strat0124 Posted June 29, 2001 Share Posted June 29, 2001 I realize I am in the analog miniority here, however I've seen a few current blues albums recently specifically Jimmie Vaughn's that seemed to be mono.....I checked, and sure enough some of it is. Looks like folks are going back to basics, mixing down in mono to achieve that old Chess sound, might be just the genre, but it sounds cool. I particularly like those old recordings, take a listen to the Nat King Cole Trio....all mono HiFi stuff and it sounded just gorgeous. I messed around with it some in my own world, and it was a bunch of trial and error....the phase cancellations etc came home to roost a few times, we even did the old thing of putting one really good large diaphram condensor in the middle of the room and played live. Surprisingly pretty damn cool. I have to admit, I prefer tracking...I like the oomph you get that way. You're probably not going to believe it or scoff, but I took a little minidisc portable recorder and a Behringer mixpad to record a Tejano band at a crowded Mex restaurant.......it was fantastic. They were very happy with the CD I presented them. Of course I processed it with Soundforge, but all in all it was pretty cool. Bluegrass cats have been doing the "one" mic thing for years. Listen to Steve Earles "The Mountain" bluegrass album..... I hope somebody's still excited about doing things simple now and again......cause it is fun and very rewarding when you do it right. Gene Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emile Posted June 29, 2001 Share Posted June 29, 2001 Well I did an "old style" inspired recording of a blues band this year and they wanted it this way. Mono just a few mics, everyone in the room, no headphone, bleeding and all. It came out pretty cool but was a lot of work coming from my modern aesthetics and approaches. They wanted the old sound, I gave 'em that. But they prefered when it was stereoised with a touch of reverb and wanted more bottom. The thing is we only had two mics for the drums and it was picking up the bass also (wich was bleeding everywhere to begin with). What I've learned is this: I will ALWAYS from now on close mic the kick and snare regardless of what stylistic approach is taken, regardless of wether I think I'll need it or not. Always. Also I've decided that I will (at least for my own music) whenever possible track as many people as I can playing together in the same room. That is why that old music rings truer to my ears. Much more important to the vintage sound than the choice of pres IMHO. I don't jsut want to record a drum track, I want to record a drummer making music with a guitarist who's also listening to the singer who's feeling the bass, etc... Emile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted June 29, 2001 Author Share Posted June 29, 2001 Yeah the bass is omni present so it's damn tough to isolate it all in one room. Recording old style ain't as easy as it may seem, but mucho rewarding. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtoe Posted June 29, 2001 Share Posted June 29, 2001 Hi- I do the one room thang all the time. i love it and try to convince the folks i record it's the only way to go. I do have a problem with it and maybe you or someone else could help or give some suggestions? I sometimes have problems with the bass and kick ie-the kick bleeds in the bass and makes problems. whenever someone else is mixing the stuff they go "uh...what's up with this?" last month a guy pointed this out to me and I have to say I was bothered by it as well after he pointed it out. I try to get the bass a decent amount away from the drumset and perhaps that's the problem. The bass starts out in front of the set about 10 feet or so. When i get too close to the drum set the bleed is TOO much in the mics, and the snare buzz is too much. Have tried direct bass and never dig it. usually end up using an MD421. is there something/ any tricks i can try besides the old "use yer ears?" the ears are unhappy and don't know what to tell the hands. great forum by the way! i was stoked to see a simple one room topic! ever heard Muddy's "Hard Again?" yowsers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emile Posted June 30, 2001 Share Posted June 30, 2001 Bigtoe, I can't figure that one out myself. The thing is I don't think you can avoid compromises with such an approach. When I did it I had the bass amp next to the hi-hat and was using one large diaphragm mic right in between the kick and the bass amp speaker. That way they're hitting the mic at the same time avoiding nasty delays and I would just roll off the bass on the other tracks as high as I could. But you indeed have to live with the snare buzz. You might gate the snare then, but that wouldn't be too old-school. I dunno... Emile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hippie Posted June 30, 2001 Share Posted June 30, 2001 Listen to some of the old Patsy Cline recordings from about '62. They sound so great, and there were probably only 2 mics used. -clear as a bell & awesome sounding. -Hippie In two days, it won't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted June 30, 2001 Share Posted June 30, 2001 strat, if you haven't already, check out the new "raging teens" CD recorded mono onto an ampex 351 i believe. sounds just like 1959 or so. really well done. i love the chess stuff. years ago, trying to achieve the same thing, i recorded a rockabilly kinda tune with just a telefunken 251 in the middle of the room onto a studer A-80 24 track. i never moved the mic or changed the eq, and i played all the instruments: drums, piano, bass, guitar, lead and backing vocals one at a time. sounded like a band played the whole thing at the same time..... fun part is you can record so fast! -d. gauss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtoe Posted June 30, 2001 Share Posted June 30, 2001 yo emile- thanks fer the advice. i'll keep experimenting. gotta LOUD one today with a decent sized room...should make fer fun. does anyone know if there any "good reads" on chess that might yield some insight into their technique? i remember an article in mix a long way back...but that's about it. Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted June 30, 2001 Author Share Posted June 30, 2001 Hey, just use some blankets, pillows, mattresses, office dividers, whatever you can find to help isolate instruments. It works, and everyone can stand together and rock. The combo dynamic is irreplaceable. Otherwise it may or may not sound sterile. Gonna check out RagingTeens......hopefully on MP3 or somewhere. Or do they have a website? I even gave Nat King Cole Trio another listen last night......damn they were good. And the recording is pristine. Warm as well. I can't stand the ice pick in your ear pristine high end on alot of radio tuneage. It sounds fantastic on acoustic instruments....but sparingly. Check out William Ackerman's first album.......recorded live on a two track Revox reel to reel in his living room. That is what it's all about. True artistry....... Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrmac Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 Strangely enough they're calling DVD Audio "HI FI" here in Japan. Might be true but I haven't checked out any releases yet. I doubt if anything could produce the effect that 45's had when we used to listen to them on my friend's Dad's AR mono system back in the sixties. That equipment still sounds good, it's now considered collectible "audiophile" gear. ------------------ Mac Bowne G-Clef Acoustics Ltd. Osaka, Japan My Music: www.javamusic.com/freedomland Mac Bowne G-Clef Acoustics Ltd. Osaka, Japan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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