Who's a harder hitter, Halpern or Garstka??
They both hit hard enough that I don't think there'd be any point in comparing. I've witnessed both destroy a snare head in less than 5 hits.
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What's your approach to tracking guitars and bass - whole riffs, or chopped up with lots of punch-ins? Also how do you deal with tuning issues with how guitars intonate badly for certain chords?
I do both depending on what the part and the style requires. I prefer to get larger chunks down at a time for continuity's sake but I'm not averse to taking the extremely chopped up/punched in route too if that's what is required, but I always edit manually and leave a bit of human feel in there when I can. For tuning/intonation issues, I'll generally punch in any offending chords/notes with the guitar or bass tuned specifically. It can be a nightmare sometimes though!
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Did you play bass on all the songs on the new Animals As Leaders album?
No, I should set the record straight since I think a lot of people think I did - I played on Lippincott, Tooth And Claw, and Para Mexer. The rest is a virtual bass instrument, though we took time to make it sound as realistic as possible.
A couple of other bass things I should clear up since my ask.fm inbox is full of questions about this - all the thumping stuff is Tosin on guitar, not bass, and on Physical Education the bass line is in the same octave as the guitars since they're tuned to a low C# (on all other songs it's an octave below).
A couple of other bass things I should clear up since my ask.fm inbox is full of questions about this - all the thumping stuff is Tosin on guitar, not bass, and on Physical Education the bass line is in the same octave as the guitars since they're tuned to a low C# (on all other songs it's an octave below).
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What do you look for when trying to achieve a good source tone for guitar recording, one which would require little to no post eq. Naturally our ears should guide us, but what are the fundamentals that should be stressed concerning the mix?
The primary concern for me is that the guitar tone coming from the cab sounds good in the room. If that's the case then it's normally a pretty easy job to capture it, without any need to resort to any kind of "studio magic" or "tricks". The same goes for all instruments really.
For rhythm guitar I put isolation headphones on so I can monitor the sound from the mic, then place an SM57 or similar pointing right on the cap while the cab is being played through or having pink noise run through. I then move the mic slowly out towards the cone until the harsh overtones smooth out. It usually takes a bit of back and forth, but I'm aiming for the tone to be as bright as possible before the overtones creep in. It usually ends up being right around the standard "cap meets cone" seam on the speaker but millimetres make a difference here so I always do it this way rather than simply eyeballing it.
For rhythm guitar I put isolation headphones on so I can monitor the sound from the mic, then place an SM57 or similar pointing right on the cap while the cab is being played through or having pink noise run through. I then move the mic slowly out towards the cone until the harsh overtones smooth out. It usually takes a bit of back and forth, but I'm aiming for the tone to be as bright as possible before the overtones creep in. It usually ends up being right around the standard "cap meets cone" seam on the speaker but millimetres make a difference here so I always do it this way rather than simply eyeballing it.
What is the difference between production and mixing? Also what is your favourite song off the new AAL album?
Wikipedia has it covered pretty well -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_producer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixing_engineer
As for my favourite song on the album, I don't know that I have one. Each track is pretty unique and serves a genuine purpose on the album, and they all have moments that I love.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_producer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixing_engineer
As for my favourite song on the album, I don't know that I have one. Each track is pretty unique and serves a genuine purpose on the album, and they all have moments that I love.
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The toms on the AAL tracks are so punchy, I assumed they were sample replaced until I saw the video of Matt tracking on your instagram and they sounded the same. Did you use any samples on them in the mix, and what mics did you use?
Thanks, there are no samples on the toms, Matt hits very hard and consistently, and the mics were placed well to minimise bleed so there was no need. I very rarely use samples on toms anyway, if I do it's a sample of the actual tom pasted in if bleed is a problem on a particular hit. The toms had Sennheiser MD421s on top, with additional e609s under rack 1 and floor 1.
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As everyone is saying, the production on the new Animals As Leaders album sounds incredible. Out of interest do you think you would ever choose to work as a producer full time?
