Hello! All of us at Recording Magazine
are pleased to present SPOTLIGHT.
Featuring one reader’s outstanding
song submission each month, SPOTLIGHT will delve into the gear and recording
techniques used by the artist. SPOTLIGHT will give you the opportunity
to read (and hear) how fellow recording musicians made a good song sound
great.
We hope you enjoy SPOTLIGHT. Here’s to making great
recordings!
Songs featured in SPOTLIGHT are chosen from the pool of entries sent
to Marty Peters for our Readers' Tapes column. Because the point of
Readers' Tapes is to teach readers how to improve their recordings,
in the past there was no place to discuss submissions that were so
good Marty had no criticisms for them.
These submissions are now being
set aside for SPOTLIGHT.
SPONSORED
BY: |
"Catwalk"
Eric Bolvin
Equipment:
Mac and Windows computers running Digidesign Pro Tools LE and Mbox interface,
Propellerhead Reason, Celemony Melodyne uno; Mics: Electro-Voice RE20
(trumpet), Audix D2 (ride tom), D3 (snare top), D4 (floor tom), D6 (kick),
and ADX51 (hi-hat), Marshall MXL601 (snare bottom and ride cymbal) and
MXL2001 (overheads); Akai EVI Electronic Valve Instrument playing Roland
JV-1010.
Music: “Catwalk” is a horn based, jazz / rock
instrumental. Eric composed, arranged, engineered and produced the
track. In addition, he played the trumpets, keyboards, and also the
Roland-JV1010 (MIDI sound module) horn section and organ using the
EVI, a MIDI controller that emulates playing a trumpet. Myron Dove
played bass, Michael Renwick played the guitars, and Peter Booras played
and recorded the drums.
Recording: Getting the most from some very modest gear and
the most basic recording environments—all the instruments but
the drums were recorded in Eric’s spare bedroom, the drums were
recorded in Peter’s teaching studio, and the mixing was done
in Myron’s living room—these guys have managed to track
a full bodied, funky tune that would belie its humble origins. The
bass is phat, the drums have a nice ambient quality, and the compressed
and processed electric guitar and Rhodes style piano provide a mellow
jazz funk.
Most impressive to our ears, however, is the exemplary tone that Eric achieved
on his trumpet with the Electro-Voice RE20. Those of you familiar with
this column know of our admiration for this all-purpose dynamic microphone,
and it once again proves its mettle, providing a beautiful rich tone to
an instrument that can be problematic at best. In addition, Eric’s
use of the Roland JV sounds were not only creative but convincing as well.
Nicely done.
Suggestions: None, really—it sounds like the bedroom, living
room combination suits these guys to a tee. Eric didn’t list what monitors
were used for checking the tracks and mix, but whatever they were, I hear nothing
to indicate that they weren’t up to the task.
Summary: This one should serve as an inspiration to all home studio
recordists!
Contact: Eric Bolvin, http://www.bolvinmusic.com.
