How do they get that sound.

Bill Dobkins · Post by **Bill Dobkins** » 4 Jul 2007 11:17 am

When I record I get a good stereo sound, but when I hear the pro recordings like Vince, Shania, ect. They have such a wider spectrum to their sound.
How do they do it ? What kind of enhancer do they use and so on..I know their equipment is more expenseive and top quality but I still think I should be getting better recordings. My Vocals are OK
and my music is clean with good quality. There's just something missing.

Rich Weiss · Post by **Rich Weiss** » 4 Jul 2007 2:01 pm

Here's one guys opinion, a plugin called DUY Wide;

Charles Dye also uses DUY Wide extensively: "It's an extremely cool effect, very transparent as far as phase problems go... There simply don't appear to be any, and it's totally mono-compatible. It just delivers on that elusive and magical, big time mixer, 'wider than the speakers' sound!!". He explains that he never does a mix without DUY Wide across the mix bus.

http://www.duystore.com/com/charlesdye.html

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 4 Jul 2007 4:43 pm

Every phase of the recording process adds to this. Especially the placement of each instrument and vocal in the stereo spectrum, making sure there are no phase problems which can cancel out some frequencies, and a good mastering engineer at the end of the project never hurts.

Bill Dobkins · Post by **Bill Dobkins** » 4 Jul 2007 5:51 pm

Is the DUY just for computers ?

Rich Weiss · Post by **Rich Weiss** » 4 Jul 2007 6:09 pm

yes, it's for Pro Tools, but you might try panning the tracks, which if done in the right way, can also add width.

Bill Dobkins · Post by **Bill Dobkins** » 4 Jul 2007 9:24 pm

I have done the panning thing and I know about the phase thing also. My recording sound OK, I just feel something is missing. After hearing the demo of the DUY I think I've found my answer. I have cake walk on my COMP, But really don't how to use it. I've always used reel to reel and just about a year ago bought a Tascam Digital.
I'm getting along OK with it and love how much cleaner it is, but its hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
I've got a lot to learn about digital. You guys help a lot. Thanks

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 4 Jul 2007 10:21 pm

If that inexpensive ProTools plugin would do what they say, I would suspect the engineers mixing the records you mentioned would be long out of business, which they are not...

Which is not to say they may not help your mixes, they will do something to them--I would use stuff like that sparingly, as a little goes a long way. I have been around through a lot of them, the first Aphex (which you could only rent and paid for via minutes of use on the actual recording), though BBE's and Finalizers etc. A lot of them sound really cool on the initial uses, then tend to grate on you after a little while. You should really work on panning and delays and some verbs to achieve waht you are looking for before using a "seductress" plugin... YMMV...

Frederic Mabrut · Post by **Frederic Mabrut** » 4 Jul 2007 11:53 pm

What John Macy said!

Fred

Bill Dobkins · Post by **Bill Dobkins** » 5 Jul 2007 5:44 am

I have a DP 01FX Tascam Digital. I like it because of it being portable. I can throw it a suitcase and go. It has the input for an effects so I was hoping i could find something I could use at this point for the final mix. It sounds like its going to be to complicated so I'd better leave well enough alone.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 5 Jul 2007 5:54 am

I would experiment with mic placement and different rooms. I don't even use reverb plugins anymore. With the digital project studio stuff the more you mess with it the smaller and weaker it sounds. You might try not recording anything direct at all for a while and see if it makes a difference.

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 5 Jul 2007 8:20 pm

Sometimes that width and dimension comes from having a few key elements in the mix recorded in true stereo. Recording a fiddle in mono and then panning it to the side is NOTHING like recording a fiddle with a stereo pair of mic's with the fiddle off to one side. That stereo pair will realistically place that fiddle somewhere wide and real sounding. That's just one aspect relating to width, but worth mentioning. True stereo recording can be a powerful too. Lots of ways to record something in stereo well, and tons of ways to do it poorly.

Building a mix for a Shania album or someone on that level is something that is being done by some of the best engineers in the biz. There is so much talent in the miking, the recording, the arranging, the mixing, the production, etc. And the rooms and acoustic spaces are also pretty ideal as well. Big bucks. No easy task for us mere mortals. Most engineers find that out when the set out to make a record that sounds like one of their favorites. Great performances by top pro musicians with great sounds are also helpful.

I think the best rule of thumb is decent mic's in the right positions capturing good performances with good feel in good sounding rooms with good sounding instruments. Let it bleed. Mix to taste.

Brad

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 5 Jul 2007 8:48 pm

When I read this is said 'Wider Spectrum'.

Better control of the frequencies used in a mix.

It didn't say sound stage or apparent sound field.
Which brings in DUY.

To me that sounds like better mics and preamps,
and very good monitoring. Thenn good mastering.

Bad monitoring seems to have more negative effect on mixes
than any other factor,
after bad mics.

Seems many think it's fine to spend $5,000-7,000
on instruments and equipment to play through
and a quite a bit on a recording system,
but then balk at paying more than $150 for a mic or monitors.

Considering the basic recording systems for sale lately,
have much of the functionality and control
of pro systems from only a few years back,
then where's the weak link...

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 6 Jul 2007 9:58 am

The thing I notice most is the quality of a very expensive delay system which is adjusted to perfection.

Chris Tarrow · Post by **Chris Tarrow** » 9 Jul 2007 9:51 am

A lot of good points already made here, but in addition, keep in mind a lot of mastering engineers use a Mid/Side box so they can process what's in the wings of the mix seperately (add ambience, use different EQ, compress more or less than the middle, etc.) this often means commercial CDs will seem wider than what you're able to do at home.