recording guitar

Jun

2022

Console Side Chat Live Recording!

On our next Console Live Chat Live Stream we are actually going to do some recording!

If you’ve joined us for one of our Console Side Chat Live Streams then you know we cover a LOT of topics. The best part being that we get to hang out with all of you!

Since our topic of conversation always centers around recording music we decided to have a little fun and record a little ditty live during the stream! The setup will be drums (2 mics only!), bass, electric guitar and acoustic guitar.

But……

We need your help in selecting the mics we’re going to use for the recording. We’ve created a simple poll with a set of mics for each instrument and we need to you vote. Sunday before the live stream we’ll tally the votes, setup up the session and go live!

You can vote at: https://www.ultimatestudiosinc.com/livestreams/

We look forward to seeing everyone at the Live Stream!

The link below is live. Be sure to set a reminder!

Sep

2019

Microphone Monday EP2 – Heil PR30

For episode 2 of the new Microphone Monday series I decided to make 180? turn and pick one of my favorite dynamic mics. The Heil PR30.

If you have followed my videos you already know that I love the PR30. It’s quite possibly my favorite tom mic ever and also gets used on guitar cabinets a lot. The nice round low mid, tight low end and forward mid-range make it easy to work with in a mix.

Plus it has fantastic off-axis rejection. That comes in real handy when you are miking a tom and there are cymbals in close proximity.

Besides toms and guitar cabs I’ve had great luck with the Heil PR30 on overheads (especially in a live situation), hi-hat and bass cab. Wait till you hear the bass in this video! It’s tight and punchy.

Recording bass at Ultimate Studios Inc recording studio los angeles — Recording bass with the Heil PR30

Another place I’ve had great luck with the PR30 is vocals. The smooth but pronounced mid-range make it a no brainier on a vocal. Heil Sound also make a handheld version called the PR35.

Without further ado let’s get to Microphone Monday EP2!

Happy recording!
Charlie

Please subscribe to the YouTube channel!

About Ultimate Studios, Inc

Ultimate Studios, Inc is a full service recording studio, mixing studio and band development resource located in Los Angeles, Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Panorama City, CA 91402
https://www.ultimatestudiosinc.com

We believe EVERYONE deserves great sounding music!
Ultimate Studios, Inc is a boutique production facility for artists and bands to collaborate, create, and record.

Led by Producer/Engineer Charlie Waymire, our team assists artists through the entire creative process including recording, mixing, mastering, and video production.

Our ultimate goal is to help bands and artists build a strong brand for a lasting career!

Aug

2019

New!! Microphone Monday EP1: AT4047

recording bass with 1 microphone — Audio-Technica AT4047 recording bass

I’m really excited about this new series on the Ultimate Studios, Inc YouTube channel. It’s called “Microphone Monday”. Ernesto and I will record a short little ditty using only 1 microphone at a time. We tracked drums (using only 2 mics!), bass, guitar and piano.

Every Monday for the next 6 weeks we’ll feature a different mic from the mic locker at Ultimate Studios.

This is something I’ve wanted to do for quite sometime now and we are finally doing it.

Why have I wanted to do this?

recording electric guitar with 1 microphone — Audio-Technica AT4047 recording guitar

First off I love the challenge of recording something with only a few tools. It puts more emphasis on the player and makes the engineer focus on the best mic placement possible.

Second, I was really interested in hearing how each mic would contribute to the overall sound when being used on ALL of the instruments.

And thirdly, to hear each mic on every instrument at the same time was also a great reset for the ears. Like many engineers working on a daily basis we tend to fall into patterns that we know work. Using one mic on all of these sound sources and then another and another was a great way to really hear the difference in how they capture a source.

This really helps in knowing what tools to use for a particular color or vibe. After all microphones are basically paintbrushes for an engineer.

The approach

recording piano at ultimate studios inc los angeles with 2 microphone — Audio-Technica AT4047 recording piano

We setup each mic in pretty much the same position for each take. There are a few differences but the setups are very similar. There are multiple ways we could have approached each mic but we felt it was best to setup them up as close as possible. It seems to have worked well and makes it possible to get an idea of how each mic works.

To kick off the new series I chose the Audio-Technica AT4047. It’s a fantastic microphone and one of my favorites. Check out the video below and please subscribe to the YouTube channel!

Happy Recording,
Charlie

Jan

2019

Recording the Band – Paracosmic

Paracosmic, Recording the band…live!

One of my favorite parts of the music making process is when a band wants to record all together at the same time. Live off the floor. Not only is the energy from the band great but it’s also a challenge from the recording aspect.

Especially when their are 6 band member including drums, bass, 2 guitar players, saxaphone, harmonica, keys, sitar, tabla…and a second bass? Yep!

That is Paracosmic. They are funk, they are rock, they are blues, they are psychedelic and they are heavy on improv. That last part is why recording live is so important for a band like Paracosmic. They feed off each other every second of every song and it’s a lot of fun.

So how did we go about recording this band live here at Ultimate Studios, Inc? Very carefully!

We had Brandon Cooke (drums) setup in the live room with 16 mics. To open up some space in the room we decided to record the drums in the corner. Not only do the drums sound great there but it opens up room for the other musicians in the room.

Joining Brandon in the live room was Ashton Slater (guitar), Travis Soto (guitar/bass2) and Leo ‘Toad’ Meginley (bass).

