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Recording vocals is no easy task, and since vocals are one of the most important components of any track, it is important that it is done right. One of the biggest advantages of availing the services of a recording studio is that they have the right equipment and enough expertise to ensure that the vocals are recorded optimally. Here are some of the best practices for recording vocals.

Best Practices for Recording Vocals 1

Choosing the right microphone

You will generally have three types of microphones to choose from as a vocalist. The large diaphragm condenser microphone is a popular choice since it is able to capture the loudest and softest sounds with unparalleled clarity. Alternatively, you can pick a dynamic microphone, which is ideal for loud singers who their voice to create an impact. The third option is a ribbon microphone, which are great for bright or harsh sounding voices that are in need of slight mellowing.

Getting the visual sightlines perfect

Although this is not entirely necessary, it is useful to maintain eye contact with the control room while you are singing. Since the professionals in the control room are going to be watching you, you might as well seek reassurance and emotional feedback from them while you, as the artist, are recording your vocals.

Finding the ideal position for the microphone

It doesn’t matter how good a microphone you have to record your vocals with – it must be positioned properly. This is where professional recording studio technicians can come in handy, since they generally know the distances and angles that work. Trial and error is normally needed though, since no two singers get the best results at exactly the same distances and angles.

Best Practices for Recording Vocals 2

Wearing headphones

The importance of wearing good-quality headphones while recording vocals is often understated. Artists should ensure that both their ears are covered with phone cushions so that spill is eliminated altogether. It is equally necessary that the headphones are hooked onto a powerful amp and that they fit perfectly.

 

At the Record Shop, we make sure that vocalists are briefed about and guided through the best practices for recording vocals. What do you think is the most important thing a singer should keep in mind while in the recording studio? Let us know in the comments section!

The drum-kit is perhaps the most frustrating and time-consuming instrument in terms of recording. If you manage to get it right, the rewards are significant because everyone knows that the core of a fantastic mix is a great drum sound. We have compiled four important drum recording techniques and secrets that we think could help you deal with the challenge of drum recording. Drum Recording Techniques and Secrets

Tune the kit

It’s quite unsettling how many people forget to tune their kits before they start drum recording. No drum can produce its optimal sounds unless it has been properly tuned. The skins must be neither too tight nor too slack, and the tension should be even too.

Get your overheads right

It is useful to put a stereo pair in place to check out how the kit sounds and make sure everything is balanced. It is important that you hit the toms with the right intensity and the cymbals with the right frequency so you should fine tune your drumming skills before you even think about getting your overheards right.

Set the mics steep and close

Not everyone agrees on this, but it is often extremely effective to set the mics straight down into the drums at a steep angle of approximately 70 degrees. This way the mics will be able to capture maximum body and weight to the sound. Move the mic around the drum head marginally if you’re not getting your desired results until you find the right spot.

Tune the recording space Drum Recording Techniques and Secrets

Much is often spoken about the importance of tuning instruments, but people often forget that recording spaces also need to be fine-tuned for an optimal result. If the room where you are planning to record your drum has carpeted floors and walls, make sure you make arrangements for some reflective surface such as plywood sheets to place on the walls.

If you want to know more about our drum recording services, visit our Drum Recording page today. What are your drum recording techniques and secrets? Get involved in the discussion below!

Here is a brief about Understanding the History of Recording Studios.

People didn’t always have recording studios where they could go to help realize their music dreams. Yet, over time, as technology continued to develop and people saw a use for being able to record and playback sounds, recording studios began to emerge. Today, they are an integral part of the global music scene. In this article, we will walk you through a brief history of recording studios as they stand today in modern day America.

The idea of recording music first originated when Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in order to improve the quality of the telephone in the late 1800s. It consisted primarily of cylinders made of foil and was able to record sounds. Soon after, Emile Berliner invented a way to mass-produce recorded discs, which paved the way for great artists to go and have their work recorded.

By 1889, boxes with the ability to reproduce recorded sounds were invented and within the next year, the first recording studio was set up called the New York Phonograph Company. Within the next two decades, several recording studios had popped up that were producing records on wax discs. By the early twentieth century, the hand-cranked Victrola was replaced by the triode, which completely revolutionized the scale at which recording studios could now operate. 

