$127.00 USD

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How to Expertly Record a Singer-songwriter

This course will conquer these issues:

  • Vocal bleed in the acoustic mic causes the vocal to sound funny.
  • The acoustic guitar sounds thin and you are not sure how to fix it
  • Your recordings sound amateur as if they were recorded in a bedroom.
  • It is hard to know where the mics should be placed to get a "Pro" result.
  • You are stuck using the acoustic guitar's pickup and those always sound terrible in a mix!
  • You do not know how to plan recording sessions to have zero wasted time.
  • You are unsure how to record so that other musicians (Or studios) can layer additional parts.

It is deceptively challenging to record a vocal and acoustic guitar at the same time. Whether you are a singer-songwriter that records your own songs, or an owner of a studio, I made this course so that you can easily make fantastic sounding recordings of singer-songwriters.

Why is it so challenging?

  • Placing two microphones so close together always creates problems. It will never sound good unless you follow a plan and understand how to listen for issues.
  • Many of the issues listed above cannot be fixed during mixing. You have to get it right on recording day.
  • All voices and acoustic guitars sound different. There is no "Paint by number" for recording a singer-songwriter.

What you will learn in this course:

  • My No-fail Approach to recording a singer-songwriter with two microphones
    • Learn my technique that sounds great and mixes easily, 100% of the time.
  • Single mic techniques for acoustic
    • Economical, and sounds fantastic
  • Two mic techniques for acoustic.
    • Learn how to avoid mistakes so the tracks can mix easily
  • How to acoustically treat and modify a room to get a "Pro" quality sound
    • Your room matters, and we use the Single Mic Technique to hear problems and treat them.
  • Learn how to adapt by knowing what to listen for and how to fix problems.
    • Every acoustic guitar is different. You have to know how to listen and then adapt.
  • My 4 Vocal EQ Points technique
    • EQ will always be a compromise.
    • If you use my 4 Vocal EQ Points, your mixes will always translate better than using EQ.
  • My unpublished approach to recording acoustic guitar: "Tone and Punch".
    • Tone: My 5 Point EQ for acoustic guitar - Purely through mic placement
    • Punch: Natural compression and tone blending for placing the acoustic guitar in a mix
  • How to use a sm58 for professional quality results
    • Learn how a 30 second modification, and a windscreen can be a game changer in the sound.
    • Learn how to place the microphone using my 4 Vocal EQ Points technique

  • Learn how to add a professional touch to recordings made with a sm58 (Vocal) and a DI acoustic guitar.
    • Live recordings and lo-fi home recordings do not have to sound bad.
  • Upright piano recording with vocals
    • Learn how I place the mics, and how I avoid recording the piano
    • My top 3 mic positions for piano
    • How to properly pair microphones on the soundboard with the microphones on the front
  • A complete mixing tutorial to address difficult issues that are present with the two mic recordings.
    • Learn ways to check for issues, and make adjustments
    • Compression for vocal and acoustic guitar
    • EQ in the context of the two mic configuration
    • Ambient effects using plug ins

What is Needed?

  • Two microphones
  • Two microphone inputs
  • A musician

What Kind of Gear will Be Used in the Course?

  • The course uses microphones that are all $700 and below.
  • I also filmed most of the course in my control room, which is not an acoustically designed room, but closely resembles many bedrooms and small studios. The ceiling is 7 ft (2.1 Meters) high, and the room is 15 feet (4.5 Meters) wide.
  • Everything in the course is relatable. No big mixing consoles or crazy expensive mics.
  • Everything I do here at my studio can be done in your studio too.

What is in the course?

  • 12 core lessons with multiple videos in each (39 Videos Total)
  • Total video time of the core lessons is 3 hours and 1 minute
  • 2 bonus units (23 bonus lessons and hours of bonus video)
  • Text articles
  • Listening examples
  • Direct email support from me with custom step-by-step instructions
  • Immediate access to all the course materials
  • Video downloads of core lessons are available

Core Lessons:

  • Lesson 1: The First Questions to Ask Before Any Recording Session (5:32)
  • Lesson 2: The Single Mic Recording Set Up (2 Parts: 8:26, and 7:01)
  • Lesson 3: The Typical Setup - Two Cardioid Mics (10:47)
  • Lesson 4: Two Figure-8 Microphones (Three Parts: 7:04, 7:11, 7:54)
  • Lesson 5: When and How to Use the DI (7:22)
  • Lesson 6: Lo-fi Set-up - A sm58 and DI Signal (7:22)
  • Lesson 7: Creating a Reverb Chamber for Improving DI Acoustic Guitar (Two Parts: 19:13, 3:39)
  • Lesson 8: Basic Approach to Recording Piano with Vocals (4:35)
  • Lesson 9: Recording with Other Musicians in the Room (5:35)
  • Lesson 10: Recording the Acoustic Guitar on it's Own (10:44)
  • Lesson 11: Recording the Vocal on it's Own (12:50)
  • Lesson 12: Creating a Basic Mix (28:24)

Bonus Lessons: Acoustic Treatment

  • The Room is Apart of the Sound (6:07)
  • What Makes a Great Recording Room? (5:57)
  • Ceiling Treatment (6:57)
  • First Reflections (5:25)
  • Second Reflections (2:12)
  • Bass Traps - How Important are They? (5:05)
  • Do You Have to Treat Both Surfaces? (3:12)
  • Diffusion (5:32)
  • Intro to Control Room Treatment (6:53)
  • A Closer Look at my Standard Sound Panel (6:49)
  • How to Make Absorption Panels More Effective (2:42)

Bonus Lessons - Engineering Foundations

  • How to Develop Your Ears (8:09)
  • Why Do People Want to Record with YOU? (4:29)
  • It Is Never About the Gear (8:28)
  • Understand What Happens to Pitches at High Volume (5:26)
  • Being Unique in Your Field (4:23)
  • Are Headphones Good to Mix With? (4:23)
  • How to Know When Your Ears are Being Tricked (4:14)
  • The Middle-Frequency Range is King (7:01)
  • Using Reference Mixes (7:12)
  • Low Volume = Good Recordings (3:52)
  • Cool Trick for Knowing if the Vocals are Too Loud (4:11)

Bonus - Step-by-step email support directly from me (Ryan)

  • Something sound a little off and you can't figure out why?
  • Just email me a short audio file, and I'll give you a custom step-by-step process on how to improve.

Access:

  • You get immediate access to all the videos. Total video time is 3 Hours, 1 Minute. (03:01:00)
  • You never expire or go out of date. You have this course for life.
  • Download the core lessons

30 Day Money Back Guarantee

  • I want you to be completely happy with the course and coaching. If you are not happy for any reason, just email me within the first 30 days from your purchase and I'll refund 100% of the purchase price for this course.
  • No risk. The only thing you risk is not getting the course, and allowing unsure microphone technique to hold you back the sound of your singer-songwriter recordings.

Price shown below is in USD (United States Dollars)