Making Records with Eric Valentine Episode 18 Nickel Creek at RCA Studio A

In This episode, I give a tour of the setup at RCA Studio A in Nashville used to record Nickel Creek's new album "Celebrants" (Released today! 3/24/2023)

[@butterblood]

These are my favorite videos on YT right now. Look forward to each and every one.

[@SteelRecordsProducer]

Same

[@recordthechord]

The new NC record sounds incredible! Well done. I hope it wins some Grammies. It should. I want a panning lesson from you, it’s so good. I also want to know how you got the noise floor so low with all the ribbon mic gain, tubes, and tape? There’s so much fidelity for the quieter part stuff that gives it a lot of perceived dynamic range. After a first listen, this may already be one of my favorite records ever sonically. It’s something kinda special. Just wow.

[@joelybarish4618]

I have been refreshing your channel all day! When are we going to be able to get our grubby little hands on those Barefoot IR's????

[@Theophanes68]

Incredible, thank you so much for sharing a true behind the scenes look at how 'Celebrants' was recorded. I've been way behind on your KZbin channel and have been binge watching to get caught up, but it's really interesting because I've been listening to this album for the past few months trying to figure out what your approach was, I could tell it was a unique setup, the room, ribbon mics, and RCA console explain so much! I would describe the sonics of this album as having a certain thickness, the percussive elements of the instruments shine, there is a slight darkness/smoothness yet incredible fidelity and dynamics to these recordings, much gratitude for your channel Eric! 🙏

[@JoeyResly]

tuning the control room with the API's...too good

[@sdanis]

Thank you for sharing! :) I'm slowly making my way though all your videos. U rock!

[@kevinmacshane4384]

Hi Eric I checked out Nickel Creeks latest release recently. There ideas and arrangements remind me a lot of the 70s group Gentle Giant, only a more updated acoustic version. Love it. Also thanks for your time, help and audio insights . Take good care

[@MeAndTheBoys_]

From an artistic point of view, i really like it how Eric keeps pushing himself forward professionally. He changes his method of working, he works with different gear, he works in different studios, he let go of Barefoot to build his own studio etc. It reminds me of Miles Davis in a way, i'm not even kidding. Think about it. Miles kept always changing his band sound. Same thing. Miles did not own that mindset, he just inhabited it, like Mr. Valentine does. Still, we are all faulty humans, but sometimes some of us get it right, and i love seeing it happen. This guy is an artist as well, make no mistake about it. His instrument is the music production process itself. Keep on travelling, Eric. Enjoy the journey 🤝 Hi from Finland 👋

[@marmaladecreammedia]

Indeed, an ethic we can all aspire to!

[@TomHarpel]

Man this Nickel Creek album is fantastic. Those M50s.

[@ryancruickshank1868]

I can’t wait to see this session! What a wicked setup, so cool to see such an intersection of cerebral engineering techniques and a deeply creative approach to making a record!

[@davidroberts4923]

What was the secret sauce for that eery, distant violin sound of Holding Pattern? Such a cool sound

[@TonsOfFun411]

You can hear the decay of the room when talks, even just off the phone it sounds utterly incredibly

[@joshlovegood9392]

Eric the Nickel Creek album has become one of my favourite albums ever. You captured a sonic magic that I haven't heard in so many years. I can't believe how great it sounds. Every mix is sensational and to me, with headphones on it feels like Nickel Creek are in a roomy cabin playing songs directly in front of me. Thank you for your incredible service to music.

[@paul771]

Eric, the record sounds amazing and the songs, arrangements and performances take the group to another level. I'm so grateful that you took the time to detail the process and to see a few of my favorite mics like the Coles (which I love on mandolin and violin) and the M160. The sound engineer at Walt Disney Concert Hall turned me on to the the 160 and I went and bought a pair the next day. That hypercardioid is so perfect for grabbing mandolin in the middle of the orchestra...once again, thank you and I'm so looking forward to the mix dconstruction...can't wait! Be well...

[@henriksrensen3220]

Great album and great sound

[@kal8984]

Addicted to these! Thank you so much for taking the time, Eric!

