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Final Tracking

Lesson 39 from: Recording Metal with Eyal Levi: A Bootcamp

Eyal Levi

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Lesson Info

39. Final Tracking

Next Lesson: Tracking Quads

Lessons

Class Trailer
1

Intro to Bootcamp

13:44
2

Purpose of Pre-Production

15:54
3

Technical Side of Preproduction

11:32
4

Pre-Production: Setting Up the Tempo Map

12:05
5

Pre-Production: Importing Stems

10:10
6

Pre-Production: Click Track

15:26
7

Creating Tracking Templates

17:03
8

Intro and the Tone Pie

04:51
9

Drums - Lay of the Land

10:44
10

Bearing Edges

03:09
11

Wood Types

10:36
12

Depths and Sizes

04:00
13

Hoops

02:38
14

Sticks and Beaters

07:38
15

Drum Heads

07:30
16

Drum Tuning

1:03:54
17

Drum Mic Placement Intro

10:37
18

Basic Drum Mic Setup

53:36
19

Cymbal Mic Setup

35:24
20

Touch Up Tuning

46:55
21

Microphone Choice and Placement

40:34
22

Drum Tracking Intro

01:01
23

Getting Tones and Final Placement

34:51
24

Primary Tracking

31:54
25

Punching In and Comping Takes

20:11
26

Guitar Setup and Rhythm Tone Tracking

01:59
27

Amplifiers - Lay of the Land

10:00
28

Amplifiers & Cab Shoot Out

27:12
29

Guitar Cab Mic Choice and Placement

03:56
30

Guitar Tracking and Signal Chain

29:07
31

Finalizing Amplifier Tone

51:24
32

Guitar Mic Shootout Round Robin

05:21
33

Intro to Rhythm Tracking

07:46
34

Setting Up Guitars

15:02
35

Working with a Guitarist

05:04
36

Final Guitar Tone and Recap

04:10
37

Guitar Tracking with John

15:19
38

Guitar Tracking with Ollie

32:03
39

Final Tracking

22:08
40

Tracking Quads

33:44
41

Intro to Bass Tone

01:26
42

Bass Tone Setup

07:35
43

Bass Tone Mic Placement

16:42
44

Bass Tracking

45:08
45

Intro to Clean and Lead Tones

02:15
46

Clean Guitar Tones

34:04
47

Lead Tones

10:58
48

Vocal Setup for Tracking

11:26
49

Vocal Mic Selection and Setup

02:38
50

Vocal Mic Shootout

09:13
51

Lead Vocal Tracking

38:09
52

Writing Harmonies

07:44
53

Harmony Vocal Tracking

23:25
54

Vocal Warm Ups

11:39
55

Scream Vocal Tracking

18:56
56

Vocal Tuning and Editing Introduction

01:35
57

Vocal Tuning and Editing

29:26
58

Routing and Bussing

25:16
59

Color Coding, Labeling and Arranging Channels

17:54
60

Setting Up Parallel Compression

30:50
61

Setting Up Drum Triggers

10:41
62

Gain Staging and Trim

1:00:54
63

Drum Mixing - Subtractive EQ

25:38
64

Drum Mixing - Snare

23:00
65

Drum Mixing - Kick

11:39
66

Drum Mixing - Toms

24:47
67

Drum Mixing - Cymbals and Rooms

17:23
68

Drum Mixing Recap

08:57
69

Mixing Bass Guitar

16:26
70

Mixing Rhythm Guitars

1:16:07
71

Basic Vocal Mix

1:08:59
72

Mixing Clean and Lead Guitars

58:55
73

Mixing - Automation

43:35
74

Mastering - Interview with Joel Wanasek

31:01

Lesson Info

Final Tracking

It's got this modulated chorus. So what's the difference between this chorus and the earlier ones in the song? Okay so the song is currently in triplets at the beginning, so you know you got four four symbol and a four four snare and the kicks are in triplets. Let me play them, just a snippet of the earlier chorus so they can hear what you're talking about. (rock music) And here the second part we have the modulated chorus which isn't a tone modulation, it's actually a time modulation, we're actually in the same tempo technically but what we've done is we've put the symbols and the snare in triplets as well, so technically it would be standard eighth or 16th notes at this point. And yeah, if you have a listen I can play along with the chorus if you want. Sure I'll even track you, why not? Why not? Ready? Yeah. (rock music) So just before we do that, do you have any tricks that you would recommend for people to be able to internalize modulations like that and understand ...

