microphones

Dec

2017

Roswell Pro Audio “Little Wing” & Drum Videos

What is better than recording great musicians with great microphones? Nothing!

Roswell Pro Audio is a boutique microphone company based in northern California. They make a couple really nice microphones; The Delphos and the Mini K47.

Matthew at Roswell contacted me about producing a few videos to showcases what these two mics on drums and with a full band. This was my first full experience with these mics and let me just say that they sound fantastic! Drums, bass, guitar, vocals, you name it, they were great.

The first video we put each mic to the test on drums and tracked a few really cool minimal mic setups. Check it out below and here for yourself.

As much fun as it was to produce the drum video Matthew wanted to get a video with a full band. In other words he wanted to make some music! For this I enlisted the help of some of my favorite musicians. Glen Sobel (Alice Cooper) on drums, Ric Fierabracci (Blood Sweat and Tears, Chick Corea) on bass, Jeffery Marshall (Alan Parsons Project) on guitar, Alexx Calise (Batfarm) and Jude Crossen on vocals.

This was really fun recording session and video shoot. How could it be anything else when you have the most amazing musicians on the planet! This video also showcases the versatility of the Roswell Pro Audio microphones. Don’t take my word for though. Check out the video below.

Learn more about Roswell Pro Audio at www.RoswellProAudio.com.

Need video production? We specialize in helping artists, bands, musicians and music manufacturers get the video content you need to promote your brand in today’s market. Contact us for consultation. More info here.

Dec

2016

Great Gear Under $400 PT1: Mics & Drums

The size of the price tag is not necessarily the way to judge how good a piece of gear will sound. Or if it will do what you actually need it to do.

I pick gear with only 1 thing in mind…..

‘Will this piece of gear do the job I need it to do’.

That’s it.

I have inexpensive gear right next to my expensive gear, and it all works. In PT1 of “Great Gear Under $400” I want to show you a few pieces of gear, that I use all the time, that are under $400. I’m starting with microphones and the drum set.

This is an excerpt from one of the live broadcasts that got a LOT of attention. I know a lot of you are on a budget. That’s why I did this broadcast, to give you some inexpensive options to add to your studio gear.

Enjoy the video and drop me a line to let me know what gear you dig that is under $400!

Happy recording,
Charlie

Jun

2016

Behind the Scenes with Chad Smith

Yesterday we posted video of Chad & Kevin tracking “Eagle Eye”. Today we bring behind the scenes footage from the session.

As far as sessions go it went pretty smooth. Working with professional musicians like Chad & Kevin make my job as an engineer pretty easy. Kevin and I had talked quite a bit in the weeks leading up to the session so I had a pretty good idea on what type of tones they wanted.

We decided to use a vintage Rogers Holiday kit restored by a good friend of mine Kurt Berger and drum whisperer Chris Heuer. It is a truly amazing drum set. I love all of my kits but that kit just has the “it” factor. It really is amazing.

Kevin brought his Mark Bass rig which is a piece of cake to record. Although Kevin could make any bass rig sound good the Mark Bass is bad ass.

All in all this was a really fun day in the studio. Tarja joined us via Skype from Buenos Aires and stayed on for the entire session. Once we’d get a track we would also send them an MP3 to listen to. This is one of the great ways that technology has made our lives better. It was an international session!

Tarja is a wonderful person and an amazing artist. Check the new album out at www.tarja-theshadowself.com. Links to purchase the album are below.

Anyway let’s get to the video! I’ll post a full list of the mics used and a few photos below too.

Enjoy!
Charlie

The Brightest Void
Tarja CD Digipak – Tarja 1LP+Download – Tarja iTunes

Microphone List

Kick In: MXL A55 kicker

Kick Out: Studio Projects CS5

Snare Top: SM57

Snare Bottom: SM57

Snare Side: Cascade Fathead II

Hats: Audio-Technica ATM450

Rack Toms: Heil PR30

Floor Toms: Audio-Technica AT4047

Ride: Audio-Technica ATM450

Overheads: Audio-Technica AT4060 Tube Mics

Mono Room: Cascade Knucklehead Ribbon Mic

Stereo Rooms: Audio-Technica AT4080 Ribbon Mics

Stereo Wide Rooms: Audio-Technica AE3000

: Chad Smith & Kevin Chown layin’ down tracks

: Drum layout on the Trident 88

: The Trident 88 is full!

