Fiddles both miked with SF-2 ribbon microphones.
Foot percussion – Mojave Audio MA-100 microphones
Signal Chain:
All mics to Universal Audio 8p’s using Neve 1073 mic pre plug-ins. A/D conversion done in the 8p. Recorded to Pro Tools. Recorded in a Kansas City hotel room during Folk Alliance.
Engineers: Dan Ankney and Nathan Heironimus
Maja Kjær Jacobsen and David Boulanger lay down some great fiddle and foot percussion. Things really get moving around 1:30 into the video. Hard to believe this is two people playing when you hear it!
Audio Chain:
Two R-122 MKIIs mounted on a stereo bar, using the rear side of both mics with bass cut switches engaged. Both mics fed into a Manley Force mic preamp (high pass filter at 120hz), into a TK Audio stereo equalizer with 2db of boost at 12k, into a TK Audio stereo compressor set to a 2:1 ratio with very slow attack and release times and less than 2db of gain reduction. Pro Tools AIR Reverb.
In this video, Los Angeles session guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Synowiec demonstrates how he uses two R-122 MKll’s, permanently mounted on a movable stereo bar, to record all of his acoustic instruments in his Los Angeles based George Augspurger-designed House of Syn Studio.
Producer, mixer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist – Greg Wells has an amazing body of work, with songs on over 85 million units sold to date. In this video Greg explains how he uses ribbon mics in the studio every day and how important they are to his work.
A partial list of artists Greg has produced and written for include Katy Perry, Adele, OneRepublic, Keith Urban, Twenty One Pilots, Mika, Timbaland, Deftones, Celine Dion, Rufus Wainwright, Idina Menzel, Holychild.
Special note:
The music in this video was something Greg wrote, played all instruments on, and recorded one morning (!) to test mics and sounds in his studio. Royer’s John Jennings heard it that day and liked it so much he asked if he could have a copy, so Greg called it “Rawk Out For John” and sent it over. Killer groove and sound – just Greg getting down. Turn it up!
Engineer Richard Chycki (Dream Theater, Aerosmith, Rush) shows us how he used Royer ribbons to record Dream Theater’s huge electric guitars and drums on “The Astonishing.
Darlingside came into our Pop-Up studio with a few friends and a ton of energy, worked out the final details of the song on the spot, then killed it in this beautiful take.
Engineers: Dan Ankney, Nathan Heironimus
Mixed by Dan Ankney
Recording Chain: Royer Labs and Mojave Audio microphones fed into Universal Audio 8p’s. Recorded to Pro Tools.
Sweetwater Studios, Royer Labs and Mojave Audio set up a portable Pop-Up studio in a hotel conference room at the 2016 Folk Alliance Convention in Kansas City and recorded a number of artists and groups attending.
Produced, engineered and mixed by Frank Bevans. Video by Frank Bevans
Recorded at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Sacramento, CA for the Music at Noon Series.
Recording Chain: One SF-24V (over the conductor’s shoulder) and four SF-2’s (one at each corner of the stage). SF-24V into a Millennia HV-3C preamplifier. SF-2’s into Apogee Ensemble preamplifiers. All mics through Apogee Ensemble D/A converters, recorded to Apple Logic Pro.
“Anyone in my position who needs to capture the delicate and beautiful sounds of the silver flutes has no choice but to record them with Royer microphones. Plain and simple. Nothing else comes close.”
-Frank Bevans (For more of Frank’s comments on the recording process, scroll down to below the videos.)
Prelude from Suite Antique (John Rutter, arrangement by Robert Rainford)
Aria from Suite Antique (John Rutter, arrangement by Robert Rainford)
Waltz from Suite Antique (John Rutter, arrangement by Robert Rainford)
Notes from Frank on the preparation for these recordings:
“I remember that set-up being very gear intensive.
I brought: 3 video cameras. Monitors, lights, tripods, cords, cables, plugs.
Audio gear, laptop, preamp, A/D converter, microphones, stands, audio cords, sand bags.
A rolling table and chairs. Not to mention a camera and lights for a group photo and my black suit.
“The acoustics of this old church were remarkable.
No reverb or enhancing effects were added to this recording.
The beautiful sounds you hear are thanks to the wonderful talents of the musicians and the ability of these Royer microphones to capture the natural voices of the flutes.
It was an honor to record the audio and video of this live performance of the Camellia City Flute Choir.”
The R-122 MKll is an extremely versatile phantom-powered ribbon mic with a switchable -15 dB pad and a switchable bass roll-off set at 100 Hz, 6 dB per octave.
Electric Guitar:
Recorded by Michael Wagener at WireWorld Studio, Nashville TN.
Recording chain: R-122 MKll to Chandler TG2 preamplifier. Recorded to Nuendo.
Close miking electric guitars with an active ribbon mic can result in microphone or preamplifier distortion if:
1) the mic’s output is too hot for the following mic pre to handle.
2) the mic is plugged into a preamplifier with low input impedance, or
3) the phantom power is weak,
The R-122 MKll’s -15 dB pad reduces the mic’s sensitivity to 2 dB LESS than our non-powered R-121, giving the mic plenty of headroom even in torturous conditions.
In this video, we used a 100-watt Metropoulos 12,000 amplifier turned up LOUD but fairly clean. See recording notes below.
R-122 MKll Test Tracks Continued
Dobro:
Randy Kohrs playing Dobro. Recorded by Randy Kohrs at Slack Key Studio, Nashville TN.
Recording chain: R-122 to RTZ preamplifier. Recorded in Pro Tools
1) R-122 MKll on Dobro, flat with no switches engaged.
2) R-122 MKll on Dobro with low cut switch engaged.
3) R-122 MKll on Dobro with low cut switch and -15 dB pad engaged.
4) R-122 MKll on Dobro with low cut switch and -15 dB pad engaged. The RTZ preamp is turned up 15 dB to make up for the -15 dB pad, bringing in more of the personality of the pre.
Recording chain: R-121 and SM57 one inch from the cabinet into Shadow Hills Equinox mic pre’s (Steel setting). Both mics were bussed to one track – the mix was committed to while recording.
Recorded to ProTools.
Amps: Blankenship Carry-On 1×12 combo and Marshall JCM 800 into 4×12. Marshall used for solos.
Pawn Shop Tattered Heart received the Guitar Player Magazine’s “Editors’ Faves” for July 2014. Available through CD Baby & iTunes
Producer: Steven Epstein, Engineer: Bill Maylone
Recorded at St. Paul’s United Church Of Christ, Chicago IL Scroll down for video with comments from the producer, engineer and artist.
In this exceptional solo violin performance, Rachel Barton Pine plays a Guarneri del Gesù in St. Paul’s church, Chicago, IL.
Recording chain: Two SF-2 ribbon mics to John Hardy M-1 preamplifiers to RME Fireface 800. Recorded to Pro Tools 10.
No compression or outboard gear. Due to being on location in a large church in an urban area, the only EQ is a 50 Hz, first order hi-pass to keep out the rumble from buses outside. Original recording is 24 / 96, converted to 16 / 48 for the video.
Rachel Barton Pine performs Preludio to Bach’s E Major Partita for unaccompanied violin, BWV 1006
