How to Record Live In Studio

[@daleonov]

I'm surprised how isolated the sounds from every mic are. Even upright bass is not bad. You really know your way around recording. Keep it up!

[@creativesoundlab]

+Daniel Leonov Thanks! Yeah, the best way to watch this episode is to listen to the bleed in each mic. A little care to pointing the amps and the mics can go along way. And all this was without Gobos or baffles between the players.

[@tekis0]

Hello: I'm a professional recording engineer (29 years), and I'm really impressed with your work! Great sound and great explanation--well done. Even though I've been working for a while I'm still teachable and open to new ideas. Subscribed.

[@creativesoundlab]

Thanks for such kind words!

[@TipoStereoRecords]

Great video, as always. I've been recording bands live for the past couple of years and besides being the most fun recording experience, it has the reward of capturing the essence of the bands. Learning every time it happens.

[@globaltempo]

My concern, as well as yours, in a situation like this is the sound of the double bass. I don´t think you got a decent sound out of it. What I do sometimes is to add a little bass amp in the room, that will help the bassist play better and get a better sound of the instrument, and will add another mic for the amp (maybe reamping later).

[@IsawUupThere]

Why is he so angry about the whistle?

[@creativesoundlab]

+IsawUupThere I really don't know, but it makes for a great story!

[@zyxwvut4740]

'Cos musicians sleep in the daytime!

[@seDj64]

Because he's not using biofuel?

[@andre-michelgoulet6933]

WOW these guys are sick! Great recording as usual, especially for live, and fantastic explanations with examples. By far my favorite method, but normally impossible for me since I'm usually playing everything myself.

[@creativesoundlab]

+André-Michel Goulet Yes, live is really great when you have the chance.

[@fredbetin5036]

Great job Ryan, I love the way you explain things, it makes it so simple and clear. the drawing and sound samples does the rest. thank you for giving your time to it.

[@creativesoundlab]

+Fred Betin Thanks man, I really appreciate that!

[@gammadrums]

The insulation is CRAZY good...!!! Impressed.

[@creativesoundlab]

Yes, the isolation you mean? Yeah, figure 8 is where it's at!

[@gammadrums]

Yes, isolation, so sorry hahahaha. Great work...!!!

[@Calderadelsimio]

Recording live is a lot of fun, And it's the only way to register the real chemistry and energy flowing between the members of the band. Your videos are awesome, and are a wonderful source of knowledge

[@creativesoundlab]

Thanks, I really appreciate that!

[@KevDKR666]

Welcome back, only started following you recently and I have already watched everything you have featured. Really enjoying your videos, I am already using so much to great effect. Fender amp against the kick, 'sub kick'. Re-amping snare drum. I love your hybrid set up my friend, those WA are ... so good! FAT! A studio tour, control & live room would be very cool, or your tasty mic locker ;) hint hint! Thanks again, artists here in Donegal, Ireland are digg'n your tips & tricks, keep'em coming!

[@creativesoundlab]

+Kevin McCloskey Thanks Kevin! Yeah I had some delays, but this episode is a good start to Season 3. Thanks for following so many of my videos. Yeah, I need to do a studio tour!

[@ПатаСатанов-л5у]

Kevin McCloskey

[@clicks59]

Sorry, I hit the wrong button on my laptop. The great explanation of instrument/amps/mics and mic placement and why are rarely covered. Nice job! I want to do a live recording of my bluegrass band. Three vocals, two guitars and my upright bass are what I want to record. No amps on the guitars. A small amp on my upright. Would you recommend dynamic mics for the vocals? Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks for uploading a sharing your knowledge and experience.

[@underpressureman]

oh and thanks for these pdf's, they'll be super helpful to study and down the road! you're a legend buddy!

[@creativesoundlab]

Sure thing! I'm really glad they have helped you out!

[@ISMSKL]

Great video here! I love to record bands live in the same room. There's a chemistry that you cant get from mulltitracking. This is especially true when recording instrumental bands (post-rock etc). Love your videos dude!

