on recording rock-a-billy

[I'm Painting Again]

ok so i have to record this type of group. i'm not too up on the good recordings in this genre, or really anything about it, i have a stray cats record and thats about it.

Anything i should listen to for ideas/reference??
Techniques, tips, tricks for recording Rock-a-Billy?
Anything you think would help.

sky the from thanx

[guitar4lyfe]

Rock-a-billy should be pretty clear sounding with clear but punchy low end consisting of the bass and kick drum. You'll probably want to make sure the snare sounds prominet as well. Those, I think, are some qualities of rock-a-billy

[omari]

hello? Sun studios? Buddy Holly?

if we're talkin traditional rockabilly just keep it as simple as possible. approach the drum set the same as you would with micing a jazz kit. guitar,bass,and vocals-just do whatever you normally do. if you can, use a room mic or two to get an ambient roof rockin vibe in there. if it was me, a mono room mic would be half the sound and i wouldn't use stray cats production as a reference, but that's just me.

[EasyGo]

Would be nice to have a short slapback tape echo a la the late great Sam Phillips or the Chess Bros to give that 50s ambience. A bit of spring reverb would be cool. Might be truer to the form to have the vocalist try to track live with the group in the room, bleed n all.

Of course a U47 and a handwired mixer wouldn't hurt either

[I'm Painting Again]

you know it would really help to mention specific tracks on albums with good production..yeah i think a classic sound whould be more challenging and sound cool..me being able to pull it off is another story..so some advice on doing that would be appreciated. the tracking and mixing is digital and 95% of the gear on this one is modern..so..how?


thanks so far.

[EasyGo]

I'd leave out the modern airy highs and boomin low. No close miking. All mono. Darker mics. Ribbons?

Just try to get the ambience right. Maybe duplicate a slapback by copying a track, nudging it behind the dry track, and bringing the level way down. Maybe record some real tape hiss to simulate the lower headroom format. Drop a needle on a record for the intro?

'That's All Right, Mama' by Elvis
'Rock Island Line' by Johnny Cash
'Let's Have a Party' by Wanda Jackson, good example of vocal distortion

I read in some inferior recording mag that part of the drum sound on the Elvis records was bleed into the vocal mike.

[I'm Painting Again]

i think i'm gona go for a full sound freq wise, and stereo. so maybe not exactly like and old recording but more of a composite, old and new at the same time..the ambience is something that you got me thinking about more critically..

whats all that smoke in yr picture?

[Rodgre]

A good rockabilly band should be tight enough to play live together, so room bleed helps. Close mic everything for clarity and punch, but let things bleed for that excitement. I've had great results by doing this, and putting one great mono mic in the middle of the room and putting the ubiquitous Sun Studios (we love you Sam) slap echo JUST on that mic. It's on the drums, it's on the guitars.... subtle, but fitting.

Balance between the roominess and the close tone and you will have what you need. You don't have to be totally retro, but you don't want it to be dead and isolated. That is to say, trust your ears. It's rockabilly. It needs to be exciting. It's not Steely Dan, so leave the tape off the drums and stuff like that.

Roger

[A.David.MacKinnon]

The classic Sun era Elvis is all about slap back tape echo. On alot of those tracks the echo is almost as loud as the vocal. The live room at Sun is quite small so it's got a smaller, boxier room sound.
Another thing is the slapping bass. There was no drummer on the early Elvis stuff, just two guitars and upright bass. The sound of the bass strings slappin off of the fret board did the job that the snare would do if there was a drummer.
Listen to Tommorow Night by Elvis or Great Balls Of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis for the vocal echo.
The best advice for rock-a-billy is to keep it simple and live.

[Rodgre]

Where can I host an MP3 of an example of this? I have my studio demo reel in my hands, and I could post a song recorded like this right now.....

Roger

[Christopher]

Green bullet mikes, Roland Space Echos, Gretsch 6120's, Twin or Super Reverbs or maybe a Supro Thunderbolt for some bottom.
Substitute the Roland for an Ibanez AD-9 Analog Delay.
But that's just gear talk!

[EasyGo]

whats all that smoke in yr picture?

That's U-Roy, the original DJ, puffing on his chalice. That's part of a series of photos of U-Roy on his debut LP; he keeps puffin and soon you can't even see him any more.

Back to the rockabilly talk!

[Kyle Motor]

If you have a access to a Danelectro Danecho, slap it on a room mic, or vocals. I've used it on vocals a lot, great rockabilly sound, especially if you use the hi-cut a bit. I've gotten good results by singing into a 57 with no effects, and running another 57 on the opposite end of the room pointed towards the wall through the Danecho (I will get better mics when I'm out of school). Then I just mix the two to taste.

[brian beattie]

download "rock around the clock" by bill haley and the comets. I know, you've heard it a thousand times. Listen to it again. Too, Too Much. It was recorded in a gymnasium.
I think close mic'ing is essential for rockabilly, but so is bleed. Slapback, without a doubt. If the bass players slapping, use a ribbon, if you have it. (Slap bass is a bitch to record)
for a more "modern" rockabilly sound, download "flying saucer rock and roll" by robert gordon. (link wray on guitar!) psycho. Luverly.
ANY sun elvis. Look for anything by the "johnny burnet trio" supposedly, they made the best rockbilly record ever, but I've never heard it.
brian

[I'm Painting Again]

thanks again people
for the ideas
i do have a dan echo here from another project
and a space echo did not think of using the danecho
but i will try it out now.

and i wish i was burning a chalice right now..