Understanding the History of Recording Studios

Once electronically recorded music became the next big thing, Western Electric came around the corner and began to use amplifiers and microphones for recording purposes. This was a massive change in the history of recording studios since before the use of this equipment, the people making music would have to sit very close together and even closer to the equipment, making for an uncomfortable recording experience.

In the mid-1900s, the recording industry started to use magnetic recording tapes, which meant that recordings could finally be edited. Soon after this development, multi-track recorders emerged, allowing audio engineers to mix different tracks recorded at different times. Of course, now we are in the digital age where much of the recording process is done on computers and the possibilities are quite literally endless.

There’s a whole lot that happened in between all these big inventions that shaped the way we record our music today. When did you first visit a recording studio? Was it before the digital age?

And that concludes Understanding the History of Recording Studios.

Share your experiences with us on Twitter @therecordshop

Hey y’all!  Welcome back the The Record Shop Nashville Recording Studio for another installment of BEHIND THE GEAR, one of the most splendiforous, titillating gear blogs on this rock we call Earth!  Well…we love it anyways.  Today we want to share some information about one of the most prolific pianos in music history.  The one…the only…Fender Rhodes Mark II electric piano!  The Fender Rhodes has been a coveted piano since it’s creation in 1960, when its inventor Harold Rhodes teamed up with Leo Fender to begin mass producing these fine instruments.  From Ray Manzarek to Herbie Hancock to “The Ruler of the Rhodes” Billy Preston, pianists alike have been performing live and recording the songs of their generations with these pianos.  So come on in, and lets talk about the Fender Rhodes!

harold rhodesHarold Rhodes: Inventor & Humanitarian

Before we dive into the instrument itself, we at The Record Shop want to shed a light on Harold Rhodes.  A Los Angeles native, Rhodes began teaching piano when he was 19, where he developed what is now called the “Rhodes Method” of teaching.  Harold aimed to combine classical piano’s reliance on written sheet music with jazz improvisation.  During WWII Rhodes, now one of the top piano instructors in the U.S., joined the Army Air Corps where he continued to teach piano to his fellow soldiers.  Harold was soon asked by the Air General Surgeon to create a music-therapy program for injured GIs.  Rhodes then built several “lap-top” pianos, along with kits that soldiers could build themselves. These portable, 29-key pianos were made from used aluminum from B-17 airplanes and functioned almost like a xylophone.  “Make and Play”, as the program was named, became the the most successful music-related program ever implemented by the United States government!  After he returned from War, Rhodes continued teaching and developing pianos with his new venture Rhodes Piano Corporation.  Then as history goes, Leo Fender bought RPC in 1959 and mass production began. 

 

Rhodes Mark II

The Rhodes Stage Piano

Harold stayed with the Rhodes company after the 1965, CBS acquisition of Fender and developed the first Fender Rhodes piano.  These 73-keyed pianos were made up of two parts – the actual piano and a built-in power amplifier and speaker.  5 years later the 73-note Stage Piano was released!  The Stage Piano was marketed for its light-weight portability, detachable legs, sustain pedal, and single output jack.  From 1970 – 1981, Rhodes put out The Mark I Stage Piano, which was modified several times over the 1970s, and the Mark II Stage Piano.  Of the Mark Series (I-VII), the Mark I and II seem to be the most sought after by pianists.  There other pianos in the series seem to be used more for specific sounds and tastes, but they are mostly purchased as collectors items.  The Mark II is essentially a Mark I stage piano after all the design changes made during the 1970s.  It has the same black suitacse look, removable music rack, flat hard cover, volume-control & tone-control (bass boost) knobs, tuning fork principle sound generation, sustain pedal, and adjustable legs. 

fender rhodes mark IIThere really isn’t much we can say to describe the Mark II’s tone in words.  Follow this link HERE for a video demonstration by Neville Styke’s YouTube channel where he showcases the full audio spectrum of the Mark II.  In closing, the Rhodes Mark II Stage Piano has a completely unique tone that can add so much richness to your track and arrangement that is simply unparalleled.  Harold Rhodes gave the world an amazing gift by creating these instruments, and he will forever go down in history for his revolutionary designs for pianos and sound creation.  So, the next time you find yourself in Nashville give us here at The Record Shop a call and tickle the keys of our Mark II. 

