Studio Recording
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Microphones / Microphone Techniques
With the choice of using a wide selection of microphones, I experamented with many multi-mic techniques when recordinging bands. I have had a lot of practice when it comes to drum kit recording and have found my my ear for what makes a good recording of a fully miked up drum kit; mic choice, phasing and the room in which you record. I am also a fan of stereo miking for the acoustic guitar, the double mid-sdie is a perfect example. Also the use of multiple different mics with different frequency responce for different textures and different tembres of different instruments.
Read more on my blog about using mics and multi-mic techniques like the Hamasaki Square and mid-side recording -
 Blumlein PairUsed to mic up a piano to capture room ambiance. |  Hamasaki SquareUsed to mic up a drum kit in the centre of a theatre to capture room ambiance | Double midsideUsed for recording acoustic guitar. |
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Fully miked drum kitA multi miked drum kit with phase checking carried out and an XY Stereo pair used as overheads. |
 Large Diaphragm mic for vocal rec. |  Multi-tracked vocals |  Vocal Booth |
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Vocal Recording
As of recent years I have become more and more of aware of seeing vocals as another very important 'instrument' the the compositional and recording aspect as music. Vocals are too often left till last and slapped on top of a fully recorded track. I love to highlight the vocal and the lyric as best as I can, and one of the techniques I use is to multi-track the vocals using many seperate takes. I love to create that 'wall of sound' effect in a track and the vocals are a great way of adding fullness to a track.
Analogue / Digital Gear
Use of recording in professionally equipt studios with the likes of a 24 Channel SSL desk with ProTools HD on Apple Mac with patch bay routing to analougue outboard gear with an Avalon Compressor, Culture Vulture and Lexicon / TC Electronics digital reverb and delays.
I have also used a portable rig set up using the direct outs for an analogue Soundcraft desk to RME FireFace and OctoPre hooked up to an iMac.
I have also had the pleasure of being able to monitor through top quiality studio monitors such as Genelic's, Adam A7's and PMC Monitors.
..Hooked up to an analogue tape recorder. Analogue meets digital!
For more detail on cable connections and recording set up with analogue gear see my blog post on the Hamasaki Square! -
Phase Checking
Studio Recording
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As a songwriter/composer as well as an engineer, a lot of my recording techniques involve multi-mic techniques and a lot of multi-tracking and overdubs to capture unique sounds and textured before mixing as this gives me the opportunity to blend sounds and instruments to acheive the 'wall of sound' effect that I love so much..
 Analogue SSL 24 Channel | Portable rig recording |  Patch bay |
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 Outboard analogue gear |  Soundcraft Si Expression 3Digital desk recording to tape! |
Analogue / Digital Gear
I have been able to use a range of digital and analogue gear for studio recording.
I have experience using a 24 channel SSL analogue desk with outboard analogue dynamic and mastering units, as well as Lexicon and TC Electronics digital gear. I have also had the pleasure of monitoring through full range Genelic monitors, Adam A7's and PMC monitors.
I have also used an analogue Soundcraft desk, hooked up to a portable rig with RME FireFace, OctoPre and iMac to record live drums in large theatre spaces.
Fellow engineers and I experimented with using the oldest and newest equiptment we could find and using them together by merging analogue and digital. We used the Si Expression, hooked up to a reel to reel tape recorder.
For more reading on analogue recording and connections, visit my blog and read my article on the Hamasaki Square! -
Microphones and Microphone Techniques
Vocal Recording
I am a huge fan of vocal harmonies and believe the vocals and the lyrics should always be prominent in the recordings and used as the 'instrument' that it is.
I will always use multi-tracked vocal takes for that 'wall of sound' effect, and often use different takes for different parts of a track where needed and layer up vocals with different effects and textures.
As well as vocal recording, I have recorded voice over work for short films using broadcasting mic techniques.
 Blumlein Pair |  Coincident Pair |
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 Double midside | Multi-mic acoustic guitar |
 Hamasaki Square |
I have used advanced mic techniques and multi-miking techniques to capture stereo imaging and room ambience.
I have been able to use high quality professional mics (Royer 121, AKG 414, Audix and Shure drum kit ranges) to acheive high quality recordings and has made me able to explore advanced mic techniques.
I am also aware that mic choice is crucial to what is being recorded. I am aware of the different mic types, polar patterns and frequency responces of many different mics and am confident in choosing the right mic for the job in hand.
Blumlein pair used for recording stereo image and room ambiance.
(XY) Coincident pair used as drum overheads.
Using the double mid-side technique for recording acoustic guitar.
To read more on mic choice for recording visit by blog or -
Read about my use of the ambient mic technique the Hamasaki Square -
Phase Checking
Phase is a huge factor to take in to account when multi-miking and I am always taking care to phase check properly when I have been miking up amps, acoustic guitar and a fully miked drum kit. I enjoy milti-miking as it gives you flexibility and a mixture of different textures for each recording.
For more in depth, see my blog article on phase checking -
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Acoustics
I am knowledgeable in studio and live sound acoustics, acoustic treatment and properties of a void. I have used acoustic calculations to calculate the RT60 of a void for recording in and also used acoustic calculations and software to identify room modes and SPL level of frequencies using FuzzMeasure 3.
To read more on acoustic calculations see my R60 and FuzzMeasure articles on my blog -
 FuzzMeasure |  FuzzMeasure |  FuzzMeasure |
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