Favourite mics on kick, snare and toms?
Audio Technica ATM25 for kick in; SM57 snare top, Sennheiser 441 snare bottom; SM57, MD421 or Heil PR30 for rack toms, MD421, ATM25 or AKG D112 for floor tom depending on size/tuning.
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What are the main lenses you are using at the moment?
I use the 50/1.2 more or less exclusively
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Roop Rai
Compared to when you were starting out, is your mixing approach now a lot more complicated? Or has going through a period of trying to process things a lot taught you how to achieve better results with fewer moves?
My mixes are a lot simpler than they were when I started out. It's a cliché but getting the tones you want at the source will negate the need for any mix "tricks" or excessive processing.
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Robert Percy
Tom Sheppard
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What do you use for monitoring when playing live?
I use ACS T1 Live! moulded in-ear monitors with a Sennheiser wireless pack.
Do you make a conscious effort to stay involved on music boards and forums?
I'll often browse them if I'm bored but I don't find them as enjoyable as I once did.
what bass distortion pedal would you recommend for a dude playing in a progressive metal band?
Darkglass Electronics B7K, without doubt
Any particular albums that you think have stellar production?
Steely Dan's 'Aja', Karnivool's 'Sound Awake', Alice in Chains' 'Black Gives Way to Blue', Gojira's 'Way of all Flesh'
What would be the best mic you recommend for recording guitars? Specifically a Marshall JCM800 or VOX AC30.
Such an open-ended question depending on what you want, but it's hard to wrong with an SM57.
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Joseph Forest
what do you do if your tone lacks that "grit"?
Experiment with setup, as well as different string brands and gauges, but ultimately if your instrument doesn't have that sound it might be worth looking into trying a different bass.
Do your individual tracks in your sessions clip, but the master doesn't, or do you keep everything really low? I'm not trying to have the loudest recordings, but even with a limiter I feel like my mixes are sounding quiet and weak.
My loudest channels peak around -12dB. Gain staging is really important to achieving great results, but in any situation the 2bus limiter shouldn't be a crutch to make your mixes sound good.
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Alex Doyle
Nolly have u ever thought abou visiting Portugal? Food is amazing and people are kind and warm. There are lots of beautiful places to visit such as Sintra, which is in the outskirts of Lisbon (the capital). (btw i'm portuguese ehe) Nolly you're a sick musician and producer! kind regards! ;)
We played Lisbon on the Dream Theater tour, and I really liked the place a lot. I'd love to come back and visit properly some day.
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Alex
Hey Nolly, my LTD MH-250 is in pretty dire need of a refretting and overall setup. Who would you recommend in the Bristol area (Hell, I'll head to the Bath area if it's worth it)?
Go to Waghorn Guitars on Queen's Square, tell them I sent you!
Hey nolly! can you give me any tip for recording toms and floor toms? I only got shure sm57 for this :/
The SM57 is one of my favourite mics on rack toms, and will be serviceable on a floor tom too though you may have to boost the low end substantially afterwards to get the required power. I like to mic toms similarly to a snare - just over the rim, two or three finger-widths up, pointing at the centre of the head
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Jango Fett
Mya
Exzor Latiegue
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Ya Boi K-Pax!
Hey Nolly, I understand you're a producer. So quick question: What are some tips and advice for people who want to self-produce their music? Any beginner gear to start with? And is the saying, "Better gear equals better sound" true?
Starting with the last part, I don't believe that is true - there is plenty of affordable gear that can yield excellent results in the hands of someone that knows what they are doing, and on the flipside really expensive gear in the hands of a novice doesn't guarantee any kind of decent outcome. Truly great recordings tend to be a product of experienced people using appropriate equipment regardless of its cost.
As far as tips and advice goes, to me the most important thing is to concentrate on the quality of the performances and source tones. It sounds obvious, but ultimately capturing a great performance is the goal so don't let that get overshadowed by other factors. Bear in mind that how things sound in their raw state is crucial, when it comes to mixing you want to be as close to the desired sound as possible already; it's a cliché but try to minimise the amount of "fixing in the mix" you have to do.
