Retro > Live-to-Stereo

Live-to-Stereo

Live-to-Stereo recording is similar to our Single-Mic offering in that all songs are recorded live, with no overdubs or editing. In this scenario however, we deploy full compliment of microphones that are routed into through our Custom Series 75 console. Another great way to make a record that sounds incredible, and is finished very, very quickly.

Live-to-Stereo Recording

The objective of this format is to capture musical performances exactly as they happen, in a very hi-fi way. The standard Live-to-Stereo session is 3 days; one day for set-up and rehearsal, and 2 days of recording, 3 songs per day. This can be adjusted depending on the client’s wishes. Generally, we expect to record 3-4 takes per song; the artist(s) selects the best take of each song for final inclusion in the album. We provide some light mastering, and that completes the project.

Some things to consider:

· Well-rehearsed arrangements are very important. Not having this done prior to recording creates delays in the process, and quality can suffer as a result.

· Being able to sing on pitch, play in tune, and keep time is obviously very important. This seems like a glib statement, but without pitch correction, editing, over-dubbing, etc., lack of ability to execute creates an entirely different end result than a session with the corrective measures used in a ‘normal’ session.

· Although the process of completing the album takes place over a very short period of time, the recording effort itself is a very complex endeavor. We are typically employing all 32 channels of the console, multiple effects patched in, and lots of analog gear (compressors, eq, etc.) firing at once. And, given the potentially varying nature of songs recorded, the configuration of the console and microphones can change for each song. For these reasons, we employ 3 engineers for these sessions to keep things moving.

· Mic-placement and instrumentation: There’s a lot of mic bleed happening during these sessions. While we love the sound of mic bleed, in some cases it can become unwieldy, and we may suggest alternative approaches for some instruments. For instance, sometimes mic’ing an acoustic piano works fine, other times we may suggest an electric version of acoustic piano to be played. Vocals are another place where we’ll explore different alternatives.

· Since there is no ability to do overdubs, we look for creative ways to enhance the production with use of vocal doubling, having people (one of our engineers, or friends of the band!) play percussion, sing background vocals. In general, bring extra people if you like to add candy…