Insights into Recording / Engineering / Mastering - Tracks of the Masters

KeithLuedke


I was watching a documentary on Queen's "A Night At the Opera" this morning, and to make a statement "that much more poignant"...say about how well their voices blended, they would expose just the harmonies coming off the mainboard, then May would say something like "it sounded like X, so doubling the line, and just moved foreward".    It was more about how they had limited resources (analog recording) relative to the vision, and really, how clever (and sublime, and magical, and innovative, and...)  the whole endeavor was. 
 
It simply dawned on me that seeing "into" how great songs in post prod were actually sitting in their respective individual tracks would be a vitally important opportunity for personal growth. 
 
Does the group know of, or have access to, original pre-mastered audio tracks?  Money well spent if it is available for sale....
 
It seems like these would be well-kept secrets, so perhaps I'm doing the equivalent of asking a magician for the secret to his/her best trick? 
 
 
 
 
PS.  Send rain to Texas please!

Speaking about this....years ago, I got the multi-tracks of Bohemian Rhapsody before they were released to everyone. I got them from a famous producer that had them given to him....but, the one thing I noticed while listening was, the tracks themselves were not very good at all. Brian's guitar had loads of intonation problems, I heard what sounded like improperly fretted chords, a drum sound that I'd be embarrassed of if I got it here, a bass tone that was mediocre...and the piano sound was decent. Of course to enjoy these tracks, you have to listen to each one individually...and just hearing Freddie talk and experiment...made it worth it's weight in gold! He was the true star there.   But when you cut up all the tracks (which come in at 24 tracks) you get close to 72 tracks. They had all types of ideas going on that they muted out during the mix-down process. Some things never made it to the final cut...some things were a joke, other things were amazing. But what struck me the most was how primative it sounded. However....when you mix the stuff together and add some eq, effects and really get the mix going on, something magical happens. Kinda like the Beatles in a sense. To me, none of them were incredible players or anything...but when you put them all together...that same something happened that just blew you away.  

bitflipper


Grab a copy of Slau's podcast on Stevie Wonder's Superstition, for some insights from a well-respected engineer.

Middleman

Danny Danzi

Middleman


I would say that over many years of recording it took me a long time to understand that the magic happens in front of the mic. When I have had the opportunity to hear the before and after of professional recordings it helped me understand that I can't set up a mic in a bad room and capture anything that will meld into into a decent mix. The right mic matched to the source is very, very important, i.e. record really good sounds. The quality of the raw recorded tracks is usually higher when done in a professional studios. Yes there can be noises, unwanted mistakes but the core of the sound is already in the pocket. Mastering adds the radio ready imaging but it can't improve badly recorded tracks.

To use your comment, preparing for the journey is the most important thing.

I dunno Middleman....sometimes you can use crap mics in a crap room with great players and yield incredible results. I've done it several times in the past. Though it is always important to use the right mic for the job, I've never had a room ruin my recording scenario other than if I had to record something in a gymnasium. I've mic'd drum kits using 57's and EV 357's, 457's and 757's on the whole kit with great results....I've even used SM 58's "where your ears hear best" on guitar cabs with good results. Dealing with a bad room just means more close mic'ing and maybe less use of the room itself. These days, rooms are barely audible in mixes. Between all the samples being used and other things...rooms are either non-existent other than on vocal tracks...or replaced via impulses or pricey verbs. In my opinion, the key is having a great sound before you even approach your mic locker to mic up something. A drum kit that sounds like trash can lids is going to sound like that whether you use a professional drum mic rig or a bunch of 57's. A terrible guitar tone is still going to sound terrible whether you use a 57 or a 421...know what I mean?
 
I think the core of the sounds themselves have to be good....then you can pretty much use just about any mic you want with a little experimenting ansd positioning. Heck, the other night...after ARC'ing my new studio, I decided to grab the ARC mic and experiment with mic'ing up an acoustic. It's not the best mic in the world...but when you find the sweet spot, it's as good as anything as long as the person playing knows how to play and the guitar you're using is decent. That's really how I learned a lot of the stuff I know. When you first get into this field, you have limited resources and have to use what you have. Many times through trial and error, you exhaust these capabilities and force yourself to get good results using whatever it is you have. With the right mentality, players and instruments, even sub par gear can deliver incredible results. But if the sound isn't there to begin with...the right mics or pre's will not polish a turd. :)
 
-Danny

I think you missed my point Danny. A lot of people here record in their bedrooms and while there is always the exception, the sound pinging around in the background and eventually back in the mic does not work well. By the way I didn't say you had to have expensive gear, just the right gear for the job at hand. Also I agree with the right tones in front of the mic, that is what I was alluding to. I have had some phenomenal players in front of cheap gear by the way and although you caught that a vibe was happening, it was not something you would want to listen to a second time. So the pendulum swings both ways. Also there is having a mic capture a source and then there is an embedded emotional response which is captured and shared. Many times finding the best mic to capture a sound is what makes a recording an emotional experience for the listener versus a sound passing by their ear.

Middleman


Danny, the point is, is that you are already thinking about the room and the effect it could potentially have while you are chosing the mic and the position. A novice is not thinking that way and my post was meant to get them on that track. Thinking about the room, and the mic position and the mic. Pre-thinking the recording i.e. the preparation for the journey. We all know that you have lots of experience and that no recording situation is insurmountable but it is for someone just learning.

maximumpower


I am a beginner at all this, so bear with me :-)

Danni, in post number 4 above, you said: "But when you cut up all the tracks (which come in at 24 tracks) you get close to 72 tracks."

I imported the 24 tracks but what do you mean by "...when you cut up all the tracks ... you get close to 72"? 

You also referred to some talking by Freddie, but I don't hear any of that until the very end. Is there more than what I downloaded? I followed the link posted above. 

There was some experimentation with some guitar tracks and I definitely get what you are saying about the guitar when you solo those tracks. Especially the power chords.

Thanks for this thread, it has been enlightening. :-)

maximumpower


Yes. I understand what you are saying. Thanks.

To summarize your #4 above: each individual track was not great but the mix/mastering made the sum of all parts great?

I listened to the Superstition podcast as well and it seems like he is saying the same thing. Less than great playing, there were even mistakes, created an amazing mix.

Again,  thanks for this thread. I am playing with the tracks from both Bohemian Rhapsody and Superstition. Good stuff!