For this recording, we used a Sennheiser E818sii for the vocals. The Sennheiser E818sii microphone is a dynamic microphone which is an advantage all on its own because a dynamic microphone is less prone to pick up lots of background ambiance whereas, a condenser microphone will pick up a lot more background ambiance in comparison. This microphone is particularly good at picking up the higher and mid frequencies which suited Alie's voice perfectly as her vocal range is mid-high range. We also used a jack-to-jack lead for the keyboard that plugged straight from the keyboard to the 8-track. The massive advantage we had with this was that we didn't get any interference and next to no background ambiance in the recording because the signal was taken straight from the keyboard and sent to the 8-track; this made it easier for us when it came to mixing so we didn't have to eliminate any background ambiance. We used the vocal microphone to record the tambourine, hand clapping and the scissors.
We started by setting up the 8-track, keyboard and the vocal microphone. The vocal mic was connected to the 8-track in channel 2 via an X.L.R lead. The keyboard was connected via a Jack-to-Jack lead in channel 1 in the 8-track.
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| Set-up of the 8-track. |
First off, we decided to record the easiest songs first to get them done and out of the way to make it easier for ourselves. We decided that for all of the songs we would record the keyboard tracks first to get a base down for the vocals to make it easier for Alie and myself. We started with a song we've been practicing for a long time now, Check Yes Juliet by We The Kings. So, starting with the keyboard track, Alie set-up the 8-track ready to go for the recording. She also sang along to the song whilst I played so I could get a better idea for the tempo of the song, this was very helpful and made it a lot easier for me to play. Alie sang down the microphone whilst it was unarmed so it wouldn't be recording but I could hear it through the headphones which ensured I could hear her singing clearly.
Following this, we went straight onto recording the vocals for this song. I set the levels on the 8-track and played back the recording of the keyboard track through her headphones so she could hear what she was singing to properly; the vocals were done all in one take.
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| Alie singing. |
Next up was Here In Your Arms by Hellogoodbye, this song was another one we'd been practicing hard at during our morning sessions on a Tuesday at college. Again, we started with the keyboard track, Alie kept the levels the same on the 8-track and just armed the channel to record. Like the We The Kings song, Alie sung along with me so I got a feel for the tempo of the song, as the tempo of the original version of the song is too fast for the pace we wanted. The keyboard tracks were done in 7-8 takes as I had to re-tune the piano half way through and in general I found it hard to keep to a reasonable tempo but I managed it in the end.
For the vocals, I re-adjusted the sound levels to make sure 100% that there'd be no clipping half way through the recording and to make sure that the vocals were louder than they were for Check Yes Juliet. We then got on with the recording and the vocals were all done in one take.
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| Got all my music ready to record. |
Up next was another song we'd been practicing during college time on Tuesdays, Every Time by Simple Plan. Just like the two previous songs, Alie sung along whilst I was playing as a guide vocal for me, the keyboard track was done in about 4 takes. This time, I left the levels for the vocals the same as the previous song as they sounded just right. The vocals for this song was also done in one take.
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| 8-track during recording. |
With our next song, we had to make a decision on what song we were going to do next. The plan was to record one of the bonus tracks being 'Forever Young' by Rumours. However, I was unsure of the chords for the song at the time so we left it where it was and decided to record my solo track which was the other bonus track on the EP. I had a choice of three tracks I wanted to record and at that time the one I felt most comfortable recording was Daft Punks latest hit 'Get Lucky'. This song was a little different from the other songs on the EP and I enjoyed playing the song.
Like we'd done previously, Alie made sure the levels were okay and I went ahead and got the song recorded in three takes before I was completely satisfied.
After this, we decided to do one of the Kate Voegele songs we'd chosen for the EP. So, we gave Sandcastles by Kate Voegele a good go and it didn't work very well as I couldn't play in time to the beginning of the song very well however, myself and Alie both needed the song playing in the background. After a quick brainstorm of songs, we came up with the idea of doing Jesse McCartney - Beautiful Soul. Alie got the piano chords up on the mac and I played along to the actual song for a practice a few times to see if it worked and it went well. Whilst recording, I played along to the actual song in the background to help me with the tempo and this would also ensure that Alie's vocals fit in time with the keyboard track. This song was surprisingly done in fewer takes than the previous songs and sounded really funky along with the vocal track. The vocal track was done in a couple of takes but fit really nicely along with the keyboard track.
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| Tambourine, ready to record! |
Following the Jesse McCartney song, we decided to get one of the more complicated songs out the way. Kate Voegele's 'Kindly Unspoken' was the longest and one of the more complicated songs on the track list and we decided it'd be a good idea to get this done and out of the way. I played along to the original song in the background, this took me quite a few goes in order to get used to the feel of the song. Overall, this song took me about 4 takes and sounded really delicate. The vocal track was done in a couple of takes and Alie also sung along to the song in background so she could keep in time with my keyboard track.
Finally, we had come to recording the final song, 'Forever Young' by Rumours. As I still had to figure out the rest of the chords for the song, I got right on with it and in total it took me about half an hour to put the final touches into place. We wasted no time and got straight on with recording the final song and once again we started with recording the keyboard track. Alie checked the levels for the keyboard, I tuned the keyboard before hand and recorded the song with the original song playing in the background for a guide. This took me 3 goes in total and I feel it went really well. We got straight onto recording the vocals for this song, I checked the levels again and set the song to play in the background for Alie just like she'd done for me. She got this down in two takes and it went along really nicely with the keyboard track.
After and extremely busy and eventful day, we finished recording and were completely satisfied with how the day went. In the next blog I'll be talking about our mixing session.
Thanks for reading!
Chazzy!
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