The new AT2020USB-XP gives streamers, podcasters, and other creators the award-winning AT2020 sound with plug-and-play USB-C operation and a whole lot of extras. Three selectable noise-reduction levels and an automatic gain control allow you to adjust the clear, natural sound / AT2020USB-XP
reproduced by the mic’s high-resolution A/D converter (up to 24-bit/192 kHz). Plus, sound can be monitored directly from the mic with no latency, mixed with computer audio, and silenced with a touch of the capacitive mute button. That’s professional performance and control.
audio-technica.com
4.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 6.
Vocal Tips for the Home Studio 10.
How to Record Great Background Vox & Harmonies 14.
Advice on Tracking Killer Lead Vocals 18.
INTERVIEW: WYO 24.
COVER STORY: ALISA AMADOR 30.
How to Use a Compressor to Enhance Vocals 34.
An Intro to Outboard Gear for Vocalists 38.
Using Tape as a Studio Effect 40.
Harness the Power of AI with Voice Changing Tech 42.
REVIEWS: Taylor, Westone, Focusrite 48.
FLASHBACK: Vintage Telefunken Microphone
Hey gang,
Welcome to the first issue of 2024. Yeah…I know it’s summer but obviously the landscape of print magazine publishing being what it is, we’ve taken some time out this past year to really think about how we want to move forward with the magazine itself.
For over three decades, Performer has had print at the core of its business, even while we’ve changed dramatically and the world around us (including the ever-changing flow of information) has progressed and moved beyond print publishing, our heart always remained in the world of ink and newsprint.
Reflecting on where we want to take Performer in the years to come, and how we deliver information to our audience, we’ve made the decision to start sunsetting the print version of the magazine beginning in 2024. Whether this is the final issue remains to be seen; in fact we do have some interesting ideas on how to deliver information in print in really fun and engaging ways, that still touch upon our core beliefs and values. So don’t be surprised if you see some special treats from us in the future related to print (and maybe even some other physical goodies).
For now though, this issue stands proud as a testament to what we’ve been doing for 30+ years, providing valuable information for hardworking, independent musicians. In this case, the Vocal Chain which is so integral to home reordering, and how you can achieve professional-sounding vocal recordings at home with some easy tips, tweaks and bits of advice we’ve gleaned throughout our years.
So, sit back and check out some helpful articles centered around the entire vocal chain, both in and out of the box, and keep an eye on our YouTube for some complementary videos featuring the new Focusrite Scarlett interface, now on its 4th Generation. Big thanks to Focusrite for sponsoring this issue and the related videos, and for always supporting independent artists and music creation.
PS – As we approach the start of the new Premier League season, I once again prepare myself for the inevitable heartbreak that Spurs have in store. Hey, at least we’ve got the Europa League to look forward to (he said sarcastically…)
ABOUT US / Performer Magazine, a nationally distributed musician’s trade publication, focuses on independent musicians, those unsigned and on small labels, and their success in a DIY environment. We’re dedicated to promoting lesser-known talent and being the first to introduce you to artists you should know about.
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Each voice has its own tonality and texture and no one microphone is a perfect solution for all voices. Big studios will often line up a bunch of pricey mics at the start of a vocal session to see which one works best for that particular vocalist. That being said, the mic on your mobile phone is not likely to give you that spark you are looking for in making your record. I recently bought a decent mic for under $100 used from an online classified site. You can find something in the hundreds range that will be sufficient, but you may end up finding it isn’t the best for your voice and swapping it out until you find a good fit. If you have a budget to make a record, while you don’t have to spend thousands on a Neumann, don’t skip holding a few hundred aside thinking the cheap mic from an old DJ mixer is going to do the trick. At the very least, opt for an entry-level condenser mic like an AudioTechnica AT2020 that’ll sounds miles head of a cheap dynamic you’ve abused on tour.
In my last setup I was lucky to have a walk-in closet (never happens in NYC!) which I painted and treated with some acoustical foam bought cheaply online. The foam did not “soundproof” the room so a loud singer could be heard outside of the booth, but it did kill most of the reverberations so the mic did not pick up so much sound bouncing around. You want a dry, clean signal going into the mic and not a built-in reverb, which you cannot later remove. Foam can also get pricey, but you don’t have to cover every inch of a space to kill a lot of the reflections. Another trick is using mic stands and draping moving blankets over them, or even bedspreads. There is a level of air (the hissing sound of too much space) which records on a mic if it is in a large, open, untreated space.
Follow signal path & balance levels
When first hooking things up if you methodically walk through the steps of your audio chain, you will save time figuring out where your signal is in the chain and properly manage your levels all the way from the mic to mic switch (if it has one) to the mic cable, to the snake, to preamp and so on. I have been in major studios when much time was wasted by not following this simple rule in the face of any problems like noise, lack of signal to your DAW, etc. only to find out after an hour that it was the mic cable. Most gear (such as your audio interface and DAW) has meters so you can also check your audio level at different points in your path. Don’t make the mistake of thinking the recorded level should be maximized, but rather keep your peaks in the middle or just about it, making sure not to hit the roof (thus causing distortion/clipping). Gain staging is a crucial part of the vocal chain, and the old adage applies: “garbage in, garbage out.” Spend the time properly testing levels BEFORE hitting “R.”
Don’t overuse compression
If you squash everything in compressors it may be easy to hear your favorite parts, but with nothing jumping out at you in a mix there is no element of surprise or dynamics for the listener. I love it when an unexpected vocal chop almost takes my head off like a low-flying plane! Do leave some life in your takes.
Learn to wear different hats
It is very important that you see yourself in a different light as recording artist, engineer, computer guy, etc. There is nothing that wrecks the vibe of an otherwise great session than having something go wrong and suddenly you go from having that perfect inspiration to being zapped of all creative energy, faced with a dead signal or nothing in the headphones. First of all if it ain’t broke don’t fix it! Beware the lure of updating to the newest version of the free plug-in you hold so dear to your heart. Updates to anything on your workstation can cause your whole system to go down if you are not careful. You will regret it when you lose two days re-installing the whole
shebang because one little update caused an instable system. Secondly, get used to sliding under the different hats. When you sit down to record the perfect guitar take only to find out you hear nothing, put on your tech hat and root out the problem. Following the signal path of course! Then, after you resolve the issue and everything is a go, take a break and reset your brain to the creative guru you long to be before stepping back in to lay down guitar perfection.
Learn basic editing in your audio software
Basic editing, where you can take multiple passes on the mic then cherry pick a grand vocal take from several snippets, will usually yield some great results. Look for the interesting, unique moments and string them together and you are likely to have an interesting vocal track with character. Beware the different vibes that can show themselves on different passes. Your masterful edit can sometimes sound funny on playback when you realize the headspace you were in when you recorded each take may have been different. The better and faster you get
at editing takes, the more you will understand when to re-record and when to edit so that a perfect vocal track can be forged.
Get easy-targeted help by searching for online videos
I have picked up many a tip for my recording software by searching the specific thing I am trying to do on the Internet. So many folks have uploaded how-to videos and I have solved a problem which I spent two days trying to figure out in only five minutes watching a hip-hop producer take me to school on YouTube! You will be surprised how many tricks you can pick up: from modern production techniques to the science of microphones.
A quick search on Google could easily find you some vocal exercises you can use to properly warm up your voice before recording. Your vocal session will go much better if you open your voice gently for a period of 12-15 minutes. You will be in better shape from the first take, but you are
more likely to stay relaxed and last longer in the vocal booth if you oil the machine a bit first. Try playing one note on the piano five times in a row and cycling through the vowel sounds “A - E - IO - U” and then moving up to the note, and so on.
dynamics in your vocal tracks
The best vocal producers know that building dynamics is key to making a great record. The singer must keep this in mind at all stages of the track. At the start, you may sing more breathy and soft, as there could be only one instrument in the track during the intro or first verse. Once the chorus comes, there are normally more instruments coming in, the drummer kicks it up a notch and the vocalist must follow suit. If the music gets louder, the vocals should become more intense. Singing with dynamics will keep you from sounding boring. Shift gears with different parts of the song but also keep some contour along the way by emphasizing certain phrases or syllables over others. Inflection, diction and pronunciation go a long way and dynamics are tied to your emotion.
