The Stereo Bus Blog - Daily Music Production Tips

This post focuses on the process of getting the vocal chain right for the given performer.

The signal chain for vocals is probably one of the most important production choices in pop music.  Of course, it helps to have a healthy selection of devices to choose from.  Every voice has unique qualities, some of which should be emphasized and some of which should be de-emphasized.  The tools available to accomplish this are, in order of affectiveness: microphone selection, mic placement, and preamp selection.

Read the rest of this entry »

This post focuses on the technique of comping, or creating a composite performance from various elements of multiple performances.

It used to be that in order to get a recording of a performance the performers had to run straight through the material.  But ever since the invention of overdubbing people have been changing the way music is made and performed for recordings.  In the analog days, tape was cut a spliced together to create edits in the material.  Now this process is even easier with computers.  A standard practice for many producers is ‘comping’, or the creation of a track that incorporates the best sections of multiple performances.  This is in contrast to another common technique called ‘punching’, where a performance is overwritten for a while with new recording passes until the desired performance is captured (at which point the recording continues with the material already on tape).

Read the rest of this entry »

This post focuses on the use of predelay to allow reverb to be added to a sound without muddying it up too much.

A lot of producers are really reverb shy these days.  It’s true that reverb can really date material… it was used so much in the 80s and 90s that a lot of what gives modern music its edge is its dryness.  You’ll find that simply plopping a reverb effect on a track with often decrease its clarity or, in the case of vocals, its intelligibility.  One way to account for this is to reduce the mix or length of the reverb.  But sometimes you really want a long reverb tail and a really wet sound.  What to do?

Read the rest of this entry »

This post focuses on a technique for the tricky task of recording guitar and vocals at the same time.

One of the classic tricky engineering situations is recording guitar and vocals at the same time. Generally they bleed into each other and effects that make the guitar sound good make the vocals sound horrible and vice-versa. There are a number of things that can be done to isolate the two, including using a DI for the guitar, but I’ve found that there is only one really good mic arrangement that gets the job done.

Read the rest of this entry »

This post focuses on the placement of sounds in the stereo image during the mix process.

Proper use of stereo imaging in a mix is probably almost as important (or even more important in sparse mixes) as equalization, yet it is largely overlooked as an area for improvement in engineers and producers of beginner and intermediate experience. Intelligent panning and equalization compose about 80% of a good mix, in my opinion.

Read the rest of this entry »

This post is going to highlight the ribbon microphone: the neglected and underutilized black-sheep citizen of the mic locker.

If I do a session without using a ribbon mic, I get cranky. What’s a ribbon mic? Why should I care? Ribbon mics are the stepchildren of dynamic microphones. Dynamic mics such as the Shure SM57, Electrovoice RE20, and Sennheiser 421 have circular diaphragms that are coupled to their transformers. This coupling of the diaphragm and the transformer means it moves slowly, producing a gutsy but somewhat unarticulate sound. Ribbon mics work in much the same way but instead of having a circular diaphragm, they have a thin ribbon element. This ribbon is not mechanically coupled to a transformer, producing a smooth, even vibration with a faster articulation. Ribbons are totally unique. These days everyone and their cousin has a large-diaphragm condenser and a collection of dynamics, but when you break out a ribbon mic you’ll turn some heads. Contrasting the clear, bright sound of condensers with the roundness of ribbons helps bring balance to the modern digital production sound.

Back in the day ribbon mics were the standard in the 30s, producing such classics as the RCA 44 and the RCA DX77. Traditionally these microphones had a substantial high-end roll-off that resulted from the need to protect the fragile ribbon element from being knocked or damaged by a strung gust of air. These days there are quite a few choices and many of these choices are employing newer materials that are more resilient, allowing less protective material. The result? Ribbons are more articulate than ever and still produce that much sought-after smooth, round sound.

Read the rest of this entry »