When the folks at When Steel Talks (WST) asked me to do something on pan and pan recording productions, I said ‘why not, sure.’ Of course, later, the brain kicked in and asked my mouth “who told you to agree to this without thinking it through?” Mouth responded - “I did my job, now, you do yours.” So here we are. I have decided (after consulting with my brain this time) to approach this in two parts - first recordings and productions by soloists, and then the recordings of steelbands and orchestras. These two situations are radically different.
The human ear is an astounding and marvelous machine. Its ability to discern even the most minute changes is amazing. Now I said the “ear” has this ability. I never said “everyone’s ear” is necessarily conscious of these changes. But subconsciously - everyone has it working overtime. Remember that.
I guess everyone has a different opinion on what is “good” or doesn’t work for them, and that’s cool. However, there are some things that most humans will agree to from a sonic perspective. Let’s call them things that make you go “yuk” or “I can’t listen to that.”
Different engineers and producers have different approaches and philosophies as to how to record the steelpan instrument. Most of their philosophies and practices are radically different to the approach we use at Basement. Their methods are not necessarily wrong or bad - just different in their understanding of what they are trying to achieve. Our philosophy at Basement is one that takes advantage of the power of the human ear - not necessarily the equipment.
From a production standpoint we believe the listener must be part of the experience - sometimes this means being part of the band. We don’t believe in or subscribe to, the “fix it in the mix” mentality; “EQ” is a two-letter curse word that should be avoided wherever and whenever possible. And moreover, we don’t believe in trying to create what you didn’t capture or have in the first place. Of course, mathematically speaking, there can be circumstances that might force compromises in these Basement postulates (Never, LOL!)
A firm understanding of the three-dimensional spatial canvass (maybe four if you count things you can feel but can’t hear) that you are painting on, is a must. Left, right and center thinking is woefully inadequate. Front, back, top, bottom, middle, baseline, sideline, slanted, floor, ceiling, around the corner - are terms a competent audio engineer or producer thinks in terms of and must take into consideration. And, yes, this is also true for a simple two-track mix. Instead of reaching for the volume faders and EQ knobs like they were salt and pepper, exploiting the human ears’ acute ability to sense depth perception, time delay and harmonics within the audio spectrum, is far more of a healthy methodology toward delivering a clean and uncluttered product, where everything is heard or felt, without nonsensical use of the allotted dynamic range allowed by your equipment - just because you have it, or because you can - which ultimately leads to fatigued ears and unpleasant grimaces on the face of the listening human.
click for full story and audio samples
Footprints - Garvin Blake - Belle Eau Road Blues
Pump Me Up - Liam Teague - Teague and Tappin
Song for Jujee - Gary Gibson - Counter Melodies
Punch - Andy Narell - Smooth Africa, Vol. 2
tarn - BIMA - TAPAS
Pan in 'A' Minor - Garvin Blake - Belle Eau Road Blues
Pan On The Move - Reid, Wright and be Happy
Mango Island - Ralph MacDonald - Trippin'
On a Vibe - Ken Greene - Dancers in a Dream
Dish Boy - Jonathan Scales - Plot/Scheme
Stardust - Robert Greenidge - From The Heart
Just Talkin' - Jonathan Scales - Plot/Scheme
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Amazingly well said !!!!! Even an Article in a major Jazz publication did not provide as much great info.
I have recorded a single tenor pan with a very simple stereo mic' set up ( one inch Diaphargm ORTF config ) . As you said the Steel pan's musical signature is very complex with many harmonic overtones to every note.
My Recording environment was a 20' by 30' room with no acoustic treatment , not a " proper studio " as the room functions as a home gym / Table tennis / work shop etc.
However as it is the basement of Canadian home three of the four walls are insulated from floor to ceiling.
I found that placement of the pan within the room was critical ,but once we found the "Sweet spot " the pan and the recording sounded great!!!!!!
Adding artifical enhancement to such a complex instrument is not only unnecessary but untrue.
A very interesting topic. I am also trying to capture the sound of the Pan. In a Home Studio setting.
One problem I face, is the decay time between notes and I am working with my tuner on that.
Basement spoke briefly on microphones witch to me, is the second most important thing when recording Pan. Quality of Instrument is first.
