[HAM] "Save Ours Seas" New song by Dan Bonow

[John Freund]

> This is embarrassing. We were limited to eight inputs total during the
> live-takes portion of this recording....snip...Besides the OH and kick,
> there were left and right gen'l mics, one of which was a spare SM 57. I'd
> say that any success with that drum sound was due to a lucky break with
> the Timeworks EQ plugin.

Nothing embarrassing about that.  You do what you can with what you got.  I
think the drums for "When the Levee Breaks" was a kick drum mic and a couple
of well placed ambient mics, resulting in a sound that is to die for.  

The most common misconception (I think) about recording drums is that the
SOUND of the drums comes from the close mics.  EHHNNNNNT!  Ever listen to a
solo'd snare or tom mic?  It sounds like CRAP.  Those are to collect the
attack and maybe some ring.  It's the OVERHEADS that give the kit it's
personality.  As a matter of fact, I'm kinda suffering right now with the
drum sounds on the new Breadbox record because the O-heads are insufficient
and the result is that the drums sound over-compressed even when there's no
compression on them.

 
> >Also the lead organ ain't the clone is it?
> You mean the organ that plays the little ditty at the opening? We call it
> "the little bird." That's my C-3, done in a later take.

It's the randomness of the key click that gave it away.  You can't fake that
and many have tried.

> I'm using Timeworks Compressor at about a -6 dB threshold and maybe a 3:1
> ratio. To deal with the tremendous dynamic range, I use a carefully-made
> auto-volume track.
Lower the threshold (is the track maxing at unity?) and futz with the
attack.  I can sorta guess, but what's an "auto-volume track".  Do you mean
"fader" automation?

> >I'll share with you that I have a tetris
> >approach to eq - if the guitar really lives at a certain freq, then see
> if
> >the other instruments can live without so much of that frequency.

One thing I'd add is to trim the bottom on the appropriate rhythm and lead
instruments (with them solo) until you start to hear it then back off a
smidge.  Then if you hear a couple instruments kicking each other under the
table, or if you're turning up an instrument and still can't hear it the way
you want to, trim a little more while the mix is running until things clear
up.  It will probably sound like ass if you solo it but in context it will
sound killer.

A great example of this:  Go listen to the piano in your favorite rock
recordings.  I mean REALLY listen.  You'll be amazed at how carved up the eq
is.