Bella Ruse's home recording studio
Bella Ruse is a Minneapolis-based duo who formed in 2009. Their self-titled debut EP, a lovely and intimate collection of jazz/folk inspired songs, was recorded in Joseph Barker's home studio. Joseph was kind enough to talk to us about his workspace:
Q: How long have you had a home-recording setup?
A year and a half.
Q: Could you describe the room you record in?
I've heard many engineers say that the room is one of the most important components of one's sound, which I find is definitely true. But while most people think you need a completely dead room to get a good sound, we've had really good results in our living room, which is very open with a 10-foot-high ceiling and wood floors. It has a bit of a shimmer to it. We record everything in there, to the chagrin of our neighbors, I'm sure. I used to do vocals in a booth, or some makeshift version of a booth, like a closet, just because I thought that's what you were supposed to do. But they always sounded lifeless. I don't know if it was laziness or maybe because I found out Sufjan Stevens does everything with [Shure SM]57s, but pretty soon I just gave up on the insulated audio booth idea of recording. Some of our best tracks were done with the windows open onto a busy residential street. If you turn it up really loud you can hear cars going by in the background. So, it's not the insulation that's important, it's putting yourself in the best possible situation for giving a great performance. Of course, it also depends what sound you're going for. If you want your recording to sound like it was done in a closet, well, you should do it in a closet.
Q: What sort of equipment do you use?
We have a couple of MXLs, an AKG vocal mic and some SM58s. Everything goes through a Digidesign 003 into Pro Tools 8 running on a Macbook Pro. I really love the MXLs. They were maybe $100, but I use them for everything. I did some recording a couple years ago at a great studio in Minneapolis and brought the MXLs for vocals. We put them up next to some expensive tube mics, and ended liking the MXL better.
Q: What is the one piece of equipment or software you couldn't live without?
I think my set up is so minimal that if you took away one piece the whole system would fall apart. A lot of engineers would consider our studio inadequate. It's not very flexible and we don't have any outboard gear. But it's easier that way. I don't have to make many choices about which equipment to use. If we're recording vocals, well, we use the vocal mic. It also forces us to be more creative. But I suppose the one thing that's been a life saver is my mastering plugin. I have the McDSP ML4000, which provides a lot of boost and clarity. It's easy to get carried away and add too much, but in small quantities, it's a good substitute for sending the mix to an expensive mastering house.
Q: What is the one piece of equipment or software you could get rid of without consequence?
I have a solid state Marshall that just sounds terrible. I could get rid of that.
Q: What one piece of advice would you give home-recording artists?
The most important part of a recording is the performance. Everything else, all the equipment, the production, the mixing, is just a way to get at that performance, to clarify it, make it more potent. If you don't have a great track to begin with, you can't get it with equalization and compression. Also, take risks and try everything you can think of. Sometimes it’s hard to predict what will work and what won’t.
Bella Ruse can be found at www.bellaruse.com or www.myspace.com/bellaruse
(band photo by Jason Aten Photography)
Comments