[@clicks59]

You hit the nail on the head as this is something that is overlooked when Nice work and a great explanation of how and why. I want to record a bluegrass

[@lucasliendo]

Hi Ryan. Great job. One questions: there is phase problems in this record? How you deal with it? What tricks you applied? Regards from Colombia 🇨🇴!

[@brenfen]

Great vid, thanks man. In fact, love all your vids. I did some live recording with our band in our studio. Similar sized room to yours but closer to square. I set us up rather like on stage: drums, 2 gtr amps, bass amp and keys amp all in a line facing the same direction. 2 amps either side of drums. All amps close miked with 57s. Coles 4038 drum overhead, re20 on kick drum. 414 as a room mic out front, up about 8 feet and the pick up facing the side walls to get more room than direct sound. Worked great. Much less spill on the overhead than i would have thought. And everyone could hear their amps nicely out front. Worked alot on getting the balance right in the room and used the spill to advantage. Sounded great! And not using headphones is great. Anyway, just thought I'd share. Thanks again for all the great vids!

[@creativesoundlab]

+brenfen Wow dude, sweet story. I would love to hear that recording. Email it to me if you get a chance. I did a test a few years ago and found out some really interesting things when you delay the guitar mics by 20ms. Check out the second half of this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXnIqKF_Z72qe9k

[@jorgepeterbarton]

I am now trying to geometry it out with 3 amps, drums and mostly cardioid mics (and only 8 track). I think i might put the bass facing completely opposite direction and use the amp as a natural 'gobo', or just DI it. Did you have any tips for good mono overhead sounds? It was a tip i came across that you don't necessarily need stereo on things if there's bleed from panned instruments AND a stereo ambient mic.

[@jokoyguitarman]

amazing information man. keep it up! hope to visit your studio when i get back in the US

[@joeatkins4470]

Excellent work man, really well explained and makes a lot of sense. I had exactly this in my studio a week or so ago, wish I'd had seen this before that session - still I have it now. Gotta love those NTR's though!

[@creativesoundlab]

+Joe Atkins Thanks Joe!

[@frankierockson]

Thanks, man! Great tips, I'm gonna try and record my 3-piece combo (guit, bass, drums and vocals) this way.

[@popjussi4098]

Holy crap, I just discovered this channel and am now a fan. Great level of video production! This must have taken a lot of time (writing and video editing)? Thanks a lot for taking the time to make these, I especially love the mic soloing/explanation part.

[@creativesoundlab]

Hey thanks for the kind words!

[@LifestylerAUT]

"Live recording" is probably the best way to catch that energy, that spirit a band can create playing together imo

[@creativesoundlab]

+LifestylerAUT Yes, totally agree.

[@LifestylerAUT]

Thank God, I'm not the only one thinking that way ;) Greetings from vIenna

[@joaospin]

Hi, thanks for the video! What would you suggest if I plan to track the vocals live with the band?

[@AdamSpade]

Nice, dude. Sounds good. Good video. It's always interesting to see how different people do things different ways. Thanks.

[@creativesoundlab]

+Adam Spade Thanks man! Would love to hear about the other end of it and how others do this.

[@heMANshred]

This is an awesome video. However, being a typical broke musician, I don't have all these mics. I'm trying to record my 3 piece improv band live but we're limited to 2 condenser mics with a 2 input interface. I also have an sm57 but I figure using the 2 condensers as room mics is the best option. We have a drummer and two bass heavy guitars plus vocals which we're more than happy to record after the fact. How might you go about mic choice and placement in this scenario?

[@steveg219]

Great explanations and audio examples, well done!

[@creativesoundlab]

+Steve Greenberg Thanks!

[@kisscatastrophe]

amazing! so tired of producers and mixers telling my band we can't cut live because it'll sound bad. this video shows it's apparently just them that can't track and mix it right.

[@creativesoundlab]

Haha, thanks. It's all in the mic technique.

[@TheColebyArnett]

Coolest video yet!! Love it. SO much useful info.

[@creativesoundlab]

+Coleby Arnett Thanks man, really glad you liked it.

