A few recording tricks

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Saz
Posts: 531
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2004 11:44 am

A few recording tricks

Post by Saz »

These tricks and comments are not mine - I found them in various places while surfing and thought they sounded like keepers. You may find something here to spice up your next project. :)

Buried cowbell trick

Use the "buried cowbell" trick on up-tempo tracks.

After everything is recorded, go back and record a cowbell playing straight quarter notes on another track. Push the beat slightly and roll off the bottom end a bit.

During mixdown, bring up the cowbell till you can hear it, add a touch of reverb, then lower the level to where it just about disappears completely. It adds a great touch of drive to the track. Hit the mute button on the cowbell track and hear the energy of the track drop way down. It sounds stupid and hokey, but it really works.

Just as an aside, the cowbell trick works live too.


Whispering the vocals

Another cool trick is for vocals on ballads. Have the singer cut a track of "whispering" the vocals in a monotone, in time with the actual vocal. Then pull the level down to where it's almost inaudible - it makes the vocals sound very big.


Compress tracks in groups

In the DAW world, it's often just as easy or easier to throw a compressor insert on everything that needs some level control. But for tracks that are supposed to groove together, like a handful of strumming acoustic guitar tracks or a string section that's been pieced together track by track, try sending them to an aux buss and compress that instead.


Mix compressed & uncompressed tracks

For lead vocal, record the vocal onto track 1 with zero compression - nothing. On track 2, clone the same take with LOTS of compression (whatever flavor is up to you). Mix with the uncomped one and bring the compressed one up beneath it for some support. Really sounds fantastic.

Another way to do it, is on the uncompressed track add your reverbs/delays. On the heavily compressed track, add your normal EQ that you would use, only with a little more presence (5KHz). It's an old motown trick, but once you get it right, you'll find that it's much easier to keep your vox up front.
This trick can also work great on rock/power chord guitar.


Clean 12 string trick

This is probably one that everyone knows. A clean 12 string track, mixed in among more distorted guitar sound can really help get the chord changes in a song across.


Sparkly sounds trick

For those that can do it, take a midi track of your song(or almost any midi track for that matter) and put it through a high pitched, tuned percussion patch, like a xylophone. Pan the results randomly and keep them VERY low in the mix. Try bringing it in and out of the mix at various points of the song. The little sparkly sounds add something cool and moving, snags the interest of the listener, without really being identifiable.


Nashville 6 string

A cool trick is using a "Nashville 6 string" (or "hi-strung 6"), which is a guitar with the high 6 strings of a 12 string guitar. Adds sparkle without getting in the way of the vocals, or adding mud. String it like this:

E = .008
B = .012
G = .008
D = .012
A = .017
E = .021

Paper in the strings

Weave a paper strip - try different widths, weights and locations - into the strings of your guitar, for some different sounds.

A variation on the "paper in the strings" trick is to use a thin, wide guitar pick and weave it into the top three strings, as close as possible to the bridge. Play some arpeggios, and you have instant steel drums.

Another variation on this is to use a thin, L-shaped allen wrench and weave it in between the A, D and G strings on a bass guitar. Using a bass gives a thicker tone and the metal allen wrench allows the vibrations to spread to the other strings giving an even odder sound. Reminiscent of a steel drum, but different.


Background choral vocal trick

Set up a mic pair in xy (stereo). Have the singer sing a track while standing fairly close to the pair. Then have him move around the room after each pass. Left, right, one step back, another step back, etc. Have him alternate between high and low harmonies. Record 8 to ? stereo tracks without moving the mics or changing the gain on the preamp.

Also, if possible change the varispeed very slightly on each pass. Pan all stereo tracks hard L/R and submix them back down to a stereo pair. Instant one man choir.


Heavy metal, screaming, or blues vocals

During mixdown, run the vocal track thru a guitar amp simulator or distortion plugin, set to light distortion - adjust the drive until you get the right amount of "grit", without it sounding noticably distorted. Adds a nice almost lo-fi edge that blends the vocal better, yet still allows it to cut thru.
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