Finally, practice! You will learn something new (in fact, often many things) with every session you do.
As far as tips and advice goes, to me the most important thing is to concentrate on the quality of the performances and source tones. It sounds obvious, but ultimately capturing a great performance is the goal so don't let that get overshadowed by other factors. Bear in mind that how things sound in their raw state is crucial, when it comes to mixing you want to be as close to the desired sound as possible already; it's a cliché but try to minimise the amount of "fixing in the mix" you have to do.
Finally, practice! You will learn something new (in fact, often many things) with every session you do.
When recording, do you just DI the Darkglass or what do you use? also what is your favorite mic or mic combination when micing a cab?
I take the wet and dry outputs from the B7K and route them through separate preamps so I can process them independently. I usually compress the DI track with a Distressor in parallel on the way in, so I'm capturing audio on three tracks when I record (distorted, DI and compressed). When mic'ing bass cabs I like to use an MD421 or ATM25 in conjunction with a large-diaphragm condenser. A Sub-kick can be really good for capturing extreme low end too.
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Yaresh-Bartholomeus Soekhlal
thoughts on logic Pro X?
It looks great, I can't go without certain 32-bit plugins for now but I can see myself upgrading to X in the future.
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Am I Insane?
Nolly! got a question about touring. i am getting my Dingwall ABXXX 5 Stringer tomorrow and i was wondering about being mobile as possible while keeping the bass safe on tour. I am going on tour on september ( Germany-Slovakia-Czech Republic-Poland ). It is my first tour and i am not sure what to do
Congrats! Honestly, I've not found a way of protecting touring instruments from getting wear and tear, but I take comfort in the fact that the instruments are being used as intended, and a fine bass like that will be more than up to the rigours of the road.
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Joseph Forest
How do you get those sounds from the B7K? I have one but find it's really bright and harsh, not at all like the fatter tones you seem to get from it.
I use "raw" mode most of the time, EQ knobs around midday but I boost the "low mids" a little bit (it's actually centred at 1kHz, so not exactly low). I'll often cut some high end after the pedal but that grit is key to cutting through so don't get rid of too much of it. The main thing is to listen to it in the mix, that's where you'll realise the brilliance of that pedal.
Have you ever thought about visiting Japan?
I visited once when I was much younger and I would love to return someday soon. I love Japanese culture and the cuisine (sushi is my favourite food by a long way).
Hey Nolly. I just picked up a Dingwall Combustion 5 string and am absolutely loving it so far. I was just wondering if you use the stock pickups or something different?
Awesome! I use the stock pickups, they sound great to me.
What does it take to make a career out of music?
A lot of luck, ability, extreme dedication and the understanding that the music industry doesn't owe you anything at all.
An easy question for you I suppose, how do you go about mixing bass and guitar together? Since the new tesseract release I think it's about time I improved
The guitars and bass should gel very well before any mixing has taken place. If they don't, you need to rework your source tones or you'll struggle to get the results you're after.
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Alex Doyle
Elijah Carman
Hey Nols, got a bit of an important decision to make. My band is in the process of recording, and I need to get a new five string. I'm stuck between the Combustion and the Fender Deluxe V J bass. I'd have to wait for the Dingwall to deliver, but could go to GC right now and grab the Fender. What do?
Obviously I'm biased on this particular question, but my philosophy is always that it's better to wait and get the thing you want than to settle for something else and always regret the decision.
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Alex Doyle
Hey Nolly, Would you ever consider using a strat to record a clean passage for a Periphery song?
Of course!
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Anjuthen Asokarajan
Eduardo Huerta Rangel
Would you ever consider doing recording tips and tricks or tutorial type videos on youtube?
Yes, I've been thinking about it for a while now, I'll hopefully have time to put some stuff together in the near future.
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