With the massive drum sounds dialed in, Vance sets up the rest of the band and tweaks their tones to compliment each other while making some final arrangement tweaks as the band starts to cut takes.
See how Vance Powell:
Dials in the Moog Subsequent 32 bass sound
Explains how he stereoized the mono bass synth using a DI, and Amp, and two LA2A compressors
Mics up the guitar cabinet using a U67 and SM57 and explains his approach to placement
Explains why he is using his 1073 mic pres instead of the console
Troubleshoots an issue with the SM57
Adds a Neve 33609 compressor to the overheads and explains what he is looking for
Tweaks the PCM 42 delays on the synth bass
Adjusts the arrangement
This is your chance to join Nashville legend Vance Powell and The Weird Sisters at the world-famous Blackbird Studio and watch them craft "Live And I Learn" from Start To Finish.
00:00:23 We got the Ampeg B15,
my favorite bass amp in the whole world.
00:00:26 FET 47 on the upper cone here.
00:00:29 There is a brace in the middle
so you gotta be careful with that.
00:00:33 And we cranked it up a little bit.
00:00:34 Well, a lot,
from where it was earlier today.
00:00:37 We've already checked it,
we checked the level to it
but haven't checked any level yet.
00:00:41 So we're gonna do that,
we're gonna get Gaby and go from here.
00:00:44 The next thing we're gonna do
is get a little Moog bass sound.
00:00:47 So, hey Gaby!
Can you play for me a little bit?
This is the DI
Alright cool. So, a couple things.
00:03:17 One, this Moog is not in stereo.
00:03:20 But one is the DI and one is the amp.
00:03:23 And they're both hitting separate
compressors, they're not locked together.
00:03:26 So this is gonna sound
really cool in stereo
That sounds awesome.
00:03:39 Hey, can I get you and Jeff
to play together?
Alright, cool.
00:04:31 Alright guys,
let's do some electric guitar.
00:04:35 Now we're gonna set up
some mics for the electric guitar.
00:04:38 And that will require my iPhone.
00:04:41 Here we go.
00:04:43 Basically what I normally do with guitars,
the same thing with every guitar amp,
find a speaker
and place these two microphones,
the U67 and the 57
side by side.
00:04:57 So the first thing I'm
gonna do is take my iPhone,
the flashlight here
and I'm just gonna find the edge
of the speaker.
00:05:08 It looks to be about
kind of right there.
00:05:14 Kind of right there where I want.
00:05:16 I'm just gonna put my finger here now.
00:05:19 Then, I'm gonna take this 67
and we do not want the pad.
00:05:27 I'm just gonna try to get it,
without screwing this thing up,
somewhere about
maybe right there.
Now I'm gonna look here.
00:05:43 It's about right.
00:05:47 Now I'm gonna take this,
come over the top,
by the way,
I just wanna head it where it makes sense.
00:06:06 Something like that.
00:06:08 I like to get the bands,
the band here and the band here
pretty much right on top of each other.
00:06:15 And then we're gonna
close that door right there
so that's not gonna blow everybody out.
00:06:21 And we're gonna get out of here
and hear some guitars.
00:06:25 OK, cool.
00:07:39 OK, cool. Let me hear
your regular rhythm sound.
00:07:55 Cool. Are you hearing that OK?
In your headphones,
you get your knob there.
00:07:59 Yeah, I'm good on the knob.
00:08:00 OK, cool, give one second.
Let me explain one thing.
00:08:03 I added a little bit of EQ to it,
for the 57.
00:08:07 And then a little tiny bit of EQ
over on the 1073, for the 67.
00:08:12 The 67 is over on the left,
the 57 is over on the right.
00:08:15 I'm gonna let him play it, I'm gonna hard
pan this and you guys can check them out.
00:08:19 Just play a little bit for me.
00:08:34 You can obviously tell they're in phase.
00:08:42 Alright, cool. It's great.
00:08:45 Can I get all of you to sort of
play the track a little bit, together?
Yes sir.
00:08:49 You know, like,
we're gonna try it for real.
00:12:28 Hold on one second,
I'm gonna make a change.
00:12:31 Hey Lowell,
can you give me
33609
on the overheads?
Yes, let me see that.
00:12:40 Jeff, how do you feel about that tempo?
I felt I was rushing.
00:12:45 Yeah.
00:12:46 Well, that's 2 beat slower
than what we did in here.
00:12:49 It's a little too slow.
00:12:51 You guys just need to play
off each other a little better.
00:12:56 OK.
00:12:58 OK, Jeff,
just play a little bit for me, just you.
00:13:01 I just changed a drum thing.
00:13:40 So, I added a little bit of 33609
compression to the overheads
to bring the ride and
all that up a little bit
but then when he hits the crashes the
compressor kind of pulls it down a bit.