Learn how to connect with your emotion in the vocal booth
You put your tech hat down, the headphone mix is perfect and you consumed your favorite legal substance or studio snack: now it’s time to make magic! One trick for getting in the right vocal headspace is to turn the lights low and imagine you are on stage and the drummer, bassist and guitarist are all standing next to you. If you close your eyes and imagine the music is also being recorded live, it can get you to that blissful place called emotion. First you should have methodically gone through the lyrics, really thinking about how to tell the story emotionally and how you would sing different parts of the song. Often you then try the opposite of an approach and it works better than expected; so do remain open to experimentation. In the end, you must overcome the clinical nature of headphones and the vocal booth and feeling like you are under a microscope. Don’t fall in the trap of self-doubt just because 10 takes in a row are lame. It could be that next one that has the special sauce on it.
One of the most effective ways to get your songs above the fray and to the next level is by recording great harmonies and background vocals. Over the years we have found that the bigwigs in the music biz love to hear excellent lead vocals AND quality harmonies/background vocals. The problem we have observed is that many artists are used to hearing backing tracks and harmonies on songs without really noticing them. They know a song sounds good but when asked if there are vocal backing tracks on that recording, many actually don’t hear them until they’re pointed out. A lot of bands do not fully understand what vocal backing and harmonizing is until they get into the studio, but with a little coaching, most can learn how to record a good harmony and will soon be trying to write harmonies for all their songs.
At this point you must be asking yourself the burning question: What is the best way to record a harmony/background vocal?! In this article, we will detail some of the techniques that we have found are the most successful for recording, as well as some mixing tricks that will help give you those sexy harmonies to make your tracks pop!
The first thing that you should do when getting ready to record harmonies and background vocals is to have rehearsed and written vocal parts before the session! Many bands do not even think about this, so if you want to save yourself some money, spend a little rehearsal time working out some background vocals before going into the studio. Once you have your background vocals rehearsed, you must then figure out who will be singing them. Some groups will only have a lead vocalist, so in these instances you will have him/her record harmonies to their already-tracked lead part. In other cases, you may have multiple vocalists. Once you have all of this established, you are ready to move on to the next step, which is…
Every engineer’s favorite thing in the whole recording world! (Note the sarcasm). Getting the perfect headphone mix can be one of the most time-consuming parts of any session, much to the dismay of us engineers. At Night Train Studios, we have recently opted to use a Personal Mixer system. This allows for the artist to control their own headset mixes, which has made our lives (and theirs) a lot easier.
But many studios still use a more traditional headphone amp system, where you have to manually adjust the headset mixes of your artist, so there are some good tricks to keep in mind. One thing we would recommend trying is adding some reverb to the vocals. A little reverb can help
your performer feel a little less “naked” when they hear themselves through the cans, and give them more confidence while performing. Most singers do better hearing themselves naturally, which will often times play a role in deciding which headphones we will select. There are two categories that most headphones fall into - closed and open. Closed cup phones block out much of the ambient room sound and work great when other loud instruments are present; they also help keep the music from leaking into a hot mic.
Open cup (like the AKG K 240) have a more natural feel but allow more unintentional leakage. If time allows, let the talent audition a few different pairs to see which they prefer. Headphones give singers a version of themselves that they may not be used to, so we often suggest they experiment a bit as they warm up by moving one cup off their ear until they find a sweet spot between the room and headphone mix. Once a vocalist finds a pair of headphones they like, we often recommend that they purchase a pair and use them all the time so that singing with them on becomes second nature.
Background vocals rehearsed: Check! Headphone mix created: Check! Now we need to pick out which mic we’re going to use. We almost always use a pop filter to help eliminate plosives P’s and B’s when recording background vocals. We also like to use a mic isolation shield (like the Auralex MudGuard ) to help minimize unwanted room reflections that can color a vocal performance. These are especially helpful if you are forced to record in a less-than-optimal space. While there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to mic selection, you hardly ever can go wrong with a large (3/4” - 1”) diaphragm condenser mic on vocals. If your budget is limited, there are many low-cost mics that do a great job - check out the MXL 990 or Audio Technica AT2020 , great choices for under $100. For a few hundred bucks, the choices are virtually limitless and many vocal mics double as great instrument mics, too.
A veteran vocalist knows how to move during a vocal take, sidling up close to the pop screen during intimate passages and taking a half step back and turning slightly when the chorus comes and it’s time to belt it out. Let’s also mention here that you might be tempted to record two or more vocalists simultaneously for a backing vocal track – fight that temptation. Unless the vocalists are pitch-perfect pros, you will be left with a track with imperfections in pitch and volume that you will have trouble fixing in the mix. Better to track each vocalist separately with two or more takes each so that you can focus on individual performances and can easily tweak any inconsistencies later on.
One of the first things we will do after recording our background vocals is to cut out all the unnecessary “air” (the space between actual singing parts) from the track. These usually do not contain anything that we want or need in our final mix and at times can even have pesky background noise that is not visually noticeable in the waveform (breathing, shuffling of lyric sheets, etc). If you’re pressed for time, you could patch in a gate plug-in, but it may miss extraneous coughing, paper shuffling, etc.
Next, solo the backing vocal take with the lead vocal at equal volumes and listen to each part VERY closely. These have to be lined up precisely, so now is also the time to chop words and phrases on the backing track and move them until they are tight with the lead. You should also decide if certain words aren’t needed – if so, you can mute them entirely or fade in/out words that don’t help but just muddy things up. Open vowel sounds are pleasing, but harsh consonant sounds are not, so unless the backing vocalist’s performance took this into account, you will probably have some editing to do. For example, if the vocal line is “Chillin’ with my baby,” you might want to fade in on the word “chillin’” to eliminate the harsh “ch” sound.
The dreaded phrase all vocalists hate to hear! As the producer/engineer, it is very important to use pitch correction on your background vocals. There are very few things more distracting in a mix than an off-key harmony. Once you’ve established what the key of the song is, you can easily apply a pitch correction plug-in to your vocal track set to that key. If you don’t set a key for your pitch correction software, you’ll be forced to use chromatic tuning, which only pulls a note to the nearest half step and can often make the problem even worse. Also be aware that many songs may change key during a bridge or chorus, so those vocal parts will have to be moved to another track with the pitch correction set to a different key than the rest of the song.
Occasionally you run into a vocalist whose harmonies are so poor that even the software cannot fully correct it without turning the track into a comically garbled mess. In this situation you have a few choices: a) Fire you vocalists and have someone else record the part or b) Use a manual pitch correction plug-in. We like to use some plug-ins which allows you to see the pitch of the vocal take on a graph and manually click and drag parts of the waveform to the correct note. You can also draw in the waveform, which is great for straightening out wobbly vocal takes and creating more natural note transitions, whereas an automated pitch correction can sometimes sound robotic.
Now that we have tracked and trimmed the fat from our background vocals, it’s time to start mixing. We usually start with dynamic processing (compression/limiting). Much like everything else in the world of recording, there is not one “set in stone” way to approach compression with background vocals. We suggest playing around with your compressor presets and see what fits. We find that a vintage LA-2A compressor preset is a good starting point for most backing tracks, as it has a way of smoothing out the performance. Play around with boosting the output gain somewhere in the +6 to +10dB range while adjusting the threshold to -6 to -18dB.
Now, solo both the lead and backing vocals together at the same volume and start EQing the backing vocals. We usually like to roll off the lowend frequencies, starting around 150Hz, because the low-end of background vocal tracks have a tendency to muddy up the mix. From here we may boost some of the high-end frequencies a little to create a thinner, brighter overall sound. The goal is to get the backing vocal to enhance the lead, so don’t be tempted to EQ the backing part by itself; we don’t really care how it sounds alone.
Once you’ve got the two working well together, bring the volume down on the backing part until it just sits below the lead and move on to panning. If the background vocal parts are harmonies that follow a lead vocal very closely, we will only slightly pan the background vocals, maybe 10-20% in either direction. The idea with a harmony part like this is to have it blend with the lead vocal, so you don’t really want to have it hard panned, as this will ruin the synchronicity of the lead and background parts. If we are dealing with a background vocal that does not mirror the lead vocal, then you might want to try hard panning the track. By doing this, your backing tracks will be less likely to clash with the lead.
When it comes to volume and reverb, you could take a wide variety of approaches. You generally want to make sure the levels of your background vocals are balanced enough so that they blend well with each other and the lead vocal. Reverb should be used to enhance the amalgamation of parts, so in the case of background vocals, we tend to put more of it into the mix than we do with the lead vocal, which we tend to leave drier.
