It's not every day
we get a group of singers in the studio who are all stunning
performers in their own right and so it was a real joy
to get Black Umfolosi in the studio and a fantastic opportunity
to try out our top vocal mics on some great singers.
And
what singers they are. These guys are an absolute joy
to work with. Their vocal tonality is exquisite, their
control, intonation and diction excellent and their control
and internal balance makes it very easy for the recording
engineer. As I was setting up the mics in the main studio
they were warming up in the middle room. Standing in a
tight circle and singing softly as first they rehearsed
the songs the songs we were going to record and I really
wish I'd had a mic up in that room to play you!
Let me say here that this recording features NO
compression and NO eq....something which
doesn't happen very often.
When the band arrived and with the pleasantries over we
talked about a way of working which they were both used
to and comfortable with.
I set up the ADK TT in the small booth off to the side
of the main room. (see review)This
was for the lead singer. I then set up, opposite the door,
four mics for the other singers. From left to right......
The Lewitt LCT 640 (superb multi-pattern large diaphragm
condenser mic with very comprehensive attenuators). (see
review)
Neuman
u47fet (classic large diaphragm condenser mic with the
sweetest tone especially in the upper mids and highs).
(see review)
Advanced
Audio CM12 (AA's version of the large diaphragm tube condenser
AKG C12...ultra clean, clear and quiet...excellent for
multitracking. Stack backing vocals up with this and there's
none of that mush that can happen even with u87s). (see
review)
Advanced
Audio CM47 (AA's version of the Neuman u47 tube). One
of the best and classiest sounding mics I've had the pleasure
of using in the last couple of years due to it's slight
mid-range dip and enhanced high frequency reproduction).
(see review)
This
mic line up is probably the best I've put up in Fairview
for many a year and my only regret is that the studio
doesn't have a slightly livelier acoustic to record sessions
like this.
Having said that a touch of added reverb in the monitors
and at the mix works wonders.
Having
put up the mics I invited the singers to take up their
positions. This they did based on their stage line-up
and by chance they fell upon a good selection.
The
two bass singers went on the CM47 and the CM12, the two
alto/treble singers used the U47 and the Lewitt.
We
recorded the whole song live..lead vocal and responses
then doubled each of the response parts a couple of times
seperately.
Once we had the initial takes we double tracked for some
depth and that was it really. Miixing was simply a matter
of pushing up the faders to balance the vocals and a small
amount of reverb was added from the AMS RMX16. All done
by hand up the Soundcraft desk.
Thats
it. No tricks,no automation,no eq, no compression. Just
five great singers and 5 great mics.
Warning: Auto Tune Can Severely Damage Your Health!
