitch to get them ready for just that. The first word on pitch. It also serves as a focus to keep from the distractions of thought aforementioned. 

Optima Tuner app

Tip #2: Almost everybody has a smartphone these days. And if you don't and you're a singer, buy a tuner. There are lots of apps, you can buy or are free for your phone, to tune your instrument. Tuners also work well for singing on pitch. Find a note, sing it, and see where you are in the frequency spectrum. When you sing D, is it on pitch, just under, just over? Is it always just under or just over? What does it feel like to sing right on the pitch? 

The best way to sing is to know the pitch, be able to sing the pitch, and then you can devalue the pitch according to your performance. The singers best tool is, in my opinion, performance. Singing in tune with the song will make you even better for yourself and your listener. Being able to perform and be in control of your pitch, then you are, well… Freddie Mercury! 

Renegade Recording with Barry Bliss

SpeakerSonic

You know the drill. We've got one day to do nine million things. Your job is to set up quick and get out of the way. 

It seems more often than not, I'm faced with the task of an artist wanting to schedule a very limited amount of time to record their music. They work, scribe, tool, edit, rewrite, mull over, channel, hone, and maneuver their songs into perfection. A process that takes time and sensitivity. Now its time to record this collection of meticulously crafted songs and time is money. "How fast can it be done?",  has led me to name this process "Renegade Recording".

The challenge with "Renegade Recording" is to be fast, efficient and precise. There's no room for experimentation or uncertainty in setups. In my years of recording, I know what works and use my most basic tool kit to be sure that the end result will still represent my own expectations of quality. Of course, the more precise you can be with your techniques, the better the chances of capturing the absolute best possible sound. But with "Renegade Recording", absolute precision is out the window. 

Tech Talk: These unique challenges can lend itself to some interesting results. Simplicity first. Keep it simple and be prepared. I always setup a template for each instrument/setup I'm going to use. In Pro Tools you can create a template session from which I can import for each song. This saves time on selecting inputs, groupings and naming tracks. If there are 3 mics going for every acoustic guitar performance, set it up once than import from your template for every song. This saves time and is a very easy way to keep the creative energies stirring from the musician/artist wanting to run a mile in a minute. 

Sometimes its an entire band wanting to record 6 songs in one 10hr day, other times its an acoustic artist wanting to record 15 songs in 5hrs. Set it up right so you don't have to rethink it.

The most recent adventure in "Renegade Recording" was with Barry Bliss. In the past, Barry has brought his material in prepped and ready to record vocal and guitar at the same time. The last album, Life is Fair, we recorded, mixed and mastered 14 songs in 7hrs. This time, however, Barry wanted to separate the guitar and vocal tracks. He has a new job that requires him to speak loudly over a long period of time on a daily basis so he was concerned about his vocal performance. The plan was to record all the guitar parts then lay down a vocal for each song. This went off without a hitch. Barry's voice is strong and it was nice to have separation for once. Having a separate guitar and vocal lets me effect guitar and vocal differently and there's no bleed from instrument in vocal mic or from vocal in instrument mics. 

Next step was getting Bryan Copeland in for a few string bass parts on a few songs. During the string bass recordings, Debe Dalton showed up to play banjo, so I switched over very quickly to miking the banjo. To keep it simple, I used the same mic and set up for Barry's vocals, Bryan's bass and Debe's banjo. U87 through the Universal Audio LA-610 preamp. A few tweaks with the EQ and a very subtle compressor variance for each instrument. By the time the artist is ready for a real take, I'm setup and ready to capture. 

Bryan, Debe and Barry rehearsing

While Debe was taking takes, Steve Espinola showed up to play a little piano. We finished up with Debe and I quickly put up a couple of mics on the old Wurlitzer Piano. Stereo pair in omni over the top of the instrument with the lid opened up. Steve basically was learning the song as we recorded it. His parts are simple at times and experimental at others. It lent itself to being a very beautiful piano performance.

As I mentioned with Steve, none of the musicians playing on the tracks had ever played or even heard the songs before. Barry just threw them into the mix. Bryan made a few quick notes, Debe played through the song a few times and Steve had a couple of chords scribed out in front of him along with the lyrics. No time to think, just do. 