Don’t be afraid to give backing vocals a try on your next tune. Many artists are hesitant to experiment because they associate harmonies with a certain musical era, but when done right, backing vocal tracks can make a song come alive. We hope you’ll try these techniques on your next recording session!
Editor’s note: In the preceding pages, we shared some tips on recording vocals in a home studio. Here is another take, and some additional perspective on the process. Not every approach will work for every artist, so we’ve taken the opportunity to present a few viewpoints on the subject, and hope you’ll be able to take away some key tips from each that’ll help you in your journey to record the best vocals possible within the limits of a home studio environment.
The lead vocal – it’s arguably the most important track in most songs. It’s carrying the melody and message and overall tone of the song and it’s what most listeners lock onto over anything else. Try asking someone why they like a particular song and chances are their comments will be about some aspect of the lead vocals. So how do you record a great vocal part? Here are some tips we have found over the years that help the vocalist perform at their best.
First, it’s easy to forget (even for some vocalists) that a singer’s voice is their instrument. Try to schedule your vocal takes when the singer is
at their peak. That means not scheduling a session right after a long weekend of gigs or even after a long day of work. Most vocalists have a time of day that they perform best. Have the vocalist warm up first. Some vocalists have a set routine; others don’t even know what you’re talking about when you ask about warm-ups. For the latter, a couple softer than usual warm up takes can help get them ready. Have plenty of room temperature water on hand in the booth for the talent and remind them frequently to keep their pipes hydrated.
It’s important for the singer to be in the right mood when they are recording their tracks. It can be hard to sing about a relationship gone bad in a bright, sunny room with posters of puppies on the wall. What is the overall mood of the song that you are working on? Try to prepare the booth to match that tone. Here in the studio we use different colors and intensity of light to obtain the right feel for the track we are working on.
If the singer thrives on attention, then having band members and friends in the control room as an audience can sometimes help bring the
performance to another level. But many singers get self conscious quickly when the focus turns to them, and so often we will turn down lights in the control room and position the singer in the room so that they feel less like they are in a fish tank being watched. Encourage the talent to try different approaches if they are so inclined and remember that positive reinforcement after each take helps to keep a singer’s confidence up.
Many performing artists don’t have the luxury of dedicated backup singers when they perform live and so when recording songs in the studio, often they overlook the importance of backing vocal tracks. When we as listeners hear a song, we accept backing vocals without much thought, but interestingly we have witnessed that many artists get very self-conscious about recording backing vocals. Maybe it’s because the lead singer or even “non-singer/ instrumentalists” in the band now have to play a new role. Frequently harmony parts aren’t even written until late in the recording process and often we find many artists who don’t even know how to go about writing them. Our advice is to bring in someone who can help write these parts early in the rehearsal process. This will save you much time and stress in the studio.
Probably the single most important aspect to getting a good vocal performance is the headphone mix. Singers usually like to hear a lot of themselves in their headphones, but counterintuitively, that is not always best. Most singers do better hearing themselves naturally, which means a combination of the vibrations through their bodies and reflections of their voices in the room. There are two categories that most headphones fall into – closed and open.
Closed cup phones (like the affordable Sennheiser HD 280 PRO) block out much of the ambient room and are a nice choice when other loud instruments are present; they also help keep the music from leaking into a hot mic. Open cup (like the AKG K 240) have a more natural feel but allow more unintentional leakage. If time allows, let the talent audition a couple different pairs to see which they prefer. Headphones give singers a version of themselves that they may not be used to (even though this is how the rest of the world hears them). So we often suggest they experiment a bit as they warm up, with moving one cup off their ear a bit until they find a sweet spot between the room and headphone mix.
While there is no right or wrong answer, you hardly ever can go wrong with a large (3/4″ –1″) diaphragm condenser mic on vocals. If your budget is limited, there are many low cost mics
that do a great job – check out the MXL 990 or Audio Technica AT2020, great choices for under $100. For a few hundred bucks the choices are virtually limitless and many vocal mics double as great instrument mics as well.
A good vocalist will know how to use the mic to maximize their performance – moving in closer for softer, breathy parts and backing up and turning slightly when they want to belt something out. We almost always use a pop filter to help eliminate plosives (say the word “pastrami” into your hand and you’ll feel what I mean). The pop filter is a good visual reference for singers and you can give them a little primer on moving in and out; but mark my words, if the singer is not already a pro at using mic distance, they will completely forget to do it during their performance, anyway.
We have had good luck using a mic isolation shield (like the Auralex MudGuard) to help minimize unwanted room reflections that can color a vocal performance. These are especially helpful if you are forced to record in a less than optimal space. Use low-key sessions (like demos and sessions with friends) to experiment with different mics and their placement. You get different tones when the mic is set up in different locations around a singer’s face, but many singers intuitively try to stretch up to the mic as they sing, counteracting our efforts.
With vocal takes we always want to have headroom on the recorded track, but most vocal performances are very dynamic. There may be a whispered verse followed by an exploding chorus. You can boost lower parts but you can’t fix digital distortion, so how do you capture both on the
same take? Answer: Input Limiter. We almost always use a compressor on the input channel set to do the job of a limiter, which means a very high compression ratio, a very fast attack and a fairly quick release. Depending on the range of signal we might employ some input gain to help boost the lower, whispery parts and set the threshold 2dB lower.
Many singers want to “nail” their performance from start to finish. While that would be ideal, it hardly ever happens. We like to record the vocalist two or three times all the way through a song, have them take a break and come back into the control room to listen. Usually we’ll find that one of the takes is a good “base” take. We’ll then replace “bad” lines from other takes. When we’re done with this process we usually have most of what we need, with maybe a couple lines that need to be overdubbed. A note about replacement: while you can zoom down and replace individual words and syllables, it is usually much more organic to capture and replace whole phrases whenever possible.
Some singers are pitch perfect, but unfortunately many are not. Subtle pitch correction can usually do wonders (make sure to set the key on the plug-in to the song’s key – never use chromatic auto-tuning) and many singers will be thankful. Other singers want to go back in the booth and get it right themselves – and sometimes they do. But often they don’t and they just end up getting frustrated and embarrassed as they do take after take, trying to improve.
Without compression, much of a vocal take can get lost in the mix – all that sexy,
breathiness gets buried. With compression, you can turn up the gain, often in the 7–10 dB range, to bring the singer to life and put them front and center in the mix. Play around with the threshold and attack so that their loud parts aren’t too loud. The compression ratio should be in the 6:1 to 12:1 range.
We usually roll-off the bottom end unless the singer is using a low register. An exciter or Sonic Maximizer plug-in might be all the EQ you need to give the track some extra “air.” If the vocal isn’t quite cutting through the mix, first try to subtract frequencies from other tracks that may be masking the vocals (guitars in the 500–1000 Hz range are notorious examples). If the vocals still need some help, experiment to find and cut any “annoying” vocal frequencies and boost “pleasing” frequencies (like up around 4khz) with some slight gain.
Panning is almost always right down the middle, unless you are going for some kind of effect. If the vocalist has that “It” factor, then we’ll put them up hot in the mix. But if you find yourself getting tired of the vocals quickly, then work on recording backing vocals and even melody tracks to help strengthen the lead vocal in the mix. We use volume automation to bring the dynamics of different instruments up and down throughout the song to keep the mix alive and keep the listener interested. Don’t be afraid to add a little delay to vocals to add excitement (but keep delay times short). We recommend a separate reverb send exclusively for vocals with a high pre-delay to preserve clarity.
Cinematic indie pop band WYO is one of our absolute favorite acts, and we’re excited to announce their brandnew album ‘Gemini’ is out now (read our complete review at the end of this article). In addition to crafting amazing audio landscapes, we’ve also worked with the band on a number of video projects which you can watch on our YouTube channel – most recently a partnership with ddrum to demonstrate their new e-kit.
We recently caught up with bandleader Andy Sorge to talk about the making of the new record and his relationship with music over the past few years, both during and after COVID.
Did you have any specific inspirations you were drawing on this time around when it came to writing the music and lyrics for Gemini that you wanted to expand upon?
Many of the songs on Gemini are connected to specific landscapes and feelings. Last year, I went on a road trip in my Uncle’s old camper trailer and ventured into new places, including the deserts of Moab, and the mountains of Washington, which inspired the songs “Fire and Ice” and “Earth to You.”
“Earth to You” is about feeling a change on the horizon when you are caught in a tough place like the changing weather in Washington, while “Fire and Ice” is about a relationship that is hot and cold like the deserts of Moab.
