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!
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 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.
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!
Contact us for more information about how we can help you achieve your musical goals!
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!
Recording Studio Tools! Charlie’s Favorite Gear: Cloudlifter Zi
It’s been a while since I’ve had time to shoot some new video for the site. I’m excited to be back talking about some of my favorite recording studio tools. Over the past few months while I’ve been hiding in the studio a lot of cool gear has come through the doors but a few pieces have stood out. The Cloudlifter Zi is one of them.
As a studio owner it’s always beneficial to find gear that is versatile enough to be used in many applications. I need tools that help me get to the sounds I need as quick as I can and that I can use on every session. The Cloudlifter Zi is one of these pieces of gear.
Bass was the first instrument (obviously!) I used it on and man was I happy. Good player+good bass+Zi= great tone! Add in the variably impedance and I’m able to dial in the perfect tone.
Like I said before I like recording studio tools that are versatile. I have used the Zi on quite a few of my drum sessions as well. Quite often I like to put a dynamic mic right in front of the kit pointed at the ceiling and crush it with guitar pedals. The signal chain goes through the Zi and I use the variable impedance and high-pass filter to tweak the tone to taste.
I have done a similar setup with vocals too. Where I have a second mic setup running through a guitar pedal and the Zi.
The Zi has become one of my favorite recording studio tools and I use it on almost every session. Check out the Cloudlifter Zi from Cloudlifter microphones!
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
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.
At Ultimate Studios, Inc we understand that the recording process is just the beginning. That’s why we have a full team to help you create an online presence with full web development, SEO, advertising coaching and designing for Facebook, YouTube and Google.
Our ultimate goal is to help bands and artists build a strong brand for a lasting career!
Some sessions are fun…and then some sessions are FUN!
Few drummers can lay down a groove like Chad Smith. Few bass players can lay down a groove like Kevin Chown. Together, they form an unstoppable rhythm section. For most musicians watching them work together would be the ultimate educational experience.
They are not only masters at their crafts but they understand that music is made by collaboration. By working together, they create parts they lay the foundation for great music.
Now mix that formidable rhythm section with rock superstar, Tarja Turunen, and you’ve got yourself one hell of an album!
“Eagle Eye“, from Tarja’s new album “The Brightest Void“, is a track that features Chad Smith on drums. We filmed the entire session (almost 10 hours!) and have put together an awesome, in-studio, music video feature Chad & Kevin with the final audio from the album!
Tomorrow we’ll roll out some behind the scenes footage from the session so stay tuned!
Ultimate Studios, Inc. was recently invaded by Chad Smith and Kevin Chown who were recording for international superstar Tarja Turunen.
Tarja’s music is extremely dynamic with very orchestral arrangements. To match the demands of the music we set Chad up with a late 60’s Rogers Holiday kit with 10″, 12″, 13″ rack toms, 14″ & 16″ floor toms and a 24″ kick. This kit was massive and sounded even more massive!
Working together in Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats, Chad and Kevin have formed one of the most formidable rhythm sections in music. To make this session even better we tracked them together! The way a great rhythm section should be tracked!
“When you have a rhythm section as good as Chad and Kevin they absolutely have to play together. There is simply no other way to do it. Watching them interact with each other in the room and hearing the energy and groove they were creating was simply fantastic. This is exactly why I built Ultimate Studios, Inc!” says engineer Charlie Waymire.
Engineer Charlie Waymire talks about the fantastic sounding Toft ATB console and why it’s at the heart of Ultimate Rhythm Studios. That’s great but we all know that talk is cheap so Charlie brought in an awesome group of musicians to put the Toft ATB through it’s paces.
The band features Mike Avenaim (Emblem3) on Drums, Mike Torres (Selena Gomez, Macy Gray) on Bass, and James Kloeppel (Deuce) on Guitar. Charlie Waymire was the engineer, Scott Francisco was the videographer, and Lizzy Ostro was the 2nd Engineer. Everything was captured live in the same room including drums, bass, and guitar. The song was also mixed through the Toft ATB.
Charlie installed a Toft ATB 24 channel console to be the heart and soul of Ultimate Rhythm Studios. “I needed a console that not only sounded great but would be flexible enough to be the hub of my studio. The Toft ATB has exceeded my expectations.” says engineer Charlie Waymire.
When you hire great musicians you also get great gear! And this session was no exception. Here’s the breakdown.
Mike Avenaim's 1965 Ludwig Kit
Mike brought a beautiful set of 1965 Ludwig Super Classics featuring a 14″x22″ kick, 9″x13″ rack tom, & 16″x16″ floor tom. The snare is a 5″x14″ 1959 Ludwig Pioneer Duco Transition Badge.
All the cymbals are Paiste Cymbals including a 14″ Dark Energy Light Hats, 20″ Twenty Masters Dark Crash/Ride, a 22″ Traditional Light Ride, and a 20″ 602 Modern Essentials Crash.
Drum Microphone setup:
Kick In: Heil PR40
Kick Out: Audio Technica AT 4047
Kick 3: Cascade Fathead II (about 3 feet away from the kick)
Snare Top: Audio Technica Pro63
Snare Bottom: Audio Technica AE3000
Hats: Audio Technica ATM450
Toms: Heil PR30’s
Overheads: Audio Technica AT4047’s
Room Mic: Cascade X15 Stereo Ribbon Mic
James Kloeppel's Mesa Boogie Guitar Rig
James’ guitar rig consisted of a 1995 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier 2 channel with a Mesa Boogie Recto Cab. His axe of choice for the day was a 1980 Gibson Les Paul Standard. Man this thing sounded awesome!
Guitar Mic setup:
1: Audio Technica AE3000 towards the edge of the cone
2: MXL R144 Ribbon mic slightly off the center of the cone
Mike Torres' Ampeg Bass Rig
Mike Torre’s was rocking a classic Ampeg SVR VR and a 2×12 cabinet topped off with a fantastic sounding Lakland bass. This rig had some serious mojo!
Bass Mic setup:
Audio Technica AE2500 Dual Element microphone (one condenser element and one dynamic element).
Enjoy the full band performance video.
Have a look at some photos from the session. Enjoy!
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 boys in Right Hand Rule were back in the studio this week tracking the final song for their upcoming album. With all the rhythm tracks finished all that’s left is lead guitar, some percussion and vocals. It’s been a long road finishing up this album but it’s definitely going to be worth it!
“Working with Leslie Jones and Right Hand Rule is always a pleasure. He has a group of musicians, that when they play together, have a very unique vibe and sound. Very much like the groups from the 60’s & 70’s where the sum was greater than the parts. To me that is what makes a band unique. When you put a group of musicians together and they create a unique sound that only happens when that group is together. It’s special. says engineer Charlie Waymire
Here are a few links to Right Hand Rule on the net:
It’s been about a year but Right Hand Rule is back at Ultimate Rhythm Studio recording new tracks. Rhythm tracks are in the bag as well as vocals on two tunes. Guitars and sax are coming up next.
“Tracking Right Hand Rule is a lot of fun because the instrumentation varies pretty radically from tune to tune. We have room, and time, to experiment with different mic set ups and sounds which helps create a very interesting sonic landscape. On top of that Mister Jones and crew are really cool people and a lot of fun to work with.” says Charlie.
Here is a little sneak peek video of Mister Jones laying down some percussion parts during the session from this past weekend.
Continue reading to view some photos from the session.