[@BlackenedNL]

The records sounds absolutely amazing Eric, you are a true master of your craft

[@geoffschuller4875]

When I was in Nashville, visiting the country music, Hall of Fame, I took an optional tour to RCA Studio A, and it was awesome! I got to stand in that room, but they wouldn’t let us see the control room! Thanks for showing us that, Eric! And I love how you tracked NC directly and also through the tape machine. That’s awesome. I’m looking forward to hearing the new Nickel Creek album, which is supposed to arrive on my doorstep very soon!

[@pageyjjj]

Having listened to both your "album" version and the video "single mic live" version of Celebrants, I can safely say ..... kudos.

[@richeymcc]

As always a great great video! Great to see your set up and process. Appreciated so much Eric!

[@matthewblackmore4609]

Eric, do you have any means to accept monetary donations? I would love to show my appreciation for all of the time and effort you put into creating this content, it seriously could not have come at a better time for me, I have a blank slate barn that I am building a single room studio in. All of the information and practical examples you are generously supplying is gold, especially in the acoustics space.Thanks

[@sasquatchrecording]

I think it was the Taking Back Sunday video that had a link to his Venmo

[@sethile]

Eric, I love the sound of this project so much! And NC absolutely killed it! You all took a huge swing, and hit it completely out of the park! On my first listen I knew right away I was hearing a better recording of them (on any band, actually) than I had ever heard before, and now I know why! Thanks for the tour and the insight into your process for this. I heard something in the bass (my favorite double bass sound ever, BTW!) that I simply could not place. It was so huge, especially on the low end, and still had so much detail! In my ignorance of studio magic I almost thought it was some sort of magically subtle application of a high tech octave divider. The bass sound you captured provides an amazing foundation along with Elizondo's killer time, tone, intonation, and note selection. I had the opportunity to ask about it, and understand what I was hearing a little better. Brilliant!! It is absolute genius, as was the rest of your touch on this project. Bravo!! Thank you so much for bringing this music to us with what I can only describe as the best recording I have ever heard.

[@kh101019181]

A zoom with Nickel Creek talking about YOU would be so awesome!!

[@JohnnyI43]

Thanks Eric, this was awesome to watch! Can you share a bit about the placement of the 77 on the acoustic guitar? Also at an angle like on the mandolin? I've been experimenting with the 4038, and it seems to need some distance so it's less muddy in the lows - or do you mic it close and EQ out the low end?

[@gabrieleponticiello6842]

Generously informative and totally inspiring, as usual Eric Valentine. Elaborating a bit on your new approach, it's interesting to note how it allows to depart from the "commit to the sound" refrain that's been heard so many times in recent years. And it's true, also by personal experience: it is not always easy, let alone possible, to keep together a good sound and a good performance... unless you are working with top studio musicians of course. Maybe it's something you came up for this specific session, where PERFORMANCE was the treasure to keep safe...??? Sure this new approach of yours can facilitate focusing on the performance and commit to the (perfected) sound at a later stage. Brilliant. Thank you very much!!!

[@TheMusicWiz]

The reacord sounds really great! Thanks for being the patron saint for us geeks ;)

[@kelvinfunkner]

oh man...oh man....wow. These are like candy to guys like me....I've been waiting to see this since you announced it a few days ago and it did not dissapoint!!! But now you teased us with a track breakdown from the digital capture through all the cool gear...and now I'm like...AHHHH!!!! I can't wait....!!!!

[@danielmihlfeith]

Wow! Took a listen to the album. It's so cinematic sounding. Huge!

[@christopher-miles]

hahahah ribbons on everything... freaking awesome! oh! i'm stealing that "45-degree-angle-mic-placement-trick" too. cheers!

[@MitchSumner]

So grateful for this! I will have to try that mic technique for my mandolin. I've experienced similar troubles.

[@LesonDeson]

Any chance that you could get Mike Elizondo on the channel? His production is done with so much taste it reminds me of a certain Eric Valentine.

[@revoxed93]

gosh even your voice on the phone sounds incredible! nice!! thanks for sharing all of this eric, so fun!

[@gregedenfield1080]

just amazing man, can't wait for summer camp at the Valentines barn studio.

