Q: At the studio where I intern I’ve noticed something kind of interesting.
When I get to use the studio occasional at night, I let the band setup however they want in the room because I figure they should be comfortable.
However, I’ve noticed that the chief engineer is really picky where everyone is in the room when he’s tracking, especially the placement of amps and drums.
Does the placement of the instruments in the studio really affect the overall sound of the recording?
A: A very interesting question, and a good follow-up to yesterday’s question regarding the miking of guitar amplifiers. Todays answer also comes to us from multi-platinum engineer/producer Keith Olsen on recording.
As you observed being done by other engineers at your studio, always use the shape of your room to your advantage when tracking.
Here’s the idea: when recording a directional source, such as a guitar amplifier, don’t place the amp/speaker so that it is parallel or perpendicular to the room’s walls.
Rather, turn the amp at an angle to the walls so that reflections bounce around the room, rather than directly back at the amp. Likewise, angle the amp upward so that the reflections from the ceiling are directed away from the amp.
Think of a flashlight shining into a mirror; rather than have the light reflected straight back into your eyes, angle the flashlight so the light reflections bounce around the room. Trust me, you really will notice a difference.
As always, we welcome input from the PSW community and would love to know your thoughts on instrument placement. Feel free to let us know in the comments below.
For more tech tips go to Sweetwater.com
