See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/324820675

Advanced Production Techniques for Synth Pop

Technical Report · December 2016

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.29971.58401

CITATIONS READS
0 709

1 author:

Josef Tot
Staffordshire University
4 PUBLICATIONS   0 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Multitrack Mixing: An Investigation into Music Mixing Practices View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Josef Tot on 28 April 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Date: 14th December, 2016
Assignment: Critical Technical Essay
Module: Advanced Recording Techniques
Lecturer: Paul Hodson
Student: Josef Tot
ID: 15025232
 Table of Contents

Introduction 2

Pre Production 2

Recording Process 3

Editing & Mixing Approach 6

Reflection & Conclusion 7

Appendix 8

References 14

1
Introduction
This paper aims to report on techniques and technicalities discovered during the recording, editing and
mix of a synth pop track. It will do so by exploring issues encountered and explain methodologies used to
mitigate them. Furthermore it will investigate reasons and choice of equipment used, as well as examine
research into various techniques used by recording and mix engineers relevant to the production aims.

Pre Production
The choice of equipment was informed by technical and perceptual evaluation to comply with the artistic
goals or “vision” of the produced stereo track. In other words in order to identify the right equipment,
naturally it was necessary to understand the goal of the production and its artistic aims first. The best way
to describe the goal was to apply and translate “sonic aesthetics” terminology into the recording, as it
would speed up the process. Frequency terminology was lent from research provided by recording and
mix engineers such as Bobby Owsinski and Roey Izhaki.

The musical piece is best described as synth pop with contemporary dance elements. It features 5 drum
and 3 harmonic instruments, each recorded at varying playing styles, which then were blended with
contemporary pop and dance elements within a DAW. The concept and pre production were undertaken
“in the box” for conceptualisation & preparation purposes, as a result saving time in the recording
process. Goal was to achieve a wide, pumpy, competitive, yet dynamic overall sound. Among other
keywords - regarding frequency response terminology, the track was set out to achieve ambience, and
rather being “mellow” and “crunchy” than having a too “bright” sound, overall focusing on low to high
mids primarily, however not “drowning” or completely disregarding high frequencies. Terminology as to
the sonic aesthetics within a frequency domain was primarily derived from mix engineers literature such
as Bobby Owsinski and Roey Izhaki.

2
Recording Process
Overall aim when recording was to avoid room tone and reflections as much as possible, keeping the
recordings “dry” as a relatively “large” amount of reverb and delay were set out to be added later on in
the mixdown, conforming to the track being “ambient”. As the tracks would be added and further
processing such as compression applied, in theory it would have emphasised the room tone, hence made it
audible with the additional reverb, which was not desirable. As a result relatively close miking was
preferred in this situation, placing the microphones around ~7 inches from the sound source, further
narrowing choice down to dynamic microphones due to higher SPL. Additionally In terms of room
reflections, the absorption panels were opened, minimizing high frequency reflections. This technique
was derived from producer/engineer Mitch Gallagher who in terms of close miking states: ​“You get a
very dry sound with no room influence or ambience, making it easy to EQ. This way, you can choose to
add whatever reverb or delay you want later” ​(Gallagher, 2011).

Notably the recording was done an instrument at a time. The guide track was prepared beforehand and
then played back through the headphones in the live room until the artist felt confident to play the parts.
Recording one instrument at a time also allowed to place the microphones in a more convenient manner
and further avoid “spill” from other instruments, resulting in a “cleaner” sound.

Initial dynamic microphones considered for the recording aims on the guitar & synth were: Audix i5,
Sennheiser 609, 606 & MD421. The frequency response of considered microphones were approximately
in the desired pick up area ranging from ~ 40 Hz to 15 & 18 kHz. However, as to complying with the
relatively extreme close miking, the MD421 was favoured over its contenders, as it offered a low
frequency roll-off, ultimately aiding in the mitigation of the proximity effect while allowing to mik’ close
and reducing the room tone at the same time.

