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“The low A in the piano started going crazy from all the bass feedback until the string actually snapped!” laughs John Goodmanson recalling his tracking session with The Blood Brothers’ Morgan Henderson. During the song “Giant Swam” on the band’s Crimes album, feedback from the bass player’s two SVT amps resonated with a nearby upright piano so intensely that John placed a mic inside the piano, too. “It's something you can only hear in headphones, but it’s so cool that we just had to put it in at the end of the song.” Besides his work with The Blood Brothers, Goodmanson’s numerous credits
include engineering, producing and/or mixing for Death Cab For Cutie, Brandi
Carlisle, Blonde Redhead, Sleater-Kinney and Matchbook Romance. In 2007, his
credits include sessions with Aiden, Zox, Schoolyard Heroes, Hollywood Porn
Stars, Mark Renk, and the new Nada Surf LP.
JG: Chris Walla, who is Death Cab’s guitarist, produces their records so I don't get to record Ben in a studio setting, although Ben did do some background vocals for the new Nada Surf LP. Mixing Death Cab’s live record, though, I noticed that the sound on most tracks were all pretty consistent except for one that was crazy dull. I asked Chris what the deal was, and he mentioned that Ben is a very "moist" vocalist, to the point that the mic is literally soaked halfway through their live shows. Apparently they change his mic out at a prescribed time during the shows, so Chris figured that the particular track I was mixing was right before one of those onstage mic changes. Ben’s voice sounds great from the source, so in the studio [for Nada Surf] I just used the closest tube condenser that we had set up. For mixing the live stuff there was a pretty nasty signal chain because he moves around a lot—between that and the bleed, things got a little tricky.
JG: I like the vocals up close, so a popscreen is a must—sometimes even two popscreens! If it's a heavy rock track, something that emphasizes the mids and shaves the bottom can help a vocal cut through best. I generally like the singer to be straight on the mic, but sometimes—especially if it's a really funny voice—bringing the mic in from above the singer and angling it down to their mouth can work to eliminate weird noises. Mostly, those types of sounds are more apparent in a spoken voice than they are when someone is singing and surrounded by lots of instrumentation. I stay with a cardioid most of the time, but if the track is open enough, I'll put an omni in the big room to get some ambience on the track. If the vocalist really moves around while they’re recording, an omni can also keep the tone from changing too much.
JG: Spencer Swain is the electric violinist for Zox. We were having trouble getting his sound for a track on their new album, which will release in early 2008. After trying a few fancy mic setups, he said that he loved the sound when he was out in the room right next to his amp while he was tracking. I set up a super clean signal path with a super flat omni and went straight to tape, and he was happy with that. One of the few times that someone really wanted exactly what their instrument sounded like without any coloration or effect. I had to brighten it a bit when it came to mixing, but it all worked out.
JG: It's a little mysterious as to what is going to work best for a particular vocalist. Besides the natural sound of their instrument, their mic technique and how they fit into the track are also big factors, as well. I usually set up a half dozen mics and run through each one to pick which works the best for a particular vocalist, and then I set up the signal chain based on which mic is chosen. Generally speaking, the "smokiness" or "raspiness" in singer’s voice is the first indicator of what will work, and what won't. For screamy rock vocalists I also always throw up a couple of basic dynamic mics because they can sometimes fit the vocals better into a denser track. Some of the singers I work with feel much more comfortable on a handheld mic, too, so in that case the sound takes a backseat to their performance.
JG: I stick to the old school tried-and-true stuff for the rock records I do: Dynamics on the electric guitars, usually coupled with a big condenser or ribbon for a little more body. I have a room mic on tap to add to stuff as I'm tracking, and I tend to submix things as I go. The rule of thumb is to figure out how literal I want the instrument to be: Do I want it to sound exactly like it does in the room? Or, does it need some kind of enhancement? At that point, the mic choice is about what color you want to add, and how much space it can have in the track. Those classic big wonderful orchestral mics sound great, but sometimes they make things take up too much room in the mix.
JG: Man, you guys have it covered: The swappable capsules and different head amps are great! Someone could do those crazy little mics where the capsule is separate from the body so that they're easy to place anywhere on a drum set. Or, some crazy ambisonic thing like those old mics with four separate capsules. Come to think of it, I used to use contact mics for weird stuff—a high quality version of that in a new microphone might be interesting.
JG: I love the vintage stuff, but when things get old they become unreliable. Old stuff will change how it sounds from day to day. A big part of my work is keeping things simple and not being bogged down with technology. These days there are plenty of great sounding new mics that give you the best of both worlds, a classic sound coupled with the reliability necessary to keep things moving along. I really don't want to explain to the singer that we can't use that awesome take where they gave it their all because of some technical glitch with a new microphone. It's all about keeping the session flowing and effortless. Making records is hard enough without having to fight with technology! ~
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