In Summary
Recording music is about capturing moments - some might even say that the gear is secondary. Here we talk about some practical ways to aid creativity, to make the process of recording disappear for artists, and to catch the magic when lightning strikes…
Going Deeper
For many, there is no better example of art and science fusing than in the making of recorded magic. Anyone feeling the pure, visceral rush from their favourite song might agree, and while the process of making a record (or anything for that matter) is highly technical, the end result is planted firmly in the emotions felt by the listener.
The engineer’s job is of course to know the gear well and also how to use it, but ultimately the point of any session is the music itself - everything else exists to make that happen. In our recent article, Russ laid out just how important capturing the moment is to a successful production. Modern producing engineers must navigate creative direction as well as the none-too-small task of knowing how to do everything else. Here we expand upon the things for engineers to think about so that the artist doesn’t have to…
A Matter Of Gear?
To draw an analogy, most people would sooner fly with a skilled pilot in the cockpit of an older, simpler plane, than take the opposite alternative! Although good quality microphones, preamps, and converters are essential for capturing a clean signal, all but the very worst gear will be true to the music. Thanks to the accessibility of great tools that cost a fraction of what they used to, worrying about its quality is, well, nothing to worry about.
At the other end of the scale, high-end gear doesn't guarantee a great result. It could be said that a great recording has to hit the mics almost fully-formed. Using what you have to the best of your and its abilities will serve the song admirably almost without exception.
Crystal Balls
While no-one can see into the future, what can be predicted can be dealt with in advance. Certainly lightning is more likely to strike in the first place when everyone is prepared and relaxed.
Many of the best recordings happen with material that an act is familiar with; a great recording is usually one that enjoys the sure-footedness of a polished performance. That way the whole endeavour can take full advantage of the untouchable energy of Take 1.
Music aside, the engineer will have lots of pre-flight checks of their own to take care of. Any show-stoppers such as leads or even disk space all need to be taken care of well before the session for magic to happen uninterrupted. Zooming in, having a list of inputs and laying on a spare mic, DI, or two can accommodate crap-outs before anyone looses their flow.
There is no bigger vibe killer than making the artist wait while you build the session or otherwise spend time looking at something that (to the artist) may as well be an Excel spreadsheet. Build out the DAW project in advance.
Get A Room
Some recordings might happen in a space simply because it’s the available one, but understanding the how any room you’re recording in affects results will help get the right one. Acoustically, groups of performers will be abe to hear themselves best in a space that strikes a balance between dry enough and live enough.
Too much of the former and musicians and singers can feel like they’re recording in an anechoic chamber… This makes instruments sound unnatural and can lend a disorientating airlessness to voices.
The problems with the opposite can include levels that are harder to control in the room that make can make things like drums and guitars take over. No performer will ever be ‘in the zone’ when all they can hear is everything but themselves. Although extra treatment like diffusers, bass traps, absorbers can make a big difference to how the room behaves both during recording or in the mix, most efforts can go into controlling excess spill between mics, especially in livelier rooms.
Sound Suggestions
Sometimes artists will take an interest in the process, especially with the stuff in front of them such as mics. Mic choice and placement must of course be used by the engineer to collect the best sounds, but if there is a suggestion from the artist, take it on board. This might be along the lines of “This cab sounds great on this speaker with this mic” or even an offering of the mic or thing itself from the artist. As much as anything this nurtures the kind of trust in the engineer that is going to bring out the best performance.
When it comes to it, one technical aspect that deserves attention is setting the levels with enough headroom to soak up the louder levels that you’ll get once everyone opens up for the real thing.
Once levels are in place it’s time to deal with the artists’ ability to hear themselves - mixing headphones with rough recording levels makes both take longer. Especially for plugged-in acts, headphones or occasionally loudspeaker monitoring should be in place to ensure the very best performance. If the artist doesn’t want headphones then so be it - it’s their music and they know how they want to hear it. The alternative of someone sweating into a pair of cans they didn’t want to wear is hardly going to make the magic happen… We have heard of engineers who encourage artists to bring their own headgear in the form of buds, Beats, or whatever the song’s owner wants on their head.
Comfort Counts
Physical Wellbeing
Studio recording usually affords the little things that can keep artists comfortable. These include somewhere to get a drink, something to eat, or otherwise decompress once their parts are down. For those times when everyone is working on location, consider finding out where the nearest place or places are for food, drink, or otherwise getting a change of scenery. After all, who works at their best when all they want is a drink or some time away from their station? For truly remote locations, all that stuff will need to be packed just like everything else.
Other factors around artist comfort such as lighting, seating, cooling, or heating do matter. Not to stray too far into the realms of interior design, swapping out fluorescent lights for something a bit lower and softer can completely transform the feeling of a room. Unless you’re a surgeon, no-one wants their workspace lit up like an operating theatre…
Mental Wellbeing
If the musician isn't in the right headspace, it will almost definitely show in the recording. Taking a break or moving to a different part or song can pay dividends. Studio diplomacy for producing engineers includes being ‘with’ the performer. This can involve trying to develop a sense of when you’ve got the best from them or when it’s best to move on. If the magic isn’t happening, don’t drain performers’ energy trying to force it. Trying to pin down ‘perfection’ is never more important than everyone’s sanity!
When it comes to takes, having multiple ones can give you options during the mixing stage. Ultimately though, if conditions are right some of the best takes can be the first or second passes. These often appear when the artist has confidence in the song, their performance, and in the process as a whole. The relaxed energy of an initial run-through can be unbeatable, and it’s always good to record it. There are tools that can get you out of jail if you miss that unrepeatable take, and if you do happen to be rolling most performers will thank you for quietly capturing Take Zero…
Polish Or Poison?
When the recording comes to an end, hopefully at that point you will have a smattering of electric moments to fire up the mix. Although some mix tidying is going to show these off in their best light, it’s counterproductive to polish out the essence of magic moments. These can be made up of technical imperfections that bring one of the most precious commodities to any performance: character. Do you really need that pitch correction or quantization? In a world full of clones, does your hard-won magic actually need to sound like everyone and everything else? Character is rare and precious; use it or lose it.
Laying off the surgery doesn’t mean stepping off the gas when it comes to the mix. If a title can be broken by its mix and master, it goes that the final balance can be the making of a great recording. The mix needs to be as great as the music, and giving it the attention it needs is the final stage of capturing a special performance and presenting it in all its majesty.
One Moment
As we’ve seen, most of what the engineer does is channelling the energy of the performance into the DAW. Engineers of course know this is a process that requires experience, technical skill, and musical insight from the them, but what gear we use and how we use it is not the point. Nurturing a performance and being ready to bottle the magic when it happens has to be the reason for doing what we do.
Musical energy and the spirit of the performance are hard to describe, but easy to hear once they have been captured well for posterity. From big studios, to laptop warriors, we certainly have to know about a lot of stuff to be successful in that.
But all that can take a back seat compared to the real issue: just as when taking the right photo, surely capturing the right moment in music is the true craft of the engineer.
A Word About This Article
As the Experts team considered how we could better help the community we thought that some of you are time poor and don’t have the time to read a long article or a watch a long video. In 2023 we are going to be trying out articles that have the fast takeaway right at the start and then an opportunity to go deeper if you wish. Let us know if you like this idea in the comments.