them better, because I think it's a tough concept for people. I guess it would be if you're in triplets, just try copying and pasting what you have from before. Firstly to see if it works because obviously that doesn't work for every single type of riff in triplets, then once you hear it you'll get used to the fear of it and then be able to play it in yourself as well. So I guess that's the way, it's just trial and error isn't it? Most music is. Yeah most music is yeah. Alright let's do that again, alright let's track this. How much lead in do you want? A little bit more than that. A little bit more, sure, how about this? (rock music) Sounds like you started to really tighten up towards the second half. Yeah I agree. I can play the first half again if you want. Yeah, was that amount of lead in good for you? Yeah, it's great. Okay cool. (rock music) Nah let's do it again. Yeah, I'm hearing that low string fill out. Stock vibrate. I would do vibrato. No when you hit the opens. (rock music) I'm just wondering if maybe that string is starting to go. That's fine, let's try it one more time, if you still hear it then we'll change the string. Cool. (rock music) That was pretty good. Yeah let's get that transition at the end of it. Yeah, great. I'll start you half way. (rock music) Okay so let's double that and then start refining it from there. So with the way I work with John, since he does lots of things in single passes, we'll often times go all the way through a riff, get it to where it's pretty good, then double it, and once we have it doubled and pretty close then we'll start refining individual little pieces until we're both happy with it. Alright, ready? Yeah. (rock music) You keep going because you had some really good feel on that one. Cool. Alright let's see where it works and where it doesn't. (rock music) You know what would be really helpful and we would wanna have Ollie do this because he played the thing-- Yeah you want me to play just the after bit, right? Yeah just play the riff into the first note of the, so why don't we fix the rest of the modulated chorus or whatever you gotta do, then we'll have Ollie literally play, di da di da da. Da da da, yeah. Yeah. Okay, well I'm pretty happy with that chorus, I don't know about you. We'll listen to it again. (rock music) Right there. There's that ring out isn't it, the two notes. (rock music) That line, are you cool with that line? Yeah I'm cool. (rock music) At the end here kind of fell apart I think. Okay, yeah I can do that. (rock music) Both, alright. You ready? Yup. (rock music) That's great. Okay, give me the other side. Yup. (guitar riffing) Thank you, I like that. (rock music) Yeah, okay so let's give the guitar to Ollie and let's fix that one thing and move on. (rock music) Do you still want that little mute? Yeah, it's over mute, da da da. (playing guitar) In all honesty I'm probably not even gonna keep you playing those first notes, I just wanna get the transition from what you played into what he's played. So I'm gonna go. (playing guitar) Yeah. And you're gonna do whatever. And I'm gonna do my thing, yeah. (playing guitar) Ready? (rock music) Cool, thank you. So literally what I'm doing here is I'm taking this space between the riffs. (guitar riffing) That, that's all I'm taking of both sides, so that it doesn't sound like it was cut together. (rock music) Okay. I'll just do this right here. (rock music) Cool, just about there. I'm just gonna cross fade and it should be good to go. And then what, onto the last riff of the song? Yup. Wow, crazy, alright. (rock music) Alright great, so is that you? Yeah. Alright cool, so check that tuning. Yeah no problem. And let us proceed. I just need to check something for my own sake here. Is it the iTunnel? I just wanna hear if we're losing high end here. And what I'm doing right now is I just wanna hear if I feel like the bottom string's going dead. Yeah let's take off the... (rock music) Okay, so that's what we just tracked, and here's the beginning of the song. (rock music) I think it's pretty close. Very close, let me, I'm gonna actually copy paste and then we can do a serious A B. I do this towards the end of songs sometimes just to make sure that we're not finishing the song with dead strings because the tone will sound far darker in the beginning. (rock music) And we're fine, okay, okay cool. Just wanted to check. (rock music) That sounds good to me. Okay cool, ready? (Rock music) I think somewhere in the middle you started to lock in, let's just hear it. I know the beginning was shot and the end was shot. (rock music) I thought up to the middle, to there, where it was there, it's quite, no no no back back back, a bit forward, one more one more, thought up to there was pretty good. From the beginning? Yeah. (rock music) Alright, so why don't