Help I have to record an ACDC cover band

[I'm Painting Again]

anybody have any tips to help me with this job?

i dont know too much about ACDC but i think i have some 12" in the crates to listen to to start..

[penrithmatt]

one guitar at 9 o'clock and the other at 3.not as much distortion as you would think.bit of delay on the vocal.........
back in black has the best kick drum sound ever
have fun
cheers
matthew
www.allairestudios.com

[Zeppelin4Life]

back in black has the best kick drum sound ever

yes, no question.

some suggestions:

tons of guitar panning..
overdub rhythm guitar 2 or 3 times
not too much distortion, more like crunchy overdrive
you want a slight delay on the vocals, and some stereo verb on the lead guitar (if you can do that)
put really heavy gauge strings on the rhythm guitar (I think Malcom Young used like 14 gauge which is ridculously thick, but got a great tone)

good luck have fun

and dont get discouraged, copying a sound is really hard

[Dan Phelps]

These are all great suggestions...just don't forget to turn into Mutt Lang and play all the drums, too.

Really, tho, have fun and make some noise.

Dan

[drumsound]

Duct tape on the snare. Have the drummer use a bigger stick, backward in his left hand. Have him lay off the hat and really focus on BD and SD. Combine that with the above and a ass player to lock into and you'll half way there...

[Flight Feathers]

Duct tape on the snare. Have the drummer use a bigger stick, backward in his left hand. Have him lay off the hat and really focus on BD and SD. Combine that with the above and a ass player to lock into and you'll half way there...

yes! especially the part about the ass player

take the front head off the kick. dead snare hit hard as fuck. the guitar sound should come from the guitar overdriving a loud amp. no pedals needed here. i'm sure the guitar guy already has an SG.

good stuff.

[nacho459]

To get the right guitar tone, make sure you use an old point to point Marshall like a "Plexi" or JMP, a Carlsbro 50 will also work. Do NOT use any Marshall made in the past 20 years because they won't be able to get the right tone. Use a power soak on the speaker cab or find an amp with a master volume mod, because you'll have to push the volume to 10 to get the AC\DC tone. I know this isn't engineering tips, but if the band has the right gear it'll make it easier to get the right sound.

[I'm Painting Again]

thanks for the great advice everyone..its going to be hard since i never actively copied a sound before and not to mention I know next to nothing about ACDC..hopefully it will be both fun and a learning experience as well..

[rhythm ranch]

Listen to AC/DC a lot! If you're trying to recreate their sound, you'll want to be as familiar with their sound on your monitors as possible.

[BobbyRay]

Dry drums and a very very tight hihat sound when closed.
Moderate overdriven rythm guitar.
Lead guitar pushed harder however not quite distorted.
Leads pushed even more w/ some verb for that big sound.
Bass seems kinda dull to me?

guitars panned hard right and left, there is a lil bit of Angus's guitar coming through Malcom's side wich would happen naturaly w/ bleed if tracked together even if it where panned hard. Or as mentioned above the stereo verb thing would work. It's mainly only audable when there is a breakdown or into.

[Zeppelin4Life]

Dry drums and a very very tight hihat sound when closed.

Thats because Phil Rudd didnt use a pedal too much, and when he wanted a tight sound on the hats he used his hands. and actually thats why the hihat has a looser feel usually

Dave

[I'm Painting Again]

thanks again for all your insight..this is all really helpful and i appreciate it very much..

[drumsound]

Duct tape on the snare. Have the drummer use a bigger stick, backward in his left hand. Have him lay off the hat and really focus on BD and SD. Combine that with the above and a ass player to lock into and you'll half way there...

yes! especially the part about the ass player

take the front head off the kick. dead snare hit hard as fuck. the guitar sound should come from the guitar overdriving a loud amp. no pedals needed here. i'm sure the guitar guy already has an SG.

good stuff.

Ah..That should have a 'B" on the front...I'm not much of a typist.

[jamoo]

Maybe you can contact one of the engineers of their covers for advice. There have been a few.

I've been listening to the Dandy's cover of Hell's Bells a bit recently. It sounds great, but it sounds like one of their imitation songs rather than a cover. In otherwords, in sounds like the Dandys. Who would that be, Tony Lash?

Aren't there a couple all-women cover bands too? I know the band Hell's Belles does a decent job. I keep hearing of another, AC/Dshe, but I haven't heard their stuff. Hell's Belles' engineer has to know a thing or two.

[chetatkinsdiet]

a few more random thoughts....
Main thing...keep the guitars cleaner than you first might think. I'm sure these guys know how to get the right sounds since they're a cover band, but who knows....I'd back the volume knob off on the gtr and then crank the amp more....keeps distortion down.
This was in the day of Lexicon Reverbs....
It'd be great to have a Lexi PCM60 for the drums....Also, use 70s sort of techniques to really muffle the drums down. Add the reverb later to bring them back out. Big fat snare sounds....large drums...
On the vox, as mentioned, use a bit of delay...something like 15-25ms should fatten it up nicely.
If the singer has that gravely BJ or BS vox sound, I'd try using something like an SM7 or RE20 for their vox. If you don't have that, try a 57. Mic pres....API if you got em. This is real rock and roll.
Bass....use an SVT and Fender P. If you don't have that....I'm serious here, the POD Pro, rack mount bass units have a GREAT SVT sound. Use one, you'll see.
I wish I was there...this sounds fun.
later,
m