Its amazing what happens with limits and quick performances. We really captured some magical moments. All performers involved threw down their first instincts and it worked great.

A week later, Barry added a little piano, and Bryan played a few more tracks with the string bass. I had set up the drum kit with four mics, kick, snare and 2 overs, for the days session. Barry wanted me to play drums to The Truth, which he had recorded to a click the week prior. He also wanted he, Bryan and I to record a live version The American Dream as a band for the bonus track on the album.

I played through The Truth 2 full times and felt pretty good about the parts. The first time through I was trying different things and found the grooves I thought would work. On my next full take I locked in on the changes and then, ok, sure, that's the take. Bryan did the same with the electric bass. Take one, find the changes, take two… great! 

The American Dream, I gave Barry a dynamic mic, and put a couple of mics in front of his electric guitar rig. Bry played an electric bass, miked. We were all in the same room and it didn't take long for us to get a pretty solid vibe going. It did, however, take us a while to all fall into place on the changes and the stop starts. We played through this track probably 5 times before we were finished with it. I would call it a live track, even though I made a few edits to clean up a couple of sections. Its all live, just a mash up of 3 different takes to make one perfect take. 

Quick mixes, again I made a template each time I mixed a new instrument and then applied it to the following mix. In 2 sessions, totaling 13hrs we recorded, mixed and mastered 13 songs which include, acoustic guitar, vocal, piano, string bass, electric bass, banjo, double vocal and drums.

I don't think the record would have the same zest or zeal had we spent 7 days on the album. I stand by the recordings and by my drum performance. I captured the happenings and the happenings happened in a hurry. Ha! Here's a link to the new Album...

Barry Bliss -- Longwood Avenue

SpeakerSonic on the Move => And Acoustic Guitar Recording Tips

SpeakerSonic

Its been a hot minute since my last blog entry, and not without good reason. Since my last blog, my wife and I were given the opportunity to move into the perfect apartment, and in order to do so, I had to find a new home for the recording studio. Long story short, SpeakerSonic has moved. 

It was inevitable that I would need to find a new space for the studio. The loft in Brooklyn was being inundated with bands and dubstep fans, to the point where I had to often check in with neighbors and schedule sessions around so many different sounds. Headache much?! 

In scouting potential spots, I spoke with fellow recording engineer, Mark Ospovat of Emandee Recording-Rehearsal. He and I have been swimming in the same sea of artists for most of our careers. He has a great space in East Williamsburg. Large, built out with a big live room, two nice size isolation rooms, a vocal booth and a pretty good size control room. We had been in discussion for a long while thinking that it would be a good mashup for when the time was right. Once this apartment situation came to light, my wife and I put pedal to the medal to make it all happen in just over a months time. So, I brought my mass of gear and instruments over to his joint. 

Boo Hoo listening to playback.

My first session in the new space was with Ty Rone, Roosevelt "The Dr." Collier and Paul "P.K." Kuzik. We recorded about 4hrs of ripping blues lap steel and then 3 hrs of mondo bass. Its nice to have different amp options as the new space has its own collection of amps, instruments and outboard. 

Since then, I've recorded a Crazy and the Brains single, and spent two weeks with the new Boo Hoo record. I'm really getting a good feeling in the space. The sonics are sweet, the vibe is growing with every chance I have to do a little reincarnation of SpeakerSonic at Emandee, and the gear is ridiculous! All the guitar tracks I've recorded, acoustic and electric, have such a shimmer. Thick, articulate, spectacular!

Not pictured are the baffles we added to deaden reflection.

I also had a recent drum session for the Boo Hoo record. We were going for a very low, punchy, tom heavy, Bowie sound. Drummer Johnny Dydo played a 1968 Slingerland kit, tuned and tweaked, 1962 Ludwig 6 lug snare (fat and squishy), 15 mics up close and personal. It sounds like the drums from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, only with a little more kaboom on the floor tom. I've always wanted to try that sound, and it just works great with the sparkling clean acoustic guitar that Boo Hoo played. 

We tried out an AKG C414, but decided on the U87.

