Masterclass with George Massenburg on different topics related to recording a band - In The Studio with George Massenburg: In the Control Room, Part 1

Published on 01/29/2012 by Los Teignos, last updated on 02/20/2015

After a tour around the studio, George Massenburg takes us into the control room to share with us some of his choices and habits at work. And it's fascinating!

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What are the pros and cons of recording a whole band live instead of instrument by instrument… and are there any phase problems? Want to know how to control dynamics while recording without using a compressor? Should you use reverbs or the actual ambiance of the room? The renown sound engineer gives us his take on all these topics in the video below.

And once again, 1,000 thanks to George Massenburg for his kindness and to French distributor Juke Box Limited who made these studio reports possible.

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Comments on this article (2)

Mike Stangroom

New AFfiliate

Posted on 02/15/2014 at 11:52:28
I listened to George's comments and found it interesting however, not having access to the equipment George has at his finger tips, I subscribe to the adage that if it sounds good, it is good. Last August I recorded a band that I was a member of in the late 70s and early 80s using a Tascam neo 2488. I di'd the guitars, lead rhythm and bass, from each individual amp and positioned two Rode NT1A mics over the drums. The vocal mics, three of them, were Shure PG48s run through a Behringer XENYX 2442 mixer which were output through the mixers direct out and from there to the Tascam inputs and the main out from the xenyx was routed to a PA so we could all hear what we were doing with regard to the three part harmonies. I mixed the whole lot some three days later and added compression to the whole mix at the mastering stage and came out with a sound that has met with very favourable comments.

Sometimes I think we can get really bogged down with all of the gadgets and gismos at our finger tips. I subscribe to the old saying, Keep It Simple. What is important is the sound of the band/artist, not of the technology at our finger tips.

Mike Stangroom
Dinosaur and Luddite!
Mike Levine

Site Admin

Posted on 02/17/2014 at 07:34:24
Mike, I think your point is well taken that the most important thing is the talent of the band and the artist. The adage "garbage in, garbage out," (and it's corollary, "good quality in, good quality out") is definitely a huge factor in music production. That said, using the best quality gear we can, and using it skillfully, can take a great song and performance to an even higher level. Yes, we don't want to get bogged down in the technology, but we do want to use it to our advantage.

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Arnaud Cueff(Los Teignos)

Article author

Although I played classical guitar and harmonica as a child, I did most of my musical and audio training as a self-taught artist. After studying Lettres Modernes, I worked for the specialized press and then the web, both in the field of musical instruments and video games (hence my pseudonym). I came aboard the Audiofanzine boat in 2004 as editor-in-chief, a position I left a few years later to Grégoire Nachbauer (Red Led), while keeping one foot in the editorial game, writing the weekly editorial sent out via the site's weekly newsletter, and producing tests, features and video content on my favorite subjects.

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