which micriphone and preamp did bruno mars use on locked out

versuviusx · Post by **versuviusx** » Fri May 10, 2013 3:18 pm

hi
which microphone and preamp
ad/da converters
reverb unit did bruno mars use to make the hit:
locked out of heaven.
i think i'm also hearing auto tune as well.
would love to know if anyone knows
i think that song sounds awesome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-fA-gBCkj0

versuviusx · Post by **versuviusx** » Fri May 10, 2013 7:10 pm

some one has got to know
pelase! love this song

Snarl 12/8 · Post by **Snarl 12/8** » Fri May 10, 2013 9:34 pm

Something tells me this is one of those cases where the gear doesn't figure into it that much. That motherfucker is talented. He could probably sing into a urinal and make it sound like a record.

versuviusx · Post by **versuviusx** » Fri May 10, 2013 11:03 pm

no thats not true. he had a lot of help with that song. 18+ different peolple helped make that song. there is a reason that song sounds like none of his other songs. imo its his best song ever.
and they definitely spent alot of money on it as well. they probably used several different studios.alot of of time and alot of talent and a lot of money on that one song.

Songwriting ? Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine
Production ? The Smeezingtons,Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Emile Haynie
Mixing ? Manny Marroquin
Engineering ? Ari Levine, Charles Moniz (additional)
Instrumentation ? Jeff Bhasker, Bruno Mars, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss
Additional Instrumentation - Emile Haynie
Recorded ? ALALAL, Ari Levine, Mark Ronson, Wayne Gordon
Assistant recording ? Bob Mallory, Tyler Hartman
Mastering ? David Kutch

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locked_Out_of_Heaven

hogfish · Post by **hogfish** » Sat May 11, 2013 4:20 am

The final product sounds like the Police. Drumming is badass.......

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Sat May 11, 2013 8:29 am

I get the feeling that the Police allusion is an intentional nod. Note not only the guitar sound and psuedo-reggae funk, but also the bass sound and style, his vocal approach, and the little police hat one of the girls at the front end of the video is wearing.

As to the OP's question, it sounds like you should try to get in touch with Ari Levine.

GJ

ott0bot · Post by **ott0bot** » Sat May 11, 2013 10:42 pm

I haven't really listened to the song closely...and when I have heard it it was on tv or radio and ultra compressed for broadcast. I'm not a big fan...i cant take the lyrics. just trite pop bs, but the dude has serious pipes and the band sounds solid. I read In Rolling Stone that his drummer is his older brother...not sure if that's him in the recording.

I found this on Sound on Sound about recording his last album, good place to start:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun11/a ... ngtons.htm

pretty basic set-up...bit they really hit it big...so he probably upgraded. I would.

Dr Rubberfunk · Post by **Dr Rubberfunk** » Tue May 14, 2013 2:58 am

hogfish wrote:The final product sounds like the Police. Drumming is badass.......

Seeing as he's credited, that's probably Homer Steinweiss, drummer for the Dap-Kings and regular Mark Ronson collaborator.

Production and recording-wise sounds like the song is split into 2 parts - the Police knock-off sound of the verse; live drums, bass and guitar, and then the denser more 'produced' sound of the chorus which is more heavily programmed in an EDM style, with the dubstep type half-tempo drums and whatnot.

None of which helps the OP with his quest for the mic and pre-amp, but I thought I'd throw it in there

Snarl 12/8 · Post by **Snarl 12/8** » Wed May 15, 2013 5:45 pm

Did you see this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44RB94H8HrE

He's singing into one of those Neumann stage mics.

fossiltooth · Post by **fossiltooth** » Wed May 15, 2013 7:36 pm

ott0bot wrote:I haven't really listened to the song closely...and when I have heard it it was on tv or radio and ultra compressed for broadcast. I'm not a big fan...i cant take the lyrics. just trite pop bs, but the dude has serious pipes and the band sounds solid. I read In Rolling Stone that his drummer is his older brother...not sure if that's him in the recording.

I found this on Sound on Sound about recording his last album, good place to start:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun11/a ... ngtons.htm

pretty basic set-up...bit they really hit it big...so he probably upgraded. I would.

Yeah, production is pretty good. A lot of wide open space and adventurous sounds. Lyrics though? OMFGJHASDGUASGUYGJAKD Please shoot me. Man, that sh*t is terrible. I usually don't pay much attention to lyrics, but c'mon. TRY. Please. Just f*ing try. A little bit. That's all I ask.

Anyway, as for a mic, it could be anything. What I hear much more than a specific mic is the treatment. Really short bright verb with a predelay, plus plenty of eq and non-"vintage" dynamic containment on the vocal itself.

As airy as it is, I wouldn't be surprised if the mic is something C12-ish, pretty flat down the middle with a lift up around 10 or 12k. That means it could be a Manley, which is what Sound on Sound says he was using in 2011. Apparently he had access to that and a U87 back then, and I could imagine getting that kind of sound out of either of those mics. Actually, I could see getting that sound out of a lot of things.

Apparently he also really likes plugins, and tends to use RVox and RCompressor. Listening to that vocal, I wouldn't be surprised if one of those is on it. Could easily be the C4 as well. A lot of those pop guys still like that. Mars also says he digs plugins and hates the 1176, which makes sense because it doesn't sound even remotely like one of those. I think we can pretty safely say it's not, say, a Sta-Level either. Run as far as possible in the opposite direction and you're probably in the right place.

Again: I just wouldn't overstate the mic too much. In that clip that Snarl links to the basic tone is really close and he's just using a Neumann stage mic with the same basic effect.

A lot of times, people will hear production choices they like and a song they dig and start asking about mics. I just don't think that's wise. Leave that to Gearslutz. Having access to some good mics is important, yeah. But the specific one is just not as relevant as people want it to be. It's the choices that count. What I hear when I listen to this vocal is not a mic, but decisions. Like these:

"Hey, maybe would this vocal would sound better if it was brighter? How about with a bunch more of that transparent, modern-sounding compression? With a lot more of that short reverb? Yeah, that, but maybe with like, no bottom end on it? Okay, how about with a predelay where it just starts to separate from the vocal without sounding like to distinct of a slap?

"Great, perfect. Now let's add a whole bunch of over-the-top sounding, wide-panned "Oooms" and "Ahhhs" that'll make everything in the track sound more impressive, including my voice. OK great. Done"

That's what's going on here. That and an arrangement with a lot of space, a few really impressive elements and a good performance......of some really, really shitty cringe-worthy lyrics.

But I'm still glad I heard the track. One of the more creative mass market pop productions I've heard since Britney Spears' "Toxic."

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which micriphone and preamp did bruno mars use on locked out

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