"The Tangerine Toad" was written and recorded at our in-house studio and we sometimes get questions about how all that is done. This is where we'll answer some of those questions.
We get asked about guitars a lot, so let's start with them:
How to get a great guitar sound
(i) The Acoustic:
This is one of the basic instruments and it still commands attention.
Golden rules:
- Great playing will sound great.
- New strings will always sound better than old ones.
- You can't go wrong with a good condenser microphone.
OK, now on to the recording.
There are two basic mic positions:
(a) mic at the bridge pointing to the sound-hole
(b) mic at the sound-hole pointing to the bridge
Having seen Beatles studio pictures that show Neuman U-47 microphones in position (b), and later John lennon in-studio pictures showing a pencil condenser in position (a), we figured these couldn't be too far wrong.
Both methods have a distinctive sound and work well.
You could also try two mics and use both methods simultaneously, then blend the sound. It all works.
Some examples:
Mic Position (a) Acoustic guitars on "Tight Like That"
Mic Position (b) Acoustic on "Oxygen"
NOTE: for the purpose of hearing subtle differences
in sound, smaller size MP3 songs streamed on-line are not nearly as clearly audible as the high-quality MP3s.
TIPS: remember to re-tune after every take.
It also helps to use a towel to dry your hands before playing: this prevents sweat and dead skin from deadening your nice new strings.
(ii) The Electric:
Again, new strings will always sound better than old ones.
Microphone modeling technology has allowed us to use "direct boxes" to get great amplification sounds.
Electric guitars on "The Tangerine Toad" was recorded using a guitar POD (the original one) as well as going direct.
Favorite POD settings include the 1963 Vox AC30 (a Beatles and Lenny Kravitz staple), the 1996 Matchless Chieftain and 1968 Marshal Plexi (the Jimi Hendrix amp). The Rotary on slow setting was also useful.
TIPS: remember to re-tune after every take.
It also helps to use a towel to dry your hands before playing: this prevents sweat and dead skin from deadening your nice new strings
How to get a full bass sound
Although the electric bass guitar is one of the foundation instruments, it remains one of the most difficult to record and mix.
Favorite settings include the Ampeg VST (with the Ampeg 8 x 10 cabinet) and the Acoustic 360 Amp (a favorite of John Paul Jones and Jaco Pastorius, for good reason).
We would boost the tube overdrive setting as needed to "cut through" the mix, usually settings of 5-7 would be enough.
We used a vintage 1972 Fender Jazz bass that sounds as good as it gets. It has a Leo Fender Musicman pre-amp installed which boosts bass and treble as needed. We usually used it with Bass turned up to 3-5 and treble on 1-2 with Ernie Ball flatwound strings.
If that does not get you a full round sound, nothing will.
TIPS: don't overdo bass boosts in the recording stage. Studio monitor speakers don't display bass the way your car speakers can. Simply ensure you have a full bass range recorded. You can boost (or roll off) in the mix stage.
How to record vocals
This is the original instrument and the focus of everything, so it needs some attention.
TIPS:
i) Singing close to the mic will get you a very intimate and warm sound, but with a lot of low end (that you can roll off in the mix). It also makes it easier to get plosives or pops (B and P sounds) that are not so easy to eliminate.
ii) Singing about 8-10 inches from the mic will still yield a warm sound but the sound will be more even. That is, the voice will be better balanced between bass and highs. This will work for most songs.
iii) The mic should be placed approximately 1-2" above the singer's mouth and angled down towards the tongue. This tends to capture the true sound of the voice as it leaves the mouth. It may also help the singer to sing with a open throat, allowing the sound to flow freely.
iv) A "popper stopper" is essential for two main reasons:
1) it prevents plosives 2) it protects the mic's diaphragm from moisture from the mouth of the singer, especially on loud passages.
Recording Studio gear
Mic Pre-Amps
We get a few questions about what is a pre-amp used for and when to use which ones. So here goes.
Microphones are usually passed through a pre-amp to boost the volume or otherwise ensure a "hot" signal is captured. They can also be used to color the sound in certain ways.
On "The Tangerine Toad", we used two main pre's: Groove Tubes ViPre all-tube pre amp ESI WaMiRack 192X
The ViPre is a serious machine with many features, capable of 75 db boost.
It was used when a more "vintage" sound was needed. It has the ability to sound like a vintage Telefunken pre-amp (as used on the early Beatles and Rolling Stones recording consoles).
The ESI WaMiRack 192X is a more basic pre-amp: a clean and precise interface that handles its own A/D (analogue to digital) conversions very well. It was used on "Mr. Sunshine", "Oxygen" and "Lemon Life".
Recording System
We used the Cubase SX and Cubase VST 5 systems for pre-production, as well as for recoding and mix preparation.
We use a Music XPC machine to host all applications.
Plug-Ins
We use a few key applications for the mix stages: e.g. Powered Plugins suite, the LA2A and 1176 are everywhere on "The Tangerine Toad". We also used the T-Racks plugins.
We hope these brief snippets help other musicians and aspiring sound engineers to get their music on track.
We were inspired by many who came before us (click here for more info about that) and it is our hope to be able to share with you some of what we've been fortunate to learn.
PHENOMENAL STUFF! You rock! This is great listening music as well as for dancing. I can groove endlessly to your songs. And they bring wonderful smiles to my face. Consider me your biggest fan!!!!! ...
- Felicia M Toronto, Canada
I work at a radio station in Saskatchewan ... I popped it in the cd player and for the rest of the afternoon ... the library was listening to your tunes ~ love them ~ great rhythm! … We've got a copy at home that we groove to frequently … We'd be delighted to be added to your mailing list!
- Donna Lyn Saskatchewan, Canada
It's like Jellyfish meets Dave Matthews meets the Beatles meets the Beach Boys - if such a thing could happen. I absolutely LOVE Mister Sunshine - A song I could drive around and listen to all the time - It just screams SUMMER FUN!
- Donna W Toronto, Canada