[@pablo.l]

It has happened to me frequently when I see a video from this channel that I automatically go to skip the intro as it happens with other yt channels but this intro is so good that it is impossible to skip it

[@davidcummins3005]

I never really listened to Nickel Creek before. The record sounds great! Great song writing and performances!

[@pupkid8613]

A deconstruction of one of the new LP songs would be amazing - was always hoping you'd do one for A Dotted Line but this will be even better with the RCA mixer, tape process and everything.

[@prairieboyTV]

Received my copy of Celebrants today - looking forward to listening!

[@octilliondollars]

Incredible album! Thanks for walking us through

[@mr.sepiol4245]

Beautiful room! Love to see the Coles 4038. Got to use a pair of those with a u47 in the middle for drum overheads a couple weeks ago. I've been a bit ribbon-obsessed lately too.

[@CarstenGoeke]

Love it. Thanks for sharing ✌🏻

[@GregoryStephenSchumacher]

So interesting to me, the discussion of the resonances from the fiddle and mando, and how an offset in the direction of the mic helped with that. We love the tones of these instruments, and yet we mic them in ways we would never hear them with our ears. If you put your head right in front of a fiddle it would drill your brain out. But back a couple feet or so, at an off angle, and it all blends together in the space around it. Fascinating. I mic way too close on stuff. I gotta remember that from now on.

[@GregoryStephenSchumacher]

In listening to this on Spotify I have to say that I found myself missing some of those resonances and their bite.

[@MarkCatalanoMusic]

This shit is fucking dope. I don’t know how else to say it. 😂 Thanks for pulling back the curtain! 🤘 -Kurtis Keber’s friend Mark

[@t_n8435]

CONGRATULATIONS!! I'm sure the record sounds amazing!

[@siriusfun]

Eric, a great alternative to the M160 is the AEA KU5A. Hyper-cardioid ribbon that excels on EVERYTHING! (Grace would sound great on it live, too!)

[@surgerywithoutknives2353]

Really enjoyed this one

[@ralphverdult]

I often mix albums in a single session. Usually jazz stuff, quite similar sounds but every song slightly different. Once you nail the automation window in pro tools it works quite well.

[@mattperreault3518]

Yes!!!!!!

[@attherateofarobase]

Fantastic videos Eric. I've got three more questions for a future q&a if you don't mind.. 1 Will you be offering mastering services from the Vermont studio for up and coming bands/artists? 2 The iso booth at Barefoot provided some incredible drum sounds. I'm guessing you've made impulse responses of all the Barefoot rooms but was wondering if you have any drum sampler instruments in the pipeline from previous iso booth recordings? That would be totally killer. 3 A few years ago i purchased some group stems on Beatport of the DFA album. They sound incredible and are slighlty different to the final mix. I'm very curious to know about the process involved for preparing those stems, specifically if when solo'd, each stem goes through mix bus compression, and also what your views are on multitracks being available online in general.

[@MrMarcbolan]

we miss you

[@SkateHeartArt]

This record sounds great! 🎚️

[@DanielGlenTimms]

Very cool!

[@deadrituals]

What a dream man!

[@MariJu1ce]

Best sounding room in the world! =)

[@snails9505]

Please can you explain in more detail about your current love for / use of ribbon mics? many thanks

[@angeloboltini]

Hey Eric! Love these videos, thanks so much for sharing. Since you've been so amazingly thorough in responding to questions, I thought I'd ask some that I've had for a while. One of my favourite things about your mixes, is the midrange presence on your kicks. Not clicky, nice and splayed out. I know tape, FF Saturn and Spiff are common tools for that. Are any things you can do at the input? Certain heads or beaters, mics, preamp saturation? With how heavy-handed your mixing style is, I wonder: Do you generally work towards a 'finished sound' that's in your head, or experiment until it feels right? Your videos obviously show finished mix sessions, so I'm curious if it's much of a linear process for you, or if you often backtrack when something doesn't work? Many thanks, Angelo

[@buhlir]

This is literally EXACTLY how I am trying to set up my studio to record in this order and fashion. Incredible!! I noticed there was a REDD console! Wow did you try that at all? so cool oh man. Im curious how it would compare to your RCA console

[@toddkelly6181]

Who had the idea for the trippy vibe of 'the Meadow'?? Crazy!! The whole thing sounds incredible, by the way...

