Recordings using only BeesNeez Mics - for those interested

[anguswoodhead]

Hi guys
Been recording a 4 track EP for a client.
Haven't done drums yet but everything has been tracked so far using BeesNeez mics.

Acc Gtr - Lulu Fet (KM84) up close with a Tribute 1 (U47) back a couple of feet, (Mini Maton & Gibson)
Grand Piano - Tribute 1 and Phelicity (C12 / 251) in an M/S pair outside the lid with a pair of Lulu Fets over the hammers, (Kawai 6 foot)
Guide Vocal - Mahalia (U67),
Elec Gtrs - Mahalia on a Fender Vibro King valve amp, (Strat & Les Paul)
Bass was DI'd into a V72 - no BN mics on that. (Fender Bass)

I'm guessing some of you may be interested to hear these mics being used in real world recording.
Some Hi & Lo shelving plus HPF used plus a little Compression & Verb in places.
As a rule I don't touch the mids at all - don't like to mess with the phasing etc.
Mic Pre's used - Trimax, V72 & Neve.
Tracking comp - Retro 176. (used on Acc, Bass & Vocal)

The artist is Tania Netherway.
We are doing drums up at Heliport this Sat. www.heliportstudios.com
Just bought a pair of vintage RCA BK5 Ribbons so I am hoping to give them a try on kick and snare (Motown styles).

[peeweedrummer]

nice!

[arasandvolodkas]

sounds great angus, thanks for posting these, I will have to take a closer listen to them tommorow, but the mix sounds awesome! I've been particularly interested in the mahalia as you probably know by now... lol.

My band just played a live show, we recorded the audio with 2x blue kiwi's,
panned L/R, and the center audio is from the camera's mic.

you can see the clips here:

YouTube - Danny's (aras and the volodkas)

YouTube - tommorow could be (aras and the volodkas)

[anguswoodhead]

Originally Posted by arasandvolodkas

My band just played a live show, we recorded the audio with 2x blue kiwi's,
panned L/R, and the center audio is from the camera's mic.

you can see the clips here:

YouTube - Danny's (aras and the volodkas)

YouTube - tommorow could be (aras and the volodkas)

Nice 'true' sound of the room.
Although I have never heard that room of course.

[Gemylon]

Very nice.

Thanks for sharing angus
I like the mix.
I like the singer too. Clean voice.


Ordered the Lulu's earlier on,
and I know they are on the way by now...


G

[anguswoodhead]

Originally Posted by Gemylon

Very nice.
Thanks for sharing angus
I like the mix.
I like the singer too. Clean voice.
G

Cheers.
The Mahalia is perfect for her voice IMHO.
Some similarities with another Aussie singer, Casey Chambers I reckon.

Originally Posted by Gemylon

Ordered the Lulu's earlier on,
and I know they are on the way by now...
G

They are amazing - so warm and lush - I love mine - you'll be stoked.

[anguswoodhead]

Just added Dream - had to shorten the fade to fit the 6MB rule.

[flute player]

Hey Agnus,

Great recordings.
I am saving to buy a Phelicity but now I hear these samples I doubt about it.
The Mahalia sounds realy nice too.
Do you have some samples for me with that two mics side by side ?

greetz,

Paul

[anguswoodhead]

The Phelicity is great too.
Actually I am being forced to sell mine so if you're interested...... (financial reasons)

All of Ben's mics sound good - it's just a case of picking one (or 4 ) and working with it.

Originally Posted by flute player

Do you have some samples for me with that two mics side by side ?

No sorry - if I get time I will do a little comparison.
Mahalia - U67
Phelicity - C12 / 251

[anguswoodhead]

I will do a Phelicity vs Mahalia thread next week hopefully.

[geareyes]

Angus.You make an effort on this forum with posting clips.Thankyou.

Mike

[arasandvolodkas]

I got a chance to listen to the mixes more carefully, they sound really great angus. Did you eq any of these recordings or is that the straight sound from the mics?
I'm wondering if the mahalia has that silibant resistant character that the u67's are associated with. It does sound very nice on the singer.