The fender stratocaster, amplified through the Marshall TSL601 was recorded with the MD421 and
mentioned close miking, with enabled low frequency roll-off labeled as “S” on the microphone. The
on-axis positioning for the intro and bridge of the song were pointed at the cone side, whereas for the
chorus, positioning focused on cone center, lending contrast from “less to more” presence of the overall
tonal character. This technique was derived from Bobby Owsinski explaining it as follows: ​“Place the
mic about three quarters of the way between the edge of the speaker and the voice coil (away from the

3
voice coil); then move it toward the voice coil for more high end or move it toward the edge of the
speaker for more body” ​(Owsinski, 2014).

The Roland D50 Linear Synthesizer was recorded in similar fashion as the stratocaster. Instead of DI’ing
the synth, it was reamped through the Marshall amplifier. This technique was derived from Mike Senior’s
literature, quoting Bruce Swedien: “Electric guitars are by no means the only instruments you might
consider reamping. “When I was recording with Michael [Jackson] and Quincy [Jones],” remarks Bruce
Swedien, 72 “what I did was pick a really good room and record the synths through amps and speakers.…
The direct sound output of a synthesizer is very uninteresting, but this can make the sonic image
fascinating” (Senior, 2015). Notably this technique is also adopted by Producer/Engineer Gareth Jones,
who produced for Depeche Mode (Buskin, 2007).

When recording the kick drum, aim was to capture the beater, inside and front skin separately to add more
control during the mixdown, allowing to adjust the “thump” and “click” of the beater during busy sections
of the track, as to making it “cut” through the mix when needed. The AKG D112 was placed inside the
kick drum to capture more low end or “bottom”. However, Instead of pointing it directly to on center, the
microphone was positioned off-center pointing toward the drum edge to capture more low frequencies as
seen in a youtube video by Audio-Technica USA ​Basic Drum Miking: The Kick Drum ​(2013). The kick
beater was recorded with the U87 ai as naturally it was aim to capture the the overall tone, but more
importantly the “definition” and “click” at ~10 kHz, which then later in the mixdown could be adjusted
further. The front skin was recorded with the MD421 up close to about ~17 inches. The technique for the
kick to “cut” through a mix is widely adopted among mixing engineers, however in this case it was
applied in terms of recording, additionally allowing to automate or parallel compress the beater separately
when needed (Recordingrevolution, 2011).

The snare was recorded with two microphones, top and bottom, with the SM57 on top and the MD421 on
the bottom. The SM57 was placed at a 3 inch midway position capturing the direct sound, whereas the
MD421 was placed relatively far ~ 1 metre pointing at the snare drum side & wire, to capture the rattle
and “overall” tone, which later on would be blended in the mixdown. Opinions about miking top and
bottom of the snare vary widely, however the technique is adopted among several engineers such as: John
Astley, Joe Barresi, Dave Eringa, Chris Thomas and Alan Winstanley (Senior, 2008).

4
Lastly the bass amp and cymbals were recorded in a very simple manner. The bass, amplified through the
Laney amp, was recorded with the D112 ~14 inch center cone and hat, ride & crash with the U87ai placed
at ~1 meter distance.

Overall phase correlation was maintained by the 3:1 rule. However in case a certain sound was achieved
and its characteristics complemented the production aims, yet there was audible phase, then the phase
switch was applied on the console and microphones adjusted to mitigate the artifact. Additionally phase
correlation errors were further fine tuned within the DAW by zooming in on waveforms and adjusting
timing on track timelines along with the pop and dance sample layers, which differed in their phase.

The recording itself was done using the SSL AWS 900 SE console, which according to audio
measurement tests offered a relatively flat frequency response and minimal THD & IMD. The test was
undertaken using audiomatica clio audio measurement kit on the SSL Modular Mynx “SuperAnalogue”
EQ series XLR I/O. Results indicated minimal amount of ~0.020 - ~0.060% THD at 12 Hz, ~0.001%
THD at 105 Hz and ~0.001% THD at 9996 Hz at 10 dBV. The frequency response was nearly flat, with
only “extremely minimal” rise at frequencies under ~40 Hz and drop above ~20 kHz.

