My objective for this project was to record and mix a full band in the context of creating a full length album for release to streaming services. This website is my documentation of the full process of this project as well as the challenges I faced and the solutions or techniques I used to overcome them. I will cover the preparation, tracking, and mixing of the project with some words about next steps and a few things that I learned throughout the process.

Song & Solo List

In order for me to figure out what microphones I would need and how I would fit the whole band into 32 channels I first needed to know what songs they would be playing and what instruments would be on each song. This is what I received from the band.

Brass Section

As I did not have a budget to rent or purchase many specialty microphones I would have to choose some sources which would sound excellent through the ubiquitous SM57. My automatic choice was the brass section. These instruments have a frequency composition that matches the SM57 perfectly. Brass instruments have been being recorded through SM57s for as long as the SM57 has been in production starting in 1963.

Woodwind Section

Woodwinds can be a bit tricky to capture fully. Most recordings of Saxophones and clarinets specifically can sound unnatural and lifeless. Many people do not know that the sound of these woodwinds does not only come from the bell of the instrument but it comes from the body of the instrument where the key holes are as well. To capture a full and natural sound of the woodwinds I used two microphones. A detailed Large Diaphragm Condenser on the front pointed just above the bell about 10-12 inches from the body of the instruments. The second mic on these instruments was a bright Small Diaphragm Condenser placed near the ear. This microphone is trying to capture a sound similar to what the player of the instrument is hearing.

Bass, Keys, and Violin

Bass and Keys received microphones on their amplifiers in addition to Direct Input Boxes straight out of the instruments. This was to provide a grittier, less clean, layer to these instruments. I mic'd the violin using a Large Diaphragm Condenser 8-10 inches from the lower body of the instrument and pointed the mic towards the bridge.

Vocalist/Flutist/Auxiliary Percussion

These instruments were all played by the same band member across different song so they are grouped together. Singing was done into a Large Diaphragm Condenser from 4-6 inches away with the microphone placed slightly higher than the mouth to encourage standing straight and opening up the throat. A pop filter was also used on vocals to reduce the harshness of P, B, S, T, and other plosive sounds. Shaker and tambourine were both covered by a microphone that was doubling as the overhead mic of the congas on other songs. The congas were mic'd using a pair of Small Diaphragm Condensers close to the drum heads at a ~45* angle. The Flute was captured using a large Diaphragm Condenser at the far end of the instrument pointed across the instrument toward the mouth piece. Like other woodwind instruments the sound of the flute comes from the entirety of the instrument not just the mouthpiece.

Room/Ambience Microphones

I wanted to be sure to capture the sound of DSU's TCB Auditorium as part of the sound of these recordings. To accomplish this I used 6 microphones; a Brass section mic, a mono room mic, a X/Y pair of Small Diaphragm Condensers, and a wide par of Large Diaphragm Condensers. The X/Y pair and the mono mic were about halfway into the room and the wide pair was at the top of the seating far back into the room.

Drums

I limited myself to only 6 microphones on the drum kit. Typically close mics would be placed on every individual piece of the kit. When tracking a live band with only 32 channels I would not be able to use 10 mics on the drum kit without sacrificing the inputs for something else like room mics. To find solutions to this problem I looked to both old and new techniques. The oldest technique I used was the crotch mic, which is exactly what it sounds like, a microphone that is pointed at the drummers crotch, this mic captures a great blend of the whole kit. For overheads I used a technique created by Beatles Engineer Glyn Johns, this technique involves two bi-directional ribbon mics. One ribbon mic is placed over the drummer's shoulder, the other is placed directly above the place where the snare and kick overlap. Lastly the two modern techniques I used on the drum kit was for the snare and kick mics. For snare I used a top mic as well as a bottom mic to add extra crack. The snare bottom being a vintage Electro Voice 664, and the top being the standard SM57. For the kick drum I placed a Audix D6 <1 in from the resonant head which is a common technique at live concerts.

Tracking and Re-Tracking

Of course after setting up all that was left to do was get a good take of each of the 10 songs. This was no small task for only one day. We had 2-3 takes of each song by 3:00 and headed into the main studio to take a listen to what we had. During this listening session the band decided on 4 of the songs that they wanted to take another stab at. Everyone was able to take a break and prepare to run those 4 songs a few more times. We got good takes of two of them before supper time and got takes of the final two after supper. The whole band helped with putting equipment away and we were finished and on the way home by 9:00.

General Processing Across the Album

There are some things that were relatively ubiquitous across the entirety of the album. These things were more or less done the same way in each mix. On a more detailed level there are differences in this processing for each song but the tools used and the theory behind them is much the same.

The process of recording and mixing this album has given me lots of insight into the process of making an album that is ready to be distributed to various platforms for the world to enjoy. In the recording process I learned how to allocate tracking channels to get the best sound possible with limited resources. This challenge helped me learn new recording techniques using less microphones but also how to select the correct microphones based on which sources will benefit the most from certain types of microphones. In the mixing process I faced new challenges that I had not encountered yet. For some of these challenges new software tools was the answer, for others the answer was learning how to use a tool that I was already familiar with in a new way. Finding solutions to these challenges is was initially drew me to Sound Design and Audio Production. I quite enjoy that there is always more to learn and that there are always new challenges. Everything you learn is just one more thing added to your arsenal of tools.

After graduation I will be working with the Tritones to release this album to streaming services for anyone to listen to. They still need to decide on an album name, create a cover photo, and decide the final order of tracks. Most of the band members are also college students so we will be working on this during their winter break. It will be very satisfying to see how the local group of fans that they have accumulated responds to their first release.

Overall I found the process of this project to be very rewarding. Every time that I came across a challenge and found a solution I was excited to be learning something new. When I would share my progress with the band they would not know the challenges I had faced yet when they heard the result their faces lit up with smiles. This is the great thing about music, the emotions that it can bring to people. My job as and Audio Engineer is to capture the emotions of a performer and transfer it to a listener. Most people may not know everything that is involved in that process but everyone has felt the result of it. This job is one that is technically involved but motivated by the soul. This is what I have learned throughout this project.