Some nerd stuff: For the acoustic I put two mics on the instrument itself. A U87 up close off the 12th fret aimed in at the hand. Probably about 6 inches from the instrument. Then off the base of the guitar, I placed an AKG C414 aimed in towards the bridge. I always use my ears to find the best spots. Moving the mic even the smallest amount can net the most glorious sound. Then we sent an output to a 70's Fender Princeton in one of the iso rooms. The amp sound gives a completely different tonality to the mix. The more you use the more classic it sounds. Its got a lot of presence and a room mic adds a great deal of ambience. An MD421 up close on the cabinet and a Pearlman U47 Clone for the room mic about 8 feet back on axis. We used this same setup for every song, but we have in our playbook a varied of sounds according to how we mix it. Wanna sound old? Use more amp. Wanna hear a Nick Drake sound, use mostly the U87. Wanna hear the Beck Sea Change acoustic guitar sound, use the two instrument mics and roll off most of the bottom, then boost the hi. 1+2 = 23!

Ken South Rock Deconstructed

SpeakerSonic

I saw Ken South Rock for the first time at Shea Stadium in Brooklyn, NY in 2013 with my wife. Adam and Ken have become fast friends of ours through helping us with the move of the Trident console. They've busted down walls, put in windows and rebuilt the walls they tore down, and helped dismantled the console. 

They had recorded in Nashville for their first album, Volcano. They recorded their most recent EP, Break the Walls, at pricey studio in Brooklyn. They are a ferocious rock duo. Two incredible talents hammering away at their instruments with surgical precision masked by their wild style delivery and explosive energy. The recordings translate the talent, but not their wily performance. Everything sounds very controlled and clean, trained even. IMO, too clean.

KSR Live at Lonewolf Nov. 19th, 2013

I wrote Adam on a whim, telling him I wanted to work with he and Ken. By this time, I'd seen them play a half dozen times and have become a big fan. I told Adam I wanted to hear on a recording what I hear at their live shows. Just my luck, they were already talking about working with me on a project for a new song. One song for a new music video to be directed by Julie Lamendola and Preston Spurlock. We had two days to record and mix the thing. 

I set out to capture a very raw and lively sound. I tuned the drums up for Adams arrival and he and Ken set up in the space for the session. They wanted to start with Drums and Bass so that Ken could later add his guitar parts, as they were still writing the song during the recording process. I focused on a really well miked up drum kit and I split the Bass three ways so I could make sure I had options on mixdown. 2 mics on the cabinet and one Direct signal. The drums were a four piece kit, hats, and three cymbals. I chose my 1962 Ludwig 6 lug snare for its wonderful depth and woody tone. Adam hit it and said, "Ah yeah. That is exactly what I want My snare to sound like!." I spent a good part of 3 hours dialing in the drums. I used multiple mics on the snare, 3 in fact (vintage 55s, SM57 top and bottom), for as full a sound as possible. I also used two mics on each tom to capture the attack and the release on the other end. Full, Big, Powerful, like Adams playing. 

They made probably 7 takes before they felt like they got it. We listened to the chosen take a few times to make sure it was all there. Once we were certain, we changed gears and set up Ken's guitar rig. We split the signal to two amps. Ken's Marshall Super Lead into my 4x12 Marshall Lead 1960 cabinet, and then to the Fender Hot Rod. Both amps offer completely different tonal characteristics. The crunch from the Marshall and the classic Fender sound combined to translate a warm and rich guitar tone. I put 2 mics on each cabinet. I find that the Marshall cabinet has a lot of nice qualities from speaker to speaker, so I used the traditional SM57 off center cone for one speaker, and a Sennheiser MD421 to capture the more guttural bass tones. On the Fender, I used the same concept only with one speaker. I put a Sennheiser e609 for the brighter side and another MD421 for the girth. Sweet blend. About 6 feet back I put a U87 to capture the blended sound of both cabinets. A temporary blanket wall behind the U87 helped this to sound nice and tight. Then high over head about 12 feet from the sound source I have another room mic that captures the amps in the room. This adds a real nice aura to the sound. 

Ken killed the guitar track. With some input from Adam, they basically wrote half of the guitar parts while tracking. Adam had mentioned double tracking the guitar, but Ken and I felt pretty good about the tone of the single take. It's also more in tune with their live sound and I didn't want to muddle up the mix. We then tracked a very clean acoustic track for the intro and outro of the song. Ken's acoustic has a very interesting quality. Brassy strings and a nice low resonance from the body. I put a U87 at the twelfth fret facing in towards the sound hole and then a C414 flat 3 inches from the body of the guitar. Both were inserted with LA3A's and the sound was bliss.