[@jamescurtis-thomas1546]

Hey Just found your channel Really enjoying it! Especially this episode as run a YT channel called Live@Plus11 and the techniques you are talking about are the same I employ when doing these sessions! Keep up the good work!

[@creativesoundlab]

Nice man, thanks for hanging out!

[@Samulitre]

Oooh Mr. Engineer!!

[@tinycarrot718]

man why did i never figure this out, thanks bro, great tips

[@terrydoylemusic]

brilliant work. Thanks. I am sometimes recording some friends in their practice room .. this will be invaluable!

[@creativesoundlab]

Yes, awesome. Let me know how it works out for you.

[@GraffitiBlack]

have you done this while simultaneously rcording with DI boxes?

[@1998kid1]

Why put the mic on the bass and not the bass amp??

[@eddiegomez4134]

This is great! This whole video is gold!

[@creativesoundlab]

Thanks Eddie. This was a good one.

[@GunDogSlim]

Love your channel. Learning loads more than on a music degree! Thanks

[@williamredfield6006]

I saw the room mics in the video but I didn't quite grasp where they were in relation to everything else you laid out.

[@creativesoundlab]

The room mics are in front of the upright bass and looking at the drums. The mics are fig 8 so one of them is looking at the guitar amp from about 8 feet away.

[@williamredfield6006]

Cool, thank you ~

[@JacoboCastroCristo]

It would be really good to see more live recordings techniques and tricks.

[@BadMotivator66]

this was fantastic, thanks so much! really well explained

[@samueljohnacoustic]

This video has been extremely helpful. Thank you so much.

[@babydemonlab]

Hi, I've seen a lot of your videos, they are excelent and very helpful,, i want to start recording some live bands but which is the best way for the band to hear the vocals if the mic is going directly into my mixer and then my DAW, if i have vocal monitor wont it cause phase issues if the other mics get a bit of the voice monitor?

[@creativesoundlab]

I would set up headphones for that situation. You can use a stage monitor but there will be a little bit of vocal/monitor bleed that get into things like the overheads. Still, if you place the monitor behind the mic and use a hypercardioid, it gives you the best chance.

[@babydemonlab]

Thanks!

[@johndoe-pb4mv]

Its too bad there are not much viewers, but I got to say, your videos are top notch! I'll subscribe! :D

[@creativesoundlab]

+john doe Thanks man! Please spread the word as much as you can!

[@johndoe-pb4mv]

Yes, i am already doing so. :)

[@joeldfs]

Really, really, really useful, man! Thank you for sharing!

[@Hairylungs]

Is this the clarity anyone could expect with different mics and proper placement? I know this is a hard question to answer, but I'm having a hard time recording a band live without too much bleed. Thanks!

[@creativesoundlab]

Yes, I think so. I believe that with mic placement and room arrangement that you can do it, and it can be done well. How big is your room, and what king of problems do you have? Bad cymbal bleed?

[@Hairylungs]

creativesoundlab Yes, cymbals are an issue and also just a general clarity in overlapping frequencies- bass and kick drum for example. My room is not huge(which I understand can be an issue). It's probably around 15-20 feet long, 10 feet wide with 8 foot high drop ceiling. These are educated approximations as the room is in my friend's house. Maybe I should just try again with the stuff I've learned from this and other videos. Probably have better results now that I have more knowledge. Thanks for the reply!

[@vtrgatti]

Great explanation and very useful tips! Thank you!

[@andreaaraf6408]

Hi! Really interesting! I have a veeeeery noob question. When you do something like this, and so you do use room mics, there's no danger that the room mics could cause phase issues with the others mics?

[@creativesoundlab]

Yeah, the answer to that is in the 3 to 1 rule. If you want to avoid phasing, the room mics need to be 3x the distance of another other mic to it's source. Most of the mics are 4-6 inches away from the source, and the drum overhead is 4 feet. The room is not quite 12 feet out (3 times the distance of 4 feet that the overhead is to the drums), so there might be some phasing there. But I'm always flipping polarity to see if there is a difference. Great question actually that is often overlooked!