I am interested to know what kind of mic/s basement use in their recordings. Dynamic,Condenser,Tube,Large/Small Diaphragm.
Any Thoughts
nick
Basement > Nicholas D MohanMarch 5, 2009 at 7:39am
Hi Nicholas;
I could give you a list of microphones, but that would mean nothing. Why don't you give me the class of instrument within the pan family, the environment (outside, inside, wood floor, dirt, walls, etc.) and performance circumstances (live recording, broadcast, studio, ipod etc.)and final destination of product.
Basement,
This is from a personal standpoint base on my current projects.
1. Class of instrument within the pan family.A small band.Tenor, D Second, D Guitar, Cello, Base Drums and Precussion. Performance circumstances, live recording.The environment Mid size auditorium with a wood stage 4-5' of the ground. Final destination of product, Audio CD for retail distrubition.
2. This is a jazz quartet with Tenor or D second, Acoustic Bass. Piano/Keys, Drums. Playing live in a room 40x25x15 wood floor. For demos/Audio CD.
Hope this helps
Nick
Basement > Nicholas D MohanMarch 6, 2009 at 11:20am
Hi Nicholas
Thanks for the info. There are a few more things that I would like to know, but this is a good start. I'm going to make the assumption that this is your standard school auditorium with a good deal of reflection. I'm also assuming that the situation is just for recoding and not a live performance in front of an audience.
In this case I will go for a close micing. You can use a combination of dynamic and condenser microphones. I could get more specific - but would need to have known the skill set of your players and performance nuances. Equally as important as understanding the recording environment and instruments, is knowing the ability of the players.
Your setup of the instruments is critical because there is going to be some leakage. Leakage is not a bad thing as it relates to live steelband recordings. I would recommend that you initially place the tenor and double seconds in the front next to each other (facing front), then turn to playing position/angles of 45 degrees left and right, respectively. Place the guitar and cello behind the tenor and second but on their respective wings. Drop the bass behind the cello and guitar - creating an arrow-like effect.
The percussion can go behind the bass if you don't plan on recording them directly.
Now - given the set up what I've described above, this is what I might do.
The tenor: I use something like an AKG C409 - it’s a condenser microphone - it's ideal for the tenor in this kind of situation. It has a quick response and handles quirks of the tenor marvelously. Here's some homework for you. Go find some information on the C409 and tell me why you think it works so well on the tenor.
On the seconds I would use something like an MD421 Sennheiser. Of course there are other mics I use depending on the player and/or maker (e.g. Betrand ‘Birch’ Kelman vs Roland Harrigin vs Ellie Mannette) of the instrument.
On the guitar pan I would use something like a CAD 412 depending on what the arranger has the player doing. They have warmth, and will still be able to handle large sound pressures. The key here is that the diaphragm of the mic has got to be able to breathe.
On the bass I'll use my old reliable D12 - They don't make them anymore but you can find them on eBay. Of course there is a replacement/updated version, but it's not the same.
I won't recommend anything for percussion - need more detail from you, and exactly what types – i.e. what’s in your ‘engine room.’
Last - all of this means nothing if you don't know where to place the microphones. Remember placement is an audio mission, not visual. Place the mics where it makes audio sense based on the ability of the mics, their recoding patterns (based on what you've experienced, not the manufacturers diagrams or notes) and the sonic ‘sweet spots’ for the steelpan instruments. Use your ears, not your eyes, at all times.
Very good insight Basement. I will get back to you with my findings.
Nick
lady raygun > Nicholas D MohanMarch 5, 2009 at 4:00am
I totally agree - having the best quality instruments is an essential starting point for any recording. We ended up using a single mike placed about a foot above the pan - I'm not sure exactly what type of mike it was - but I know it was extremely expensive. I wanted the resulting recordings to sound how I hear the pan, which of corse is not necessarily the same as what an audience would hear.
I agree with the sentiment here. In my latest CD "Priestess Of Pan" I tried to get my sound engineer/co-producer to produce the sound closest to what I hear in my head. However, adding "processes" (EQ etc) seemed to take the sound of the pan further away from the original. We settled on an uncompressed sound with passed through a classical hall acoustic, with very little else in terms of processing. As I was multi-tracking many pan parts this helped to overcome the lack of sympathetic ring which occurs when sets of pans are played together, and we ended up with the clean yet warm sound evident in the final product. Please feel free to listen to extracts on http://www.myspace.com/rachelhayward and let me know what you think (bear in mind that the mp3s will not be as high quality as the CD tracks)
Replies
I have recorded a single tenor pan with a very simple stereo mic' set up ( one inch Diaphargm ORTF config ) . As you said the Steel pan's musical signature is very complex with many harmonic overtones to every note.
