|
|
On a cold December day in
2004, we started laying down the rhythm tracks for what has become
our most
ambitious recording project to date. We now have 15 German Christmas songs
recorded with as many as 17 instrumental and 11 vocal tracks on each song. We
used a variety of microphones for the project, including Shure SM62, SM57, and
SM58, all of which are uni-directional dynamic mics. We used the SM62 (following
picture) for almost all the woodwind tracks, and some strings as well. Most
tracks were recorded in stereo, with one side being the near-field sound and the
other side being the far-field sound. Far-field ambience sound was recorded with
an omnidirectional condenser mic at the far end of the studio, up near the
ceiling.
All tracks except some
narration voiceovers were recorded in Studio H, the Radtke Hog Barn
(Thanks, George & Kim!). This decades-old stone building has produced an
ambience that is surprisingly close to an old-world church. A FireWire Digitizer
was used to write digital audio directly to the hard drive, so each step of the
process remained in the digital domain. We wound up with nearly 60 channels
recorded for some songs, which goes way beyond what can be done with tape. This
pretty much maxed out our computing processor power, so we had to install a
larger hard drive early in the project.
One instrument that didn't
get an ambience track was the upright bass. It was actually recorded with a
Crown PZM (pressure zone microphone) sitting on the floor just beneath the tail
piece, which produced a warm resonant sound. Vocals were recorded with a Beyer
variable-pattern condenser mic that was made available for the project by
special arrangement. Thanks Dick!
Although there is plenty of
space in the room, we recorded each voice and instrument one at a time, working
in headphones. This was necessary to maintain complete isolation between
channels, which in turn gave us much needed flexibility during mix down. Because
we play so many live shows throughout the year, we were able to put ourselves
mentally "on stage" and obtain a blend that cannot be distinguished from a live
performance.
Final
mix down was done in the Tews living room (Thanks Craig & Gail!), with some help
from their calico cats Equinox and Bunter. We also recorded the narration
voiceovers for Dunkel ist die Nacht at the Tews house.
Mark gets some mixing advice from EQ.