Pro Studio Live Active Rock Metal Recording Session Day 1 of 2

In this engaging and informative episode, Chris Baseford brings us through a day of tracking with band QUOR. You’ll learn how Chris got started with audio engineering, what he does for pre-production, and what he does leading up to a tracking session. He’ll cover his drum and guitar tracking setup in detail, including how and why he chose the setup he chose for this episode. You’ll hear how he starts setups like these, how and why he will choose to adjust the setup, and other tips about his process. This includes details like why he uses 3 overhead mics on drums, his process for when and how much compression to use for the tracking process, and some tips and tricks for comping and editing. Chris demonstrates and discusses the philosophy of many interesting topics in this episode, including elastic audio vs beat detective, mic positioning for guitar cabs, and some frequency balance tips for guitars. You’ll also learn organizational tips that will help you become more efficient as an engineer, including a full explanation of how he takes notes during tracking. This episode is great for anyone that’s interested in learning a bit more about the production and tracking process, so check it out!

In this episode:

How Chris got started
His approach to pre-production
How the way we mix and work with music (specifically the frequency spectrum) reflects the changes in the average music playback system
What he did leading up to the setup we see during the episode
Overview of a good rock drums mic setup
The importance of room mics
Some things to consider regarding closed mics vs not
Effects mics
Chris’ preference for drum tuning
The importance of listening for what it sounds like in the control room and not just what things sound like in the live room
Chris mentions what he does that’s very basic, and what’s more unusual, so you can get a sense of what are his personal tricks, vs fairly industry standard stuff
Using the proximity effect to your advantage while miking drums
Why he does 3 overhead mics, and basics of how he will mix them
How and why he chose his room mics (and their locations) for this session
Information on different mic configurations, including mid side
What he does with the signal from each microphone: including compression, EQ, phasing, etc
Using compression for controlling levels, and for shaping transients and giving it a sonic character
Tools and methods for adjusting phasing
How pres influence his decisions, and other questions from our audience
Details on what Chris writes down for notes during tracking, and why
Compensating for dynamics and other differences between takes
Why he does longer passes for each take
How and why Chris takes samples from his drummer during a tracking session
Comping drum takes
Editing drums: how to even out the sound, smooth over edit points, nudging to smooth edits, smoothing transitions, adjusting timing
The importance of a fresh ear
Chris’ advice on working with a grid, and his opinion on beat detective vs elastic audio
Guitar setup: what he usually starts out with, and some philosophy on miking guitar cabs
How to make a big change in your sound by slightly shifting your microphones
Tips for getting a stereo spread in your guitar sound
How to tell if something is helping your sound or not
Frequency balance tips for guitar - getting it clean while still keeping it heavy and full
Chris’ philosophy amp modelling vs the real thing
How Chris uses reference tracks