It does but the 44s are in a Blumlien array which is 2 bi-polar patterns in an X-Y configuration so the sound of the room is a big part of this sound. I actually used some baffles to soak up a little of that. You can hear how I used the different mics here; https://soundcloud.com/joegigs/driving-around-town?in=joegigs/sets/something-else-to-say&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Thanks, it opens with the Green Bullet into the SSL channel mic pre with a lot of Distressor on the insert. The stereo version is a pair of AEA R44CE through Amek 9098s into 1176s direct to Pro Tools 192 interface. I did use light amounts of eq and compression but mic placement is really the basis for the sounds.

Love to hear your thoughts.

The song is called "Driving Around Town" and it is the first song of the Covid EP. https://www.audiobyrickslater.com/projects-bedford

Blumlien miking as well as some oddball approach to piano miking.

2 very good points. People might drill down on a vocal,fixing every perceived issue and end up losing the energy. By singing the song through or at least whole sections you retain energy. Playlists are an excellent way to have energy and alternate takes to fall back on. The other point is that much of being a producer is about setting the vocalist up to give an inspired performance which requires them to be both comfortable and confident. That aspect alone could take up a volume of pages worth of discussion.

Typical vocal last night. Record 3 decent takes then comp them together. Then clean up any extraneous noises. This includes de-popping and de-clicking. Then fix any timing issues . Then address any pitch issues. Then do dbls, harmonies, etc. What's your process?

You are most welcome.

Absolutely. Moving the microphone or even using a different one instead of using eq used to be taught. I remember once reaching for an eq and getting a gentle slap from Michael Brauer who told me to get up and go move the mic. It makes so much more of an impact over EQ. If the source is loud I use a Royer 122 or Beyer 160 which can withstand 120 db.

The approach works across genres and allows for a modern compressed sound but still dynamic. The LA2A is a leveling amp which reacts differently than your average compressor. It will level up lower level signal and lower higher level. This makes it great when you want to hear articulation. The non-linear release of leveling amps make them silky smooth. I would swap out compressors for various genres but the approach definitely works.

Some pre-amps offer a variable impedance at the input stage. Microphones don't all look for the same impedance load. For example a 57 is definitely rated for a lower impedance where say your 414 is looking for a load of 2.2k ohms. If I run the input at 2.4k the response is notably brighter than when the load is only say 1.4k. Much more musical sound than just setting a shelving EQ at 10k.

Hi Dave, I grew up working with tape and and spent several decades working in that medium. The type of edits where razor blades were involved were on hits which could easily be heard by rolling the tape by hand across the head and marking the tape with a white china marker to indicate the cut and direction to keep. When it came to comping a track that was much more labor intensive to the point that the artist might not even come in that day unless they wanted input. You had to patch out of the track you wanted to use and re-eq it then patch it to the comp track. Now imagine changing the source patch every time you took a section from a different track! Now with playlist in Pro Tools I can comp a vocal in an hour. The medium dictates the method is what it boils down to. The thing I have found is that today's listener expects sonic perfection so many people give up too soon when it comes to recording a truly engaging performance thinking that it can be fixed in the computer. I certainly feel that pressure but I know the difference between the performance we need and polishing a turd. When I was just starting at Mediasound I once sounded the alarm to an engineer that the track we were recording was in the red. His response was "this is a science of the ears and not the eyes." This leads me back to the platform of ADAT. I have occasionally used the format when circumstances forced me to. It has never made me happy sonically. Interfaces have certainly greatly improved these days and the sonics are certainly different than tape but I feel DAWs offer a much greater dynamic range. Higher bit rates have made it so that most people who remember tape aren't missing the sound all that much. Besides they have plugins for that too. In the days of tape we would be in a situation where even with 2-24 track machines we needed more tracks so we would have to combine things like horns or background vocals to 2 tracks and record over the source tracks. Digital provides us the ability to save any take we wish. The problem is that many do not keep their sessions well organized. The Producers and Engineers wing of NARAS has an excellent white paper on the subject. Another issue leading to 128 snippets (which should be consolidated) is a lack of production or arranging. Sometimes track counts get high but they should not result in the equivalent of noodle soup. Each track should have it's role and not diminish other tracks in the arrangement. Well there you have it, my $.02 enjoy.