Mic Shootout - Results

ok ok i've got people on my facebook and in the blog comments wanting to know the answers in the mic shootout. according to google analytics the spike i get when i post a blog lasts about 3 days so i would be doing myself and my blog a disservice if i didn't wait...haha, well, that and i wanted to keep you all in suspense.

Mic A was the expensive mic, the u67 through a neve pre and a blue stripe 1176.

Mic B was the cheaper Rode NT2 through a vintech x81 and a distressor.

first of all, i gotta give props to two people who picked it exactly - my old buddy from college Stephen Hudson from www.TheBusyBoxStudio.com. he owns both mics and knows them well because he was able to tell them apart.

the other guy is @nathantbass who not only picked it, but felt confident enough to actually post his name and not post anonymously. he got it right. the high end gives it away. more about that later...

for those of you who picked incorrectly, don't feel bad. i actually agree with you that Mic B (the cheap one) actually sounds better. i would have picked the same thing. if the majority of people agree that it sounds better, isn't that what counts? i'm just amazed that the cheap mic even stands up to the expensive one. don't get me wrong - if i get rich i'll definitely have some for my mic collection, but unless you're buying old tube mics as an investment strategy, why pay more??

back to the mic differences - as nathan pointed out, the top end gives it away. newer mics seem to have more top end which usually translates to it sounding "clearer". although the u67 has a richer mid range without sounding nasally.

another thing to consider is that you gotta find the right tool for the right job. i have in my possession a borrowed Blue Baby Bottle mic. on most voices it doesn't sound great, but one week i recorded a rock band and did a quick test to see which sounded best. the guy has an interesting and different sound to his voice and the baby bottle actually sounded the best. so for me to say that one mic is absolutely superior to another is just not true. i've got another mic that i would consider too bright for most uses, except on things like acoustic guitar where i tend to add a little on the top end. it really depends on the application and how that mic compliments what you are recording.

but the lesson remains that more expensive doesn't necessarily mean something is better.

Mic Shootout - Expensive vs. Cheap

here's an interesting experiment for all the techie guys out there reading. and actually, even if you aren't technically minded you might find this interesting. below i've posted two links. both are short clips of my wife, @superchicktrish singing. One mic is an $8,000 vintage Neumann u67 ran through a vintage Neve 8068 console mic pre and then compressed with a blue stripe 1176 - the blue stripe is thought by many people to be the best vocal compressor there is. chris lord alge, the top mix guy in the US, says he uses it on almost all lead vocals.

and for those who have no idea what i'm talking about, here are some pictures:

Neumann u67

Neve 8068 Concole

UA 1176 Blue Stripe

the other mic is a $200 rode NT2 run through a Vintech x81 (a modern copy of the Neve 1081) and an Empirical Labs Distressor (which claims to emulate classic compressors). and here's the accompanying pictures:

Rode NT2

Vintech x81

Empirical Labs Distressor

i've mixed them up and labelled one Mic A and the other Mic B. listen to both and post a comment with what you think is the expensive mic and which one is the cheap mic. to vote, just leave a comment telling which one you think is which.

Mic A

Mic B

here's a hint

today i had some good luck. i scored some last minute tickets from my favorite sister in law @mel___issa for the Jimmy Eat World show here in nashville. @adamagee was there and let me tell you it was pure bliss. whenever i go to one of their shows i turn into a 12 year old kid who's at his first concert singing along with every word. get this - i even bought a t-shirt. i NEVER buy merch. what the heck is wrong with me?

i was thinking to myself during the shows - what is so special about them? and really, the answer is absolutely nothing. that's right. nothing. there is nothing spectacular about this band - except for the songs. they're not incredibly good looking. they're good players, but they're not virtuosos. they don't have any sort of gimmick to their live show. their light show was cool, but it certainly wasn't what made the show. they're not really funny. but their show is incredibly entertaining because of the songs. ever been to a show where halfway through you start looking at your phone to see what time it was? ya, most shows i go to are like that. what about when a show ends and you feel like it just started?? how often does that happen?