Thank you! Yes, in the long term my plan is to be able to work as a producer/engineer full time once my touring days are over, whenever that may be.
Opinion on Circle K/Kalium's guitar strings? We already know they obviously sound wonderful for bass. :)
Funnily enough I have yet to try them but I would really like to - properly graduated tension sets for specific tunings and scale lengths would be extremely handy. Thanks for reminding me!
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What pickups are in the new Tele? Do you have a favourite from the Bare Knuckle range of Tele pickups?
Currently the guitar has a set of OC Duff pickups in that the previous owner had installed. They sound really good, but I am going to be putting in a set of Bare Knuckle Yardbirds in the near future - when I did the clips for the Bare Knuckle website a few years ago the Yardbirds really stood out as my favourite. They have a wonderful combination of open-ness and detail without having any harshness to the high end, which I think is a product of the Alnico IV magnets they use.
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In that clip of the Tele you posted, was that Axe FX? If so what amp?
Yes, it was the Triptik Classic amp model on the Axe II
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Since you used it for the AAL album, in your opinion how good is the Axe FX tone matching?
I think that especially since FW13 came out, it's extremely good indeed. That's in part to do with the improved amp modelling, but possibly more so the high-res cabs which give you much more detail <100Hz so the low end feels and sounds a lot more authentic.
Hey Nolly, I'm a huge fan of both Periphery and your excellent production work, I was playing with my AXE FX II today trying to see where you went with the Animals As Leaders rhythm tone for the new album. Are you able to shed some light on the rhythm patch? Thanks a lot, keep up the amazing work!
Hey, thanks! For the AAL album I mic'd up Tosin's live rig in his living room (Axe FX II->Port City amp->Port City cab), then tone-matched it with the Axe FX so we could record direct.
Which song on the new AAL record did you say Matt Garstka absolutely destroyed? I'm curious so I know what to skip to when I hear the record for the first time!
Allow me to illustrate with a scientific diagram
Do you have any current guilty pleasures?
Browsing eBay for hours, and never buying anything.
Actually, I bought something yesterday but that doesn't count. And the day before too...
Actually, I bought something yesterday but that doesn't count. And the day before too...
COuld you please post a clip of the drums only from "Ryan + Nolly Song 1"? That is the best drum sound I have ever heard for rock and I can't believe there are no samples.
Why do you answer so many questions about drums and drum mixing?
Because recording drums is complicated and awesome, and also I secretly wish I was a drummer.
Hey Nolly, the new Animals As Leaders tracks in my opinion are the perfect step forward for the band both musically and especially production wise. What signal chain did you use to get that kick sound? its absolutely perfect!
Thanks! The most important part of the kick signal chain was the implementation of Garstka Feet™ at all times. In all seriousness, that guy kicks incredibly hard and consistently and that is a single biggest factor in the kick sound on the record. Technical info was Garstka Feet™->Starclassic Bubinga (coated Powerstroke 3 batter side)->ATM25 or D112 (depending on song) right up on the beater, e602 outside, U87 on a old Ludwig kick drum placed in front of the Tama for more boom (I didn't use much of that track in the mix in the end)->Neve 1073->Tape machine->Pro Tools. I think I used the Metric Halo channel strip plugin for processing.
When is your signature Dingwall bass going to be released, if it is? and sorry if you've already been asked this, Thanks!
It's available to order from Dingwall direct! The first shipment should be arriving in the near future and the second is selling out fast - apologies for this sounding like a used car salesman tactic, but you should get your name down ASAP if you want to get one sooner rather than later.
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When would you use peak compression and when would you use rms? Also, do you use any gate on your drums? If not how do you deal with bleed and get good separation on the drums?
I use peak compression almost exclusively, since I'm usually trying to use compression to shape the transient/envelope of the source. RMS is great for more transparent smoothing rather than controlling the micro-dynamics of the signal, though this will be dependent on the sample length the compressor is reading.
