Music Recording & Production at SHStudios

Como La Luna   Como La Luna It's !!! Como La Luna - the new Record from Senor Al & the Honolulus. Recorded, mixed & mastered at Shrunkenheadsstudios during the latter half of 2017 - & due for release 2018 - it's the Honolulus' most eclectic release to date (Jazz / latin / funk / rock / gospel / electronica) & features a plethora of artists:      Johnny Procter on Drums  Johnny Procter   J K Benson - Backing Vocals & Choir Assignments Jo Kate Benson   Robbie Redway - Backing Vocals & Trumpets Robbie Redway You can get the LP Here - or by clicking on any of the pics below!  Enjoy folks - it's a freebie!  Senor Al xxxx   

Recording Drums, Percussion - & Dealing with People Who Like to Hit Things 5 Here at The Coolest Recording Studio in London Town - we got a thing for alchemy - cause that's what music production is all about - you get a bunch of musicians - place them into an environment conducive to creativity - let 'em get the feel - then hit the Big Red Record button & listen out for the magic takes.  That's just the beginning - once you have all that recorded material edited & knocked into shape - it's funtime - & this is where Mixing begins.  However - when you're trying to construct a piece of art - it's always good to have different flavours, textures & options to experiment with - so - here's how we use distortion to capture some pretty mean, savage & beautiful drum energy. 1. Using Distortion / Overdrive Pedals Mic Preamp Distortion Place the mic facing the drumkit approx 3-6 feet away from the top of the kick drum. Run t...

  Recording Drums, Percussion - & Dealing with People Who Like to Hit Things 4  Here at The Coolest Recording Studio in London Town - we got All Kindsa flavours - old valve mic preamps for a rich & pretty tone to modern broadcast preamps that capture every whisper with clarity and definition - plus a whole plethora! of different mics - ribbons - dynamics - condensers & tube.  However - sometimes - especially when capturing drums & percussion - you need a little extra something to throw into the mix pot - & this is where compressing room mics comes in.  We use this setup to add a natural ambience to the recording - & a shedload of energy! If you don't know about compression - read about it HERE   - it is - along with eq - the most important audio shaping tool in any studio - you need to work with it ..... a lot - to understand it - we'll go into all that later - here's a pic of a regular averagely priced compressor:  For...

  Recording Drums, Percussion - & Dealing with People Who Like to Hit Things 3 Here at The Coolest Recording Studio in London Town - we cook up some sweet sweet sounds - using all kinds of interesting musicology paraphernalia. It's paramount that in a session, drums are recorded well - as it's Tres difficult to overdub a timing track - even if it's gone down to click.  So.  Think.   Are you after a close, tight drum sound (Funk, disco) - a big ambient Rock, Pop or Orchestra feel, something inbetween - like modern hard rock / metal which uses close tight mics & heavily compressed ambient mics.  Get your brain into the session & make it right. Here's the basics of overhead & Front / Back kit miking.   Overheads 1   Two pencil condenser mics above the drummers head mounted on a stereo bar - you can alter the width of the stereo image by moving the mics in & out. You can also use ribbon mics for a softer w...

  Recording Drums, Percussion - & Dealing with People Who Like to Hit Things 2 Here at The Coolest Studio in London Town - we get all types knock knock knocking at the door - little tiny people - long gangly ones, threadbare gypsies & be-suited impresarios - &  the odd werewolf.  One thing they all have in common - they come to SHStudios to sound good - & this is how we go about that particular science.   Snare Drums  The snare ...... is a drummers' signature - on the record "Burnin' Beat" you can immediatley tell who's taking a solo, as Gene Krupa & Buddy Rich are two top-of-the-game boys, who are not only phenomenal players - but also have a unique sound. Most session guys have a collection of snares for differing timbres & shades - & pre thinking a recording - begins with snare selection, as it's the one sound that will hit the listeners ear consistently throughout the recording - & from the centre of the audio...