Devotchka String Session

Back in early April I got a call to do a string date at Immersive Studios with Devotchka (yeah yeah, I know I’m behind on the blog). I’m a big fan of this band and was stoked for the opportunity  to do even a little bit of work on their upcoming record.

Producer Craig Schumacher gave me the reins to do my thing sonically with the string sounds so he could focus on producing the session. Knowing the band and the unmistakeable sound of Tom Hagerman’s string arrangements, I didn’t want anything too clean, yet wanted to give Craig some options and flexibility come mix time.

Below are a few pics of the setup. I wanted what I call an “80% stereo pair” where you can throw up the faders on pair and get at least 80% of what you want in the mix. Then you can add spot mics to taste.

First I went for the AKG C24 stereo mic. It’s a classic mic that gave me a very coherent if even somewhat narrow stereo image. On some of the songs where the strings are more supportive, I tend to find coincident stereo pairs to blend most easily without taking up too much room. And it’s very mono-friendly.

To give another option with a bigger, more lush and wider sound, I setup a spaced pair of DPA 4006 omni’s. I didn’t set these up to be outriggers to the C24, but rather to be an either/or pair. The sound of spaced omni’s on any kind of an ensemble–especially strings–is amazing. It’s super lush, wide and 3D. This can work better for songs with thinner arrangements where the strings are more focal. Also, they just have a totally different vibe which may or may not work on some of these songs.

Then, I included four spot mics. There were two of each player/part (two 1st violins, two 2nd violins, two violas and two cellos). To get a warmer, thicker sound than I’d go for on a classical session I chose ribbon mics for all but the cellos. Royer R122′s were used on the violins, a Blue Woodpecker on the violas and then a Soundelux iFet7 on cellos down low.

The great part about using ribbons in this context is that you can aim them such that the null of the polar pattern (figure-8 in this case since they’re ribbons) is aimed at the other sections. It’s hard to see in the picture of the setup, but an example is that the 1st violin mic was pointed down and to the left towards, and the side of the mic is therefore aimed down towards the cellos, maximizing separation. Gotta love those ribbons!

To give Craig the widest palette of sounds, I put the 2 stereo pairs (C24 and 4006′s) through Grace preamps which are totally uncolored and work in any mix. I put all of the spot mics through Vintech x73 preamps (Neve 1073 design) so that the blend could get really clean or really colored depending on how things were balanced.

Check out the record “100 Lovers” when it comes out!

Currently Mixing: Gary Johnson

Wow, time flies…

In November I had songwriter/guitarist Gary Johnson out from New York to record bass tracks with Jimmy Stofer. Gary then came back out for a week stint in December to track guitars for his upcoming full-length entitled “Tracing Starlines WIth Empty Hands”.

Now, come January/February 2010, it’s time to mix! I’m thrilled to be working on this project. The songs are fantastic and really have something for everyone. There are moments of pure guitar-driven pop, and moments of an honest singer-songwriter, all wrapped up in a really neat way. The record features Jimmy Stofer on bass and Kevin Soffera (formerly Breaking Benjamin and Seether) on drums. Rocking.

Mixing is nearly complete, with 6 tunes in the can and four more to go… Look Gary up on MySpace or Facebook and check out this record when it comes out late February!

More Tracking With Saints

Hey music fans-

We’re wrapping up the new EP with Saints right now, and everything looks to be on schedule for a release here shortly! We are currently getting ready to start the mix sometime this week, and are confident that this will be one of the best and most exciting projects that we’ve done to date.

Once again we’d like to give a shout out to our good friend and bass extraordinaire, Jimmy Stofer. We got exactly what we needed from him as always, and are excited to have him play on more projects in the future.

We’ll keep you posted once the project is finished and how you can get your hands on a copy. In the mean time – check out Saints myspace page for more info on upcoming shows in the Denver/Boulder area.

Until next time-

-Dave

Lunchtime with Saints at Chipotle…

Saints Records With The Hook Factory

We’re back in the studio again with a great new Denver band called Saints. After hearing a few demos about 6 months or so ago, both Justin and I agreed that this was a band we really wanted to work with.