I spend so much time writing in nature, most of all in Wyoming, that it naturally works its way into the music. The outdoors allows me to reflect, have space to be creative, and zoom out to the bigger picture. Nature is one of our greatest teachers, it’s resilient, transformative, and interconnected, and I like to incorporate some of those themes into WYO’s music as it connects to life and relationships.
Can you elaborate a little bit on how you handled production — in terms of how you approached the recording process, where it was done and who handled what aspects?
Since the core writing for this album was done during the first COVID lockdown, the recording process looked very different [than our prior albums]. Previously, I wrote music and melodies at the piano, and then produced the songs in their entirety with the band, but during lockdown I was limited on space, co-writers and equipment.
I wrote a lot of initial instrumentals with a small keyboard at my kitchen table. Eventually
some members of WYO and I made it out to our cabin in Wyoming to record their individual parts.
Once we had guitars, drums, and other production tricks laid down it was time to focus on melodies. It took countless writing sessions in collaboration with Scott Gibson and Pelle Hillstrom to bring the melodic vision to life.
Once the music was in a good place, I met with our producer Brad Wood of Seagrass Studios in Los Angeles, where we solidified melodies and wrote some together as well. It was definitely a collective effort!
Were there any other themes on the record that you feel we didn’t touch upon fully when we last spoke?
At its core, Gemini is a testament to the power of intuition and the courage to listen to one’s inner voice, while offering a message of hope and resilience.
When COVID hit I felt inspired to write in isolation, but as it dragged on I lost that inspiration. I started questioning whether I wanted to have a career in music and, after a relationship I was in ended abruptly, I completely lost my direction.
I learned during this journey how resilient my passion for music is. The album took time to complete, and the challenges I faced during this period, and learning to overcome them, is written into the music.
Nature helped me find grounding and inspiration again, and being out in the Wyoming countryside gave me the fuel that I needed to get back on track and move forward.
Can you let us know, specifically, what types of gear you employed during the sessions? Mic choices, keyboards, amps, fx, etc? Our readers geek out on gear talk, so the more you want to discuss about that part of things, the better.
I’ll let my bandmate Scott McKay Gibson tackle that one:
“We tracked the drums for the new album in Wyoming, and for our drum tracking setup, since different songs call for different sounds, we found its easiest to just keep a bunch of mics up to have options from track-to-track. We always have the usual SM57 on snare top, with an AKG 451 next to it every once in a while for a little extra crack, but always a 451 underneath.
Sometimes the extra 451 is on hi-hat duty instead, but when it’s not, the hat is usually wearing an SM7-B. Kick is complemented by both a Shure Beta 52 inside, and a DIY sub-kick I wired out of an old M-Audio studio monitor woofer we had sitting around.
“I learned during this journey how resilient my passion for music is.”
Toms are 421’s. On overhead duty we use Neumann KM84’s and a U87AI takes the frontof-kit area. The room plays a huge part (literally) in a lot of the sound, so we would be missing out without some room mics, which are a pair of trusty SM57’s. The drums then go thru Brent Averill 1073’s and 312’s, and a Millennia. Snare (and sometimes kick) got a little love from a UA 2-1176 on the way in, and overheads and rooms took turns on the Distressors and Chandler TG-1, or sometimes were uncompressed depending on the mood.
For guitars, we tracked Pelle Hillstrom thru a Fender Princeton with an SM57 in front of it. We usually do a split off his pedalboard into a DI so we can get creative with it later, but his sound is just so dreamy and thick that it doesn’t need much.
The keyboards were mostly done in software which provides the most flexibility but most of the time the essence of the sound is committed to early-on, as it can set the direction and shape the vibe of the track. We’re huge Arturia fans, and I’m pretty sure there’s an Arturia synth on every single song at least somewhere, if not multiple. The Vocoder heard on ‘Earth to You’ was not software—we did that with a Roland synth thru an Electro Harmonix Voice Box pedal.
We used a lot of different mics on vocals at one time or another in Wyoming: U87, Manley Reference Cardioid, Shure SM7, I think a 57 once or twice. The vocals that we did at Brad Wood’s were done on an SE Mic.
Putting aside the technical details, looking back at the making of the record, as I’m writing this I ’m reminded of just how much fun we had letting loose of inhibition—sometimes paddling upriver, but mostly surrendering to the creative currents. It ’s rewarding to see how far the creative energy we invested in all of it has taken us.”
Andy’s vocals on this record especially have a dreamlike quality on a number of the tracks, but you never lose clarity, which is a tricky balancing act. Is there anything you do technically to ensure that the vocal delivery is clear even when the songs take on more atmosphere?
For this, we let producer Brad Wood chime in:
“It really comes down to careful use of compression. With Andy ’s vocals, I use very little EQ (just some hi-pass shelving) and very rarely some de-essing. To retain clarity
on Andy ’s vocal in a huge swirling mix of keyboards and guitars, I will use a series of compressor plugins that have different attack/ release times and different ratios.
One compressor feeds into the next one and then into a final limiter-style plugin (usually a UAD LA-2A). I also will raise specific words or syllables that are still too quiet using clip gain in Pro Tools. For effects on Andy ’s vocals on this album, I usually used 3-5 effects plugins (Altiverb reverbs/rooms, UAD tape delays, Soundtools delays, Antares doubling effects, UAD Vocoder, etc…). Most of these effects have some amount of pre delay that allows for clarity.”
What’s next for WYO’s future, either songwriting-wise, recording, live shows, etc?
Back to Andy Sorge:
The goal is to continuously strive to expand creatively, and explore new soundscapes and stories that leave a positive impression on someone out there. Whether it’s finding a connection to nature, or taking a chance on themselves, and finding ways to further shine a light on the causes we believe in. We look forward to discovering where the journey takes us next.
WYO
Gemini
San Diego, CA and Jackson Hole, WY
Release date: June 21, 2024
Cabin Entertainment, LLC
In the past, I’ve described WYO to people as ‘cinematic pop’ and ‘modern indie pop’ but upon repeat listens to their latest LP, Gemini, that may have been a little reductive and unfair to the complexity of their overall sound.
Gemini, the band’s third full-length release, sees frontman and lead songwriter Andy Sorge progressing past the groups’ previous two efforts, 2018’s Untamed and 2019’s Changes in ways that really make him standout amongst the current generation’s pack of songwriters.
Kicking things off is the chill-yet-driving “Ignore the Map.” Setting the mood for the entire record, the lead track evokes Joshua Tree-era U2 with its dreamy vocals, off-the-backbeat snare hits and overall atmosphere. Synths wash over the listener as the track continues to pulsate and drive forward and it’s a song that practically demands you listen thought headphones to catch all the sonic nuances.
“Truth or Dare” continues the synthpop infused aesthetic and is perhaps the most danceable tune on the album. The track transitions into the more mellow “Rhyme or Reason,” which retains the quasi-dreamlike atmosphere found all over Gemini.
Not everything is strictly synth and drumfocused, though. The band changes things up mid-record with the almost folksy “Fire and Ice,” which incorporates acoustic guitars and a more jaunty melodic through-line, while still retaining the catchy choruses and driving percussion that the first half of the LP set in motion.
The standout track, however, is likely going to be “Red” for most people, myself included. If you’re a fan of contemporary indie songwriters and synthpop artists like Kyle Andrews, or even going back
further to mid-2000s bands like VHS or Beta, this is definitely going to appeal to your sensibilities.
Sorge’s voice sounds its most confident on “Red,” and the band’s trademark synth and drums complement his matured lyrics. I had a chance to speak with him recently about his songwriting process, and we talked about regaining his passion for music in general during and postCOVID and on this track it shows. It’s bold, it’s got heart, and it sounds like a band who knows exactly the direction they want to take.
All in all, Gemini is a triumph. There are enough up-tempo tracks to make it a dance record, enough laid-back tracks to make it an ideal
rainy-day study mix, and enough aural intensity to satisfy even the most ardent audiophiles -- the record sounds phenomenal, from a production standpoint.
We’ve been fans of WYO for years, and Gemini just cements our appreciation for what Sorge continues to create. Put simply, we can’t wait to put this one on repeat and discover new things with each successive listen; it’s an album that grows on you with each pass and invites you to keep it on in the car, in your room or during your daily workout. Highly recommended.