[@andreaaraf6408]

Hi Ryan thanks for the answer! I guess that it's impossible (when you have to deal with a live situation with many sound sources) to completely avoid some phase issues when using room mics, no? I suppose that this is the price to pay to get that 3d dimension that only room mics can add to the sound, and that if you don't completely fuck up with placements these phase issues will be subtle. Am i right? And also, could you please explain me exactly why you'll switch polarity in a case like this? I mean, it's clear to me that it's useful to switch polarity of a mic when you're recording ONE source with TWO mics (either if the 2° mic is a room mic or just another mic). But in a live situation like this, isn't it possible that, suppose, i flip the polarity of the room mic and so i hear the difference (example: guitar now sounds fuller, so i have a phase issue with the guitar mic), but i hear also another difference (example: piano sound thinner)? I don't know if this make sense!! Maybe i'm getting confused at this and this doubt is useless ahahah can't speak english very well! Thank you very much great channel cheers from italy

[@jorgepeterbarton]

delay them to about 30ms just to the point the sound becomes separate but not an obvious echo. makes the ambience bigger too. (so minus the number of feet. 1ft=1ms). you can shift the file and hear the 'flanging' whilst you do that. and using high pass you can prevent phase issues in really low frequencies@@andreaaraf6408 yeh, you can't fix 3d things totally (anything with multiple sources), its gemoetrically impossible. You could try a phase rotator i guess but when you get in phase with one thing it can become out-of-phase with another.

[@arturosuarez9656]

Absolutely loved it!!

[@stantischendorf2439]

Ryan, How did you do your gain staging in a project like this? Just curious to see how you approach it in a situation like this.

[@creativesoundlab]

Pretty much the same I would track a drum set. Lots of mics in the room. Track it at peaks between -18 and -12dB for the digital levels. Mix without touching the master fader, and render out with a ST mix at about -10 if I'm using good gain control.

[@sharifeady6834]

What about for a solo rapper or singer without a band using a backing track, what kind of speakers do I need?

[@ThaKoolestKid]

This video was absolutely informative! Thank you!!

[@larrytate1657]

Would hyper cardiod mics help a lot to decrease bleed too? The ribbons with their figure 8s didn't cause extra bleed problems?

[@creativesoundlab]

It depends how the hypercardioid is used. For tom mics sure it would. For these ribbons, I put anything offensive to that source to the sides of the mic. Bleed from a bass cab into a guitar mic can be hi passed. Other issues like cymbal bleed are much harder to take care of for example.

[@larrytate1657]

Awesome, thanks for the feedback. How did you like those ribbon NTRs as vocal and electric guitar mics? I've been considering getting one for those exact uses. Right now we been using just a sm57 for the guitar cab and a audiotechnia at4040 for vocals. It's a low end large diaphragm mic, around 300 it cost me. It sounds clear but we are ready to upgrade it now just about.

[@ZalasOrg]

Sweet! I feel taken care of :-)

[@thetheory6072]

What interface did you use? Did you just go into a typical board?

[@adamoblivion8915]

I have no way of renting any NTR's. Is is specifically the active ribbon mic, it's.bi-polar.pattern or both that make your method work? Do you have another mic recommendation for the OH and guitar mic? What about the AKG 414 ULS or EB OH.and guitar? Or.maybe a.SM57 on the.guitar? For the.drums.did.u.mic the.toms? I was thinking.about using.a D12/SM57 combo.on the kick,.Sm57.on.snare, MD421.on the toms. Also, how important are the room mics? Is it.nessasary for.a.stereo pair? You also.never mentioned an.ideal.location for them?.What would be.a.good substitute for the room.mic(s). Im working. with a long.rectangular room, pretty.narrow.width wise.with very high ceilings. Thanks

[@SimonBorg]

It looked like the upright bass had a pickup, and even a bass amp. Could you have mic'd up the bass amp, or taken a DI from the pickup?

[@creativesoundlab]

+Simon Borg Yeah, we did for the other songs.

[@creativesoundlab]

+Simon Borg Or in other words....I forgot to record that channel....do make my mistake. The pickup was actually really mid range heavy, with very little low end.