: Chad Smith & Kevin Chown listening to takes

: Kevin’s Mark Bass rig

: Kick mic setup with a 5 foot tunnel!

: Rogers Holiday kit used for the sesson

: Rogers Holiday

: AE3000 room mics

: Kit with kit tunnel

: SM57 on top of the snare

: Gretsch bell brass snare

Jun

2016

Why It’s Important To Know Your Mics!

When I start preparing for a session the first thing I do is talk with the artist and find out what they are looking for sonically. We’ll talk about their music, their influences, what albums they like and I’ll ask them for references of other artists that fit their music. I’ll also talk with them about what type of recording they want and whether it’s a modern sound vs old school sound, dark or bright, etc..

Based on their answers I start putting my tracking sheet together and make my initial decision on what my signal chain will be. My first decision is usually what microphones I’ll use to fulfill the artist’s sonic vision.

Before the artist even arrives at the studio I’m able to make quite a few microphone decisions simply because I know my mics….really well.

My goal is not just to record a good sound. My BIG goal is to record the “RIGHT” sound for the music. I’m able to do this because I’ve done my homework and spent time getting to know how my mics react in any situation on any source.

So, are you getting the right sound for the music you’re recording? Check out this video to find out why it’s important to know your mics and know them well.

Happy recording,

Charlie

p.s. do me a favor and leave a comment with your experiences with you microphones. What you use, your method for learning how they sound, etc. I would love to hear from you!

Jul

2015

Recording Tip! – Overhead Mics & Low Ceilings

The questions I get the most are about overhead mics. What to use, where to put, them, how to angle them, etc.. I also get a lot of questions from people that have rooms with very low ceilings. Similar to the ceiling heigth of a bedroom or garage.

There is a simple, and cheap, trick to keep the reflection off the ceiling from wrecking your overhead sound!

Here’s a drum recording quick tip for dealing with low ceilings. Watch the video!

Jun

2012

FullOnDrums.com Tackles Your Room Sound!

Get Big Rooms Sounds In A Not So Big Room!

Room mics can really add a great depth to your drum tracks…if they’re recorded correctly. Unfortunately most of us don’t have a million dollar room. Never fear FullOnDrums.com is here! To help you get great room tones that is.

In this two part series Charlie & Scott show you how to get a lot more size out of your not so big room. From different micing techniques to mix tricks all you’ll need get great room tones are in these two episodes. Try these techniques out and let us know how they’ve helped your drum recordings!

For more specific information visit the FullOnDrums.com website or click on the links below.

Episode 12 – Room Mics pt1
Episode 13 – Room Mics pt2

Room Mics Part 1:

Room Mics Part 2:

Feb

2012

MXL Videos Demos

MXL Product Demos Recorded @ URS

It’s no secret that MXL Microphones are extensively used at Ultimate Rhythm Studio which is why URS was the obvious choice to record and video demos for most of the MXL product line. The goal was to give musicians and studio owners a chance to hear exactly how the microphones sound on a variety of instruments. Each video is shot in HD and there is no compression or equalization on the audio or video.

Charlie enlisted the help of several fellow teachers and long time cohorts to record each instrument. They include: Ernesto Homeyer (guitar), Brian “Hacksaw” Williams (vocals), Tita Hutchison (vocals), Joerg Kohring (acoustic guitar) and Charlie (drums).

MXL makes a wide variety of mics that will fit any budget. Both King Crazy records, “Hero“ & “A Rockin’ Christmas“, were recorded with MXL microphones.

Have a listen for yourself!

MXL Video Gallery – MXL YouTube Channel

Here are a couple videos:

microphones

Roswell Pro Audio “Little Wing” & Drum Videos

Great Gear Under $400 PT1: Mics & Drums

Behind the Scenes with Chad Smith

Microphone List

Why It’s Important To Know Your Mics!

Recording Tip! – Overhead Mics & Low Ceilings

FullOnDrums.com Tackles Your Room Sound!

Get Big Rooms Sounds In A Not So Big Room!

MXL Videos Demos

MXL Product Demos Recorded @ URS

Sounds from the Studio

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