![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() “Steve and I mixed it, it’s being mastered at Bernie Grundman’s, and they’re going on tour again, so there should be some commotion soon about the record.” “We recorded all the shows on their Asian tour, and since January we’ve been working on getting an album released,” he says. Here, then, are the producer's 7 for producers and guitarists… 1. “The number one starting point is always ‘tone comes from the fingers.’ If the person playing guitar doesn’t have a good tone, then they’ve failed out of the gate. So that’s first, although a lot of people ignore that or don’t realise it.” 2. Choose the recording equipment the same way that you choose a guitar, amp, or pedal. Once you have those, and they sound good to your ear and in the room, then you’ve got to know how to pick a microphone and understand what a dynamic microphone will sound like, or a condenser, or a ribbon, and decide whether you want to use several microphones or just one.” 3. What does the music want? I might put a certain microphone on a guitar amp most of the time, but sometimes it might not cut through the track, so I have to change the mic or change the amp sound. I’m always listening for what the music calls for, because there’s never a one-stop shop for the signal chain.” 4. “Start with the minimal amount in your signal chain. A microphone into a good mic pre into the computer, or tape machine, or whatever you’re recording to. When you add things one by one, you can hear if it’s getting better or worse, and that way, also, if there is a problem, you have an easier way of troubleshooting it Don’t add anything unless you’re unable to get the sound you’re looking for and you can’t change it on the amp or guitar or pedal. “A lot of people like to start throwing mic pres, compressors, EQs, and all kinds of junk in the chain, but you need to start one by one and only add things if it’s needed, because you really hear the degradation. If you start with everything in your chain, you don’t hear what it sounds like without it. “When you add things one by one, you can hear if it’s getting better or worse, and that way, also, if there is a problem, you have an easier way of troubleshooting it. “When I record Steve Vai, we use a mic pre and microphones. We only use EQ if we feel like we’re missing something. We rarely use compression we compress in the mix. I’m not going to deny that it does get crazy, but we try to put the least amount of things on it, because we want a pure sound.” “It’s about the purity of the sound, and getting the correct sound before the microphone even gets set up. “Be creative and always be ready to change something. Don’t be afraid to break the rules, once you know and respect the fundamentals, because breaking rules is where the cool stuff happens. But you can’t get to that unless you’re in control of what you’re doing.” 6. If you hear buzz or noise, understand what your chain is, and make sure, before you hit record, that everything sounds the way it should. ![]()
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