now here's the thing - i've been going to LOTS of shows since i was a kid. and for the last few years i've played plenty of shows in front of thousands of people. after a while it's easy to get jaded. truly original ideas are very rarely conceived nowadays. everybody is copying someone else. there's always been a distinction between bands that are successful and bands that are successful and are respected by other musicians. for instance, you won't find other musicians going to a justin bieber concert, but you'd definitely find them at a muse concert. but even at a muse concert, they're complimenting the crazy light show and how good a guitar player Matt Belhamy is. Jimmy Eat World has none of that, but tonight i saw i whole crowd singing at the top of their lungs and dancing around and truly having fun. why? it's all about the songs. they've always been known for great songs. you like them on first listen, but over time they become so ingrained that they're a part of your life.

this got me thinking that with so many bands trying to get noticed, they reinforce the rule that it's all about the song.

to all you guys and girls in bands out there trying to make it, think about this:

is nobody coming to your shows? write better songs.

are you having trouble selling your CDs to people other than your friends? write better songs.

having trouble getting labels to notice you? write better songs.

are you frustrated because it's always somebody else's band that's getting popular? write better songs!!

(i'm not trying to trash indie bands, i truly want to help)

if you're beating your head against the wall trying to get ahead and get noticed, i'm giving you the answer to all your frustrations - write better songs. don't worry about passing out fliers. don't take out huge loans to buy a tour van and trailer. don't buy tons of merch to sell. i've seen it happen with tons of bands. when an artist has great songs, everything gets easier and starts to fall into place.

it's kinda like this guy

it's kinda like fishing. when i go fishing, for the first hour it seems like i'm fumbling around with tons of variables to figure out what magic combination of bait, lure, hook size and technique will resonate with the fish. i try different hooks. different lures. and it seems like as soon as i find the right combination, it's like a light switch has been flipped and i'm pulling them in left and right. the same is true for your band - except you don't need to fumble around in the dark looking for the right lure. i'm telling you - write better songs!!

sit down one day and figure out how much time in a month you spend doing anything related to your band - practicing, playing shows, putting up fliers, etc. Now take that amount. double it, and that's how much time you should spending writing, refining and re-writing your songs. if you successfully do that, it won't matter if you aren't pretty or if you're not an amazing player or if you can't put on a crazy light show. a person's connection with a great song will forever be far more entertaining than any light show, physical attributes or any other gimmick.

patience

i want to let you all know that i had a great opening line for this blog, but at the exact moment that it popped into my head, my 16 pound boston terrier just farted right next to me and the by the time i was done wafting the smell away, my genius opening was long gone.

ok, now that the potty humor is out of the way, it's on to more important things.

i'm very pumped because today the Now Hear This Vol. 6 compilation CD was released and on it is a track from my wife's worship record that i've been producing for the last few months. the song is called "Lean" and we wrote it with @sarahhart. sarah was just nominated for a grammy for writing the amy grant song "Better Than A Hallelujah" (watch your feet, i'm dropping names). anyway, we first started talking with the label about this project almost exactly a year ago. it's hard to work on something day after day and progress only inches every day in what seems like a 26.2 mile marathon. i've never been a patient person. i fidget a lot and find it hard to sit still. doctors said i had ADD as a kid and i even had to take ritalin. who knows whether i actually had it or not. i could have just as easily been an energetic kid who didn't want to pay attention in class. all that to say patience isn't my strong suit. i remember a few years ago asking god for patience, and even though i have far to go, he's been using my own ambitions for recording to teach me.

why do records take so long? well, first come the meetings with the label. multiple meetings to get approval for the record, choose producer and work out budget. then the hardest part starts. the writing. the first demo we worked on was in december of 2009. we wrote off and on until september of 2010. we went through about 50 rough ideas, used those ideas and wrote 15 songs in co-writing sessions. we also had over 100 songs pitched to us from different publishing companies. the recording has only taken a few months. then there's mixing, mastering and a few months of lead time to properly market and promote the CD. and finally we arrive at the release date of June 7, 2011. about a year and a half after we first conceived the idea.

