By T. Perry Bowers
I’m no expert guitar player, but I’ve been around the recording studio long enough to have seen a lot of guitar recording sessions. It takes a little experience to make the shift from playing in your rehearsal space to playing in the studio. Here’s some tips to help you make that transition.
First, you need to make friends with a dumpy headphone mix. It’s not as easy as it looks to get exactly what you want in your headphones so focus on what you need the most. Do you need to lock into the drums or is it the bass? Do you need a really present vocal line to get inspiration for your solo or do you need the click? Spend time with your engineer to get something decent, but remember we’re not trying to mix “Dark side of the Moon” in your headphones. It’s going to sound raw. If you have enough to lock in and get a vibe, that’s good enough.
You can also play without headphones if you like. If you’re in a studio that allows enough isolation, put your amp in another room and sit in the control room. It works really well if you’re overdubbing a track (laying your track on top of the rest of the band). It might not work as well if your band is playing live, because the engineer might want a different mix in the control room speakers. If that’s the case, you’re better off with a set of headphones to get your own mix. Some studios will only provide one mix for everyone, so make sure you clarify with your engineer before you come to the session. Knowing the studio’s headphone mix capability helps with your strategy and saves time.
The key to recording is knowing how to set your amp. There are a lot of different mic techniques and your engineer should have at least a few options up his sleeve. Think about your tone. It should be the same as in your practice space. You don’t have to change it or scoop your mids. If you’re comfortable with your tone, leave it alone! It’s better if you have more of your frequencies present because it’s fairly easy to cut out frequencies in the mix, but almost impossible to add them. Don’t do anything drastic. As long as you have some good isolation, so you’re not bleeding into the drums, vocals or bass cab, you will have a lot of options later in the mix.
How you position your amp in the room makes a difference. Don’t just throw it in a corner and hope for the best. As you play, adjust it a little and see what happens. A slight angle shift can help to open up the amp’s sound. Don’t forget about the back of the amp too, especially if you have an open back cabinet. If it’s right up against the wall, it might not be able to breathe. Sound develops differently with each amp. On a Marshall four by twelve cabinet, the sound could develop as far as six feet in front of the amp. That’s why I don’t use them very often in the studio. I try to use smaller amps, even for the big distorted sounds. Be aware of the space that you’re in and use it to your advantage. Once you get it set properly, leave it alone. You want a consistent tone and volume throughout each song as you’re recording.
In recent years amp modelers have taken a huge leap forward. Don’t rule out a Kemper or a Fractal. They’re nothing like your 2005, Line 6 (one of the first amp modeling amps). This new generation sounds incredible. If your studio has one of these units try it. There are so many settings to try – it’s like having every amp and cabinet in the world at your fingertips. These modelers are great too because you can be right in the control room. You can set the guitar perfectly in the mix. There are no issues with sound bleeding into other microphones. If you find a sound that fits your style, try a modeler. There’s no reason not to.
Keep an open mind when it comes to the studio software. You might have a huge pedal board with lots of effects that you love but if the studio’s software has a nice suite of plug-ins (effects, compression, eq, etc.) think about using them. When I play live I have reverb and delay pedals. They sound great and are easy to use but when I’m in the studio I prefer to record my guitar dry and add delay and reverb in the mix. It can feel a little strange when you’re laying down the track because the vibe is different (especially if you have a timed delay part) but it’s worth it. When you can add delays and reverbs with the recording software it’s much easier to tweak. Just as it’s hard to add back a frequency, it’s hard to remove an effect from a recorded line. Start as dry as you can and build from there.
When it comes to distortion, dialing back the overdrive sounds better. If you drive an amp too hard, it can end up sounding like mud. Don’t be afraid to be subtle in your recordings. Another benefit to dialing your driven tones back a little is that your engineer will be able to use dynamics in your mix. Going from soft to loud and back again can be exciting musically, but that option is unavailable if you’re always pegging your needles. I have a few amps with beautiful natural, distortion sounds that I love.
Guitars and amps have a relationship with each other. You can work with backing off the volume on the guitar to see how it effects the tone of your amp. Record verses, choruses and bridges separately. Dial in your tone for the verses, record your verses. Then, dial in your sound for the choruses, record your choruses. Same for the bridges. You get the picture. Work with the amp and the guitar to get the best tone for each part. The engineer will set the gain properly so that when you mix you don’t have to automate volume changes. You should be able to set it and forget it.
When you’re in the studio, tune often. Between every few takes, hit your tuner. It’s important to take the time to do it, so when you do get that magical take you’re not playing a bunch of sour notes. It might be a pain when you’re in a musical flow, but make it part of your routine and you’ll thank yourself afterwards.Playing an acoustic guitar in the studio is a different animal. You’ll need to play around with mic placement. I’ll give you my favorite technique. Take a Y pattern microphone rig. You can see a video about it HERE. You’ll need an extra hand for this one (and they’ll need headphones so they can hear the engineer). Keep your engineer in the control room while you play your guitar. While you are playing, have a band-mate take the Y rig and gently move it side to side in front of the neck until the engineer says stop. That’s the sweet spot. Place the microphones right there and if you can manage it, don’t move the guitar around much while you’re playing. The sweet spot is where the guitar sound comes alive. Every guitar has one – you just need to take the time to find it.
There are many more things you will pick up as you record guitars. The main thing to remember is your instrument and your environment are like living, breathing things. They have characteristics that are unique. They may change with the weather and season. Bring your awareness to their special gifts and your recordings will benefit immensely.