Compared to the console specifications of the Audient 8024 with ~0.005% THD + N at 1 kHz XLR I/O,
the SSL AWS 900 SE offers (If minimal) less “coloration” of the signal, ultimately being more
“transparent”.

Level transfer in the SSL was undertaken at relatively loud signals around -9 dBFS with thought being
rather “turning it down” later as opposed to the other way around, mitigating noise (if minimal).
Considering the low harmonic distortion of the desk, neither did it impact the tonal character of overall
recorded material.

Processing such as EQ and Compression were left out during recording, as the sound sources were
adjusted within the live room. Because the instruments were recorded one by one, it made it possible to
fine tune surrounding artifacts for that matter. Snare ringing initially occurred due to loose wire, which
could not be fixed through tightening it, however could be fixed on the spot with a cloth and trial and
error, finding a “right” sound. Further resonance occurred on toms whenever hitting either snare or kick,
which was mitigated by simply removing them. Furthermore sounds for the guitar and synth were
adjusted on the Marshall to fit the songs character, reducing the need for further EQing on the desk.

5
As recording was completed, the final takes were imported into the pre produced synth pop session for
further edits and blending. Drum placement initially was set out to be less rigid to maintain “humanized”
groove, however because of the nature of the synth pop genre, it was still necessary to time align recorded
takes to the grid, which was done within Ableton Live’s warp function, set at “complex pro” algorithm to
maintain pitch and quality relationship. Drum replacement was done in form of blending the original kick
and snare with mentioned pop and dance samples. Same principle applied to harmonic instruments such
as the synth bell sound.

Editing & Mixing Approach

During the Mix applied processing was set out to achieve “ambience” and a “washed out” sound
primarily through filtering and the relatively heavy use of reverb & delay. However to maintain “punch”
& dynamics, most of the tracks were sidechain compressed after reverb processing, to lend the track a
“pumping” effect. A modern mixing technique was lent for these purposes, which requires a muted “ghost
kick” track, to which desired instruments are side chained, hence the contemporary “pumping” effect.
This technique is widely adopted among several contemporary producers such as “Daft Punk”, “Modjo”,
“David Guetta” etc. (Price, 2008). The reverb processing was done in the box, using ableton’s stock
reverb units, usually at a decay of around 6 seconds, with EQ after reverb to add more control over
frequency content, as well as mentioned compression units after reverb sidechained to the 4x4 “ghost
kick”, then threshold dialled in to fit the sonic aesthetics, in terms of the pumping effect. Further EQing
after reverb is widely adopted by many producers, in this case following a term coined by Bobby
Owsinski, namely “Abbey Road Reverb” technique, creating a passband around 600 Hz to 10 kHz
(Owsinski, 2010).

Overall goal was also to create as much of a “clean” sound and controlled sound as possible, without
“needless” frequency content masking any instruments. As a result aggressive EQing was used to filter
low frequency content or “spill”, even if not directly audible, yet visible through metering, with steep roll
offs (-48) when high/low passing. Same was undertaken for problematic frequencies as well as
frequencies above 20 kHz. Arguably this method introduces phase distortion, as the chosen EQ’s were
minimum phase filters or IIR filters set at steep values, however the tradeoff is minimal since it results in

6
an overall cleaner sound and more headroom as “unnecessary” frequencies are eliminated (dspguru,
2015). Arguably processing units such as compressors process only the necessary signal in the first place.

Spatial processing was done by traditional means, keeping low end content preferably mono and
harmonics such as bells, synth plucks stereo. Pseudo stereo effect was chosen for the synth plucks,
creating a wider sound. This was done conveniently using waves plugins doubler effect instead of double
tracking, as a result saving track counts as well. The doubler actually quadrupled the original signal and
created slight pitch and time deviations to create the classic double tracking effect, or also referred to as
haas effect. Furthermore the mono signal within the plugin was brought back to lend more focus on the
side signals, at the same time creating more focus on instruments that are placed mono, such as critical
rhythmic instruments (e.g. kick, snare etc.).