[@user-ok6pz8gr1b]

Eric, I really dig the channel. Ever since I watched the dressing and tuning drums and seeing the “stands”for the Strauss monitors I’ve been hunting for similar design. They look hollow? Solid chunks of wood? I’m just so curious? Thanks for being you!✌ Jeremy Oconomowoc

[@marmaladecreammedia]

Woah, Grace's vox were all M160 on the Daylight record? I thought you said she cut through the 251 on that record, but maybe I misunderstood. Either way they sound incredible!

[@BrianLueken]

Are we not gonna talk about the light saber arsenal over in the bass area? Really? I want the videos of the lights off light saber battles. We all know they exist.

[@AzzaDutt]

Wonderful video, really enjoyed your insight into the recording aspect for this style! Question: Is there plans to make the IRs of Barefoot purchasable?

[@PabloDeBiasi]

Hi Eric, the record sounds incredible!! Did you record at 96k? Since the 77-DX is multipattern can you share how you set it? Cardioid, Omni or figure 8? Hi pass position? Thanks, those mics are the find of a lifetime!

[@bobodnar5339]

This is amazing! Super informative. I’m curious, were all the final vocals cut live on the floor or did you have to go back and recut any? If so, did you ever struggle with vocal bleed in their instrument mics or were things pretty isolated?

[@yobhsiFehT]

10:28 "Hee haaas the box!" 🤓

[@tommckeown6970]

This is my favorite! Question: How did you get the instruments to sound so full and expansive, given that you use a single mic on each of the three main instruments (minus bass). Really looking forward to learning more on this recording.

[@sasquatchrecording]

Curious what you thought of the MCI tape machine?

[@blairyoung2461]

Hi Eric Q1. How did you get the upright bass to thump? (Strangers) I know you used compression, but is that all? does it just thump on its own and all you have to do, it turn up the fader? Q2. the snaps in Holding Pattern, I predict you boosted 2.8-3khz? because the way it sounds, its as if one person doing the snaps, but to cut through you really had to drive that 2.8-3k range? am I right? Q3. not a question, this record sounds amazing, it sizzles just right, but also has some really deep impact. I think there’s probably inspo from the Slash record thrown in there. It’s like supercharged Bluegrass music 😂

[@davewestner]

The price of 2" tape machines just went up by 27% on Reverb on account of this video. Interesting that you mention the PT session towards the end of the video...was wondering how that was all gonna work out when you showed the edit window at RCA. Kinda gave me anxiety.

[@ajcamlet]

Eric: So you were essentially getting the take you wanted- then running it thru the 2" back to PT? Anything overdubed would have been done off the track prior to the transfer?

[@jmsdeco]

Hi, love the videos. Will your new studio be atmos ? I keep seeing more and more mixers/producers going that direction. Would love to hear your thoughts on it.

[@griffinkisner7795]

He’s already stated in another video, no Atmos. Quite the opposite

[@user-vl7sm9kq3e]

Hey Eric, I noticed you were using an MCI JH24 (with a 16 track head stack) in this session. I've never heard you mention MCIs before, always figured it was because you were not a fan of 'em. I assume they would have quite a selection of machines at RCA, was the MCI your pick for this, or did it just happen to be in the room? Although their transports are clunky, the earlier models (up to late 70's) are all transformer in and out, sound very thick and saturate quite a lot, always wondered if there was a reason you didn't prefer them.

[@danolivier4899]

Sorry if this was mentioned in another video but is the barefoot chamber ir available anywhere?

[@danielpicard3994]

Thanks Eric for this series. Question for the next Q&A: when designing the UTA Pyra Sum mixer, what thought process made you choose a passive design over an active one? Thanks in advance!

[@viralempire1986]

Maybe someones said this but watch this with decent headphones and listen to what happens when Eric walks from the control room into the live room. Reveeeeeeeerb.

[@tootory9506]

You Really Should Get A Gimble For Your Camera.. its sooo shaky I'm Feeling Dizzy 🔊

[@musicproductioncentral4540]

when you're at RCA and you're saying "eh, ya gotta work with what you got" LOL