.: Recording April 2004 ::.

John F. Kieltyka / Regular

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Equipment: ADAT XT20, Mackie 1604 VLZ, Apple Mac G4 running MOTU Digital Performer, Shure SM57 (electric guitars, snare, organ cabinet), AKG C1000 (two) (drum overheads), ElectroVoice RE20 (kick, acoustic guitar), Oktava MK-319 (vocals), Neumann TLM 103 (acoustic guitar), Event 20120 bas (tracking) and Mackie HR824 (mixing) monitors 1948 Hammond M organ, 1976 Fender Jazz bass (fretless), 1973 Fender Telecaster Deluxe, 2000 Gibson Les Paul Classic, 2003 Martin D-28, Fender Bassman and Tech 21 Trademark 60 amps, Pearl Forum drum kit with Ludwig Steel snare and Zildjian K series cymbals.

Music: "Parade" is a male rock vocal with a garage-band / new-wave vibe. John wrote, sang lead, played acoustic guitar, and handled the recording chores. Jon Simpson played bass, Kohen Burrill played drums and Ron Stoehr provided the electric guitar.

Recording: John tells us that this is his first CD project, and it's not a bad one, either. "Parade" is a catchy song and the band performs it with great energy and attitude. Sonically, we hear a very forward lead vocal and an aggressive, "plucky" bass positioned prominently in the mix. The guitars have the requisite amount of grunge for this type of tune. When we get to the drums, however, things are not so happy. The snare drum, in particular, sounds like a pizza box, and the kick drum is so thin that it is totally masked by the insistent midrange eq of the bass. Finally, the overall stereo field is narrow and the mastered mix is too loud. Come on, guys, a three-minute song should not be giving the listener ear fatigue!

Suggestions: John explains that "no eq or compression was used on any sound source

during tracking" There are many reasons not to use eq or compression when tracking; they run the gamut from a pure aesthetic to the simple lack of an isolated control room. Our guess is the guys in Regular were more influenced by the former. With that in mind, please understand that the majority of yesteryear's classic recordings adhered to this philosophy, often from lack of options. Early consoles often had no eq, and engineers of the era compensated with judicious miking choices and mic placement. Ditto for compression. In your case, however, a driving song like "Parade" fails without the strong foundation of a kick-butt bass and snare drum. Adding some low end (60-110 Hz) to your kick drum so it occupies a range lower than your "middy" bass, and applying some upper midrange in order to get some snap our of your snare, will improve the overall balance of your mix. This eq does not have to be applied during tracking, but there is little risk in experimenting during the mix phase. As to the final mastered volume, you may find that by lowering it a bit, it will-ironically-stand out from the now standardized, over-compressed, slammed sound that everyone is using.

Summary: A fine song that will shine with a few minor adjustments.

Contact: John F.Kieltyka/Regular

www.verkstad.com/regular

regular@verkstad.com.

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Marty Peters is an engineer/producer and musician based in upstate New York. He has recently completed work on Visible by Night by western New York singer/songwriter Mari Anderson, and reports that there is always six more weeks of winter in Buffalo, groundhog or no groundhog.