aa - week one - session planning + management

Burn the Priest are an American metal band who got together in around 1990 but never really hit it big until they added a second guitarist and changed their name to Lamb of God with the released of “New American Gospel” in 2000.

.members instrumentation gear and approaches.

Chris Adler - Drums
-plays an extensive Mapex kit.
-is left handed but plays hats with his right hand.
-two kick drums (double kick).
-hi-hat x2, splash x3, crash x5, china-boy x3, ride.



Mark Morton – Guitar
-almost always with heavy distortion.
-plays a Gibson Les Paul with Mesa rig.
-uses a Crybaby wah pedal.

Will Adler – Guitar
-almost always with heavy distortion as well.
-plays a ESP Willer Alder Signature guitar with a Mesa head and Framus cabs.

John Campbell - Bass
-plays a Jackson with a Mesa rig.
-plays with a pick.

Randy Blythe – Vocals
-no melodic content.
-screams in a couple of different ways.

-the guitarists use drop-D tuning.

.recording order.

With a thick guitar-rich sound like Lamb of Gods’, I would use a lot of overdubbing. To begin with though I would get the whole band playing together in a space, so to then create a ‘sketch recording’ of the song/s. In this time hopefully I would get pretty clear understanding of song structure, aesthetic, lyrics, meaning and that sort of thing. Over the original sketch, I would most likely order the recording overdubs from most rhythmic to melodic, with vocals last because they do not compliment the other musicians and can be dumped over the top afterwards quite easily. So, the order: Drums, Bass, Guitars then Vocals.

.tracking assignments and microphone selection.


.instrument layout.

Ignoring the fact that I have used 20 channels, in EMU I would probably begin by being in the same space as the band during the initial sketch recording by using studio five. Then I would overdub the drums in EMU space from studio one, and I would probably close all the curtains and put up a few soundboards around the kit. This is due to the very live sound in EMU space, a sound which I think might be too reverberant for the many rapid percussive hits of Adler’s playing. Next I would record the bass, then guitars from the dead room to studio one. Lastly I would try out Bruce Bartlett’s idea of “over-dubbing in the control room” for recording the vocals. Blythe’s technique of screaming finds some of its best moments during Lamb of God live performances, because he feeds of the enthusiasm of others. Being in the same room as him would inspire the best recording.

.recording.

"The musicians will catch their flubbed notes during playback; you just listen for audio quality." (Bartlett, 2006)
A very good point, the fact is most producers are most likely to instrumental musicians as well. In previous recordings I have done, I'm guilty of listening to too much of the playing technique than the audio quality.


.sources.

Bartlett, Bruce. 2006. “Session Procedures” at http://www.tape.com/Bartlett_Articles/session_procedures.html (accessed 27.2.07)

Grice, David. 27.2.07. “Session Planning & Management.” Lecture presented in EMU space, 5th Floor, Schulz Building, University of Adelaide.

Haines, Christian. “Electronic Music Unit – Microphones” at http://www.emu.adelaide.edu.au/resources/guides/hardware/microphones.html (accessed 27.2.07)

"Sacrament" (Bonus DVD) 2006, Lamb of God, Sony, video DVD, ASIN: B000GRTQUM.