A 7 day Voyage

Last week I finished a long 7 day voyage down at Music Feeds Studio engineering for a new Voyager LP with Nashville producer Brian T. Murphy.

Some stand out elements for me in this recording included:

• Have a budget where both a Producer and Engineer can focus on separate elements of a record.
• Observing Producer Brian T. Murphy’s attention to vocals was inspiring. He took notes on each verse and chorus, noting issues with words’ pitch, volume and pronunciation, directed the performance perfectly and often had final vocal comps completed within the hour.
• The attention to the arrangements and feel of the tracks that a dedicated producer can bring to a session was also inspiring.
• Oktava – MC 012 pair on acoustics guitars never ceases to satisfy me – I love these old Russian mics; such a great vintage tone and top end sparkle.
• AT 4081 mics in Glyn Johns mode on drums were a hit. I love these phantom powered ribbons. Admittedly, I’d probably prefer a pair of Coles 4038s but having only one of those at the studio we went for AT 4081s overhead and the Coles out front.
• DPA 4090 on double bass was also another stand out. The articulation and bass response of these mics are super.
• Last but not least, tea towels on toms brought the tom orientated drum tracks into an ace zone. Shorten the length of sustain via tea towels is such an old and golden technique.