 

 

 

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Thank you for joining The Record Shop Nashville for another Behind The Gear.  We hope we’ve been informative.  Click HERE for a complete list of our Nashville Recording Studio’s gear.  And HEY!!! Follow and chat with Gio & the crew on Twitter @therecordshop!  See y’all next time!

Hey gang, thanks for stopping by The Record Shop Nashville Recording Studio for another installment of our world (in)famous, heart-exploding series BEHIND THE GEAR!!!  Today we would like to give some time and recognition to one of the most crucial pieces of equipment in a studio that often gets unnoticed; the studio cue system.  Here in the our Nashville Recording Studio we utilize the Furman HR-6.  Having a good cue system is vitally important for artists and musicians because without them there would be no music for them to play along to when they track.  More importantly, these boxes allow the musician to hear only what they want to hear when they track without having to waste time yelling at the engineer which instruments they want more or less of.Furman HDS-6  So let’s take a dive into the Furman HR-6!

Furman Sound

Furman Sound has been aiding musicians and engineers alike by producing premium Audio/Visual signal processors since 1974.  That’s not all the company deals with though.  They also manufacture “energy management solutions” that use their incredible BlueBOLT® platform, which you can learn more about on their website HERE!  Furman also produces “AC conditioning and distribution” products (a fancy way to say surge protectors y’all), which is what they are actually best known for making!  Follow this link HERE to learn about why it is important to utilize AC conditioning in your power system.  Furman is now apart of Core Brands LLC, a subsidiary of Nortek’s Technology Solutions Group, which combines the product and marketing power of ten separate audio and power brands.  These kings of power supplies are also well-aware of the responsibility they have for power conservation and the environment .  A few of their “Internal Initiatives” from their website are as follows:

  • RoHS compliance. Our entire 220V-240V Export product line is 100% RoHS compliant, greatly reducing the use of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) in our components. Further, we have been one of the leading voices in pushing overseas manufacturers to develop RoHS-compliant manufacturing and assembly facilities. Because of this, development of RoHS-compliant 120V domestic products is no longer cost-prohibitive, and we are specifying RoHS-compliant components into all new products beginning in 2009.
  • Packaging, product literature: All Panamax/Furman products are packaged using 100% recyclable materials (including recyclable foam inserts and plastic bags). Marketing materials are printed with FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) and RFA (Rain Forest Allliance) Certified Vendors on recycled paper with biodegradable inks.
  • Scrap materials at our QA and repair facility are recycled. All employees within the office are provided recycling bins and large recycling bins are placed throughout our facility.
  • Motion sensor lighting is used throughout our facillity and lighting/HVAC usage is cut back during peak power demands.
  • An aggressive paper reduction initiative has resulted in the development of a paperless fax system and a company wide intranet to facilitate paperless communications.
  • Sales trainings and offsite meetings utilize teleconferencing technologies to reduce travel and further reduce paper consumption.

NASHVILLE RECORDING STUDIOHDS-6 & HR-6 Cue System

The Cue System in our Nashville recording studio, like many other professional studios, utilizes the Furman HDS-6 Headphone Distribution System & the HR-6 remote mixing stations.  The HDS-6 is a rackmount system that is very easy to connect to your studio console or patch bay.  Our HDS-6 is plugged into our system’s patch bay, as is recommended by Furman.  These systems is designed to be a low-distortion line driver and power supply that provides signal, power, and ground to HR-6 remotes.  You can connect up to eight HR-6s to the HDS-6, and you easily daisy chain multiple HR-6s!  The HDS has several, simple features like Level Set control, Overload indicators for setting the best signal-to-noise ratio & headroom, MON/EFF pot controls the gain for the L/R stereo inputs, Ground Lift switch to switch the audio ground off the chassis ground to prevent that awful hum, and they even built in a LED light that warns you if you linked your HR-6 cables (one blue and one gray) into the wrong ports!  The HR-6 mixing station features include volume pots for each of the four mono channels arriving from the HDS-6, the MON/EFF pot controls the level of the stereo main mix, a Submixes Included/Excluded button that allows the listener to hear only the main stereo mix by muting the four mono channels, and of course it has two 1/4″ stereo headphone jacks.  For more information on Furman Sounds follow this link HERE, and for a PDF file of the HDS-6/HR-6 follow this link HERE!