My Recording environment was a 20' by 30' room with no acoustic treatment , not a " proper studio " as the room functions as a home gym / Table tennis / work shop etc.
However as it is the basement of Canadian home three of the four walls are insulated from floor to ceiling.
I found that placement of the pan within the room was critical ,but once we found the "Sweet spot " the pan and the recording sounded great!!!!!!
Adding artifical enhancement to such a complex instrument is not only unnecessary but untrue.
Richard
One problem I face, is the decay time between notes and I am working with my tuner on that.
Basement spoke briefly on microphones witch to me, is the second most important thing when recording Pan. Quality of Instrument is first.
I am interested to know what kind of mic/s basement use in their recordings. Dynamic,Condenser,Tube,Large/Small Diaphragm.
Any Thoughts
nick
I could give you a list of microphones, but that would mean nothing. Why don't you give me the class of instrument within the pan family, the environment (outside, inside, wood floor, dirt, walls, etc.) and performance circumstances (live recording, broadcast, studio, ipod etc.)and final destination of product.
This is from a personal standpoint base on my current projects.
1. Class of instrument within the pan family.A small band.Tenor, D Second, D Guitar, Cello, Base Drums and Precussion. Performance circumstances, live recording.The environment Mid size auditorium with a wood stage 4-5' of the ground. Final destination of product, Audio CD for retail distrubition.
2. This is a jazz quartet with Tenor or D second, Acoustic Bass. Piano/Keys, Drums. Playing live in a room 40x25x15 wood floor. For demos/Audio CD.
Hope this helps
Nick
Thanks for the info. There are a few more things that I would like to know, but this is a good start. I'm going to make the assumption that this is your standard school auditorium with a good deal of reflection. I'm also assuming that the situation is just for recoding and not a live performance in front of an audience.
In this case I will go for a close micing. You can use a combination of dynamic and condenser microphones. I could get more specific - but would need to have known the skill set of your players and performance nuances. Equally as important as understanding the recording environment and instruments, is knowing the ability of the players.
Your setup of the instruments is critical because there is going to be some leakage. Leakage is not a bad thing as it relates to live steelband recordings. I would recommend that you initially place the tenor and double seconds in the front next to each other (facing front), then turn to playing position/angles of 45 degrees left and right, respectively. Place the guitar and cello behind the tenor and second but on their respective wings. Drop the bass behind the cello and guitar - creating an arrow-like effect.
The percussion can go behind the bass if you don't plan on recording them directly.
Now - given the set up what I've described above, this is what I might do.
The tenor: I use something like an AKG C409 - it’s a condenser microphone - it's ideal for the tenor in this kind of situation. It has a quick response and handles quirks of the tenor marvelously. Here's some homework for you. Go find some information on the C409 and tell me why you think it works so well on the tenor.
On the seconds I would use something like an MD421 Sennheiser. Of course there are other mics I use depending on the player and/or maker (e.g. Betrand ‘Birch’ Kelman vs Roland Harrigin vs Ellie Mannette) of the instrument.
On the guitar pan I would use something like a CAD 412 depending on what the arranger has the player doing. They have warmth, and will still be able to handle large sound pressures. The key here is that the diaphragm of the mic has got to be able to breathe.
On the bass I'll use my old reliable D12 - They don't make them anymore but you can find them on eBay. Of course there is a replacement/updated version, but it's not the same.
I won't recommend anything for percussion - need more detail from you, and exactly what types – i.e. what’s in your ‘engine room.’
Last - all of this means nothing if you don't know where to place the microphones. Remember placement is an audio mission, not visual. Place the mics where it makes audio sense based on the ability of the mics, their recoding patterns (based on what you've experienced, not the manufacturers diagrams or notes) and the sonic ‘sweet spots’ for the steelpan instruments. Use your ears, not your eyes, at all times.
This should be useful.
Basement
Nick