[@SimonBorg]

+creativesoundlab Been there. I did a session with my band a few months back. We went through such an effort to borrow a DI/splitter so I could take a DI of the guitars for reamping later if we needed. Ran into heaps of other issues that meant massive distractions, so we totally forgot to run through the DI.

[@underpressureman]

just curious why on the bass you chose the figure 8 as opposed to just straight on cardioid? what were some of the deciding factors?

[@creativesoundlab]

The null. The same concept from the guitar mic applies here.

[@underpressureman]

oh okay, Ill watch again, some stuff goes over my head lol. still learning!

[@creativesoundlab]

Yeah it's to null out the drums, and to use the prox effect that is given by the fig 8. Using both benefits.

[@lambrusco1970]

Thanks. Wish you were in my town!

[@frankinthekitchen7398]

great video as always.... interesting that you won't use dynamics mics !!!! ciao

[@creativesoundlab]

+FRANK IN THE KITCHEN Thanks. Yes, lots of SDC and LDC in the room. One advantage is the bleed is a little nicer sounding, than with the bleed of a dynamic.

[@frankinthekitchen7398]

+creativesoundlab ok,thanks,I'll keep that in my mind.

[@drnandakumarakvelu1581]

Dear Ryan.Getting scarred,Frightening ,all,cleared off by your VID.. AS YOU are, ONE has to be Really,IN to the PLAY.into the sound of a Guitar.Piano.Drums and a vocalist..ONE can stand upright as a mic.I .gained guts to go ahead;;; Thank you..DrNanda..India

[@cyberbandleipzigjams4493]

Brilliant, very inspiring!

[@ReasonpTv]

wouldnt it be better to use gobo's for separation in this type of arrangement?

[@creativesoundlab]

+ReasonpTv Yeah, it's possible. I have some large gobos with a skyline diffusor on one side. Small gobos that block key angles on mics could be very helpful.

[@supernando1000]

This video was super helpful. Thank you!

[@creativesoundlab]

Thanks!

[@TrueSoundTV]

Wow another great video, thank you! So did you get sponsored by Rode?

[@creativesoundlab]

+Ryan Wiesner Thanks Ryan, yeah I'm trying out a few of the Rode mics here at the studio.

[@fernandovereau3067]

This is awesome !!!!

[@pierre-alexandrelapointe6738]

Great video!

[@creativesoundlab]

+Pierre-Alexandre Lapointe Thanks!

[@losingitrush]

Thank you so much for this great video. I will definitely use your wisdom for live session recording when an opportunity for it comes to me!

[@creativesoundlab]

+losingitrush Glad to hear it!

[@HarmonyxRuLz]

ITS A PSYCHOBILLY FREAKOUT!

[@darrylportelli]

during a live recording, as the musicians are not recording to a metronome, if there's a good take but there's a mistake that must be fixed somewhere in the song, how would you go about punching the musicians in to re record that section? thanks !!!!

[@creativesoundlab]

That's tough, but it can be done. You have to think like a musician in respect to what they would need. Because no two songs will be exactly alike, you have to see if two different takes can be spliced together. The Tom Petty documentary can be a good source on this. Basic punch in technique can often come from the desk too....have the musician(s) play along with a track, and manually kick off the recording when you hear they are synced up. I'm sure there other ways to do it.

[@darrylportelli]

+creativesoundlab thanks ... this has been going through my head for quite some time now as for how to approach it ... soon i'm going to try recording a violinist and the same applies, as they do not use a metronome to allow them more expression over the piece, it is a bit hard to punch them in

[@RobertSlover]

forget' wall of sound 'i prefer stew of sound .well done man.

[@purecountry70]

Ryan where do you place your Amps when your recording

[@prestonm83]

I know there are no horns, but it still reminds me of the Mad Caddies. Thumbs up.

[@creativesoundlab]

+Preston Martinez Yes!

[@TheStudioDrummer]

Awesome vid dude!, thanks!

[@Lukasz_KLAT]

Love the episode! I'm a big fan of BBC Live Sessions. If extreme and fast bands like Atheist or Behemoth can sound great this way, anyone can :)

[@creativesoundlab]

+Łukasz Klat Thanks! Yes, a great way to record.