Thanks for coming back for The Record Shop Nashville’s Behind The Gear!  We hope we’ve been helpful in one shape or another.  For a complete list of our Nashville Recording Studio’s gear click HERE.  And don’t be a stranger; follow and chat with us on Twitter @therecordshop!  See y’all next time!

Well hey there ladies and gentlemen!  It’s time for  another rumblin’, tumblin’, spittoon-spittin’ edition of The Record Shop Nashville Recording Studio’s BEHIND THE GEAR!!!  And boy howdy, if today’s installment ain’t a doozy folks.  We are very proud to talk to you about our lovely Vintech Audio Model 273 mic preamplifier.  Vintech Audio 273

A Little Bit About Vintech!

Vintech Audio has been producing high-end analog outboard gear since their formation in 1997.  The young company makes each of its devices right here in the United States.  Each of their products are class A, discrete transformers-balanced mic pres whose circuitry is based off of the great Neve 1073 modules (pictured below).  The names of each Vintech Audio 73 series models (i.e. the Vintech 73, 273, and 473) are named after the amount of channels each has; clearly out 273 is a two-channel with a fantastic built in EQ.  That’s it!  The 273 has no other built in effects.  Neve 1073 Module

 

Give Us The Specs!!!

The Vintech 273 has two instrument inputs on the front and XLR inputs in the rear.  The parameters of the 273 are pretty standard: there are gain, output, and two-band EQ controls per channel.  Each channel also comes equipped with a set of switches for phantom power, phase in/out, EQ in/out, and a 5k/10k shelf for the EQ.  Lastly, Vintech installed push-push pots to alter the impedance and to switch the channel from a mic to line input.  Neat and organized, the Vintech 273 has been a great addition to our Nashville Recording Studio’s rack. 

Well that wraps up today’s Behind The Gear.  We hope we’ve given you a little bit more insight into the wonderful Vintech Audio model 273 mic preamp.  Be sure to check out The Record Shop Nashville’s complete gear list.  And don’t be a stranger y’all; follow and chat with us on Twitter @therecordshop for daily updates from your friends at The Record Shop!

Hey there handsome!  Guess what time it is!  That’s right, it’s time for yet another installment of our Nashville Recording Studio’s never-ending series BEHIND THE GEAR!!!  What could we possibly have in store for you in today’s episode?  Why, it’s only one of the most used guitar amplifiers in rock n’ roll history; the Orange Rockverb 50 MKI guitar amplifier!  Nashville Recording Studio orange

What tone are you looking for for that awesome new track your working on?  Do you need a harmonically enriched, clean tone, or do you need some extreme crunch that would make Jimmy Page shed a tear of joy?  Well back in 1968, Cliff Cooper gave the world a gift when he founded Orange Amplifiers during the final leg of the swingin’ 60s.  What made these amplifiers an instant hit with guitar players around London was that Cooper developed his first amplifiers based around the needs and wants of actual guitar players.  Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green and Free’s Paul Kossoff both plugged into the earliest Orange amplifier models and their opinions practically shaped the design of the amp’s circuit board.Peter Green & his Orange Amplifier  The unique tones combined with the instantly recognizable orange enclosures, and Peter Green’s onstage use skyrocketed these amplifiers popularity.  By 1969, musicians like Jimmy Page, Stevie Wonder, and James Brown converted.  Orange amplifiers then shaped the sound of the 1970’s and are clearly still one of the most popular amplifiers used today. 