when i was a kid my dad and i would build model rockets. the process was agonizing because even though we could assemble it in a few minutes, when we painted it, we'd have to wait a WHOLE DAY for it to dry. i wanted to launch the rocket NOW. my dad once bought me a model car to put together. i didn't even finish it. now, years later, i understand that it's more about enjoying the process and not only looking for the satisfaction of finishing. but i'm definitely satisfied with how this project is turning out.

nothing worth doing is ever easy.

tear gas and molotov cocktails

hey everybody. it's been a while since i've written. i've gotten your angry comments and messages, and judging by the ferocity i knew i should write something soon or suffer the ire of my legions of followers. and by legions of followers i mean mom and dad. so here's what's on my mind.

egypt. yup. get ready for a real snooze fest. i've got an opinionated and fire-breathing political rant all ready to go. if you just rolled your eyes because you were expecting another commentary on disney movies or pop culture, then tough luck. you'll have to wait at least a few days until i succumb to the will of the masses and post about the plot inconsistencies in Indiana Jones...but i digress...

lots of people in egypt are pissed off. they're rioting and protesting in favor of ousting their "president"...and by president i mean the guy who has held dictatorial powers for the last 30 years. sounds like democracy to me, right? but my point isn't about whether regime change is a good thing or a bad thing. the single thing that nobody seems to be talking about is the fact that these events are bringing to light an issue that hasn't really been on the table for discussion in years - America's interventionist foreign policy.

i'll break it down for you. current egyptian government is a strong ally of the US.....you could even call it a puppet government. they do what we say in exchange for billions in aid every year. the people however, are protesting and rallying for freedom and democracy and basic rights. when egypt does it, the world celebrates. when people in the US do it, they denounce the tea party. but that's a whole diferent issue. anyway, this is a good thing...except it's pretty obvious that the new government that will probably take over will be the Muslim Brotherhood, a jihadist and extremist fundamental muslim theocracy. wow that's a lot of big words. for good 'ol US of A we're between a rock and a hard place.

pictured below: The United States of America

political irony was never so cute. anyway, if we support democracy and regime change, we're losing a strong ally in a volatile region. not only that, but the likely candidate for a new regime will probably make egypt yet another thorn in our oil-loving side. but if we support the egyptian government then we're going against everything that is American.

this exposes the hypocrisy of the whole situation. WHY DO WE HAVE ANY SAY IN HOW ANOTHER SOVEREIGN NATION CHOOSES THEIR LEADERS?? a.k.a. why is it any of our business???

i know i know...because freedom isn't free and these colors don't run and the terrorists hate american apple pie and all that. give me a chance to explain. time for a history lesson.

in 8th grade history many of you might have studied president James Monroe. he was known for implementing what was known as the Monroe doctrine. this was a complete policy change for the US in how they dealt with foreign nations. i'll simplify it for you. it basically says we won't mess with other countries if they don't mess with us. at the time it was more of a statement against imperialism and further colonization of the western hemisphere, but over time it's main meaning was that we as a country minded our own business.

after WWII the public denounced the Monroe Doctrine. they called the US "isolationist" and conjured up images of people with their head stuck in the sand refusing to acknowledge Hitler's aggressive actions that led up to the war. a more fitting word would be non-interventionist. the passage of time is revealing that the bigger cause of WWII was our treatment of post WWI Germany and the ramifications of the Treaty of Versailles that created the conditions that made Germany susceptible to Hitler's rise.

i write all that to say that since then, we've felt the need to "protect our interests" overseas whether that means secretly supporting rebels in a foreign civil war, installing puppet governments or military "police actions". and since that time we are presented with case after case of how our meddling in other countries' affairs, however well-intentioned they were, bring about unexpected consequences that nobody could have seen.

have any of you seen Charlie Wilson's War? it's a true story about how in the early 80's the US secretly funded and armed the Taliban while they were fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan because the cold war was all the rage back then. that was before 9/11 when terrorism became the new fear instead of invasion from the godless communists. anyway, some of those same weapons that we GAVE the taliban are being used against us. if we would have known that the USSR would crumble a few years later would we have funneled billions into a guerrilla force that would eventually turn against us?

