Free Spirit
May 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Kristi Kates
WITH HELP FROM BECK BANDMATE JUSTIN STANLEY AND CANADIAN CO-PRODUCER MOCKY, JAMIE LIDELL SINGS WITH CRICKETS AND CAPTURES "MUPPET SHOW MOMENTS" FOR THE VERY FUNKY JIM
VOICE LESSONS
The majority of rhythm tracks and songs were recorded in Los Angeles, but a few songs and vocals were tracked in Paris and Berlin, adding a cosmopolitan flair. In Paris, the renowned Studio Ferber was the place, with Renaud Letang taking care of tracking and mix duties on an old Neve console. In Berlin, recording was done at several locations. “We recorded at Clunk, which is run by Rashad Becker; in Mocky's room; and at my place,” Lidell says, “tracking vocals with my own Neumann M 269 and KMS 105 for the most part. But on some songs, Rashad said I wasn't singing ‘on axis,’ that I was moving my head all over the place. So on those, we used a Neumann stage mic instead.”
Back at Stellasound, Stanley leaned toward ribbon mics to capture Lidell's centerpiece vocals. “I prefer their warmth and the ability to use extreme EQs without the sound turning harsh,” he explains. It was another choice that found Lidell trusting Stanley and crew with the reins, and a choice that Lidell himself warmed up to.
“I was very conscious of the space of each song, especially for vocals,” Lidell says. “At the French sessions, we used Neumann M 49s, and I was in a booth for the vocals, which I don't particularly like. When I'd worked with Matthew Herbert, I'd noticed that I sing better without headphones. If I could do the vocals again, I'd do them in more of a gig setting with small monitors so I could move around with a cool mic. Another thing I've learned from recording this album was that I do like ribbon mics; I think they help make things sound more approachable.”
Lidell also learned a few lessons learned from an earlier collaborator: Beck. “Me and Mocky are a good team when it comes to writing melodies and songs, but Beck really writes fast, especially lyrics — he jots them down, and he's off. He's such a clever guy. Plus, he keeps things unprepared; he creates the right conditions and simply lets the magic happen. I like that.”
Fellow vocalists can learn a few things from Lidell, as well. “You do have to track vocals while you're rehearsing so everyone knows where things are at,” he says, “but if you track dummy vocals in the studio, you're going to have a tendency to chase after some moment that occurred when you were relaxed and unfocused, and you'll get stuck in a rut. That makes it more difficult to keep the vocal performance fresh. I say don't track the vocals at all until it's time for the vocal — I'm a big believer in that.”
Listening to Jim will make everyone a believer in Lidell's new approach. Good musical partnerships can be an elusive thing, but with the right team in place, it can take a project to the next level.
“I could play all the parts, but why?” Lidell ponders. “It's too much effort to sort it all, and it's a lot more fun to collaborate. Justin's a top gent — he even has a list of people he can call on. It's hard to know what to let go of sometimes, but me and Mocky decided not to track until we had things worked out. The big thing is intention; as long as you know where you're going and what you're doing in the studio, there's so much technology around today that whatever it is, you can make it happen. A lot of the joy of this record was in finding the right people to make it all work.”
Lidell's legendary one-man live show is also being shelved for now in favor of yet another experiment: He's bringing a full band on the road this time and will be touring for a good chunk of the summer. “I'm gonna give it a go,” he says. “I'm anxious not to make it sound too clean live, but as I've picked a bunch of mavericks to be in the band, I don't think it will. It's not like I picked a bunch of squares. That's the ultimate challenge, I think: If someone were to hit record on your live show and put it out the very next day, for you to be like, ‘Yeah, right, well, that sounds good then.’”
STELLASOUND STUDIO
Computers, DAWs, recording hardware
Apple Power Mac G5 and Logic 8 software with Apogee AD-16X converters
Digidesign Pro Tools 7.4 software
Intel PC laptop
Telefunken M15 2-track machine
Consoles
12-channel Neve Melbourne; the master section is also used for playback monitoring
Custom 1975 24-channel OpAmp Labs console
Eight channels of Quad8 mic pres and EQ
Samplers, drum machines
Akai MPC2000 with output mod for high gain
Native Instruments Kontakt soft sampler
Roland CR-78 drum machine
Keyboards, synths
1974 Fender Rhodes
1964 home-model Hammond A-143, vintage Hammond Tube Organ
Hohner Clavinet D6
Korg MaxiKorg 800dv
Roland SH-101
Wurlitzer A200
Old upright piano with tack mod
Software
Cycling '74 Max/MSP software
McDSP plug-ins
Waves plug-ins
Drums/Percussion
Istanbul cymbals
1970 Ludwig acoustic kit
1964 Premier kit
“One very loud” tambourine
Assortment of snares and percussion
Amps
Ampeg V4
Fender Bassman, Princeton Reverb
Gibson GA-40
Sears Silvertone
Guitars
Danelectro Baritone guitar
Epiphone acoustic
Fender Mustang Bass, Precision Bass, 1974 Stratocaster guitar
1963 Gibson SG, 1964 Gibson ES-335 12-string
Maton acoustic
1964 Sears Silvertone Model 1457 with amp in case
Mics
AEA R84 ribbon
AKG D 12, D 224E, C 451
Josephson e22S condenser mic
Neumann KM 84, KMS 105 stage mic, M 49, M 269, U 47 fet
Reslo CR 2H ribbon mic
Royer R-121, R-122s phantom-powered ribbon mics
Shure SM7, SM57, SM58
Sony C-38
Soundelux U-99s
Box of lo-fi mics, including old reel-to-reel mics and '50s-'70s public-address mics
Mic preamps
Chandler Limited Germanium
Manley VoxBox
Universal Audio LA-610
EQs
(2) EMI EQs
Millennia Media NSEQ parametric EQ
Pultec EQ
Summit Audio EQ-200 parametric equalizer
Compressors
(2) Empirical Labs Distressor EL8-X British Mod
Joemeek stereo compressor (prototype)
Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A
Urei 1178 stereo limiter/compressor
Reverb units, tape delays
Korg SE-300 Stage Echo tape delay
Master Room spring reverb
Orban 111B spring reverb
Roland RE-201 Space Echo, RE-301 Space Echo tape delays
Ursa Major Space Station
Various spring reverbs, from Fender to Hammond
Monitors
Braun speakers
Yamaha MSP10s
Miscellaneous
EMS Hi-Fli guitar pedal
Harmony ukulele
Trumpets, zithers, violin
Assortment of pedals
Acceptable Use Policy blog comments powered by Disqus
| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
