So it was overdub week. This is where we recorded Callum Smith on the electric guitar, Sean Doyle on the piano and Abigail Blake on an electronic harp. I was in charge of Callum’s microphone placement and the guitar amplifier. I placed a Sure SM57 slightly off the cone of the amplifier and about an inch from the grill of the amp. I believe this produces a smooth recording and reduces any chances for the microphone to clip or distort. I also placed a AKG 414 a couple of metres from the amplifier in a omnidirectional polar pattern, this pics up an ambient recording of the guitar and also a natural re verb. We used a DI box for Sean’s piano which sends a clean smooth signal to the mixer. We placed the harp in the dead room and used a DI signal and a AKG 414 set to cardioid directly at the range of notes Abigail was playing. There were some patching issues with the DI box which lead to a weak signal but was sorted in quick succession.
We only needed to record the harp in one place of the song so we recorded that first. As it is a fast piece for the harp, it took a few attempts for Abigail to record it but the final recording sounded great.
Then we decided to record Callums guitar solos. For about ten minutes before the recording we had to experiment with the sound of the guitar alongside the track to make sure the sound fitted. In the end we decided to go for a retro 70’s pop guitar, with a little bit of distortion. Of few takes of that and the solo sounded pretty decent.
The piano was to be played throughout the song and it only took one take for Sean which showed that he had been practising. A few chords were played a bit too loud but it was nothing that we couldn’t reduce in our mixes. We also decided to record a string setting on the piano to accompany the harp and actually proved very well.
This overdub session proved vital to our track as I believe it polished it off. The quality of the recording sounds great pre mix and I think it is a great product to mix and master.