So let’s dive a little into the specs of our Orange MKI, 50-watt amp head.  It is an all tube amp with two channel selection (clean and dirty).  As you can see from the photo above the Dirty Channel has a three-band EQ, while the Clean Channel only has bass and treble.  The reverb knob controls the amount of verb in both channels.  Each channel has its own volume control, but the Dirty Channel also has the classic Orange Gain control that can give you that famous crunch.  For a full view of the specs you can check out Orange’s owner’s manual here.Nashville Recording Studio guitars

Thanks for tuning in to Behind The Gear.  We hope you’ll check out the rest of our blog.  And hey!  Don’t be a stranger.  Follow and chat with us on Twitter @therecordshop!

We have a tasty treat for y’all in today’s installment of our Nashville Recording Studio‘s series Behind The Gear!!!  The Avalon Vacuum Tube 373 preamplifier, the world’s first Direct Recording Channel, is hands down one the greatest Microphone Pre-amps to have ever graced the walls of a recording studio.  Everyone who is anyone in the recording biz – like Abbey Road Studios, Prince’s Paisley Park, and Walt Disney Imagineering, just to name a few – have used this preamplifier to record hit after hit.  This preamplifier can make any voice or instrument sound absolutely unremarkable.  Here, at the Record Shop, the AD VT-737 has done just that time and time again.   Sound Engineer Rick Camp & his AD VT-737 preamplifier

Avalon has been known for making fantastic Microphone Pre-Amplifiers since its founding by Wynton R. Morro.  The company proudly boasts that each of its products, “…utilize 100% discrete, high-bias pure Class A audio amplifiers. These pure Class A amplifiers are incorporated into minimal signal path designs which include sealed silver relays, balanced DC coupled high-current “outside-world” drivers, fully discrete linear DC regulators, low noise toroidal power transformers and selected high quality active and passive components.”  In our Nashville recording studio, we love using this beast to get that classic, warm tube sound when tracking, especially on bass and vocals.  It has come to a consensus that female vocals are probably our favorite thing to run through with this preamplifier.  Personally, day dream about how heavenly the world would sound if every persons’ voice was put through the 737.A Front view of the Avalon VT 737 preamplifier

What’s so special about it already!?!?

Okay, okay, sheesh.  This baby packs a punch into your recordings using a combination tube preamplifiers, opto-compressor, sweep equalizer, output level and VU metering.  It has three, count them 1-2-3, different input selections; 1) a microphone input transformer with +48v phantom power, 2) an instrument DI input with jack on front panel, and 3) a balanced line input. The opto-compressor has amazing dynamic range.  You can obtain everything from soft compression to hard knee limiting with the threshold, ratio-compression, attack and release controls. The 4-band EQ control on this guy is bananas. You can also enhance mid bands with the X10 frequency multipliers.  The multipliers ever-so-sweetly enhance the high and low ends too!  One of our favorite features are the high-voltage circuits inside of the 737.  They reduce the amount of noise tremendously (-92dB) and leave you with ample headroom (up to +30dB).  Rear View Panel of Avalon VT 737 PreamplifierYou can go here to see ALL the specs & features of this incredible piece of machinery.

Thanks for checking out this segment of Behind The Gear!  If you’re interested in learning more about the rest of the gear at The Record Shop click here to view out complete gear list!  Don’t be a stranger; you can follow and chat with us on Twitter @therecordshop!

Here at The Record Shop we aim to make musical greatness with each project that gets brought to our Nashville Recording Studio.  What better way to make history than to use a guitar amplifier that has been used, almost exclusively, with guitar legends like Slash, Joe Bonnamassa, & John Frusciante?  Let’s take a look at our Marshall Silver Jubilee 25/50 2553 head; proof that not all that glitters is gold…sometimes it’s silver.