Learn more and follow the band online at https://wyotheband.com
Alisa Amador first came on our radar after her NPR Tiny Desk Concert triumph, and since that time the Boston-based bilingual singer/ songwriter/guitarist extraordinaire has dropped a stunner of a new record, “Multitudes.”
“Multitudes” is a brilliant, engaging and dynamic album that is the culmination of Amador’s songwriting progression over the years. We recently had the pleasure to not only work with her before she headed out on tour to film some video content for our YouTube channel, but we also had an opportunity to sit down for an extended interview to learn more about her creative process, her musical journey and her life as an independent artist. Let’s dive right in…
How did you first get into music?
My first introduction to music was through my family. My parents are Latin folk musicians who were touring full time until I was in high school and still tour to this day, and songwriting was just a coping mechanism for me through my early teen years. And then it became a career kind of by accident. I just realized that I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t do music full time.
When did music become a full-time thing for you, and what was that transition like?
My career in music has not always felt like a choice. I started doing music full time about six years ago; the real shift was winning the NPR Tiny Desk contest. It’s just been a wild ride since then. I’ve been figuring out how to navigate a career full time and how to advocate for myself and how to keep writing music when I’m also touring all the time, so there’s a lot of challenges, but it’s definitely rewarding as a full-time career.
Let’s talk about the NPR thing. How did that come about and what did that mean to you?
Yeah. So, something that I really appreciate about NPR Tiny Desk contest is that…the prize itself is almost just the recognition and celebration of your work. And from there, every artist who has won the contest has done really different things with their career. I mean, some people go on to write musical scores for productions, others are touring full-time. Others are doing like everyone is: navigating their careers in a different way. And so for me, winning was a reset and a way to start doing things on my terms and really shape my career the way that I wanted to be.
Let’s talk about your creative process. Walk us through what your creative
headspace looks like when it when it comes to songwriting.
Songwriting for me is always this…dream state. I’m not fully awake. I’m not asleep. It tends to happen in the morning or at night, right before falling asleep. And what’s most important is that I can’t judge myself. And that’s something that I struggle with a lot once I’m fully awake. So I make sure that songwriting happens in those inbetween moments, those transition moments in the morning and in the night time and then from there, I honestly don’t know what style my music will be, what genre, what language. I speak and write in English and in Spanish. But the songs tend to kind of reveal [themselves]. A verse and a chorus happen simultaneously like a guitar part [will]…
It’s a really mysterious and magical process to me still. I’ve been songwriting since I was 15 and yeah, it’s still amazes me that I can even write a song. [laughs]
So, you don’t necessarily make a conscious effort to sit down and say, OK, I’m going to write lyrics now or I’m going to write the music…
It’s all happening simultaneously, and I do always carry a journal with me, and that’s where I write down ideas or concepts, but also most of the time just thoughts and grocery lists and, you know, gluing in a dried leaf or a flower or a photo or anything.
Just being a part of your everyday rhythm is to write in your journal or to just have it nearby and ready for you to express. Because really, songwriting and being a professional musician, when you boil it down, it’s just about expression. And for me, my philosophy as an artist has to do with being honest and being vulnerable and being brave to say the thing that maybe other people or I am afraid to say.
That’s why the journal is really essential for my writing process, and definitely there are times where if I don’t know what to say in a song, I just turn to the journal.
How do you approach the recording process once the songs are written?
Recording music can feel so different from a live performance, but at least for me it follows the same premise. Basically, what is your gut reaction to a recording? What is the thing about a recording that draws you in? See what the limitations of your home studio are and enjoy them. I think that limitation can be one of the biggest things that create the coolest sounds and the most creativity in the studio and in any artistic process.
When it’s time to record, it’s all very instinctual for me, but I definitely want people
to be able to understand the words [and] to hear the voice clearly. But I also want people to be able to dig into all of the other instrumentation and production and enjoy all of the gems [we put in there]…
That’s my favorite kind of record -- the one that you can play again and again and keep discovering new parts that intrigue you or excite you or make you cry, you know?
Is there a conscious thought process that you go through to take those works and present them to an audience in a live setting?
Live performance has always been really natural for me. I think that’s just a side effect of having been on stage since I was four years old -- so the live performance aspect for me is also very intuitive, but the most important things are that everyone in the space feels safe, that everyone feels comfortable, and that the sound balances are nice and clear so that people can understand what I’m saying -- but also that all of the instruments are ringing out in beautiful ways. And then from there you just kind of take a breath and give yourself over to the music and have fun.
Where did you record this new album, Multitudes?
It was recorded partially in LA in a professional studio and partially in a home studio here in Boston. I really loved the process of creating and adding and subtracting all in the home studio. Once I came home from LA…I think that such an essential part of the magic of this record is both the like, you know, fancy studio sound and also the home studio realness and how sometimes it’s the realness that really gives a recording that magic.
I’m really proud of how it came out. I’m proud of the process that it took and I’m proud of the learning that I did to be able to make it. I mean, I learned how to play the keyboards very simply. I learned how to do guitar solos. There’s a solo on “Love.” The production of this album was a huge learning process, but the finished product feels really complete and really beautiful, while also being really real.
What’s in store from here, after the tour?
The hope and the dream is to have a career that’s as sustainable as possible and I mean that in every sense of the word.
And so, honestly, my career goal is to do this full time and to gain recognition and gain the audience who care about this music and also to take care of myself at the same time. And it can really feel like those are at odds with each other [at times]. But I want to believe that there is a way to be good to myself. And good to my audience; that’s the dream.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
August 9-11
Rocky Mountain Folks Festival - Lyons, CO
August 24
Arcadia Folk Festival - Easthampton, MA
October 1
The Sunset - Seattle, WA
October 3
Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR
October 9
The Casbah - San Diego, CA
October 10
The Moroccan Lounge - Los Angeles, CA
October 12
Pappy + Harriet’s - Pioneertown, CA
November 13
3S Artspace - Portsmouth, NH
November 14
One Longfellow Square - Portland, ME
November 15
Radio Bean - Burlington, VT
November 19
The 9th Ward at Babeville - Buffalo, NY
November 21
Lager House - Detroit, MI
November 22
The Drake - Toronto, ON
November 23
Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH
November 24
Club Cafe - Pittsburgh, PA
December 5
The Sinclair - Cambridge, MA
December 6
Space Ballroom - Hamden, CT
December 7
The Lounge at World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA
December 8
Joe’s Pub - New York, NY
December 10
DC9 Nightclub - Washington D.C.
December 13
The Front Porch - Charlottesville, VA
December 14
Cat’s Cradle - Back Room - Carrboro, NC
December 15
Rams Head On Stage - Annapolis, MD
*supporting Lake Street Dive
Learn more and follow Alisa online at https://alisaamador.com
“Limitations can be one of the biggest things that create the coolest sounds and the most creativity…”
Here’s the thing about compressors: they’re not always used for what you think they’re for! And, how you think about using them fully determines the results you’ll get from them. Most people are taught, or assume, that compressors are for controlling the level of a sound. In fact, that is why they were invented, as “auto-leveling amplifiers,” but we’ve gone way past that application now, and
frankly, track automation is probably better for that anyway.
Compressors are really used to change the tone, or the waveform of the signal. So, you see that this is not about level but rather about the way in instrument or vocal sounds in the track.
The quintessential compressor has 4 knobs: Threshold, Ratio, Attack and Release
There are many variations on this, but they’re essentially the same. In fact, there are so many variations that I had trouble finding a good
example. However, the stereotypical version, like the revered Avalon pictured in Figure 1, has 2 large knobs, Threshold and Ratio, and two smaller knobs, Attack and Release
1
A classic plug-in like the Waves Renaissance Compressor, while using sliders, essentially draws your eye to the two big sliders in the center, Threshold and Ratio , while the Attack and Release are on smaller sliders at the bottom.
Notice that the layout tends to reinforce that the key controls are the Threshold and Ratio In fact, those may well be the first controls that you need, but are not the ones that require your greatest attention. Once you have the Threshold and Ratio set you can practically forget about them. Where the magic really happens is when you start to adjust the Attack and Release.
The tonal shaping abilities of your compressor are best understood using an example. Let us consider snare drum: any drum hit consists of a very rapid transient, that is made by the stick hitting the drumhead, followed by a decaying tail that is the energy being transferred to the shell of the drum and the shell vibrating in a damped fashion. The interesting thing is that the very fast transient is so fast that our ear doesn’t really hear it. However when our playback system is set to play such a large burst of energy without distorting, the tail or body of the drum hit seems very quiet by comparison. To make the drum seem louder, or more importantly, more present, we need to change the relationship between the
height of that transient and the body. We do this by adjusting the attack and release.
