Recording old microphones on a condenser microphone
· 3 min read
There is no single right way to approach finishing songs, but some ways are kinder than others. This got going as a quick note and slowly turned into something longer.
The process
You can get surprisingly far with a field recorder and some a steady hand. Half of the work is deciding what to leave out. The result is not perfect, but it is truthful. It is effortless to overthink writing on piano. It is harder to just start. Tape adds just sufficient unpredictability to keep things alive.
I recorded the birds by accident and kept them in the mix. I like mixing that shows the marks of how it was made. Room sound is free reverb, if the room is gentle to you.
- Write down what you change
- Stop before you are tired
- Start with drones and nothing else
In practice
I like cassettes that shows the marks of how it was made. If something here is unclear, that is on me, not you. The specifics matter less than the routine of paying attention. Most of the record was tracked in the spare room with the window open. For a long time I treated old microphones as an afterthought.
Finishing songs is a separate skill from writing them. This is less a guide and more a record of what worked for me. The change showed up slowly, then all at once.
Closing thoughts
The lo-fi part is rarely the hard part; consistency is. What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed. I keep coming back to field recordings, mainly because it rewards a steady hand. There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version.
I would rather do one thing with care than five things in a hurry. Nothing here requires a tape machine, though it does make things easier. The trick, if there is one, is to leave sufficient room for mistakes. I attempted the textured version first. It did not last. Every winter I revisit the same questions about room sound.
A friend once described synthesizers as calm work, and the phrase stuck. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. I wrote most of this on a calm Wednesday morning. I keep coming back to old microphones, mainly because it rewards a steady hand. Every spring I revisit the same questions about arrangements.
I keep coming back to arrangements, mainly because it rewards a steady hand.
A friend once described room sound as calm work, and the phrase stuck. Little, repeatable steps beat big plans very nearly every time. A field recorder helps, but it is not the point.