The basic tracking sessions were recorded at our home base of Immersive Studios – and after about a solid week of sleepless nights cranking out music – we came away with some recordings that we’re really proud of so far.

Check out the video above for a look into the session – and if you like what you hear…make sure you check out their show this Saturday at 9pm at the Meadowlark!

Make sure you check back soon for more blogs and videos-

-Dave

George Inai Session

Justin and I had the amazing opportunity to work with George Inai the other day – one of Denver’s most unique and promising artists.  How can one sum up what embodies the George Inai sound?  Take one part Frank Sinatra, one part Nat King Cole, and throw in a retro tremolo guitar…that’s only the beginning!  It was a pleasure doing this session, as it was a nice deviation from our rock sensibilities for a day.

Our setup was quite simple in theory, but a little tricky to execute.  George really wanted a super-vibey room sound…something that was raw but very present and intimate.  We were doing our best to try and recreate the “Buena Vista” sound, which happens to be one of Justin’s and my favorite records.

A few technical notes: We started by placing a stereo pair of Schoeps Omni’s on the room, ran though the P1 pres and tweaked with the Hammer EQ…and given a little love with the LA-2A.  This was the most important part of the process, since this was going to be the key of the whole recording – getting the room sound JUST right.  We decided to use a Royer 121 through the Germanium to give the guitar amp a thick, warm sound.  We placed the amp about 20 feet away from the Schoeps in the back of the room to give it a more distant and ambient vibe to supplement the Royer sound.  We decided to use the Red mic with the Telefunken 251 capsule about 2 feet away from the source, since it provided the warmth and clarity that we wanted on George’s voice.

Once we set up everything and got it tweaked just right, it was time to roll tape and let George do his thing.  I was blown away with how George really puts the listener in a space.  His lyrical content was very cohesive with the melodic statements he was making – put his crooning on top of it – and you have something truly special.  We can’t wait to work with him again!

Check out George’s myspace page at www.myspace.com/georgeinai

Until next time-

-Dave

Live Recording for NPR’s Jazz Set

Sometimes things just come at you from out of the blue. In my former life as an engineer at Denver’s awesome jazz station KUVO, I worked on a ton of jazz, and had the pleasure of doing remotes for National Public Radio’s Jazz Set from time to time. 

So I was a little surprised when I got the call to head to Glenwood Springs to record New Orleans trumpeter Marlon Jordon and his quartet. I hadn’t done a show for Jazz Set in a few years, but was excited for the opportunity.

The gig was at Glenwood’s Summer of Jazz festival, an outdoor festival that’s been running since 1985. The artists that come through the festival each year are amazing. They get a lot of top-shelf talent. 

So, we packed up the truck with some good mics, tasty preamps and an Alesis HD-24 and headed up. I was worried about weather and wind, so we brought lots of windscreens. Fortunately we had the most idyllic weather imaginable with no problems.

Here you can see my truck driving up on the grass (careful to avoid the underground sprinkler system!) to load in on the stage.

 We were lucky with the setup. Originally I figured we’d park my truck behind the stage and setup the gear on the tailgate. Power wasn’t a problem as they had tons of unused 50-amp circuits, but the tailgate of a Toyota isn’t the best control room ever. Instead, the folks at the festival cleared out a dressing room with stage access for us. It was perfect and easy to run to the stage to move mics.

We setup the 3 mic setup on drums, using AKG C451′s on overheads and a Schoeps omni on the beater-side of the kick. Upright bass in a live setting is impossible, but we got good results with the DI and a Neumann KM184 blended together. Piano was covered by the usual suspects: Microtech-Geffel M300′s, and the trumpet was covered by a Neumann U87. 

We brought along some tasty preamps to bring the sonics up a notch. We used a LaChapelle 583 on the trumpet (which, with the U87, was AWESOME), A-Designs P-1′s on the two bass tracks, and and a True Precision 8 for the drums, piano and audience mics. 

The setup sounded awesome. The live sound guys were great and kept the monitors sounding good and not too loud. The stage is just enclosed enough that we got some reflections (and not that overly dry, thin sound you sometimes get recording outside) which kept it live, but very tight and dry. The live mixes came out great and the band was excited listening back afterwards. A super successful show. It will likely be aired this fall on stations nationwide.  - Justin