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Recording in a studio vs. recording a live show

Recording: The process of capturing data or translating information to a format saved on a storage medium. The environment in which you capture sound though, makes a big difference. Being in a recording studio is not the same as a stage. In the early days of recording, bands didn't have a choice. The only way of capturing an entire band was to do it all together, in one take, and that was it. As technology evolved, so did the recording process. Now we have all sorts of tools and techniques to capture and manipulate audio, which if used correctly and to good taste, can create a beautifully processed song and albums.

When you record in a studio you have the space and time to try things. By this I mean to do more than one take, so that you can later choose which you prefer or sounds best. You can experiment with micing techniques, record one instrument at a time, and built it up little by little. When you record a live performance you commit to whatever the set up is, and yes, there will always be bleed, no matter how hard you might try to isolate but you will be able to capture the band or artist doing what they do best, perform. So, why do people choose to recording in a studio so much more than recording a live show?

It has become the norm to record in a studio because it is the best possible way to get clean sounding audio. Also, because it provides the ability to treat the files pretty much how ever you'd like. The musician, engineer and/or producer can decide they don't like something, and go back and change it. Unfortunately though, because of the pressure of "being in the studio" and the discomfort of being without an audience or stage, many artists don't achieve the same performance in a studio as they can during a live performance.

This last statement is what made my personal preference, which is live audio. In my experience, it took a lot for the musicians to feel as confident in a studio as they did performing on a stage, and that is, if they got there at all. I realized that I'd much rather put the effort into recording a band in their element, then out of it. Recording live is not easy either, don't get me wrong. For the musicians, the pressure is on, and for an engineer, the quest for perfection is the biggest priority. The show will be grab as it received and processed with more factors embedded, but at the end, you can have a recording you will enjoy.

BAMM.tv does live recordings and it even gives you the opportunity to do two takes, just in case you felt the first one wasn't good enough, or it had a little something that you know you can do better. I think this format is pretty spectacular. We get the benefit of having a show and the ability to choose from takes.

Check it out!

Sonia

Allofasudden in studio

Allofasudden (San Francisco, CA) serves as a great reminder of the versatile power of the almighty guitar. There are a lot of elements to like in this slightly psychedelic band, but it's their refusal to be content with one sound that makes them a band to come back to. Although "Appear," their 2008 album, succeeds in capturing the signature of the band, they are indeed a band that must be seen live to fully appreciate their jam and improvisational prowess. BAMM.tv is excited to have them performing a live stream on Wednesday. Details below.

Who: Allofasudden
What: Live performance video stream
Where: justin.tv
When: Wednesday, June 9 at 8PM

Leopold and His Fiction - Live on BAMM.tv

The 70's-influenced rock trio, Leopold and His Fiction, will stop by BAMM.tv studios tonight as they return to the Bay Area on their way to Live 105's BFD at Shoreline on 6/6/10. Even though their sound derives from a vintage rock backdrop, LHF are much more than a throwback band.

Singer/songwriter Daniel James maintains a modern sensibility and ironic delivery of his storyteller lyrics. Overall, the studio sound is polished and controlled, as seen with Jon Sortland's tight, rolling drums on "Be Still." But the live performances are energetic and exciting in a way that borders on completely off the hook, yet manages to hold it together. Take, for instance, Macayla Grace's bouncing/dancing bassplaying at SXSW 2010, which begins with full-on headbanging and ends in a beautiful solo/duet James on lead guitar.

Tune in here tonight at 8pm to see a live video stream of this dynamic band on the rise in the Bay area. The most recent album, Golden Friends, is available here as a digital download/7" vinyl release. And don't forget to check out LHF at BFD on 6/6/10.

Ash Reiter to Perform on BAMM.tv

Ash Reiter (San Francisco, CA) has been roundly praised for many elements of her songwriting and performing. Whether it's her crooning voice, her lyrics, or her vintage pop sensibility—the point is you want to hear more from her. Her songs have a wit and ease about them that can't be faked.

Reiter and her band will come by the Bricks and Mortar studio tomorrow (Wednesday, May 26) to perform for a live stream starting at 8 PM. Tune in here and be sure to check out tracks from her new album. You can see her live Thursday night (May 27) at Milk Bar.

A great drum recording with 4 mics

Hi everybody, this is Jerad at BAMM.tv. I’m here to discuss our most used in-house microphone setup for drums, the Glyn Johns Technique.

Glyn Johns is a master recording engineer that has worked with such bands as The Who, Steve Miller, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, The Eagles and many more. The technique is most widely heard on the Led Zeppelin recording of drummer John Bonham. In fact, Glyn’s younger brother Andy used this technique (with the aid of a Sennheiser 416 placed three stories above the drum set) to record the Zeppelin song “When the Levee Breaks,” which has been considered one of the best drum recordings of all time.

The Technique calls for 4 mics. Place a spot mic on the kick (Shure Beta 52, or AKG D112 are ideal), and a spot mic on the snare (SM57, Beyer dynamic M201). The other two mics will work as your overheads, and a tape measure is needed to get this part right. The first overhead (cardiod) is placed about 4"- 6" above Floor Tom facing Hi-Hat across Snare. The second overhead (cardiod) is placed about 2'-3' above the kit facing between the toms and snare. Room-mics, bottom snare mic, 2nd kick mic, etc. are all optional. The overheads work best if they are large diaphragm condensers, but any mic that isn’t too bright should work fine.



Panning the mix is what makes this small four-microphone technique sound so big. First you want your snare and kick in the center of the mix like usual. Now pan the mic above the snare halfway to the right to give the mix a little balance without taking it too far to the right (if you did this, it would create an illusion of snare sound coming heavily from the right). Next, pan the mic near the floor tom to the far left. This gives a depth and stereo image to the overall kit. This amazing technique allows you to use less mics to get a giant drum sound, but remember, a good drum mic technique must be complemented with a good tuned drum set, a good sounding room (like BAMM studios), and of course a good performance.

Put down the brush and pick up a guitar

I am happy to announce that our renovations to the studio are all but complete, and we are very lucky to have Lael Neale coming in on Wednesday for a live video stream. It will be our first production after the renovation, and to be honest, I’ve had enough painting for a few months.

A few words on Ms. Neale: I went to her show this past weekend at Velo Rogue. I had only heard myspace recordings of her up to that point, and I’m always interested to see how a quiet performer’s songs translate in a live setting. I’ve been to more than a few shows when the customers treat the performer as background music. The café was full and busy with sound. Conversations and steamers bounced off the walls, and then all went silent when Neale started her set. What’s more, it stayed that way until she concluded. Much of her set consisted of songs she’s been recording over the past week, and much of her set on Wednesday will be this new material as well.

Be sure to tune to bamm.tv in on Wednesday at 3 PM. Lael will be accompanied by Trevor Garrod of Tea Leaf Green.