One week ago, we talked about the guitar recording for the "Unique" song that is planned to be the second track of the EP project. The keys have a central role within the song's arrangement because they are used to broaden the stereo width and to act as a tapestry of sound. By accident, we got German jazz pianist Andreas Theobald (Jugendjazzorchester NRW besides other band projects) involved in the project who then arranged a few layers of different key instruments and sounds to take the project to the next level. Find out how we recorded the different key instruments for "Unique" in the following paragraphs.
Technical Details
One of the song's key elements and also the one that is meant to be the basis for all other keys is the Hammond SK-2 organ in combination with a Leslie 760 speaker. We used two small-diaphragm condenser microphones in a 90-degrees-angle to capture the horn adequately. Using the 90 degrees angle ensures that one mic is exactly on-axis while the other one is off-axis to the horn. The woofer of the Leslie speaker was microphoned with a large-diaphragm condenser. A pop filter placed in front of the large-diaphragm condenser helped to reduce noise caused by the spinning rotor.
Another sound layer was performed with a Clavia Nord Electro 5 HP emulating a Fender Rhodes electric piano. To get a more saturated and vintage-like sound, we plugged its output into a Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb combo guitar amp that was also microphoned with a combination of a large-diaphragm condenser and a dynamic microphone. As a backup, we also captured the MIDI signals coming out of the Clavia Nord Electro 5 HP.
As the third and last keys instrument, the Moog Subsequent 37 was used to add a sound layer in the busier song parts such as the chorus. The Moog was recorded by using its Line Out that directly went into our audio interface. The signals went into a Universal Audio Apollo Twin and Focusrite Clarett 4Pre audio interface.
Used Equipment
| CATEGORY | GEAR |
|---|---|
| Interface/Preamp 1 | Universal Audio Apollo Twin |
| Interface/Preamp 2 | Focusrite Clarett 4Pre |
| Organ | Hammond SK-2 |
| Leslie Speaker | Hammond Leslie 760 |
| Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphone Pair (Horn) | Neumann KM184 |
| Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone (Woofer & Amp) | Townsend Labs Sphere L22 |
| E-Piano/Fender Rhodes | Clavia Nord Electro 5 HP |
| Dynamic Microphone (Amp) | Sennheiser MD421-II |
| Guitar Amp | Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb |
| Bass Synth | Moog Subsequent 37 |
| Instrument Cables | Sommer Cable Tricone MK II |
What Is Next?
We will start the songwriting in terms of vocal melody and lyrics very soon. Additionally, we will see if we want to add more instruments or if we are already happy with the created sound.