"i did not realize that would happen...oh well, not my problem. i'm dead."

what's that?? you want another example?? welllll, ok, here's another. IRAN. everybody hates iran. we're collectively crapping our pants at the thought of them getting a nuclear weapon because hey, they might commit some sort of nuclear suicide bombing. get real. only the pawns do the suicide bombings. the ones at the top love their power and wealth. Achmadinejad, at the top of his throne is the least likely to martyr himself and his whole country.

anyway, what few people remember is that in 1953 the CIA carried out a plan and ousted the democratically elected leader in favor of the Shah of Iran. we liked him because he supported israel and also because we had oil interests in the country. well, that lasted for a while, but in 1979 the people revolted against the puppet government and now we have the Iran we know today.

the point is, even though we may have good intentions, we can never predict how that will negatively affect us in the future. it's happening again in egypt right now. for 30 years we've had our puppet leader doing what we say. all that breeds is anti-american sentiment and the eventual takeover of the most fundamentalist muslim gov't. the most invigorating motivation for muslim radicalization is the US meddling in their affairs. terrorism is a horrible thing and i am in no way saying that we asked for 9/11, but at the same time they do have a bit of a reason to not like us. the CIA even coined the term "Blowback" to mean the unintended consequences of US interventionism.

i'm not sure how this is gonna turn out, but i'm hoping we can resist the urge to find a way to install another puppet leader. EVERYONE is soooo scared of the middle east, but everybody seems to forget that as soon as they either A. run out of oil or B. we stop using oil, they become completely irrelevant again. overnight they will go from being a culture of oil sheiks with lots of oil money that doesn't value human life or human rights to a culture of goat herders that has no money and doesn't value human life or human rights. just like how we didn't realize the USSR would collapse a few years later, can't we find a way to mind our own business and spend our time and money figuring out a way around oil or if that doesn't work, just wait until theirs runs out. terrorist actions cost money. lots of money. more than you think. the 9/11 hijackers didn't just have to buy plane tickets and box cutters. passports, months and years of living expenses in the US. training camps, etc. where does that money ultimately come from?? OIL.

and think about this - the whole rallying cry behind citizens wanting to cut spending in government is this: We have to live on a budget, why shouldn't they?? well, i should ask the same question concerning foreign policy. we're expected to mind our own business unless someone threatens us. why shouldn't the government do the same?

Things I've Learned This Week

1. The Law of St. Nick: the strand of christmas tree lights that are the hardest to reach are the ones most likely to go out prematurely

2. if you ever try to re-create KFC's 11 herbs and spices original recipe fried chicken, it's gonna take a LOT of experimentation before you get anything that doesn't taste horrible. i learned this the hard way.

3. lately i've been realizing how in the grand scheme of recording, vocals account for about 85% of whether or not it's considered a good recording. for any singer, some days are just not good days to sing. when that happens, instead of getting frustrated and having them do a million takes (which makes their voice even worse), it's better to just work another day.

4. if your tires work out great and last 30,000 miles longer than they were supposed to, you can be sure the company that makes those tires will discontinue them so as not to make that mistake again.

5. frying a turkey is definitely the way to go. ok, technically that's not recently. i learned that a few weeks ago at thanksgiving, but seriously, do yourself a favor and skip the oven. no more dried out white meat.

6. Edy's grape and lime fruit juice popsicles dominate all other frozen treats. if you disagree, Edy herself will punch you in the face.