[anguswoodhead]

There is a little hpf and lpf here and there.
No mid correction except on the vocalist - I took a little 'warmth' out of her voice.
She actually has quite a sibilant voice so in the final mixes once I really started hitting her with compression I had to do a little de-essing.
I don't put that down to the Mahalia though - just her vocal sound.
Actually Piano was EQ'ed quite a bit - it is not perfect (and neither is the room) and I was trying to get it to sound like a Steinway.

[anguswoodhead]

Just working on the final mixes of the 4 'BeesNeez' songs now.
We are getting them mastered by Leon Zervos (ex Sterling Sound) at Studios 301 in Sydney.
I will check with Tania and if she is cool with it I will post the finished masters.
Trying not to do anything to fancy with the mixes as she has a 'folk' edge to her material.
Don't want to get to tricky with 'pop' effects / samples / etc. - just want to let the songs 'speak'.
Her son has just got signed with a large Hollywood manager - I think this cd is to raise funds for him.
Maybe he'll become the next Heath Ledger.

[anguswoodhead]

******//www.gearslutz.com/board/work-...crophones.html

These are the final 'finished' versions of the above songs.

[SolFlow]

They sound really nice. I like hearing the evolution from the early mixes without drums to the finished mixes. In the initial mixes the vocal was quieter but in the final version - they sound really full and lush.

I love the separation of the instruments and how they sit in their own space.

Nice work.

Rohan

[anguswoodhead]

Thanks Rohan.
I am copping a flogging from Fletcher on another thread.
My point being that I don't believe final balancing of levels can be set during tracking.
I think it's important to have each element seperate when it comes to final mix time.
Other wise your hands are tied.
Even with the drums - I need to be able to decide at the end of the process where exactly to sit each element of the drum kit depending on what finished 'picture' I am chasing.
He is saying that 'real men' can make a decision at tracking time and it should be good.
ie - track the drums as a single mono or stereo file.
Maybe I'm just a control freak and still have a lot to learn.

edit - I even find with sampled stereo drum files that in the finished product something is not exactly where I want it.
Kick not bright enough, toms to soft, snare not full enough, cymbals and hats to loud or to soft etc.
You get what I mean.

[Heartfelt]

Hey Angus,
any use yet with the Lulu's on Drum OH?

[anguswoodhead]

Originally Posted by Heartfelt

Hey Angus,
any use yet with the Lulu's on Drum OH?

No - not yet, though I reckon they would be killer - nice and warm.
I use Ribbons (Coles 4038's) as my 'go-to' overhead mics.

[SolFlow]

Originally Posted by anguswoodhead

Thanks Rohan.
I am copping a flogging from Fletcher on another thread.
My point being that I don't believe final balancing of levels can be set during tracking.
I think it's important to have each element seperate when it comes to final mix time.
Other wise your hands are tied.
Even with the drums - I need to be able to decide at the end of the process where exactly to sit each element of the drum kit depending on what finished 'picture' I am chasing.
He is saying that 'real men' can make a decision at tracking time and it should be good.
ie - track the drums as a single mono or stereo file.
Maybe I'm just a control freak and still have a lot to learn.

edit - I even find with sampled stereo drum files that in the finished product something is not exactly where I want it.
Kick not bright enough, toms to soft, snare not full enough, cymbals and hats to loud or to soft etc.
You get what I mean.

Thats pretty rough. It all depends on how developed the "vision" for the song is. I know we get lazy in the world of multitrack. I'm with you on this one Angus, control is good. Not only that, messing around with imaging and levels during tracking isn't really a good use of time.

I tend to focus on the sound of each instrument when tracking and worry about where its going to sit when I get to mixing. But hey thats just me. I have learned though that just because you put 12 mics on a drum kit doesn't mean you will ever use all of them. Sometimes you do get better sounds from using as few mics as possible.

Cheers

Rohan

[Tanio]

Thanks for the test.
Great voice!

I liked the ac. guitar too!