Russ Barrnett: Mix Notes

Almost done...
This post is pretty self-explanatory. I'm too worn out and hot and dehydrated to get into it. All I can say is, expect a very excited Ben Goldstein to be writing the next blog post...

Michael
-brush drumming down a bit in first verse...so it sounds a bit gentler
-last line before "never in my world"....mouth noise
-drums at very very end down. (namely kick and rim)
-voice a bit louder in first verse before chorus
-"And I wonder what you'd say" a bit louder
-Second verse vocals a bit louder, and second verse drums a BIT quieter, until "never in my world"
-Floor tom into "and it's been the same old rain" stronger. EQ issue? steal from Thought I Was

Heatseeker
-feels dead...
-vocals louder? brighter?make it pop.
-guitar brighter?
-AC Gtr hits compressor too hard in reintro
-Cajon down/back
-cut out shit at ending

It Just Takes Time
-A bit less kick

Johnny Cash
-Vocals up a BIT? Pop. BIT less low mids?
-Automate beginnings and ends of vocal lines
-Guitar interlude...delay effect similar to Heat seeker?
-Automate reverb or something at end to make less abrupt

Really Too Late
-Bit less low mids in voice if you can get away with it
-Go through and check for all lip/mouth noise
-Vocals down a bit in FIRST verse
-Try automating gtr out of the way of vocal
-"All the songs that you play" - digital pop?
-Vocals down a BIT in verse after chorus, then up at "Well you get red"
-Get rid of swallow after "sleeps in his veins"
-Vocals louder at ending! Should overtake listener

1934
-Great aesthetic, but vocals down a BIT, particularly in first verse. Same space as gtr.
-Lip noise before "Grandpa's highest drawer" then digital pop?
-Make vocal sound more expensive.
-Throat noise before "taxman's still around"

Russ Barrnett: Tracking complete!

And now, for some very exciting news; Russ' album is completely tracked! For our final recording session, Russ and I felt it best to fill White Lightning (my minivan) with as much recording and musical equipment as possible, drive two hours to his home in Granby, Connecticut, and finish the album in the company of his dog, Gibson.

Every moment of the 36 hour recording session, from recording vocals, to eating lunch, to sleeping, to picking the most appropriate shaker, was streamed live, online. It was really exciting, and something I plan to do again for future projects. Recording in Russ' home reminded me of how hampering it can be to record in school; by the time a studio is booked, equipment is booked, equipment is delivered (or not), instruments are set up,  microphones are set up, and lunch break is over, no one has the energy to actually be creative or spontaneous. Not to mention, the next student is undoubtedly coming in two or three hours earlier than one would like.

Guess I have some repressed frustration... But back to the favorable side of things: what comes next...

Russ and I just launched a campaign on Kickstarter.com to raise money for the mastering and duplication of the record. I would divulge the compelling and action-packed details, but wouldn't you rather just see the movie...

Spring Break: Day One

According to JetBlue’s LiveMap channel (channel 013), I am currently flying at a speed of 439 miles per hour, and at an altitude of 33,673 feet. And according to prior research, I should be landing at LAX airport in about four hours.
I’m hoping this Spring Break gives me the opportunity to catch up on some blog posts. I’ve really been yearning to write. Let’s start with The Dandy Lions.

This is the second time I’ve written about The Dandy Lions in my blog. The first was documenting what would end up being The Dandy Lions’ 3rd failed attempt at recording an album (which you can find here.) I really can’t imagine why; brother/sister frontmen Dante and Lena Deleo are two of the most genuine people I know, a quality which often seems like a rarity in the music world. 

It’s difficult to write a blog post about music without music, but I suppose this one, (like most of them) will have to suffice with writing and photographs. I’ll give them a talking to, and see if they’ll let me post a sound clip…

***WARNING*** You are now entering “The Gearhead Portion” of this blog post.***

Since the first time I saw The Dandy Lions perform Freshman year, (this was before I had a beard,) there has always been a live, spontaneous quality to their music that I love. I knew from the start that I wanted to be involved; I wanted to capture it in the studio.

The first step in doing so was ensuring we all played live. And so before we set foot in the studio, we rehearsed. A lot. Once we felt the performances were ready, we had to make sure the sound of the actual recording was going to be fitting.

In order to keep this blog post from being a novel (it’s already absurdly long) I’d like to stick to the recording of the drums, as everything else was approached more or less the same as usual. In keeping with the live, spontaneous quality of The Dandy Lions that caught my attention to begin with, I used a variation of the Glyn Johns technique, using only four microphones, and relying on the sound of the drumset as a whole.

The first microphone used was a 1950s RCA 77DX ribbon microphone, placed about six feet in front of the drumset, at roughly the height of the snare drum. Ribbon microphones, by nature, have a dark, gritty sound to them that can be quite fantastic.

However, this microphone alone sounded too unfocused, and so a second room microphone was used for clarity's sake. This microphone was a GrooveTube 66 tube microphone, and was placed behind/to the right of the drummer, equidistant from the snare drum as the ribbon microphone in front of the drumset.

Contrary to the ribbon microphone, this microphone is bright and crystal clear; mixed with the ribbon microphone, the drums sounded glorious. As an insurance policy (in case the balance or tone of the drums needed tweaking) I placed a microphone (Shure SM57) on the snare drum, and another microphone (Sennheiser MD421) about a foot and a half away from the bass drum, facing it.

Success!

A Room Within A Room: Volume 2

It's been exactly ten months since my last blog post. My bad. Long story short, summer got very busy, and my pursuit for blog-success shifted to my band, Baba Jaga. (That blog can be found here.) But let's not live in the past; what's done is done, and I'm here now, aren't I?

So now for the good stuff: Russ Barrnett and the New City Mission Bell Band.

I'm back in the studio, working alongside a very good, very talented, aforementioned friend of mine, Russ Barrnett. With the help of Clay Wilson on the bass, and additional guest musicians to be announced, Russ and I are working on his first ever full length album. There's no doubt that I make the best music when I'm with friends, and Russ just so happens to be one of the greatest people I've met since getting to college.

I've been hoping to collaborate with Russ since the first time I heard him perform freshman year. The kid's a triple threat: fantastic songwriter, beautiful lyricist, and a killing musician - a true groovester. I'll soon be uploading video from our sessions; each session we have is so much fun, and so different.

"It's good to be back.