By adjusting the attack to a very fast setting we are able to apply the compression to that early large transient. Then by adjusting the release to something that is also very quick we prevent the compression from being applied to the body. Now we’ve changed the relationship between the transient and the body of the hit, functionally making the body louder and changing the tone to emphasize the body characteristics of that drum.
3 4 5 Showing drum hit before, after, and the settings of the compressor.
We could, of course, apply the same scenario in reverse. If we have a dull and lifeless snare because it has no pop, we could apply the same compression but with a slow attack and the slow release to emphasize that initial transient. The fun, or the art, is in finding that sweet spot for both attack and release that balances the crack of the stick hit with the tone of the body.
Bass guitar is another instrument where this trick is handy. Most often the bass feels a bit choppy if the bassist isn’t really attuned to his or her dynamics. By applying compression with a medium attack to just let the finger or pick attack through, and then a medium release to contain some of the growl, but allow the distant tail to remain uncompressed, we can even out the note and give the track a fuller, more consistent feel.
Vocals often need compression, and often fairly complex compression. Remember that different compressors will differ in how well they handle certain sounds, and that compressing really hard with one compressor is usually not as effective as two machines working less hard. In pop music, often the vocal is compressed to hell. Typically, this means one compressor to shape the tone as we’ve discussed, for example an Avalon could be used with light compression, medium attack and medium release to even out and thicken the performance, followed by a more brutal assault, say with an LA-2A, to gel the track and get that “in your face” sound we’ve become so used to. (Notice that the LA-2A doesn’t have Attack and Release settings at all, but uses the input knob to drive the circuit, creating the reduction, and the attack and release vary with the level of input and the amount of reduction).
Now that you know, forget about those Threshold and Ratio knobs: set them to get the machine working, but then dial in the tone with your Attack and Release. This is the stuff that makes tracks go from demo to hit!
Below, check out a review of one of our favorite (recent-ish) hardware-based compressors that you can add to any home studio setup easily and affordably, the Warm Audio BUS-COMP VCA Console-style bus compressor.
Warm Audio is one of our absolute faves when it comes to awesome studio gear on a budget. One of the things we’ve been bugging them about for a few years is a stereo bus compressor, and now that we’ve got our hands on the new BUS-COMP, it’s just what we’ve asked for.
We have a modest recording rig here at the mag that we use for testing, but as of late we’ve been doing compression only in the box with a few stock plug-ins. While the sound was fine for demo’ing and testing out products, we knew that for really great sound, we’d want to look into an insertable hardware unit at the end of our master chain.
The new BUS-COMP delivers on everything we wanted, including price. For just under $800, you’ve got a two channel VCA bus compressor that just adds that little extra glue to the end of a mixing session. It’s hard to stress just what a compressor can add to your mix, but A/B testing some scratch sessions with and without the bus compressor confirms that the dynamic gel you hear on radio-ready singles is just the thing this puppy can bring to your rig.
One of the cool things is you can run your mix through this and just use it for slight tone coloration on its own, with no compression
settings applied. But of course the magic really kicks in when you start running your stereo sources through it (of course it can be used on single-channel sources, as well). And, it should go without saying, but you don’t just have to use it on your stereo master, you can sweeten background vocals, rhythm section mixes, drum mixes, etc, too from your stems.
Getting into the settings, it comes equipped with exactly what you’d expect and want on the front panel, including knobs for threshold, attack, ratio, release, a high-pass filter and make-up to adjust the gain back you may have lost in previous settings.
The HPF has settings for 30, 60, 105, 125 and 185 Hz and you can do what we did and quickly A/B your sound with and without compression with a button on the front panel. While built to meet a certain price point, for sure, Warm didn’t skimp on quality, which we appreciate. They used Made in the USA CineMag transformers and fully discrete opamps inside, and the internal guts of neatly wired and. Laid out for easy servicing in the future. There’s also some room inside the chassis for the modders in the crowd.
Turning around to the rear panel, and I/O is dead-simple. Left inputs and outputs and a sidechain input are all that’s needed, and all that’s here. That makes integration into your rig simple and eliminates confusion for newbies.
Overall, the new bus compressor from Warm Audio is an awesome and affordable way to finish
off your stereo mixes, or even stereo stems, and we heartily recommend it for any home or pro studio.
We recently got sent two units from the folks at ART, their SOLO MPA and SOLO VLA mic preamp and compressor, respectively. If you want to see a deep-dive on how these work for home studio use, and how to get the most out of them, we employed the assistance of our good friend, and the ultratalented singer/songwriter Travis Shallow to create a 4-part video series doing just that. So we highly recommend you take a few minutes, pop
on over to our YouTube channel, and get Travis’s take on how both of these units can integrate into a typical home recording rig.
For now, though, we want to focus on the basics of improving your vocal chain using outboard gear like these ART models. For a lot of artists just starting out with home recording, adding more hardware to the chain can be an intimidating prospect, but have no fear. You can easily integrate new gear into your rig AND get better sound quality, without a lot of confusion or
added learning curve.
So, where to begin?
The simplest reason is you want to either sound better, add more options to your vocal chain, or both. Adding an external mic preamp, for starters, might have you scratching your head. Doesn’t my audio interface already HAVE microphone preamps built-in? Yes, of course it
does. But that doesn’t mean they’re the be-all end-all of audio quality. In fact, adding a higherspec’d mic preamp to your interface, and using your audio interface solely as an analog-todigital convertor, is one simple way to get better sounding recordings from the jump quickly and efficiently.
There are a plethora of mic preamps on the market, but the basic reasoning behind adding outboard gear remains the same: get better sounding takes than what your current interface
can handle. Or add more options than what you currently have access to with plug-ins. Or, you just like tweaking physical hardware because, let’s face it, sometimes we just hate staring at a screen all day. Amirite?
The other, most commonly added piece of outboard gear especially for home studio uses, is an outboard compressor. Now sure, you probably have a plug-in that you think it great, but sometimes you just want that tactile approach to making music, and often using a mouse to point-
and-click on settings is not only unsatisfying, it’s often an unmusical approach to getting better sound.
Having real, analog (and tactile) control over the threshold ratio and types of compression you’re adding to your vocal chain (in real-time) can be a crucial step to tighter vocals, more punchy mixes, and a better overall sound than relying on some preset in the box, or some freebie compressor that came with your interface. By having physical knobs and buttons to engage
with, you’re oftentimes more focused on listening with your EARS, than seeing what numerical values are coming up on a computer screen and dialing in sounds based upon what some random person on a forum told you was the “right” setting.
We really enjoyed our time with the ART SOLO MPA, and adding it to our vocal chain. It was easy to setup, had a lot of flexibility, and bottom line? The mic pre’s just flat-out sounded better than our budget-model audio interface. So across the board, it was a resounding win-win. A simple, effective and elegant solution to making our mics sounds better in the home studio. Who wouldn’t love that?
The same could be said for the ART SOLO VLA compressor we tested out. Adding that tightness to our vocals, and adjusting the settings ever-so-slightly in real-time, with real physical knobs, added a much-desired analog connection to our music that we could HEAR instantly. It’s just a better experience than using a plug-in, at least in our humble opinion. Plus you have a lot more control and flexibility with outboard units
than most typical plug-ins that come bundled with your DAW or interface.
Taming dynamics and glueing the mix together just felt right and more natural when employing our outboard compressor, enabling us to get better sounding recordings, which was the whole point to begin with. Right?
Let’s take the hard part out of the equation – setting up outboard gear to work with your existing interface is actually a lot easier than you might think. Take your microphone’s XLR cable, and instead of going direct into your audio interface’s XLR input, route it instead to your outboard mic preamp, then take the line output from your mic preamp and run THAT into your audio interface’s line input.
You’re essentially just bypassing your interface’s built-in mic pre’s and using your interface’s A-D convertor to take the analog line input signal from the mic preamp and turning it into a digital signal for your DAW. This is as simple as using a balanced TRS cable from the back of your outboard mic pre, into the 1/4” input on the front of your interface.
When you want to add more gear, like say a compressor to the vocal chain, you’re now just daisy-chaining the outboard gear first, then running ONE complete signal into your interface. So in this example, microphone’s XLR to mic preamp’s XLR input, then mic preamp’s line output TO the compressor input via a balanced connection, THEN compressor to your audio interface’s line input.
