Sean's Shed Recordings

**Sean** · 05-05-2003, 11:52 PM

My friend Jeremy and myself are both really into audio engineering and have decided to slowly start buy equipment for a recording studio. We have some stuff already and hope to get an 8 track tape machine in the next few months.

Currently we're recording in my mom's shed. To reduce the sound level and eliminate some unwanted reflections, we suspended a matrice above the area where the drums were going to go. Then we took a massive piece of carpet and attached it to the 20 foot high ceiling. AFter that we attached 5 matrices around where the drum kit will be. Its really very nice.

Here is a picture of the matice hanging from the ceiling:

benj · 05-06-2003, 12:01 AM

I envy Sean to no end. I want a home studio.

**Sean** · 05-06-2003, 12:34 AM

Currently we have:

Mixer:

NADY CMX-16A 16 Channels

Mics:

2 Oktava MK-219s Cardioid Condensers
2 NADY CM-88 Pencil Condensers
2 Nady Star Power 9 Dynamic Mics (similiar to SM58s)
5 Nady Star Power 1 Dynamic Mics (similar to SM58s not as good as teh SP 9)
1 SHURE SM58

Recording:

2 Tascam Porta02mkll - 4 Track recorder, 2 tracks simultaneous

Computer and Software:

1 Dell Dimensia 2.8 gigahertz and 512 RAM
1 iMac (its my friends so I can't give specs. Its not so great. He's getting an eMac specificaly for recording soon)
Adobe Premiere (its video editing software, but it works for audio editing/mixing)
Pro Tools (currently only the 8-track free version)
Sound Foundary Acid Xpress

LAST SATURDAY we finallly we're able to put our recording studio to the test. Jeremy is currently in Audio Engineering 4 and had to do a recording for his audio 4 class. He could have used the schools studio, but he wanted a more lo-fi sound for the song he was recording, so he opted to try out our little studio.

LIke many recordings, we opted to record the drums first. For the drums we used 3 mics. The kick drum mic was an oktava 219. We used a second 219 as an overhead mic. For the snare we used a Nady SP 9. To give it the sound we wanted, we actually ran the mic into a Big Muff guitar pedal and distorted it. That gave the snare some extra kick.

**Sean** · 05-06-2003, 01:12 AM

We also recorded the main guitar track when the drums were recorded. We used my friends amp for the guitars, but i don't know what kind it is.

The guitar was my Epiphone Explorer. To mic the amp we used 1 of the sp1 mics.

We had a bit more fun with the second guitar. It was recorded with a squire telecaster. To mic is we went a bit extreme. We used 2 oktava 219s, an sp1 and an sp9. The first Oktava was close micing the amp. We also used teh sp1 to close mic the amp. The second oktava was about 6 feet in front of the amp and several feet above it. The sp9 was used to mic the back of the amp.

At first we assumed this was going to sound awful, weak, out of phase and overal crappy. We only did it because we thought it was funny. When we actually tried it, it sounded really good from the get go. I dont think we even adjusted any of the mics to correct phase. When put at the right levels, all the mics mixed real well together and gave it a nice thick and rich tone. The second guitar recorded some extra rythm tracks and the solo.

Also, apperently we have some kind of grounding problem that I'd never noticed before. The singer/guitarist wasn't wearing any shoes during while recording. Most of the time he was standing on carpet. At one point in time he stepped onto the concrete while playing the guitar and it started shockinng him. I tested it myself and it was really shocking him. In the picture below you'll see how we had to put carpet under his feet.

Originally they intended to record bass for the song, but after starting recording, they decided it worked without bass. Also, for the song they/we were going for a lively sound and they attempted to make it sound like an old 45 lp. The vocals were recorded directly into a computer using the SM58 and they were recorded in the singers dorm room. After recording the tracks onto the 4-track, they were put into pro tools and mixed. As I said before, they were going for an old 45 lp sound in the mixing. Most of the credit for the recording should go to Jeremy, my friend. I was more just there assisting and supply supplies and the space.

The Song

MisterAgreeable · 05-06-2003, 08:19 AM

I haven't listened to your recording yet, but I love those old music man amps. Highly underrated. People give them attitude for having solid state overdrive, and admittedly the overdrive is weak, but the amps themselves are great. I think those are the only EL-34 amps Leo Fender ever made, too. When cranked they sound great. (At least the 60 watt version does, the 130 watt one is probably far too loud to really turn up much past 3 or so.)

Flyguy · 05-06-2003, 11:09 AM

Wow, that's pretty awesome. I'm downloading your song as I type this. Is the shed air-conditioned or something? Or do you just not leave any stuff out there when you aren't recording? How big is it? Can I borrow it for a couple weeks?

drumguy515 · 05-06-2003, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AtlasShrugs
Also, apperently we have some kind of grounding problem that I'd never noticed before. The singer/guitarist wasn't wearing any shoes during while recording. Most of the time he was standing on carpet. At one point in time he stepped onto the concrete while playing the guitar and it started shockinng him. I tested it myself and it was really shocking him. In the picture below you'll see how we had to put carpet under his feet.

You really should make sure the guitar is properly grounded, along with the amp. Getting electrocuted is bad.

benj · 05-06-2003, 12:03 PM

Yeah, Sean, I don't want to die recording music... although it would be a heck of a way to go...

SmileAndFollow · 05-06-2003, 12:22 PM

Not bad at all. It sounds very nice.

