How was this recorded?

DPT · #1 02-25-2019, 07:02 PM

Hello guys.

I'm entering in this world of record music, so I'm learning slowly. Sorry for a stupid question.

Does anybody could tell me what equipment these guys are using to record this song? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlBIpwtNxxE

What microphone are they using? Is it a condenser mic?

Thanks!

Diogo Trairi

Glennwillow · #2 02-25-2019, 08:39 PM

They are using what I believe are Shure SM-57 microphones for the two vocal mics. The guitars are being recorded off pickups and into some kind of preamp. The guitars sound pretty good for being picked up off pickups and preamps, but I don't pay enough attention to guitar pickup systems enough to know what they are using.

Most people when recording guitars are looking for an accurate guitar sound and so use small diaphragm condenser microphones for guitars, but these guys are not.

The Shure SM-57 is a dynamic mic; it's not used for vocals all that often because it does not have much of a pop filter. SM-58 mics are used more often for vocals. In my experience the typical use for an SM-57 is for recording a snare drum because it has a fairly significant treble emphasis that brings out a snare drum in a drum kit. But depending on the quality of a person's voice the SM-57 might be just what is needed.

The linked video is fairly simple in terms of sonic content, it's not a dense mix of a lot of instruments, so I'm not sure why they chose to record this as they did. It may well have been recorded before they ever went to that site and the whole thing was simply lip-synched.

- Glenn

runamuck · #3 02-25-2019, 09:09 PM

I could be wrong, but because Shure SM57s would require a pop filter, because neither guitar sounds like it was recorded using a pickup, because there are some guitar notes played in the recording that were clearly not played live, and because there wasn't a tambourine in sight, I think they were playing to some thing pre-recorded - which also explains why they would need headphones.

If that's the case, the vocal mics are likely to have been condensors as well as the guitar mics too. It would be impossible for anyone to say what brand or model.

DukeX · #4 02-25-2019, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by runamuck

I could be wrong, but because Shure SM57s would require a pop filter, because neither guitar sounds like it was recorded using a pickup, because there are some guitar notes played in the recording that were clearly not played live, and because there wasn't a tambourine in sight, I think they were playing to some thing pre-recorded - which also explains why they would need headphones.

If that's the case, the vocal mics are likely to have been condensors as well as the guitar mics too. It would be impossible for anyone to say what brand or model.

I think you are correct, or close to it.

jim1960 · #5 02-25-2019, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

They are using what I believe are Shure SM-57 microphones for the two vocal mics. The guitars are being recorded off pickups and into some kind of preamp. The guitars sound pretty good for being picked up off pickups and preamps, but I don't pay enough attention to guitar pickup systems enough to know what they are using.

Whatever pickup system they're using, it's not accepting the instrument cable in the usual place. The jack is in the side of the lower bout rather than where the end pin would be. And they both appear to be using the same system. That might be a clue as to what they're using but it's not a pickup system I've seen before.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

The Shure SM-57 is a dynamic mic; it's not used for vocals all that often because it does not have much of a pop filter. SM-58 mics are used more often for vocals. In my experience the typical use for an SM-57 is for recording a snare drum because it has a fairly significant treble emphasis that brings out a snare drum in a drum kit. But depending on the quality of a person's voice the SM-57 might be just what is needed.

A friend of mine who does studio work for a living has a thing for 57s. His philosophy is that when no other mic seems to be working, the 57 will. He uses them quite a bit. As for a 57 on vocals, you're right that its not used all that often. I think it likely gets used for vocals more when the singer is really loud and a condenser can't handle the volume. These guys don't need the 57s for that reason. Perhaps they were pushing that battery on the ground in front of them to its limit and there wasn't enough juice to power a pair of condensers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

The linked video is fairly simple in terms of sonic content, it's not a dense mix of a lot of instruments, so I'm not sure why they chose to record this as they did. It may well have been recorded before they ever went to that site and the whole thing was simply lip-synched.

My initial thought was that it was recorded elsewhere but the battery, the laptop (which appears to be on), the Focusrite Scarlett preamp, the headphones, the instrument cables, and what appears to be some other powered unit sitting under the cables in front of the guy on the left ...none of that adds anything to the video in an artistic sense, so I think it's possible they really recorded that there. And they did put "Live At Lake Powell" in parenthesis next to the title.

Glennwillow · #6 02-25-2019, 09:48 PM

I found it amazing that these guys have 7.7 million views on this song.

Jim, I do agree that it's possible that the recording could really have been made live next to that lake. They would have had to have been incredibly lucky about the wind, because I hear no wind noise from those SM-57 mics. My own experience with outdoor recordings is that the wind ruins almost all of them.

- Glenn

Dirk_Z · #7 02-26-2019, 04:57 AM

My guess would be that it´s just a prerecorded (studio) playback thing.