For Toad we had a DI as well as a Mark Bass rig setup in the back room. That allowed Toad to have his tone in his ears as well as options for mixing. Both guitar amps were setup in the ISO booth separated by to 4” thick panels. The ISO is very dead and works well with multiple amps.

So far it’s pretty straight forward but it’s about to get interesting!

In the Control Room

With need for isolation for the keys, sax and flute Evan Hatfield (sax/keys/sitar) and Adrian Johnson (harmonica/flute) joined me in the control where we tracked them live with the rest of the band. To help get a little extra isolation between the sax and flute we setup a clear sonic shield between them. It worked really well too!

On one of the songs we tracked live sitar and table in the control room too. It was crowded for sure but it allowed the band to play together like they were used to. It sounded great!

Check the band out at Paracosmicfunk.com – and on the Paracosmic Facebook page.

Learn more about recording at Ultimate Studios, Inc.

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!

Nov

2013

Tips & Tricks – Basic Guitar Micing pt3 (w/video)

“Tips & Tricks” is a new video series from Ultimate Rhythm Studios that is aimed to help you learn how to make better recordings. We’re kicking off the “Tips & Tricks” series talking about guitars!

In part 2 Charlie and Ernesto showed you how to use two microphones to get a full guitar tone and give you a lot of tonal options. In part 3 they will use condenser mics to record a full and open guitar sound.

Setup #1 is a single MXL v67i. It is placed at different angles and pointed at different spots of the cone to demonstrate the different sound option and is running through the Toft ATB24 console with no eq.

Setup #2 combines an MXL v67i with an Audio Technica AE3000 condenser. Both are running through the Toft ATB24 with no eq.

Download the 48k/24bit files Here.

Be sure to visit the Ultimate Rhythm Studios YouTube channel and subscribe!

Basic Guitar Micing pt3

Nov

2013

Tips & Tricks – Basic Guitar Micing pt2 (w/video)

In part 2 Charlie and Ernesto show you how to use two microphones to get a full guitar tone and give you a lot of tonal options.

Setup #1 uses two SM57’s at different angles running through the Toft ATB24 console with no eq.

Setup #2 uses 1 SM57 and 1 Audio Technica ATM450 condenser also running through the Toft ATB24 with no eq.

Download the 48k/24bit files Here.

Be sure to visit the Ultimate Rhythm Studios YouTube channel and subscribe!

Basic Guitar Micing pt2

Oct

2013

Tips & Tricks – Basic Guitar Micing pt1 (w/video)

In part 1 Charlie and Ernesto focus on using a single dynamic mic to get a guitar sound and how moving the mic around the cone will give you different tonal options. The SM57 is running through the Toft ATB24 console with no eq.

Download the 48k/24bit files Here.

Be sure to visit the Ultimate Rhythm Studios YouTube channel and subscribe!

Basic Guitar Micing pt1

A few photos!

Single SM57 pointed at the center cone

Single SM57 between the center and edge of the cone.

Single SM57 on the edge of the cone.

Jun

2013

Dankrupt Records Debut EP – “Chapter 11 Dankruptcy”

Reggae outfit Dankrupt, featuring Grant Bogorad (Rhythym Guitar/Vocals), Tony Ward – (Bass), and Tim Canton – (Drums), recently finished recording their debut EP titled “Chapter 11 Dankruptcy”. They’ll be bringing their brand of Reggae, Funk & Latin Rhythms to the masses very, very soon!

“It was a lot of fun working with these guys. Especially on the final tune because we tracked it completely live in the studio. These cats nailed it! I’m really looking forward to the mixing process.” says engineer Charlie Waymire.

The mixing process will start in the next week or two. Check out Dankruptmusic.com and the official Dankrupt Facebook page for more info!

A few photos from the sessions!

Dankrupt: Grant (guitar/vocals), Tony (bass), Tim (drums) & producer Tim Pedersen

Recording Dankrupt - Grant & Tony in control room

Tim Canton Tracking Drums

Recording Dankrupt - Tim & Tony tracking

Recording Dankrupt - Grant tracking guitar

Recording Dankrupt - Charlie in the control room

Jan

2013

Abel Vallejo Lays Down Some Heavy Grooves!

Heavy Music Is About To Get A Kick In The Ass

The new year at the studio started out with a brand new project from drummer Abel Vallejo and guitarist Scott “SVH” Von Heldt. These two have written some really cool tunes with heavy riffs and mean grooves.

Abel is the quintessential rock drummer and gave each song exactly what it needed. Scott has one of the best sounding rigs on the planet! His tone and rhythm definitely set the vibe for the songs. We tracked some solid rhythm tracks!

Check out the video clip below and hear for yourself!

recording guitar

Console Side Chat Live Recording!

Microphone Monday EP2 – Heil PR30

New!! Microphone Monday EP1: AT4047

Why have I wanted to do this?

The approach

Recording the Band – Paracosmic

Paracosmic, Recording the band…live!

In the Control Room

Why It’s Important To Know Your Mics!

Tips & Tricks – Basic Guitar Micing pt3 (w/video)

Tips & Tricks – Basic Guitar Micing pt2 (w/video)

Tips & Tricks – Basic Guitar Micing pt1 (w/video)

Dankrupt Records Debut EP – “Chapter 11 Dankruptcy”

Abel Vallejo Lays Down Some Heavy Grooves!

Heavy Music Is About To Get A Kick In The Ass

Sounds from the Studio

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