Percussion is the last ingredient in tracking Alroight Bab. It’s simple, yet painfully difficult. It’s the part of the arrangement that nobody will miss… unless it’s not there!
Percussion: rig run down
- ASUS Chromebook Flip C100PA
- Samson Studio GT monitors
- Beyerdynamic DT-100 headphones
- SE Electronics 2200a
- Unbranded XLR cable
- Chicken Shake egg shaker
- Unbranded star-shaped tambourine
- Unbranded frog thing
Preparation
There wasn’t actually too much preparation for this. It’s the same setup as recording vocals, but without the pop shield.
Based on past difficulties with BandLab, and being more aware of its limitations, I bounced down the tracks I previously recorded. As a result, I had more bandwidth to play with, reducing the chance of loading issues.
Let’s do this!
Recording
There certainly isn’t anything fancy about mic placement in recording percussion: simply put the 2200a on a stand; shake things in front of it.
I mean, obviously you have to create a track and create a level. In that respect, I found the tambourine very loud.
Also, I lowered the level of the bounced track so I could focus on the sound of the percussion.
No more than having a go-to way to recording electric guitars, I also have a go-to way for percussion: egg shaker on verses and tambourine on choruses. However, on this occasion I also included a frog.
Because the song is about my time in Birmingham, I explicitly wanted a part of the music to refer to that. This little froggy can be bought anywhere in the world, however, I got it at Birmingham’s annual Christmas German market.
Conclusion
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Here’s what it sounds like…
When we look at this next, it’ll be to finish it!
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