Got a gig recording a very talented young lady on the piano. Only, been playing four months, but she had some original tunes to throw down. In all honesty, I didn't know what to think. Found her on Youtube, and listened to her stuff. I have to say I was impressed. She had not only put together some decent tunes, but she was already defining her individuality as a musician. It goes to show; starting out, never turn a gig down. I used a really simple setup, and the recording ended up being quality stuff. Two SM57's on the piano fully opened. The cool thing about the SM's that they reject most everything not directly in front of them, which meant that my less-than-good room sound would have little impact. Instead it just picked up the fat full sound of the strings and the reflections from the wood underneath. I placed one over the largest sound hole of the right end of the piano at about 45 degrees to the source. The other I placed over the big low-pitch strings at the same angle. Both were about 4 inches from the source.
Putting the SM57's far back in the body of the piano limited the sounds the performer made bleed into the mic. This also meant I was able to record her singing while she played without worry of contamination. This was a huge advantage because she felt more comfortable singing while playing, and I got a better performance from her than if I opted for multi-tracking.
Of course it is important not to forget that her performance can be improved in other aspects besides mic technique. Musicians function best when they are comfortable. I found that keeping Ashlie at ease meant giving her confidence. Giving her words of genuine encouragement, and appraisal for her performances kept her in the zone. When some guy she brought along to the session began criticizing her performance without tact, she responded negatively.
Keeping her environment healthy and relaxing was one of my ultimate responsibilities.
I have realized this means the management of all things in her space both animate and inanimate. Keeping microphone cables neat, and out of the way. Making sure the room was clean, and hospitable. Also, providing a glass of ice water when she sat down to begin her session. I know this seems like a lot of extra work, but being a gracious host can help to stimulate your clients ego. If a client feels like you do not give a damn about them, they tend to give a performance that reflects it.
This is not to say that criticism should be overlooked. Once I began to build a relationship with her, I could give her pointers on improving her performance. I find its good to wait until you are out of the studio before you begin critiquing. Maybe during a coffee break, or even over lunch. The studio is not a neutral environment. In fact for most musicians it is quite hostile. They have been displaced from the creative comforts of their bedroom or the stage. Musicians new to recording are very sensitive to this.
With the absolutely stellar tracks I got, I was able to put together a great mix in Protools. hard right-left panning, and minor compression on the piano to bring levels slightly higher, and give the wood resonance more presence. Vocals had high pass EQ just under the fundamental frequency of the female voice (~90hz) to rid the recording of unnecessary frequencies. Small cut (6db) at around 900Hz to take some nasal qualities, a 3db raise at 7k to add natural presence. Ashlie's vocal track required more aggressive compression to smooth out the naturally hard edge of her voice, but it was dialed in with a slow attack to avoid overcompensating her tone. I had Both tracks running into a reverb plug-in mix at 100%, and dialed in a good sounding room. I used master reverb fader and Auxiliary faders to set levels of reverb intensity. For her harmony vocals I applied a "telephone voice" technique, cutting most frequencies below and above the fundamental pitch, and adding heavy compression to achieve a "loud whisper" effect.
That was it! Easy huh? I hope she continues to grow as an artist; maybe I will get the opportunity to help her again!
Here's a link to listen to her music:
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