7. Preparation pays off. Here's a story for you: about 5 years ago it snowed in nashville around christmas. but nobody here sells sleds. so you know what i did? i asked for a sled for christmas from my family in illinois. they were confused, but nevertheless they obliged me and bought me a plastic sled. that sled has stayed in my basement since then. BUT THEN it snowed 4 or 5 inches on sunday. my day of reckoning had arrived. my new place has a big hill in the back. @davidmolnar came over with his snowboard and we were 12 years old again. THE END.

8. the biggest enemy of my productivity is angry birds

9. I am the Lord of Catan

10. watched the new narnia movie. SPOILER ALERT - the lion is jesus

11. Last Christmas is the best Christmas song ever written. there. i said it. thank you george michael.

12. the new my chemical romance record is awesome.

13. @davidmolnar is the best backup swayer i've ever known.

that's all for now!

nick

Bass

the english language is very weird. take the word "bass". because you are reading this, you have no idea if i'm talking about the fish, or the instrument. while i do enjoy bass fishing, let's talk about the instrument - and more specifically, this guy:

this is my buddy Nathan Thomas. he loves his cat, he loves Prince and he absolutely loves jimmy eat world. the last part is a big reason me and nathan are friends. in addition to being an original member of Cartel, he's played for Avril Lavigne, Shedaisy, Jeremy Camp, Krystal Meyers, Britt Nicole, and Day of Fire to name a few.

we share the same dark sense of humor. he told me a great story the other day where he was hired to play a one-off show for a fairly well known christian rock singer. the music director came to meet up with him to go over the songs the day before the show. when they started to play the first song, nathan proceeded to play the song in its entirety in all slap bass - with a straight face the whole time. he watched the guy's face sink and could practically read his mind as he probably thought "crap, how the heck am i going to find another bass player so quickly." the music director artfully downplayed the atrocity he had just witnessed and proceeded with a very nice "well, maybe we should try something different..." before nathan's face exploded in laughter and let him in on the joke.

anyway, nathan is awesome, and that's why i hired him to play bass on Tricia's solo worship record. he's a great player - he's the type of guy who usually gets what i'm trying to do without even having to tell him. with most songs i usually record a couple of takes without one word of direction and we end up keeping a lot elements of those takes. i'm a fan of melodic, moving bass lines in the style of paul mccartney. some think the bass should be simple and foundational - which there is truth to, but some tasteful movement in the right spots really excites the song.

anyway, he's the lowdown on the gear we used.

here are the main 3 basses we used. from left to right you'll see an Epiphone Jack Casady 2006 strung with flat wounds, a Fender P Bass 2002 with S-1 switching and a Fender Jazz bass 2005. jazz basses are my favorite so i think we ended up using that one the most. but the other two really found their places.

we also used an upright bass for one song.

here's what we had for pedals.

as you can see, he has a lot of aguilar pedals. i'm a fan of the agro pedal. it's got a certain low mid punch that sounds nasty when you hear just the bass but it makes it sit perfectly in the mix. that red pedal up on the top right is a custom fuzz/gate pedal that nathan and his buddy made. the best way i can explain is that it's similar to a fuzz factory pedal except for bass. here's the list of pedals:

Boss TU-2

Aguilar TLC compressor

Aguilar Agro

Aguilar Tone Hammer

Aguilar Octamizer

Home-made "top secret" fuzz/synth

Electro Harmonix Holy Stain

Tech 21 Sans Amp

we ran a clean direct line straight out of the tone hammer and then a "dirty" line at the end of the effect chain. no amp. that scares me a little. i usually like to have a mic'd up amp but this turned out really well.

one of the lines was run into a Vintech x81 and then a tiny bit of compression from a Distressor and the other line went through an Avalon 737 with a touch of compression and no EQ.

if you'd like to follow nathan thomas on twitter, his twitter name is @nathantbass

if you'd like to follow Tricia on twitter, her twitter name is @superchicktrish