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Swingin' It
I've spent the last three weeks recording parts and mixing some swing music for a soundtrack. It has been a tour through Count Basie, Glenn Miller, and the Andrews Sisters, and has been a blast. This was a thoroughly modern production! By that I mean the various components for this were recorded in my studio and all over everywhere. The brass contractor was in Germany, I think.
My challenge was to give the productions a vintage air while bringing the recording and mixing techniques up to the present. Thank goodness I ran across Gruisen/Rosen Productions In the Digital Mood back in the '80s and they paved the way for me. I was able to play it for the scoring composer and reassure him we could pull it off. In exchange he gave me links to examples of each of the tunes he had based the songs on and I was able to stream them down via Spotify to get my bearings. In the end, the only thing I had to replace was the kick drum on one song. Between the pickup being via an inside mic that truly had a resonant, "pongy" inside character and the kick part being a little sparse, I replaced the kick and added some beats to beef things up. So, that's what I've been up to. The next project I've turned to is the mix for a movie. Now THAT'S a contrast. Bob
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"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website) |
#2
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I bet that was a refreshing change. Sound great
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Enjoy the Journey.... Kev... KevWind at Soundcloud KevWind at YouYube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD System : Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1 Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Ventura 12.2.1 |
#3
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Nice. Great production.
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Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above |
#4
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What an interesting project, Bob!
I own that album "In a Digital Mood" done by the modern Glenn Miller Orchestra. It's a terrific CD. When I was a kid my parents used to dance in the living room as the hi-fi played old Glenn Miller songs. I'm sure this old music is part of the reason I was given my first name. - Glenn
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My You Tube Channel |
#5
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Interestingly enough, back in October of 2002, when I was in New York for the Audio Engineering Society, the Eighth Air Force Glenn Miller Orchestra was a featured performer. Various top-end P.A. companies had competed to be allowed to provide sound for the event so you can imagine that the sound was first-rate. My seat-mate for the evening was a surprise, though: Bruce Swedien, recording engineer for Quincy Jones and Micheal Jackson happened to drop in. He was a nice and unassuming fellow so we enjoyed the band's performance together. It is a little-known fact that Glenn's orchestra traveled with a string section, as this one did.
Bob
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"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website) |
#6
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Love it Bob! I love old time music. Huge fan of Classic movies from the 30's, & 40's that often plays some good old fashion swing and orchestra tunes.Very Smooth recording. Details Please!.. what exactly did you do for this recording? Master compression? Mics for recording? EQ? By the way, I ordered on Friday the Neck Cradle you recommended. Actually quite a bargain considering it is all leather. |
#7
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#8
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Last edited by Joseph Hanna; 06-13-2021 at 03:37 PM. |
#9
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Bob
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"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website) |
#10
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You couldn’t make that up, could you? As an aside, I wonder how many more of us have a copy of that CD. It was one of the first I ever bought when I got my first CD player in 1987 or so. IMG_1378.jpg
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#11
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About a week later the composer has chosen his vocal takes, recorded the rhythm section, and brought in the tracks from the contractors, brass, wind, strings, etc. If I have guitar parts to add I do them sometime during that week and send them in. When he's got most of the song he books time with me sends it to me. For the swing band numbers I ended up with about fifty tracks. My mixes always start with the drums. I build the kit and get the drums driving the song first. If the drum arrangement isn't quite on or the sounds aren't right I'll rearrange and substitute parts as I did on the swing band. The snare gets its own reverb. If there is going to be parallel compression on the drums I'll begin introducing it. I group the drums at this point. Once the drums are provisionally right I add the bass and get the two talking. The bass typically gets a UA1176 compressor plug to level it out and, if necessary, I'll carve out some of the mids so that it doesn't compete with the voice and mid-heavy rhythm instruments. If it is an electric bass I may also add a subharmonic synth. From there I add the other basics of the rhythm section: piano, guitar, etc. Once I get the band working I start on the vocals. The lead vocals typically get a complete work-up. I chop them into sections and treat them as sections. Here you'll get lots of dynamics that must be managed with automation to allow the vocal to sit well in the band. I'll typically add more "air" once they get into context. They get their own reverb. The BGVs get grouped and EQ'd together and are leveled out to blend well. At this point I open up the full mix and listen to everything in context. I was just listening to an interview with Elliot Scheiner who mixed Steely Dan and the Eagles and was reminded where my mixing habits came from. We both started mixing on Neve 8058/8068/8078 consoles before automation and before SSL introduced the bus compressor. We understand the idea of the glue a bus compressor adds but don't depend on it. Around this time I will insert an SSL master bus compressor in the two-mix but I really don't hit it for more than about 3db or compression. Once I've got a mix I'll adjust it to -24 LUFS density and squirt out a broadcast mix. With that in hand I'll quickly master up a -12 CD level mix for the show producers to listen to using a UAD precision limiter to level things out by about 3db. I'll squirt that out and then deliver to all the people who need to hear it and backup the project to deep storage. Voile'! From there is comes down to honing call and response between voices and instruments or sections and touching up everything to optimize the overall presentation. Quote:
Bob
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"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website) Last edited by Bob Womack; 06-14-2021 at 04:39 AM. Reason: technical edit |
#12
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Wouldn't want to! Credit where due. The golden rule in practice in my field.
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Boy, those were exciting times! i met Rupert Neve at that same AES conference. Bob
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"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website) |
#13
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While I have never personally had the golden opportunity to try out a TLM170, everything I have ever heard recorded with it has always sounded so even and smooth. One of those mics that just seems to work on everything.
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#14
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A couple of years ago, scoring engineer Danny Wallin called the TLM170 his "desert island" mic. I loved the sound of his scores. Bob
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"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website) |
#15
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When I have a church/classical recording gig (once or twice a year) and I have to rent mics, those are what I try to get. They work great on pretty much anything, either distant of as a spot mic.
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