**Sean** · 05-06-2003, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by drumguy515
You really should make sure the guitar is properly grounded, along with the amp. Getting electrocuted is bad.

No, it really was awsome being shocked by it. Especially when the guy kept screaming in the middle of takes because his fingers were getting burned. More people should try that kind of thing.

Quote:

Yeah, Sean, I don't want to die recording music... although it would be a heck of a way to go...

I would love to electrocute you Benj.

Quote:

I haven't listened to your recording yet, but I love those old music man amps. Highly underrated. People give them attitude for having solid state overdrive, and admittedly the overdrive is weak, but the amps themselves are great. I think those are the only EL-34 amps Leo Fender ever made, too. When cranked they sound great. (At least the 60 watt version does, the 130 watt one is probably far too loud to really turn up much past 3 or so.)

It sounded really nice.

Quote:

Wow, that's pretty awesome. I'm downloading your song as I type this. Is the shed air-conditioned or something? Or do you just not leave any stuff out there when you aren't recording? How big is it? Can I borrow it for a couple weeks?

The shed is not air-conditioned. You can't borrow it, its mine. Build your own shed studio. Here is a picture of the part of the room we were using. Its probably only about a 1/5 of the entire shed.

Flyguy · 05-06-2003, 12:37 PM

I just downloaded the MP3...sounds good! Is that the Telecaster I see in the picture?

**Sean** · 05-06-2003, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Flyguy
I just downloaded the MP3...sounds good! Is that the Telecaster I see in the picture?

The telecaster is in the picture with the guy sitting down, yes. I was impressed with the output myself. Especially because we were going for a low-fi sound. We could have made it sound more produced and such. It sounds pretty much how we wanted it to sound.

Brent · 05-06-2003, 01:38 PM

Nice recording... Guitar tone sounds well-suited to some Southern rock or some 70's rock. Very Tom Petty-ish when you couple the guitar with the vocals in my opinion. Maybe even sounds like something from the Queens of The Stone Age or something....then again, I've only heard their one single.

Quote:

Originally posted by AtlasShrugs
2 Nady Star Power 9 Dynamic Mics (similiar to SM58s)
5 Nady Star Power 1 Dynamic Mics (similar to SM58s not as good as teh SP 9)

Maybe similar to SM58's in looks alone, but nowhere near it in quality and durability. Besides, the Nady's go for about 20 bucks and the Shure's around $100....so I wouldn't expect the same kind of quality. Nevertheless, the recording sounds quite nice particularly when you consider the budget mics it was recorded with. Definitely the nice lo-fi sound you were looking for.

Quote:

Originally posted by AtlasShrugs
Also, apperently we have some kind of grounding problem that I'd never noticed before. The singer/guitarist wasn't wearing any shoes during while recording. Most of the time he was standing on carpet. At one point in time he stepped onto the concrete while playing the guitar and it started shockinng him. I tested it myself and it was really shocking him.

Yeah, you've definitely got a problem. If he's getting shocked by stepping on concrete then there's a *major* problem. Concrete isn't a great conductor of electricity, so if he's getting shocked that bad then you've got a pretty good problem. Probably something in the amp I would say. Is the amp plug missing the 3rd prong on it? ...or was it plugged into one of those adapters to make your 3-prong adapter a 2-prong one? Might also want to invest in a little circuit tester plug from Wal-Mart for a couple bucks. Plug it into an outlet and the lights that light up (or not) tell you if the plug is wired properly and what to fix if it's not.

2ManArmy · 05-06-2003, 02:06 PM

The guy in the green shirt playing the guitar (Or is it a bass?) looks like Elijah Wood. I envy your shed, Sean, even though I have no idea what half of the things in it do.

**Sean** · 05-06-2003, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brent
Nice recording... Guitar tone sounds well-suited to some Southern rock or some 70's rock. Very Tom Petty-ish when you couple the guitar with the vocals in my opinion. Maybe even sounds like something from the Queens of The Stone Age or something....then again, I've only heard their one single.

Yeah, initially they were going for a totally 70s feel on it. They were thinking it was going to have a bit of a Rolling Stones feel too.

Quote:

Maybe similar to SM58's in looks alone, but nowhere near it in quality and durability. Besides, the Nady's go for about 20 bucks and the Shure's around $100....so I wouldn't expect the same kind of quality. Nevertheless, the recording sounds quite nice particularly when you consider the budget mics it was recorded with. Definitely the nice lo-fi sound you were looking for.

Yes, yes I know. I was only saying that to give people an idea of what kind of mic they are. And those Nady's are the best sounding $20 mics I've ever heard.

Quote:

Yeah, you've definitely got a problem. If he's getting shocked by stepping on concrete then there's a *major* problem. Concrete isn't a great conductor of electricity, so if he's getting shocked that bad then you've got a pretty good problem. Probably something in the amp I would say. Is the amp plug missing the 3rd prong on it? ...or was it plugged into one of those adapters to make your 3-prong adapter a 2-prong one? Might also want to invest in a little circuit tester plug from Wal-Mart for a couple bucks. Plug it into an outlet and the lights that light up (or not) tell you if the plug is wired properly and what to fix if it's not.

I've never had the grounding problem when I used my amp and I'm sure I've been barefoot out there. So you're probably right that it was a problem with my friends amp. We probably should figure that one out before we start inviting bands out to record with us when we get our Tape Machine.