JonyMac Studio

Many bands that play mostly in small to medium sized clubs will have YouTube or blog posts of their music. Often the videos are fine but the audio will be poor. Most computer video programs (think QuickTime, IMovie, etc.) will allow you to strip audio and insert a good recording of your music to sync with your video. Although a good two-track stereo recording can be an improvement, a multi-track recording gives you many more options which, if mixed correctly, can provide a first-rate, natural (not over hyped) listening experience to go with the video.

There are a few things that have helped me get a better-quality multi-track recording over the years. I’ll share some of these below. Then, I’ll give an example of the kind of recording I’m talking about by providing an example of a recording of Louisville band, Palo Verde.

1. Use the right microphones. Some singers want to use their own microphones. It is important to check ahead of time to see what these microphones are. While some will work well, others will produce significant mixing issues. The same is true for drum mics, etc. Be sure to double check! Super or hyper cardioid mics are best because they work to eliminate noise from other instruments and especially floor monitors (see #2 and #3 below). Remember that when you’re trying to get a natural live sound you don’t need to put a microphone on every drum unless the band normally does so for the house mix. A single overhead (Omni?) microphone, kick, and snare mic will be plenty for many bands and less intrusive.
2. Tweak monitor placement. While in-ear monitors permit the best recordings, most bands still use floor monitors. These should be placed well behind the microphone’s sound field. This is usually not difficult with singers. It is most difficult when a drummer uses a floor monitor, and it faces upward toward the overhead microphones. This means that the monitor mix will intrude on the drum’s overhead mix and render the overheads virtually useless. I usually bring along a spot monitor that I can place near the drummer, facing away from the overhead microphones.
3. Control monitor mixes if possible. If the band is in a space with walls on either side and a wall in back, it will help if the front of house mixing engineer can run individual monitor mixes to each musician on stage, providing only the minimum of what they need. Full house monitor mixes at high volume can bleed into all of the stage microphones and wind up competing with your overall mix in a lot of ways (especially by creating out-of- phase issues) so keeping them as modest and targeted as possible will help later down the line. If band members are used to in-ear monitors this is best, of course!
4. See if you can position musicians with the vocal stereo field in mind. If a band has three-part harmonies and those singers all stand at the front of the stage, it can help if these singers are not bunched up on one side. You will likely want to mix them to left and right, so have them stand on stage left/right if possible. This is helpful also because of the drum-bleed that comes through on the vocal mics. When mixing, the stereo field for the drums can be disoriented or out of phase if you are mixing a singer to the opposite side of the mix from where they stood on stage. Most musicians will honor this request, knowing its only for one night, if it is a huge change.
5. Don’t fret the room microphone. If you use a room microphone for small to medium size club gigs, you’ll only use it for applause and room noise before and after songs. Otherwise, you’ll hear table conversations, etc. in the mix.
6. Assess (and use) direct inputs for acoustic instruments. Most artists use direct inputs from pickups for guitars, mandolins, harmonicas, etc. these days. Some are excellent. Others are not so good. Use them no matter what the quality. Why? Because they are what the band “sounds like” and your job is to get that sound. That said, in some cases, you might want to stick a directional mic in front of an instrument, just to provide the option later of improving the sound. And remember, a good sounding direct input eliminates microphone bleed!
7. The more you can control the better. In order to have maximum control over the quality of recording I prefer getting a direct feed into my own preamps and converters. Although many affordable mixers will now do multitrack recordings (Midas Mr18, Mackie Onyx, etc.) I prefer to use better quality preamps and digital to analog converters. For that I use a passive stage box that is a splitter, with one cable running to the bands mixer and the other running directly into my preamps and converters. This allows the band’s engineer to do his/her thing unimpeded while I do mine. When using a passive splitter, it is a good idea to carry along a few inline phantom power supplies and several good DI boxes to help with any ground lift issues. If you have the money and want to be sure you have the tools to get a good isolated sound and avoid compatibility issues with the house mixer you can avoid a passive splitter and get a few transformer isolated splitters such as the ART S8 and the cables to get from the front of house to the splitters and to your recording rig. I like my passive splitter because it has the cables built in and is easier to set up and haul. My basic converters and preamps are the Focusrite Clarett + series. I love the clarity and detail of the converters and the preamps sound great for just about everything. If I need other preamps I can bring them along.
8. Mix to reproduce the live sound! The number one rule for mixing comes down to avoiding PD (plugin disease). When you have good tracks, it is tempting to add lots of effects (reverbs, delays, compression, etc.) that were NOT in use live. I see my job as reproducing a true to life recording that mirrors what the audience was actually hearing. When someone who attended the gig hears the recording as the audio for a YouTube they can say, “Wow, that’s just how the band actually sounded!”  

I recently had a chance to record Louisville’s Palo Verde at an outdoor venue called Bud’s Tavern. The recording was not made for video purposes, so live video is not available here. Here’s an audio track from that event, however, to provide a feel for the kind straight-forward enhanced “live sound” I’m talking about. You’ll want to listen on headphones or good speakers to appreciate the difference between this sound and a simple iPhone or two-track stereo recording.