Slash and his Silver Jubilees

 

The Marshall Silver Jubilee series was introduced in 1987, to commemorate both their 25th year in the amplifier game and their 50th year in the music industry.  These limited edition, valve amplifiers were heavily based on the Marshall 2203 & 2204 master volume models and the Marshall JCM 800s but were designed with their own unique features.  Besides the illustrious silver vinyl and chrome-plated controls, these babies have a valve output stage that you can be set to either 25 or 50 watts (you see what they did there?!) to get real output-valve distortion at lower volumes, a great effects loop, and they have a preamp circuit that houses three gain modes. The Record Shop's Marshall SJ 2553 The Input Gain pot varies the amount of gain in each mode; if you set this low you get a clean tone, you may find that it is too low when you switch to a lead tone.  No prob Bob, pull on that knob and you’ve switched into the second gain mode called the Rhythm Clip, which gives you a distorted sound.  Mode 3, the Lead Channel, can be switched to via footswitch or by pulling the Output Master knob.  Marshall placed a Lead Master control knob as well to balance the volume of the Clean, or Rhythm Clip, with the Lead volume.  Let us not forget that these amps are also Tonal Beasts that changed the sound of Rock N’ Roll forever!

The Record Shop's Marshall SJ 2553 Amplifier

 

 

 

 

 

When the Jubilee Year ended, Marshall continued to produce more of the JS series in 1988, but replaced the silver and chrome with the standard black and gold look Marshall is famous for.  So, if you want your guitar tracks to sound like they came to Earth from the Rock Gods in Valhalla…you know where to find us.   Thanks for tuning in for this edition of Behind The Gear.  Feel free to check out the rest of our blog and follow/chat with us on Twitter @therecordshop!

Funky

A little over a year ago I was out catching a set with one of our artists. I noticed a guy with a camera darting back and forth across the front of the stage in what looked like gymnastics maneuvers, but what was most likely his valiant efforts to catch the best shot he could in the crowded venue.

We were looking for a new addition to our video production team so I asked the club owner if he knew the guy. He said, “Oh ya, that’s Kaz, he’s here all time. He films all of the bands and offers them a great deal on the footage after their set.” I thought, “What a great concept. This is the type of dedicated, big picture work ethic that we’re looking for.” Of course before I was able to grab his attention, I got sidetracked with some friends, and we were headed to the next venue.

I was disappointed that I didn’t have a chance to chat with him. From what I could tell, this Kaz character was the hardest working videographer in Nashville. However, the disappointment was short lived. Sure enough, the next night I ran into him at a different venue. Or maybe it was his clone. I swear the dude is everywhere.

As our video department expanded we brought Kevin on for a few gigs and he nailed the project every time. He was always ready to work, but if he was ever tied up with another gig, Kevin would make some calls and have a crew ready for us right away.

So you can imagine that I was floored when he told me about his involvement in a new multimedia company called The Funky Umbrella. It is essentially a team of Kazanaters that have an unwavering dedication to their work and a genuine support of their clients. Could it be true? Did I finally find our match made in heaven? The Funky Record Umbrella Shop? While the name is a work in progress, I’m blessed to have the pleasure of working with these guys.

The Funky Umbrella is a unique media company that offers a wide variety of services under…….. (wait for it) one umbrella. They provide video, photography, web design, branding, and much more. But this ain’t the “one man, one stop shop” you’re used to. The Funky Umbrella has an amazing team of professionals, each with a specific skill set, working collectively to offer a comprehensive package of services for everyone from musicians to executives. (After reading that I realize I sound like I could be narrating their latest commercial, but what the hell, these guys are great!) But I’ll get off the soapbox and let you see for yourself.

Check out Thefunkyumbrella.com

The Funky Umbrella has teamed up with The Record Shop to handle the production of Balcony TV as well as our live video shoots and artist press kits.

We are stoked to be providing audio recording and mixing for The Funky Umbrella’s productions as well.

I am very excited about this new partnership (can you tell?) and look forward to continue offering our friends valuable resources in the development of their projects. Among our recent work, The Funky Umbrella and The Record Shop have teamed up with Lightning 100 to produce a video compilation of the Live On The Green Concert Series featuring Will Hoge, Los Lonely Boys, Edwin McCain, Ten out of Tenn, Here Come The Mummies, Brett Dennen, and many more. You can catch the videos here…. Don’t forget to check out The Funky Umbrella on  Facebook to see their latest work and viral resources!

Catch you next time

-Giovanni

The Record Shop

therecordshop1 (@) gmail . com