Music Recording & Production at SHStudios

Recording Studio South London Here at The Coolest Recording Studio in South London - we get to do all kindsa fun stuff! Recording Studio Shazzle !  So ….. you’ve got the basis of your track recorded – drums, bass, guitar, keys maybe – & vocals – now it’s time to dress it up with a bit of tinsel & fairy lights! Most people these days head for the loops folder – especially in Logic as it’s easy as pie to drag & drop some pre made loop into the mix to liven it up a bit – or to cut in some flavour. However! – it’s always a good idea to question where you’re going with said track – do you really want it to sound generic & perhaps a bit boring? – Cause loops really can be a bit bland. Take Funkadelic – did they use loops? Course not – they were a powerhouse of creativity – as were all the jazz bands from time! Listen to On The Corner by Miles Davis – it’s completely nuts – out of time cowbell – clave all over the place – but Boy does it sound good! So...

Here at the Coolest Recording Space in London Town - we know All about the FX Effect - the way audio can trick & fool ya into tumbling head over heels into an audio void ..... we created !! Live tracking is all about capturing the immediate elements of a performance or song - but post production - or mixing - is how we embellish, twist, change or enhance that original recording - & time delay effects are some of the most interesting, mind bending tools at our disposal. Here's a few of our fave delay & modulation units: analog echo delay Analog echo - this one has had the time knob replaced by a volume pedal so the echo speed can be controlled by foot - keeps the hands free & adds to the nutso factor - which we like. The feedback control on this unit sends the echo back into itsself & can create insane DR. Who / BBC Radiophonic Workshop like soundscapes - this with the added bonus of the gain preamp overdriving beautifully makes it a fave ...

Here at The Coolest Recording Studio in London Town - we got a Whole Gamut - a Plethora - indeed a Bounteous selection of audio toys to bleep, blurp, click & whistle their way into whichever compostiton fancies a bit of extra shting !  Extra Toys - most definitely do not need to be expensive - but they do need to be interesting - here's a few we've used recently to embellish various musics. 1. Drum Synth   These are great - you can trigger them by either cv/gate, hitting the front face with a pencil or finger, or even better - from an audio source like a live snare or kick drum.  They are made by Rakit & are based on the electroharmonix drum synths from the 70's - which were the coolest of the bunch.  It's excellent for adding subs or modulation to a kick drum - noise to a snare - or indeed just playing along live to add odd rhythmic textures to a track.  Next up in a very odd looking thing we got from a £1.00 shop in peckham, Londo...

New Year Resolution  Play more with animated gifs - they're fun, creative - & There Are No Rules! Take some time out to let your mind wander - then some see us for a fabulous recording experience!!

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...

Recording Drums, Percussion - & Dealing with People Who Like to Hit Things 1   Here at The Coolest Recording Studio in London Town - we get a whole bunch of differing types of musicians - from rock steady session peeps - to those folks just trying to put forth their art the best way they know how. These are the folks that need a bit of groundwork - even before you start putting mics up, you need to sit 'em down - & have a little talk - be nice!  They need to know.  1. It's not a gig - there's no one to impress here - so Do Not smash the shit out of your drums - & most importantly - your cymbals! If you do - you'll lose drum tone - & badly/harshly hit cymbals will make any ambient mics or overheads useless - you're looking to capture the whole kit with All the ambient mics - session drummers know this - so play the kit in a balanced & musical way. Put some work in - get it right - don't be the weak link that lets the band...