RPM Challenge Day 5 & 6

Troy (center) and me (right) heading into the control room to start our day

Our first tracking day has arrived.  With a full day to spend at the studio the track that makes it to production first is They Say.  The album's opening track is a homage to a classic rock era in which the songs defined the sound, not the other way around.  Back when Radio was the primary source of music and Vinyl was the only way to distribute a lot of the recording technology was in its infancy, or reserved for the high-end of the financial spectrum.  We wanted to try to emulate the essence of what this era had to offer, both in the musical styling and sonic signature.

A classic mic for a classic job

They Say is inspired by countless songs from The Beatles, and Velvet Underground among others.  Keeping the soundtrack theme in mind, we decided on this style of song for multiple reasons. Mainly, this song should set the tone for the exposition of the “movie” as an opening track for a typical unassuming Midwestern town.  Small, somewhat backwoods, and for the most part, peaceful.  This song should reflect the typical blockbuster opening for such a movie, often works great overlaying panning and helicopter dollying shots of the land and town from above as the sun is setting, perfect for opening title credits.  Not only setting the mood but the characterization of what's "on-screen".  

Tracking guitars through an LA-610

Keeping that 60's era in mind, Troy tackled this song primarily with a bit of feedback from myself and a few other trusted ears.  The driving factors that lend to the authenticity of that era's vibe are mentioned below:

• Bass very subtle and easy-going.
• Drums match in complexity with song with variations differentiating verse and chorus.
• Incorporation of the iconic guitar of that era: Gibson SG delivers the punch of the classic rock with the Fender Telecaster delivering the backwoods Twang and crunch.
• Guitars melodic and mostly in the upper octaves, with picking for classic rock sound.
• Overall, composition and arrangement are simplistic with focus on lyrical element and vocal harmony with rest of song.

Miking the drumset

The recording techniques we opted for emulated various techniques from that era, albeit with much newer technology.  Tracking Drums was as authentic as it gets with just 1 overhead mic.  We took the time to decide on which mics would deliver what sound, what preamp they should go through, and what amount of processing in the hardware should be done during recording.  

Troy about to get down and dirty on the drums

One limitation to the technology of that era we simply did not have to deal with (especially from reading the book "Recording The Beatles") was the limitation of how much material could be recorded at once.  Some of the first recordings with them birthed the first uses of the "stem mix" as they could only use so many 4 track consoles and tape, which would then have to be mixed into a new "dub track" for the artists to play over in another set of tracks along to the pre-recorded material (roughly summing it up).

Tracking Rhythm guitar

We paid attention to every detail and left no rock unturned.  We have already discussed ideas on mixing and mastering for this song, and while we feel this track could sound just as polished in stereo, we are going to experiment with mixing and mastering only in Mono, and going so far as to emulate mixing and mastering techniques employed in that era, and that means getting creative with certain effects.  There may even be a vinyl emulation, to "add in" the particular subtle nuances such as mechanical and electrical noise from vinyl recordings as the master is recorded, down to the amount of bend and warp and surface noise introduced from playing an imperfect surface of vinyl on a record player.  

Troy tracking rhythm guitar

So, just 1 track into production.  I hope I have shed some light on just how much attention to detail sound and music production can get into.  It's a science, and an art.  We captured very descriptive notes during the session that can allow us to recall everything at a moments notice if we need to, but there is still a subtle and unmeasurable quality in the energy that goes into it each time that makes each capture, every moment unique, that part of the art just can't be put to the science of the craft. 

Troy (far right) and me (center) recording percussion

It's as simple as putting a mic in front of an instrument, and as complicated as knowing what effect the mic's placement has on the sound, as well as the room, the temperature, the artist, and every other element in the equation.  This is an industry where the saying "greater than the sum of it's parts" rings all too true.

Troy (right) and me (left) discuss progress on tracking for the day

Overall, the day's progress was a relaxed and laidback pace with lots of forethought into the proceeding step.  We didn't even get to record Drums until Sunday.  I left the schedule somewhat flexible so that things like this could change and still be adaptable instead of running way off schedule and falling behind.  

Showing off a C414

Thanks for reading! Check back for more, as we've been just as busy shooting and organizing all the footage for the video blog when it's due to release!  All in all, we're making good progress already to have this album published by the 28th!