I punch you in somewhere around here? Yeah, there's a couple of little noises but I think when there's a second one in there it'll like blend together well. Yeah. Where do you want me to start playback? Right from the start, this is a really weird feeling riff. (rock music) Can we punch in the very end. (rock music) Like literally this thing. (rock music) Yeah. Okay. Right in the bit before as well maybe. Okay. Let's play it, just let it play from before if you would. (rock music) I like the ending of it but not the part with the-- (playing guitar) That's the part that Ollie usually plays. (playing guitar) I like that. Yeah I think so, that's good. It's actually really good. (playing guitar) Let's just get the Ollie riff. (rock music) That was good. Mhm, and does it repeat? Yeah but it's probably best if I play it. Well yeah let's do the double first. Okay, you ready? (rock music) I think that was a lot better. Second half I feel. Yeah let's do second half then, there's a couple of weird noises in that bit. The question, yeah the thing is, are they good or bad, I think it's a stylistic choice. I mean do you like them or not, that's the question. They don't bother me. Don't bother me. Okay, alright, so then let's get, I'll start you at the beginning because it's a weird riff. Is that okay or? Start me just wherever, yeah it's fine. (rock music) Again, that was better. (rock music) That was pretty sick. Okay. Just when you think the song's over, so what happens here? There's a gap and then it goes into the riff again. Slightly different. But you should play it as, okay, last riff of the song. Yeah let's do it. So you wanna go from back there. Ready? Yeah. You come in on the drums? Yeah. (rock music) Oh that was good up until there though. I'm gonna punch you in because that was good, ready? (rock music) Neat. (rock music) Alright, you wanna double that? Yeah why not? (playing guitar) I was gonna say that if we had any more than one riff left that we change strings, yeah. Ready? Yeah. (rock music) That was a lot tighter. (rock music) Cool. Cool, good job. Got one done. Alright. Well that wasn't so bad was it? Mhm, that was alright, three hours, two hours. Something like that for some basic rhythms. So I think that I would like to get an alternate tone and emphasize some of those super heavy parts to really really bring them out, obviously we don't have that tone set up, but that's something that I would like to do because I have something in mind for that which I know you already would know hwo to do. I have something in mind that is part of the John Brown signature sound anyways for some of these parts that I'd like to do later once we get that hooked up. But as a solid basis for the song I think these are good rhythms and good to go. They're jut a reminder that I'm not editing these guitars because of how good John and Ollie are. In real life I would edit as I track because it's much easier to double guitars to something that's tight. If you're working with someone that needs to be edited to drums that are to the grid and the album demands that level of perfection or the advantage is not that tight, so you have to make them tight. I edit as I go because it's nearly impossible to double a guitar that's not tight. So we're not covering that in this boot camp. If you'd like to see a video I'm making about guitar editing, just go to URM.Academy/metalrecordingbootcamp and you'll get a guitar editing video that will cover all that stuff. Alright, let's move on. Cool guys.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Eyal Levi Bootcamp Bonuses
Drum Editing - HD

Ratings and Reviews

Ron
 

I'm on lesson 19! Already worth every dollar!!! Priceless insight! I have already incorporated some of the ideas (preproduction common sense stuff that I never thought of, but damn). VERY HAPPY with this course! ALWAYS LEARNING and looking forward to the next 50 (or whatever) lessons!!! Excellent course! GREAT PRODUCER/ENGINEER, GREAT DRUM TECH, and GREAT BAND!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

ceeleeme
 

I'm just part way though and I'm blown away by the quality approach Eyal takes to getting the best out of the sessions. I love how well everything is explained and Eyals calm manner is just awesome it really makes you want to listen to the gems of wisdom he offers.

Will
 

Wow is all I can say. This bootcamp goes in so much depth from tuning drums, setting up guitars, to recording and mixing. I have learned so much by participating in this bootcamp. It has taught me some new recording techniques and signal routing for my mixes. I just want to thank Eyal, Monuments, and Creative Live for taking the time to do this. It has been amazing and I will keep going back to these videos.

Student Work

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