Given the opportunity to record a band to tape at SoundPark studio the production team decided we would record Reggae band T Rhythm. T Rhythm is an exciting group that range from being an 8 to 12 piece band.
Having a clear set of plans and being prepared before recording a band is so important. Especially when you or your client are paying an hourly rate to hire the studio. Having a well rehearsed band also saves time and money. However even when you are prepared there is so much focus, clear communication and time pressure that you need to be on top of on the day when professionally recording a band.
There is nothing wrong with a challenge or a confident attitude but as an engineer and producer you need to be aware that each role of production can take time. It would not be unwise to factor in time for mistakes and have alternatives worked out at planning stage. In saying this it is also a possibility that your backup plan may not be an alternative due to certain equipment not being available or technical faults. By planning ahead you have a good idea of the direction you want the recording to go.
HOW DOES ONE WORK UNDER TIME PRESSURE WITH A GROUP OF MUSICIANS?
Having an experienced professional and patient band like T Rhythm was great for our engineering team. It allowed us to carefully and effectively set up equipment, patching requirements and sound check properly. As lead producer of the project I felt it was important to communicate with the band to make them aware of what was happening and make them feel comfortable.
Although setting up took longer than we anticipated we made sure everything was right at the pre recording stage. There were a couple of minor adjustments with microphones and equipment during the band recording but it could have been a lot worse if we were not thorough to begin with. The choices of equipment, microphones, microphone placement via good research and planning worked well for the team and the client. Capturing a great sound to tape or DAW in any situation also depends on instruments being well tuned and a great performance from the musician.
Communication between the band and engineers is extremely important when recording live to tape. It was important to know when T Rhythm were ready to go for a take or if they were just rehearsing. Likewise it was important for the band to know when we were going for a take. Cueing up the Studer A80 tape machine, constantly watching meters and operating Pro Tools accordingly were all part of the process for every take. In a perfect world it would be easy to press record on the tape recorder and stop the tape machine at the end of the day. The reality is that tape reels are expensive with a duration of 20 to 30 minutes of recording time in our case. You will certainly know when the reel runs out as it will spin off the tape heads if you don’t stop it in time. Not a good practise.
When working with a large production team it’s advisable to split the roles. This is an organised and effective method that can save a lot of time and confusion. It was also beneficial having calm communication amongst the team and assistance in other roles and heavy lifting activities when required. However chances are you will not always be working with a large team of sound engineers so when working with a band it is important to be as organised and on top of your engineering duties as possible.
WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES & WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THIS PROJECT
I am a firm believer of learning from every experience. Despite having skills and experience there is always something you can learn or improve upon for next time. At times the communication could have been improved. In failing to communicate something properly the next best thing to do is to stay calm and think logically which the team managed to do with great enthusiasm to achieve the best results possible. An example of this was when we realised equipment from our list was missing and we needed to replace it quickly.
Another example was when we realised that we were losing recording time and needed to move the bass amp into another room to avoid it leaking onto other tracks. The third warning occurred when we realised that the amp we had chosen for the keys wasn’t right for the recording so a quick swap over operation to a direct input was implemented. This brings up a point that being decisive and acting on it is important when facing issues or having to make quick changes when recording a band in the studio. Our most important lesson was that always having somebody present while the tape machine is running is extremely important!!!
I have always been fascinated by tape machines and how they work. Therefore this project gave me a broader understanding of the process. It can be quite involved and takes practise to become an expert. Impressed by the character tape added to the recording especially dealing with a dynamic genre like Reggae which has utilised tape effects for many classic recordings, I can see the benefits in owning a tape machine and utilising it with my own productions in the future. At the bottom of this blog post I have added a link and videos for those wanting to know more about tape recording operations and a closed loop analog signal processor called CLASP.
1.CLASP ANALOG TAPE RECORDING PROTOOLS DAW INTEGRATION http://www.endlessanalog.com/tag/clasp-analog-tape-recording-pro-tools-daw-integration
2.ANALOG HEAVEN STUDER A820 & STUDER A80 IN PERFECT SYNC WITH DAW
3.REEL TO REEL BASICS
4.REEL-TO-REELS: MULTITRACK RECORDING
REFERENCES
CLASP Analog Tape Recording Pro Tools DAW Integration « Endless Analog. (2016). Endlessanalog.com. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from http://www.endlessanalog.com/tag/clasp-analog-tape-recording-pro-tools-daw-integration
For all digital guys, analog heaven Studer A820 and Studer A80 in perfect sync with DAW. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoIXbnaliE8
Reel-to-Reels: Multitrack Recording. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqF2cGWafOA
Reel-to-Reel Basics. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BFWvku7jxs
Studer A80 Tape Machine. (2016). HistoryOfRecording.com. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from http://www.historyofrecording.com/studera80.html
AUSTRAJAM PRODUCTIONS 2016
AustraJam Productions 