Reflection & Conclusion

Overall set out production aims were met, however more critical technical investigation before recording
sessions would have lent a better estimation in terms of approaches and techniques to use. While
comparisons for microphones show data sheets of manufacturers, in reality they might deviate as to
exposed conditions (age, tear & wear). Same principle applies to technical investigation into consoles to
use. While the SSL AWS 900 SE and Audient ASP 8024 were compared, an investigation into other
consoles available might have resulted in “better” sounding overall recorded material. Nevertheless the
SSL’s “minimal to no” THD and frequency response values did allow to attain a “clean” enough sound
for the purposes of creating dance infused synth pop.

7
Appendix

8
9
10
 (Audient Limited, 2016)

(Audix Corporation, 2016)

11
(Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co KG, 2016)

(Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co KG, 2016)

(Georg Neumann GmbH, 2016)

12
(Compiled by Tot, 2016)

13
References

Owsinski, B. (2014). The Mixing Engineer's Handbook. 3rd Ed. Boston, MA:
Cengage Learning.

Izhaki, R. (2008). Mixing Audio - Concepts, Practices and Tools. 2nd Ed. Burlington,
MA: Focal Press.

Strong, J. (2012). Home Recording for Musicians For Dummies. 4th Ed. Hoboken,
NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

White, P., Robjohns, H. & Lockwood, D. (2013). The Studio SOS Book: Solutions
and Techniques for the Project Recording Studio. Abingdon, Oxon: Focal Press.

Anon (2011). The Cut Through Kick Trick - TheRecordingRevolution.com. [Online

Video]. 27 September 2011. Available from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-pr8lFaVFk. [Accessed: 12 December 2016].

Anon (2013). Basic Drum Miking: The Kick Drum. [Online Video]. 5 December
2013. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOHduVBqGeM.
[Accessed: 10 December 2016].

Buskin, R. (2007). CLASSIC TRACKS: Depeche Mode 'People Are People'.

[Online]. February 2007. CLASSIC TRACKS: Depeche Mode 'People Are People' |
Sound On Sound. Available from:
http://www.soundonsound.com/people/classic-tracks-depeche-mode-people-are-peopl
e. [Accessed: 11 December 2016].

Corporation, A. (2016). ASP8024 Heritage Edition. [Online]. 2016. Audient.

Available from: https://d9w4fhj63j193.cloudfront.net/ASP8024/1.
Manuals/ASP8024-HE Manual v1.3.pdf. [Accessed: 14 December 2016].

Anon (2016). E 609 SILVER. [Online]. 2016. Sennheiser. Available from:

https://en-us.sennheiser.com/guitar-microphone-studio-live-e-609-silver. [Accessed:
14 December 2016].

Anon (2016). FIR Filter Properties. [Online]. 2016. Available from:

http://dspguru.com/dsp/faqs/fir/properties. [Accessed: 14 December 2016].

14
View publication stats

Gallagher, M. (2011). Going The Distance: Using Both Close and Room Mics.
[Online]. 19 April 2011. premierguitar. Available from:
http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Going_The_Distance_Using_Both_Close_and
_Room_Mics. [Accessed: 10 December 2016].

Anon (2016). MD 421 II. [Online]. 2016. Available from:

http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/global-downloads/file/2405/MD_421_II_GB.pdf.
[Accessed: 14 December 2016].

Price, S. (2008). Side-chain Compression In Reason. [Online]. September 2008.

Sound on Sound. Available from:
http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/side-chain-compression-reason​.

Senior, M. (2008). Kick & Snare Recording Techniques. [Online]. June 2008. Sound
On Sound. Available from:
http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/kick-snare-recording-techniques.
[Accessed: 13 December 2016].

Anon (n.d.). Sennheiser e606 Instructions For Use Manual: Polar Diagram;
Frequency Response Curve. [Online]. Available from:
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/922274/Sennheiser-E606.html?page=11.
[Accessed: 14 December 2016].

USA, A. (2016). I5 Dynamic Instrument Microphone. [Online]. 2016. Available

from: http://www.audixusa.com/docs_12/specs_pdf/i5_v3_0516.pdf. [Accessed: 14
December 2016].

15