Again, you’re simply taking your vocal chain OUT of the box, by using better mic preamps and compressors in the hardware realm to begin with before ANY signal hits your computer, then routing THAT analog signal into your I/O for the DAW to record.
Don’t let hardware overwhelm you – gear is meant to make music, and ultimately if you find that leveling up your game is an investment you want to make in your career, we recommend first upping your vocal chain game with the best outboard mic pre and compressor you can afford, at least as a starting point. It only gets more fun from there. So enjoy, make some great music, and let us know how it all turns out!
Jordan Tishler
Tape machines are like your grandfather. They’re old, and cranky, and require patience and tender loving care. But just like Grandpa, if you take the time you can coax wonderful things from tape. If you’re an indie rocker, tape gets you closer to that vintage vibe than all the plug-ins in the world, and if you’re a pop-meister or EDMhead, it’s the secret weapon that’ll put you in a whole different class from the competition.
Let’s take a minute to think about tape historically; it’ll help us understand what we’re doing and why. Remember that when tape was invented, it was the ONLY recording medium available. The goal, then, was fidelity. Every new machine, every new tape formulation, was aimed at getting closer to the nirvana of getting back what you put in. Lossless. Just like digital is today. And yet, oddly, we now recognize that some of that loss was just what the doctor ordered. Things came back from tape warmer, rounder, punchier, and definitely chewier. We’ve lost that magic change with digital.
Don’t get me wrong. I work in digital all the
time, but “digital makes things sound better,” said no one ever. Digital is what it is, and that’s a good thing, too.
In the quest for fidelity, tape machines were invented that ran faster (30 ips) and used wider tape (1/2” 2-track, or 2” 24-track). Tape was formulated to hold “more signal” (allow recording at higher gain before unpleasant distortion took effect). But, that exactly NOT what we’re looking for.
To that end, the ideal tape machine for this mix effect is sturdy, dependable, holds its calibration well, BUT is slow and narrow. We want tape that is good, doesn’t shed or stretch, BUT is formulated for average calibration. This is how I came to own a Studer A-810. It’s all that and more. I run 1/4” tape at 15 ips. I use RMG 911 tape that is a re-make of Ampex 456. I calibrate to +3 dB. This allows me to push into the tape but get tape effect at moderate level.
This particular machine can hold dual calibrations, so I’ve done the calibration with RMG 900 (GP9) tape at +9 on 30 ips. It sounds
good! But it’s no longer contributing something to the sound of the mix. This is why I call using the tape an “effect” - we’re looking for it to add something to the recording, not just playback with greatest fidelity. If we merely wanted fidelity, we’ve got digital.
Practically, what we do is pass the mix from the console (or DAW if you’re in the box) to the tape machine while it is in record mode (tape is spinning) and then re-record the output from tape into the DAW. We set the input level to tape using the master fader on the console aiming to have the VU needle averaging around +3 dBU. This leads to peaks +6 and higher. You’ve got to use your ears to fine-tune the amount of effect you’re looking for.
When we’re done, we always do a pass without tape and, after careful level matching (don’t fool yourself by letting one be louder than the other), do a blind comparison. I’d say 8 out of 10 times tape wins! So be kind to dear ol’ Grandpa and his tape machine; he might just teach you a few new tricks for your mix—and can add some really great texture and cohesiveness to your vocal tracks.
We’ve previously covered some of the amazing (and groundbreaking) tools brought to artists by the creative team at lalal.ai.
To recap what we thought at the time:
“One of the main selling points is that there’s no great quality loss in the separation, and for the most part that’s actually true (shock!). We processed acoustic singer/ songwriter tracks as well as some more heavily arranged funk tracks and overall, and were pleasantly surprised and impressed with the ability for the AI to extract parts and separate audio with genuine clarity…I know other platforms have hit the market claiming to do something similar, but usually (at least from our experiences), they tended to be full of digital artifacts, audio ghosting and other anomalies that audibly reminded you of the other parts of the songs (doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose?)…With some initial skepticism out of the way, we thoroughly enjoyed testing out the lalal.ai platform, and can see how this would be a useful tool across genres, for a multitude of reasons and use cases.”
Now they’re back with another potential game-changer, enter the…
Here’s what they say about it: “Use the power of AI to sing like Drake, Taylor Swift, SZA, and other artists. Select the voice pack and apply it to your recordings.” Learn more about it and give the free beta s shot today by heading here: https://www.lalal.ai/voice-changer
So, how does it work?
Simple: you upload a track, either a fully mixed and ready-to-go edit, or just a vocal guide track, if you wish. The AI magic behind the scenes does its thing on their servers, and allows you to select a voice inspired by a popular artist to transform your song into…well, what can only be described as a new work that completely recontextualizes the vocals with the selected artist pairing. It’s quite a stunning concept, to be sure.
While there are likely some kinks to work out during the beta phase, the algorithm is clearly pretty far along in development, so if you’ve
ever wondered what the voice of an artist you’re producing would sound like in the style of another popular, contemporary artist, you can give it a shot. It changes the overall timbre, style, pitch and character of the voice and spits out the results the algorithm provides in a new audio track.
Getting started couldn’t be simpler — the online interface makes it pretty much idiot-proof. You click upload to select the track you wish to transform, then you select which voice pack to engage on the back-end for the AI’s algorithm to use. While it doesn’t work in real-time (at least not yet), you will get your resulting track and can hear how it sounds. Best results occur with the cleanest, highest quality input tracks, so make sure you’re uploading good-quality, high-bitrate and sample depth audio to begin with.
Got some ideas of your own, or represent an artist who might make a great voice pack? They’re even open to collabs on custom voice packs. Please contact their support team at support@lalal.ai to engage in a conversation.
Have you tried the AI Voice Changer yet? Let us know what you think!
We witnessed the unveiling of the Circa 74 at NAMM back in January, and having been able to play around with it ourselves for a few weeks this spring, we were sold almost instantly. Taylor, just take our money already. Jeez.
Pulling double duty as both an incredibly detailed acoustic guitar amp, as well as essentially a personal PA system for vocalists (and singer/songwriters), the Circa 74 evokes a stunning mid-century look while providing 21st Century features and sound fidelity.
To start with, yes it can act simply as a “WYSIWYG” acoustic amp. Want to simply plug and play? Go for it. We used our trusty old Alvarez Yairi with an aftermarket Seymour Duncan pickup mounted over the soundhole, and the richness and nuanced character of our acoustic translated perfectly through the Circa 74’s 10-inch customdesigned full-range speaker. The amp provides 150 watts of power, which should be enough for most
typical coffeehouse gigs, house concerts, busking, etc, but may need to be mic’d if you plan to take it on the road for larger venues and stages. We got plenty loud in our studio room, but the sweet spot of the amp was definitely in the 6-8 range.
That said, with a guitar plugged into channel 2 and a dynamic vocal mic plugged into channel 1 (in our case, the old Shure SM58 since there’s no onboard +48V power), this may just be every singer/ songwriter’s new wish-list item for the upcoming holiday season. It’s really that good. Dialing in great sounds was simple, because Taylor chose not to overcomplicate the front panel – both channels can be used simultaneously and provide simple volume, bass, mid and treble controls along with reverb level and an overall master volume next to the amber power lamp. No matter how we dialed in the EQ, everything just sounded well-balanced at all settings. A true testament to the engineering that went into this beast.
Two channels aren’t even as limiting as you might think for stage use, since you can stream backing tracks to the Circa 74 over Bluetooth, or even plug in external sound sources (laptops, disc players, etc) through the top panel’s aux input.
As a special (and welcome) bonus, you’ll also find both XLR and 1/4” line outputs on the rear, meaning you can run this out through a FOH system when playing live, through an interface in the studio or even through outboard gear if your heart desires for various types of fx processing. We wish line outs were standard operating procedure across the board when it came to the amp world, but alas…
Anyway, with stunning sound quality and looks that would be at home in a museum (or at least a chic furniture showroom), the Circa 74 is a winner all around. It’s easy to use, it sounds amazing, it’s a breeze to transport and integrate into any live or recording situation, and it offers today’s working musicians damn good value for money (not something we can often say for higher-end manufacturers like Taylor, if we’re being honest).
