Recording
Drums
On average
I use 15 mics on the drums. For example, tracks one and two will
be the kick drum, the next three snare drum, then toms, maybe
some dynamic mics on the cymbals, and then overheads/room mics.
The high hat comes through on the overheads and room mics, so
I don't mic it. Once the drummer is set up, I'll plug in the bass,
guitar or anything else (click track, etc.) directly into the
headphones so the drummer can follow the song. Everything else
will be recorded after the drums are finished.
Replacing
and breaking in your drum heads is a must. Once finished, tune
up your drums.
I do "punch
in's" on everything but drums. It is important to listen
carefully to your drum mix right after recording.
I encourage
drummers to play to a click track from the headphones. I am not
saying that all drums need to be played to a click. Some songs
are not meant to be played this way. However, it will help the
drummer stay on perfect time.
Recording
Electric/Bass Guitar
Got a nice
buzz coming through your guitar amp? I can cut out a bit of buzz
for the recording, but as I said earlier, please bring good sounding
gear. If there is any buzz, then it's going to be on the recording.
Tip: check and see if your cables are burned up. Replacing them
can sometimes fix this problem.
I'll use up
to 3 mics max, and sometimes go directly into the board. The more
mics you have, the more phase issues there are going to be.
Pedals can
be a little tricky. Make sure that the volume levels for each
pedal are where you want them. I highly recommend recording each
different sounding pedal on its own track.
Oh yeah, and
make sure that you don't turn your guitar up louder than the headphone
mix. I know you think that playing louder gives better sound quality,
but the microphone one inch away from the speaker will hold up
pretty well at a lower volume.
Keyboards
Run them straight
through the board. I'll mic a speaker if you bring it.
Drum
Machines
I can sync
up any drum machine in ProTools to a grid. This way you can chop
up and mix loops with ease.
Vocals