I use some gating, but only usually to lower the noise floor by about 10-12dB between hits at most. On snare it's often more like 5 or 6 dB to prevent cymbals "spitting" through audibly with each hit. The key is in the drummer (you want him hitting hard on the shells, less so on the cymbals), mic choice and mic positioning, and also hugely dependent on the room - a small room with lots of reflections will have result in a lot more bleed in the close mics than a large one where the reflections are minimised. Both can sound great overall though!
I use some gating, but only usually to lower the noise floor by about 10-12dB between hits at most. On snare it's often more like 5 or 6 dB to prevent cymbals "spitting" through audibly with each hit. The key is in the drummer (you want him hitting hard on the shells, less so on the cymbals), mic choice and mic positioning, and also hugely dependent on the room - a small room with lots of reflections will have result in a lot more bleed in the close mics than a large one where the reflections are minimised. Both can sound great overall though!
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staam_music
On the new AAL tracks and your mixes in general, it seems your snare drum transients aren't affected after mastering. They're always punchy. Would you say this is mostly due to how they sit in the mix or how the tracks are mastered? How do you go about preventing loss of punch while mastering? Thnx
Thanks, I'd say it's mostly in the mix, but certainly if not done right the master chain could squash it unpleasantly. When I "master" my own mixes I use FabFilter's Pro L limiter which I find preserves the character of the peaks very nicely, and in the case of Animals As Leaders' album Forrester Savell did a great job retaining the punch with his master job.
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Two questions; what filters do you use from VSCO for black and white (mainly), and the one you took of your new daemoness 7? 2nd; my monitors have volumes on each of them (pair), I don't know if this is standard, but where should they be if the interface is controlling the volume?
I use the Tri-X as the basis for my black and white pictures, and usually the Portra 400 UC for colour. Both are very modified from their original state though, and I tweak the HSL a lot for each picture.
For the monitors, either leave them on full, or with the interface set to full, reduce the volume on the monitors to be as loud as you could ever need them to go. I do the latter with my monitors since otherwise I'd never get the interface output above 40% without it being deafening, so I get more fine control over the volume that way.
For the monitors, either leave them on full, or with the interface set to full, reduce the volume on the monitors to be as loud as you could ever need them to go. I do the latter with my monitors since otherwise I'd never get the interface output above 40% without it being deafening, so I get more fine control over the volume that way.
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What was the first guitar-amp combo that you owned?
Fender Duo-Sonic, and a 15 watt solid-state Fender practise amp I forget the name of. I wish I still had that guitar actually.
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Harkaran
The snare on "Ryan + Nolly Song 1" you posted on soundcloud is amazing, what snare/mic is it and did you use samples? Also what did you use for guitars.
Cheers, it's my Gretsch Bell Brass 14x6.5", with an SM57 on top, MD441 underneath. No samples or artificial reverb used in the mix at all.
For guitars it's my ViK Caprice Hollowbody -> MXR GT-OD -> Diezel VH4 -> Zilla 4x12 with Celestion V30 and Lynchback speakers, one of each mic'd with an SM57 and blended. There were also a pair of U87s in the room for some ambience.
For guitars it's my ViK Caprice Hollowbody -> MXR GT-OD -> Diezel VH4 -> Zilla 4x12 with Celestion V30 and Lynchback speakers, one of each mic'd with an SM57 and blended. There were also a pair of U87s in the room for some ambience.
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The drums on the new Animals as Leaders songs sound amazing (as does everything else), what kit did Matt play?
Thanks, he played a Tama Starclassic Bubinga Elite 22x16" kick, Performer Birch/Bubinga toms (10,12,14,16), and various snares across the songs - Tama Starclassic Brass 14x5.5", Masai Bubinga 14x5.5", Brady Jarrah 14x6.5 and a Ludwig Black Beauty 14.6.5". We experimented with tunings and a lot for each song so they all sound a little different.
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What do you think of Kurt Ballou's work?
I love it
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