It was a sad day when the FedEx truck picked up our review unit for return to the good folks at Taylor, but who knows, one might just end up under our tree later in the year if we have our say… Review by Benjamin Ricci
No phantom power for condenser microphones. Big bummer. CONS Sounds great, wonderful feature set, easy to use and looks like a stunning piece of furniture.
We recently got sent two pair of in-ear monitors (IEM’s) from the folks at Westone, from their newly released AM PRO X Series of universal-fit models. Now, we mention the fact that they’re universal fit because the news just came across our desk that Westone is actually discontinuing their customfit business in the United States. Here’s a brief snippet from their press release:
“After careful consideration, we have decided to close our US custom in-ear monitor business. As a result, we will no longer accept orders for new custom in-ear monitors after July 15, 2024.
While this chapter is closing, we are excited to continue offering our high-quality universal fit in-ear monitors and earphones such as the Mach, Pro X and AM PRO X series. We remain dedicated to bringing you the exceptional Westone Audio products you know and love, built on years of working with and serving the top music professionals in the industry.”
So with that out of the way, how do the universal fit models stack up? In a word: phenomenally well. OK, so that was two words, but they deserve it. The “AM” in the model designation stands for ambient, which means some ambient noise from your surroundings does come through, even with a snug in-ear fit, which in the case of on-stage use may actually be to your preference. Our tests were done in a controlled studio using demo tracks and stems in our Studio One DAW, as well as in a replicated “live” stage environment at The Record Company rehearsal
spaces in Boston, complete with pre-recorded live tracks being pumped through large JBL wedge monitors, PA speakers and subwoofers, with the IEM’s connected to a personal mix monitor station to replicate what the average onstage performer would be experiencing.
In both cases (live and studio), fidelity was excellent across the entire frequency range, both in the more affordable X10 units and the slightly higher-spec’d (and priced) X20’s in the blue casing. High-end clarity was exceptional for the price, especially on tough sources like cymbals and hi-hats, and extended bass on hip-hop tracks was well-defined and never flubby. Our go-to for testing this is “Ice Cream Paint Job,” which is often a tricky track for IEMs of lesser quality to handle properly.
Now the X20’s did provide a slightly more detailed and nuanced experience, but this was really only more apparent during quiet passages and in an isolated (quieter) environment we demo’d them in, such as on an extended nature walk or in our acoustically treated studio room with no outside noise present or leaking through.
So, if you’re on a budget, you can likely get away with the 10’s on the road, but if you’ve got the cash to spare, the upgrade to the 20’s or even the top of the line 30s (which, full disclosure, we were not provided) is well worth the investment. Considering custom-fit IEM’s from the likes of Ultimate Ears can run a few thousand bucks, these are especially well suited to independent artists who want great IEMs for stage use, studio use and general listening, without breaking the bank.
The overall fit was excellent, as well. We have demo’d custom molded units from UE Pro in the past, including those from their Capitol Records special release which cost upwards of $3000 USD, and to be honest, A/Bing those custom in-ears vs universal fits wasn’t as night and day as you may think. In fact, with the plethora of tips in varying sizes and materials Westone provided in the box, getting the perfect fit was actually quite easy with the AM PRO X range, and even after extended sessions they sat snug, and we never experienced any discomfort with either foam or silicon.
We also must point out that the cabling is detachable, a very welcome addition for anyone who’s been on the road and frayed a cable, or got it caught on a random nail in a venue and had to toss their entire IEM solution instead of simply doing an easy cable swap. Been there, done that. It stinks.
All in all, the new lineup sits well-positioning in the market in terms of value for money, so if you’re headed on the road or prefer IEMs for home studio mixing, the AM PRO X line is worth your attention.
Highly recommended.
Review by Benjamin Ricci
With each subsequent iteration of the industry-standard Scarlett range, Focusrite continually proves their commitment not only to quality products, but to ensuring each new generation of artists has access to tools that will inspire them to record amazing music in an affordable, easy and dynamic way.
PROS
Excellent convertors, simple setup, super affordable
CONS none STREET PRICE
$279 USD
The newest gen of Scarlett recently came across our desk in the 4i4 iteration, which has two front-panel XLR-combo jacks, as well as two more 1/4” rear line inputs, four 1/4” line outputs and MIDI I/O (a very welcome addition that’s sorely missing on a lot of competitor’s interfaces).
The inputs themselves feature the latest mic pres, which we tested with a variety of input sources ranging from bog standard Shure SM57’s and 58’s on guitar cabs and vocals, to Warm Audio and Audio-Technica condenser mics on vocals, acoustic guitars and our studio’s Yamaha baby grand. We even ran a Les Paul direct using the included Hi-Z settings, and on each and every source, clarity was superb, noise was non-existent, and dynamics and nuances of our performances shone through brilliantly. For a price tag under $300, the new Scarlett just flat-out sounded phenomenal.
As always, we like to keep the “Air” feature engaged just about all the time – now, technically, we’re not 100% sure how it’s operating under the hood, other than the fact we can appreciate the added presence it provides in a mix. Whatever the sorcery going on in the Focusrite R&D department, we hope they continue pushing the Air button on all their interfaces from now until the end of time.
In terms of what’s new, obviously the A/D and DAC convertor chips are new, and we’ve been really digging the autogain functionality. For lunkheads like us, it takes all the guesswork out of gain staging and ensuring your project doesn’t clip. Honestly, it’s one of those “set it and forget it” type things that just makes this
the ultimate home studio tool – you can focus on getting great takes without riding the input gain or worrying about hitting the red and having to re-do a heartfelt performance.
Speaking again to the Air functionality, we must mention briefly that there are now two settings – one for the presence we’ve become accustomed to over the years, and which we still greatly appreciate. And the second mode is a harmonic drive option, super-cool in its own right. With this setting, you’re essentially punching the mid-range frequencies and boosting the mid-harmonics inherent in your tone. So, especially for guitars which live or die based on how they sit in those mid-range frequencies, this can be the lifesaver you need to cut through a mix. If you need a refresher on that, just watch a Tom Bukovac video where he explains the importance of mid-range in a good mix for guitars, and you’ll see/hear what we mean.
What else is new? The headphone amp gets a nice upgrade, so you can push your higher-spec’d studio cans even better now, and each output can get its own mix. Now this is super handy if you want headphones, studio monitor speakers and outboard fx units each to get their own dedicated output mix. Something, again, not found on similarly-priced interfaces from the competition.
Everything has seemingly been upgraded across the board, and with that, the new 4th Generation of Scarlett interfaces earns our absolute highest recommendation. Make it the centerpiece of your home studio, and let us know how your record turns out!
Review by Benjamin Ricci
From about 1949-1965 the original (and legendary) U47 was made.
Few microphones are as iconic. The original models had a vacuum tube that would dry out, which was problematic but corrected after 1965.
It was one of the original high-end microphones and used for all sorts of applications from vocals to classical recordings, where it captures a great low end and airy high end with switchable cardioid/ omnidirectional patterns.
What makes the product so cool is that Neumann literally RAN OUT of the original tubes in the early ’60s (which were Telefunken tubes) and the mics suffered until Telefunken produced a suitable replacement vacuum tube to capture the “magic” of the original.
Telefunken and Neumann have continued to make comparable mics into the modern era; expect to spend an arm and a leg! That said, companies like Warm Audio and Behringer currently make affordable ‘versions’ of these mics that are designed to give you the same vibe on a much lower budget.
Where you place this mic makes all the difference and also the ability to record several instruments and situations with a single mic is still important to remember. Sometimes we use too many mics to get a sound that one GOOD one can capture.
Don Miggs is a singer/songwriter/producer who has fronted the San Francisco-based band miggs since 2001. His love affair with vintage instruments and gear only presents a problem when he’s awake.
The newest generation of Scarlett has arrived, but what are the pros saying about it?
“I would not hesitate at all to use these preamps on a master recording!”
Rob Burrell
Mix Engineer (Four-time Grammy winner)
“This interface is an absolute game changer”
Joseph Chudyk
Mix Engineer (Kane Brown, Ghost, The Band CAMINO)
“The new Air mode makes everything sound more expensive. This is my new go-to interface when I’m on the road”
Josh Gannet
Recording & Mix Engineer (Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, Steve Miller, Keith Richards)
“I see no reason why anyone wanting to get into engineering would buy a different interface than this!”
Brandon Towles
Mix Engineer (Keke Palmer, Dierks Bentley, Parker McCollum)
Scan the QR code to discover Scarlett 4th Gen and hear what these pros are talking about.