Cause sometimes things played and things heard don´t line up (guitars).
Nothing against prerecorded drum tracks or tambourines but everything feels like its prerecorded.

I could be totally wrong.

But these songs are way to polished and perfect for my taste of a livesound.

Watch the camera changes when the guitar solos start :-) No solo to be played there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBlWYBM3-bI

Ty Ford · #8 02-26-2019, 06:57 AM

I agree. Studio recording with dubbed in natural sound way in the background?

This is more of people with chops and material, taking it to the next level with video. Woody Lissauer, here in Baltimore, is a pretty amazing musical artist who has also been working on his video chops. The results are remarkable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twyC...5ouBw7eWRfwWqo

Brent Hahn · #9 02-26-2019, 08:04 AM

Yup, it's shot to playback. Which would explain the headphones and the laptop and the multiple camera angles and the videographer not appearing in any of the awesome drone shots. Outdoorsy ambience dubbed in.

jim1960 · #10 02-26-2019, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

I found it amazing that these guys have 7.7 million views on this song.

Jim, I do agree that it's possible that the recording could really have been made live next to that lake. They would have had to have been incredibly lucky about the wind, because I hear no wind noise from those SM-57 mics. My own experience with outdoor recordings is that the wind ruins almost all of them.

I hadn't thought of that, it's a good point. I would think it's possible now to remove wind with noise cancellation plugins but unless the wind was really dead that day, it would have been an issue. It may also be that they attempted to record the song at the beach and then redubbed the vocals in studio. They may even have anticipated it and that might explain why they used 57s in the video rather than expose more expensive mics to the elements.

The guitar tracked through pickups wouldn't have been affected by the wind so it may be that those were done at the beach. And it could certainly be a composite track. All those video cuts could easily hide that it wasn't a one-shot recording.

And it could be that they were, as has been mentioned here, playing to a pre-recorded track. But if that's the case... if the whole video was just staging, I don't get it. Why haul all that crap, including that big battery, to the beach rather than just do what everyone else does that shoots a non-studio video where they appear to be playing? Was it some kind of "the world is our studio" message? If the battery wasn't there, it would still have looked as authentic. The battery makes me think there was a real attempt to pull this off. It may not have worked in the end but I think they really did try to do it.

Rudy4 · #11 02-26-2019, 09:09 AM

Looks like playing to pre-recorded tracks and syncing post-video later.

Why the rig? It makes it look like they might have done it there, but you need a way to hear what you're going to "lip sync" to in any case, so you might as well make it look real enough to get folks to ask the "Is it live or Memorex?" question.

The tip off is the guitar and vocal quality. The majority of pickups do not sound that good and 57's or 58's don't have the vocal clarity you hear in the video.

As runamuck pointed out, no need for headphones if the tracks you hear were simply recorded "live".

"Recorded live at Lake Powell"? The players, yes. The music? No.

Dirk_Z · #12 02-26-2019, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim1960

And it could be that they were, as has been mentioned here, playing to a pre-recorded track. But if that's the case... if the whole video was just staging, I don't get it.

Take a look at their youtube page and the views on the videos pre the studio travel stuff.

And take a look at their Website read the origin text and the photos.

So its simply good marketing and something that just works pretty well !!!

Trevor B. · #13 02-26-2019, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DPT

Hello guys.

I'm entering in this world of record music, so I'm learning slowly. Sorry for a stupid question.

Does anybody could tell me what equipment these guys are using to record this song? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlBIpwtNxxE

What microphone are they using? Is it a condenser mic?

Thanks!

Diogo Trairi

No question is in and of itself stupid.
They're using whatever equipment the sound engineer in the studio where it was recorded decided would work best.
Sure sounds like condenser mikes to me.

Glennwillow · #14 02-26-2019, 07:15 PM

Well, this has been a very interesting discussion. I really appreciate the input from so many knowledgeable people. This was fun!

- Glenn

DPT · #15 02-26-2019, 08:16 PM

Hey guys, thanks a lot for your all answers!

Reading what you wrote, I think too that the song was recorded in studio. I can say I'm extremely disappointed now, because at the begin I was believing that they record the music live at that place. So I was thinking how I could record a music similar they do, with affordable equipment, but now I'm discouraged because I don't know if it's possible to achieve this quality recording outside. I'm feeling deluded, haha.

As Gleen said, I was wondering how they did to record at that place whitout wind. I know the noise can be treated and removed after, but also as Dirk said, the song is so polished for me to believe in this hypothesis. And why carry all that stuffs? Inclusive, they have a video on facebook where they show behind the scenes and show the equipment they use (but they don't name them, so I started this thread), including the battery (that I think it isn't light to carry).

In time, these guys made the effort to appear real, because at the time 2:23 of the video you can see a tambourine at the foot on the left guy.