Two Amps One Sound

We spent the next day tracking the vocals and mixing the song. It was new to see Adam squirm and get nervous about singing. Not uncommon for any singer, but I had never seen Adam squirm. Ken and Adam both sang well and we dialed in some ideas back and forth between the 3 of us. Ken and Adam both have unique voices and I think we represent their aggressive live delivery well on this song. 

The mix came together rather quickly. I didn't use a single compressor on any of the live tracking of the drums, bass or electric guitars. I wanted all that dynamic and nuance to be raw and true to their sound. While mixing, I set up a parallel bus compressor for the drums. On my first drum bus I set up a stereo 1176 to pump the drums a bit without taking much in the way of dynamics. On the second drum bus, the paralleled bus, I added a much heavier compressor setting with lots of pumping and more on the squashed side. I only use a small amount of this to fill out the sound. It gives significant ambience to the overall track. I did very little in terms of EQ. The drums already sounded great, why would I change that? I wouldn't!

The guitars I sent to a bus and added a pinch of a plate reverb. I also EQ'd the bus a bit, adding in a fuller low frequency. Once I squashed the room mic and added it to the guitar mix, it added so much character. We all lit up when we heard the final guitar mix. It is so full and huge! The bass sound was also right on the money in the recording, so I found a nice even smoldering tone from just using more of one signal than the rest and that was it.

Its Ken South Rock! You'll hear the whole thing when it becomes available online. They're hard at work on the video as I write this. They'll be on tour for the next few months beginning in February. Catch them live whenever you can. They're playing tomorrow, January 29th, with a great line up at The Mercury Lounge.

Jagged Leaves & Dashan Coram's 'Piep'

SpeakerSonic

We're at the end of the road with the Jagged Leaves EP. The evolution of the Daniel Penta sound has been in the widest of variety. He is a lifelong singer/songwriter, the kind who explores himself in many different styles and genres from band name to band name, from year to year, from moment to moment. The singular thru line for Dan is his incredible lyric and deliberate vocal delivery. 

Jagged Leaves is an exploration in a more stripped down musical form. There are no roaring electric guitars or overdrive on this collection of songs, other than the mans voice. Jagged Leaves is a progressive and musically stylistic drummer, a melodic double bass player, the heavy down stroke of Dan's acoustic guitar along with Dan's brute force vocal, Erin Regan's stunning femme fatale vocal and a sugary trumpet line. There are bits and pieces of other instrumentation, very minimal, but also very attractive to the acoustical aesthetic of the material.

On the final day of recording and mixing, we added the last instrument of sorts. Dan wanted an oscillator,  a single note attenuator that wiggles up and down the sound scale. We had tried to acquire one from a few different friends with very little luck. The sound in ones head is often very clear and precise, and trying to pin it down can be difficult without the right tool. 

I had remembered our very good friend, Dashan Coram, using one in the later years of Huggabroomstik. I remember it being a very simple and small handheld box with a single dial on it. Dashan passed away just a few short years ago, and his memory is not without it's emotional experiences. When I mentioned this to Dan, we both agreed we needed

something like that, or even that very one. I contacted Dashan's brother Awan, aka Spider $tyle, and asked him if he could help out by locating it for me. I sent him a few pictures of what it might look like and he sent me back  a couple of snaps and the piece was there, smiling right at me.

As soon as we plugged it in, Dan said, "Well, that's it." He took a few passes with the song, and in a quick easy short couple of bursts, it was finished. 

The Micro-Piep 555 as it's labeled. I've never seen one like it, and can't find out any information about it on the internet. I showed it to some friends the night Awan handed it to me and they were like, "Oh wow, The Piep!" This little box has been around. It went on tours with Huggabroomstik through Germany and France and who knows where else. It's had a life of its own and now here it is in the light of day again. The 'Piep' a great little piece and I just wanted to share it with you, as Dan and I really got a great bit of sound and emotion out of it. 

The Jagged Leaves EP will most likely be out later this year.