The Live Studio Recording

Making a Live Studio Recording

A recording commentary with Drummer & Producer Joe Hamm, and Studio Owner, Recording, & Mixing Engineer Tim Campbell of Vocal Ink Production 

Joe: 

A live studio recording of a full band is a powerful recording experience. The challenge of all of the variables is worth the energy it takes to capture the chemistry of musicians playing together. A multi-track recording with overdubs and comps, punch ins and effects is a great process, but there’s something magical about the musical interaction of musicians. These characteristics are subtle to define, like the push and pull of time against the metronome grid, or the sympathetic resonance of instruments all working in a room together. In an era of perfection standard we’re faced with the critical choice of 

We live In a time of robotic and quantized perfection. 

Programmed drums, pre-recorded samples, virtual instruments and sound emulators, and the Ai tools are increasingly integrated into the recording process. Each of these tools are useful, and important to understand. That aside, we also need to remember what it means to be human, as social-emotional creatures that create together. That reflects in the music we make, and a live recording can create an energy that’s unmistakable! The nuances of human behavior are what make recordings special and this is captured through the live experience. 

There’s a lot of pressure to be perfect and to be great. Industry recording standards communicate that a recording is professional, comprehensible, and playable. Yes, when we make live recordings, we need to meet these standards so that a piece of music sounds incredible. If it doesn’t meet that standard, there will be distracting issues that take away from the song. Aside from that standard of quality, there is room for the live and human element, and this is where the fun starts. 

Not everything will go exactly to plan in a live recording, and that’s ok. There will be some frustrations, and also surprises to round it out. We all have our go-to microphone techniques, and signal chains that we prefer to get the sounds we want. In a live recording, the first priority is to capture the energy of the live musicians without compromising sound quality. After the basics are accomplished, there are subjective choices to make before hitting that red button and going for it.

First thing to look at is the instrumentation. What are we needing to capture? What will be a scratch track, and what will need to be re-recorded? What can be DI’d and what can be mic’d up? What mics do we want to select and why? There are decisions to make!

Second thing to think about is the room, and the recording conditions, and any constraints that may present themselves. In a large room with a lot of resonance or sound reflection, the louder a band plays, the more amplified those reflections will be. In a small, quiet, tight sounding room, the issue may bleed from one instrument to another. 

Finally, and most importantly are musical performance conditions. How is everyone doing? Are we ready to perform at our best and is each musician in the right state of mind, and musically prepared to give their best performance? I like to have snacks and food at a live recording to make sure everyone is feeling good and energized as a band leader. As a producer, I encourage the artists I work with to prioritize this. How we eat/drink has a big impact on how we feel physically, which translates directly into a performance. Is everyone focused? Are we being content creators or are we knocking out the parts and playing at the highest level possible?

In January 2025, I partnered with Tim Campbell, owner of Vocal Ink Production to start a new recording studio in Nashville! This VIP Nashville studio offers mobile recording capabilities, and industry standard results. Tim’s studio in Charlotte NC is exactly what we think of when we think of a studio. A big beautiful space with multiple rooms, and the full experience. When Tim floated the idea to me to open a studio in Nashville, I proposed a mobile recording model that is nimble and flexible to meet the needs of independent artists. The challenge of mobile recording means there are some situations that are not ideal. The constraint is the opportunity, and finding ways to tweak a room, or position a microphone, can lead to a timeless result. 

Studios in the past have done more with less. There is always a piece of gear that can feel like it will be exactly what is necessary, but that feeling is persistent. We went to the moon with less computing power than we carry in our back pockets every day. When we find a way to create with what we have, and keep the focus on the music making, great records are the result! 

I’ll turn it over to Tim for his take on making live recordings!

Tim: 

As Joe has stated, it is true that recording a group of people live and in-person captures a different feel than by recording each element one at a time. There are pros and cons to both but live recordings have become a thing of the past that seems to have died sometime in the 80’s-90’s. When recording one instrument/vocal at a time you do benefit from not having any bleed between instruments and mics. That is something I insisted on doing for my first 10 years of production because I was afraid of the bleed and had no real knowledge of how to deal with it. However, once I began working in a properly-treated studio, I embraced the bleed and it completely changed my perspective. 

As an Engineer with multiple rooms that are fully soundproof, the option for separation is available. However, most musicians are used to practicing with everyone in the same room so maintaining that feel is important. Let’s give an example of a full-band recording in the same room. You have two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer and a singer. Firstly, I would have the singer either not sing during the first wave of recording or to give a “scratch take” that will be re-recorded later. The initial goal is to capture the drums, bass and, hopefully, guitars first. 

Bass can easily be recorded directly through a DI box. This should yield results that are more than sufficient.

Guitars can be trickier and have more options. The easiest option is to record direct through a modeler. But that’s boring. Let’s assume they have loud, high-gain amps for their tone. If you can, put the amps in a separate room with the guitarists in the same room as the rest of the band. Mic the amps, send the signals to their headphones, done. If you have no option but to keep the amps in the room with the rest of the band, coll. Just try to baffle the amps and mics off or, even better, cover the amps and their mic stands with moving blankets. 

Some musicians find it easier to lay their parts down while hearing vocals. There may be certain breaks or drops that require vocals to cue everyone back in. In this case, just use a handheld dynamic microphone for the vocalists but try to keep them away from any drum mics as the vocals bleed could be a hindrance to the overall mix after the final vocal recording that will be done later. Alone and isolated! 

That’s pretty much it. The idea is just to capture the group together. Play around with mic placements, their directional patterns, microphone types, instrument and amp placements and DI options to add to the isolation. And, when you can, embrace the bleed. It can be a good thing when properly tracked. 

Conclusion:

We’re excited to offer a recording solution that combines our expertise, and love of record making in Nashville! When there’s a will, there’s a way. In celebration of the new studio, we’re offering 5 artists an introductory special at a discounted rate. Reach out on Instagram Joe @JoeHamm.music, or DM us @Vocal_ink_production to inquire and we’ll start the process!

Joe Hamm is a Nashville-based Drummer and Producer, who performs with the Blue Sky Bandits, Triple Dare Jazz Band, Sophie the Stray, and as a member of the Creative Pulse House Band. Joe works as a session drummer, producer, performer, and runs Mix it Up, a co-writing workshop. Learn more and reach out to collaborate with Joe at @JoeHamm.music on IG, or www.JoeHamm.com 

Tim Campbell is owner of Vocal Ink Production, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Follow Vocal Ink Production @Vocal_Ink_Production on IG, and visit www.VocalInkProduction.com