00:13:51 Just to make the drums
a little more exciting.
00:13:53 Jeff, if you wanted you could count in,
1, 2, 3, 4...
00:13:59 1.
00:14:01 Just verbally in the room.
00:14:03 That won't bother me.
00:14:07 Jeff, when we come back after the bridge,
make some eye contact with me.
00:14:13 If you want a click between...
We'll fix all that.
00:14:16 We will fix it.
00:14:20 Ready?
1, 2, 3, 4, 1.
00:15:30 Cool. Alright, we're getting there.
00:15:32 One faster.
00:15:35 Got it.
00:15:35 69.
00:15:37 It feels like it's
falling a little behind.
00:15:40 Hey Gaby.
00:15:41 Can you go to your amp
and turn a little bit of treble up?
A little is relative, so.
00:16:04 I think... Maybe a little bit more.
00:16:10 OK.
00:16:13 Let me hear that.
00:16:17 Cool.
00:16:18 On the filter,
give a little more 'zeez'.
00:16:31 Cool, alright everybody?
We should try it again.
00:16:51 Close.
00:16:53 Close.
00:16:54 Can we take just one second?
You got it.
00:16:56 We'll punch out of record
so talk amongst yourselves.
00:17:00 We're gonna take a quick moment here.
00:17:02 So Mike will close the session
and back it up real quick.
00:17:05 Because they're taking a break.
00:17:07 Hey, can you just give me
that little chorus riff there?
Alright,
I'm gonna shorten this up a little bit.
00:17:18 Because...
00:17:21 And make it bend a little more.
00:17:34 Yeah,
so the envelope is changing the time here
and they're panned left and right.
00:17:40 Really cool.
00:17:50 Alright cool, groovy.
00:17:51 So we made a couple changes.
00:17:54 We took out the bass part playing
the bridge in the second chorus
and then we're gonna just leave
the bass do the bass.
00:18:02 And then when it goes to
the bridge it goes to the bridge.
00:18:05 Because it was confusing everybody.
00:18:06 And it was confusing me,
it was kind of messy.
00:18:08 It was cool but kind of messy.
00:18:10 Let's try it. Everybody ready?
Jeff are you ready?
Alright, man. Let's do it.
00:19:08 Alright, cool.
00:19:09 So Jeff,
the thing you did with the fours in
the first half of the bridge is great.
00:19:16 But the second half
I think you can drive it.
00:19:19 Because they're doing the harmonies.
00:19:21 -You know what I mean?
-Yeah.
00:19:23 Because we don't want it to be too cute.
00:19:26 You know?
Yes ma'am.
00:19:29 We did not do a double chorus.
We did one chorus
and went into the
latter half of the bridge.
00:19:34 So...
00:19:36 You crazy kids...
00:19:38 Forgetting your choruses.
00:19:40 Does everybody get the
structure written down?
Yes.
00:19:45 It's alright,
it's getting better every time.
00:23:35 That's the arrangement.
00:23:37 How long is that?
3:45.
00:23:41 That's our arrangement,
that's the right length,
all that feels right.
00:23:45 Let me explain something here
and then we're gonna
start doing some takes
based on that framework.
00:23:51 So, here's what we're gonna do.
00:23:53 Mike. Right over there, Mike,
he's going to take
the count off
and the click that we've put down
and he's gonna move the count-off
to a track that's gonna be the count track.
00:24:07 Then we're gonna
playlist the whole session.
00:24:12 From now on this is our playlist.
00:24:15 We're gonna do tracks,
playlists over the top of it.
00:24:18 So we can get different takes.
Trying to get the best take.
00:24:21 But that was the framework.
They played it right.
00:24:24 So, we may change it later
but who knows?
But this should be what we're gonna do.
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Vance studied electrical engineering in Missouri and started his career in live sound as a front-of-house engineer. In 2002, he moved to Nashville in order to become studio manager and chief engineer at the legendary Black Bird studios in Nashville. In 2006, he co-founded Sputnik studios along with Grammy-winning engineer Mitch Dane, still in Nashville.
Vance Powell has won 6 Grammy awards working with rock artists such as The Raconteurs, Kings of Leon, Jack White, Pearl Jam, The White Stripes, The Dead Weather and more.
Powell's domain of expertise is definitely mixing and producing rock music. As shown in his pureMix videos, Vance likes to experiment and create new fuller and exciting sounds using all kinds of pedals, echos, analog outboards and plug-ins. Vance was used to recording to tape and definitely has an analog approach that makes him commit to fewer good sounding tracks rather than piling up takes in Pro Tools.
His goal is to make something new and warm that fits the band's vision with upfront snare drums and powerful guitars. Rocking.
