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Pro Studio
Edition e-Newsletter
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| Greg
Goldman on Effects |
 Pro
Studio Edition recently spent some time with Greg Goldman, whose credits
include engineering work with the Rolling Stones, the BoDeans, Melissa
Etheridge, Bruce Springsteen, and the up-and-coming group From Good
Homes (FGH). He shares his expert tips on effects use, advice on finding
a good-sounding recording room, and perspective on the mix engineer's
role in doing whatever "serves the song best." |
How
do you approach using reverb and delay in the studio?
Records are pretty dry and sort of natural sounding right now, so
I try to use both reverb and delay to create a sense of space and
size for the overall track and to give some separation between the
instruments, rather than just putting a lot of reverb on something.
As for reverb, I try to use programs with natural sounding spaces
like halls or live chambers. Sometimes I'll use a plate if there
is a good one available, but I try to keep everything sounding natural
so the instruments stay really present and don't get washed out
in the reverb. I try to use room mics as much as possible to create
a sense of natural space.
For recording, how do you select a room where you can create natural
ambience and not have to add it later?
Wherever it is, whether we're recording in a barn or in somebody's
house or in a studio, I try to get a live sounding room that sounds
good. You can walk into a room and just sort of know if it feels good.
You're looking for a place where everybody feels comfortable -
a room that typically has sort of a natural warmth where everybody
can hear everybody else. In a place that's real bouncy and not
good acoustically, the musicians are going to have a hard time hearing
each other, but if you find a place where they're comfortable playing,
it's going to sound pretty good for recording. We just finished
up an album recorded in a barn for FGH, and it has that great, woody
sound.
Any specific examples of delay uses you can
share?
Generally I like to use delays to create a sense of space. But sometimes
I build a mix around a delay sound to get something creative going.
On the new FGH album there is a song called "Cold Mountain,"
and when I was mixing it, I put a delay on the vocal and it gave the
track kind of a rolling movement, which gave it some momentum. So
once I put the delay on the vocal, then the rest of the mix started
coming together and the whole track started moving in a certain way
that was really good, really exciting. Another mix where the vocal
delay really worked was on a song called "Count On Me," on the
BoDeans' Blend, where we used this old-fashioned sounding vocal
slap sound that influenced the direction of the mix.
How about reverb?
In order for reverb to really make a big impact on a mix it has to
be an open sounding track - so there's room for the ambience.
Because if you start putting reverb on a busy track things get washed
out and lose their impact. There's another BoDeans song called
"All I Ever Wanted," which is more of a ballad, and it really
lent itself to the use of reverb. We used a live chamber, which is
a room in which you set up microphones and send the signal out to.
The sound reverberates around the room and is very natural sounding.
You can create a great deal of size by using a chamber or reverbs
effectively on tracks that aren't too busy.
Any closing thoughts?
There's a lot of experimentation that goes into trying to create
the right space in a mix. I think that's what it all boils down
to - finding the appropriate space for any given song. With delays,
I find it helps to get it in time with the tempo of the track. It
helps even if you're using reverb. Just put the reverb pre-delay
(or initial delay) in time with the track. Remember, do whatever serves
the song and the track the best. I never want to draw attention to
what I'm doing as the mixer, I want people to react by saying,
"Wow, what a great song," or "What a great performance."
Feel free to try anything, whether it's putting a delay on the
snare drum or on the whole kit, even if it seems kind of wild. Because
ultimately, whatever I do has to be geared to how the song ends up
feeling to the listener. There really is no right or wrong. |
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