[@romonabrown7330]

Brought to you by...Rode?

[@adamcallan3588]

Great knowledge! Thanks very much :D

[@creativesoundlab]

+Adam Callan Sure thing!

[@johnnyinsanity5468]

Awesome Video. Very informational....... Thanks :)

[@creativesoundlab]

Thanks man, right on!

[@igorluzvoz]

Amazing video and band haha. they have facebook? And how do I record only voice and guitar, with only one mic??

[@salasequis3711]

good work

[@bigbhoy7363]

How would I record say, an instrumental through my phone or laptop and vocals on a condenser mic live?

[@WilliamCDPoulin]

Thanks Ryan! Appreciate.

[@creativesoundlab]

Right on!

[@Ryandgeorgi]

Only one question.. How do you write backwards??

[@henryhill92]

Why does every member of this band creep me out so much?

[@reggaefan2700]

It's like those people in the backwoods horror movies.

[@lewisnorth1188]

Not just me then?

[@pongotv22]

Drummer sells drugs, vocalist/guitarist buys them. Bassist makes booze, pianist buys it. That's how look anyway.

[@AdamRainStopper]

I am building my own studio, and it will be done soon if the state doesn't steal my house ("cost" of incarceration scam, our former governor has family in the corrections industry) but if I ever need to record - my band or anyone else - we are taking a road-trip to ...... North Carolina is it?

[@creativesoundlab]

Wow Adam, such a complement. Yes, here in Asheville in the mountains. I'm not far from Atlanta and Knoxville. 6 Hrs from Nashville.

[@surgerywithoutknives2353]

Great video :-)

[@SufyMusic]

I love trying to reduce phase cancellation its like a puzzle haha

[@am_boy2785]

did they first record the instrumental with no vocal i the rythim.

[@creativesoundlab]

Yes, he sang certain lines in the the room to keep the band on track, and then he recorded the vocal after.

[@am_boy2785]

Got it .Thank you

[@gangsterbeats6495]

nyc job guys

[@XantuxNepomuk]

Why did you use only one mic for the piano?

[@creativesoundlab]

It's really all that it needed. I had some piano in the room mic as well which was in stereo.

[@adamlatour8837]

The main track of meet the beatles and black sabbath first album was live. Just like a shit load of other albums. Remember all bands sound amazing before money and time

[@tonyhudspeth3861]

outstanding thank you

[@creativesoundlab]

+tony hudspeth Thanks!

[@azulpezado4890]

a fan too, thanks

[@mrparkinson]

So..... Endorsed by Rode by chance? Cool video regardless!

[@creativesoundlab]

+mrparkinson Thanks! Yeah, Rode wanted me to try out a few of their mics and I told them I'd put them through their paces.

[@thegoodman-nl]

Ryan, thank you for your very helpful tutorial. We did exactly everything you told us, it was so successful that even the vocal track was not bothered by bleed. Key is to not amplify the vocals over monitors, but use headphones. That way the vocals can be redone when needed. We have mixed a first attempt and it is on soundcloud now. soundcloud.com/thegoodman_nl/sets/brigant-sessions

[@ClaudiaCossa]

Thanks man

[@NiftyPlymouth]

great

[@decent.genius]

Love the content just wish you did more specific mixing techniques instead of mixing these random ass bands. Maybe I'm in the wrong pool

[@RemcoJvGrevenbroek]

the rithmsection should always being record "live" IMHO

[@jorgepeterbarton]

Yes, get as much together as possible even when multitracking. But you can take DI from a bass or guitar when recording drums and reamp: its more about playing together. People trying to record to clicks, or track it all separately where the band can't feel the vibe are over-complicating it.

[@ianmccallum5690]

easy sub

[@creativesoundlab]

Right on! Glad to have you!

[@ianmccallum5690]

You're kinda my hero right now

[@KelpYT]

Battlefield Earth.

[@creativesoundlab]

+Keith Lauria Haha, yes!

[@purecountry70]

never mind I see them don't you get alot of bleed

[@creativesoundlab]

Yeah it's all in the polar pattern of the mic