Welcome to Nowhere-QUESTION

[Mickdoo22]

I love the sound of the acoustic guitars in the verses of "Welcome To Nowhere"......and the tone is pefect!  I was hoping Jem could explain how he got the sound.....how many tracks?  compression?  what mics?  eq?  etc....

[Jem]

Why thank you!

It was 4 takes of Dec playing my lovely Taylor acoustic (now sold, a mistake in hindsight...) It was recorded with a Neumann TLM 103 through my trusty Focusrite Platinum Voicemaster Pro with the vintage harmonics turned up a fair way, the optical compressor just set to a very light squash and the tube sound setting set halfway between cool and warm/mellow and bright.

From there it went through the Focusrite D3 compressor in ProTools and through McDSP's excellent excellent Filter Bank plug in. Probably with a load of air added and most of the bottom rolled off. I added some extra bite with the Sonnox Oxford Transient Modulator plug in. Then the first set of two takes would be panned hard left and right and the second set of takes panned in a bit from the first two.

The extended chords were done by Dec playing different chords on two of the four takes, so on two takes, he'd play an A maj, then on the next 2 at the same point, he'd play a B7. He did that with the C maj bit too by playing a D7.

Et voila!

[RacingHippo]

Yeah, I coulda guessed that's how you did it...
 :shock:  :shock:  :shock:

Blimmin genius.

[flamadiddle]

Mmmm.  C Lydian goodness

[gr8gonzo]

Why thank you!

It was 4 takes of Dec playing my lovely Taylor acoustic (now sold, a mistake in hindsight...) It was recorded with a Neumann TLM 103 through my trusty Focusrite Platinum Voicemaster Pro with the vintage harmonics turned up a fair way, the optical compressor just set to a very light squash and the tube sound setting set halfway between cool and warm/mellow and bright.

From there it went through the Focusrite D3 compressor in ProTools and through McDSP's excellent excellent Filter Bank plug in. Probably with a load of air added and most of the bottom rolled off. I added some extra bite with the Sonnox Oxford Transient Modulator plug in. Then the first set of two takes would be panned hard left and right and the second set of takes panned in a bit from the first two.

The extended chords were done by Dec playing different chords on two of the four takes, so on two takes, he'd play an A maj, then on the next 2 at the same point, he'd play a B7. He did that with the C maj bit too by playing a D7.

Et voila!

Duh!  

Seriously, though, I've always really loved that sound, too. Coming out of that wall of sound chorus and going back into verses could have been very ordinary. Instead, the strumming, combined with the lower register vocal, has such a lovely effect that it feels more like a shift than a retreat.

Reading how it was accomplished is just exhausting at this early hour.

[Pedro]

...and the beauty of the sound is so much more evident on the instrumental versions.
Is this something we could hope for when new tracks emerge in the future?
An instrumental TDL would be an instant paid-for download for me.
Hmm...the backwardsy bit would leave a bit of a hole... :?

[gr8gonzo]

No worries, Pedders. I'm sure an instrumental TDL would include something unexpected in the backward portion of the track.  

[Jem]

No worries, Pedders. I'm sure an instrumental TDL would include something unexpected in the backward portion of the track.  

Obviously. Bassoon.  

[drblowthingsup]

OOH! Electric Bassoon

[gr8gonzo]

I'm sure there's a madbassoonist for hire out there somewhere!  

[Mickdoo22]

Thanks Jem!  I kinda figured it would be a sonic stew of some concoction.....I remember seeing tracking acoustics on the video reports, and remembered it being a 6-string, but on the album it sounds like a gorgeous double tracked 12-string.  I would say the verses of WTN are my favorite moments off EIMA....between the guitar sound, the brilliant syncopated drums, and the melody.......love it.
THANKS!!

[Jem]

You're very welcome mate.

[Mouse]

The extended chords were done by Dec playing different chords on two of the four takes, so on two takes, he'd play an A maj, then on the next 2 at the same point, he'd play a B7. He did that with the C maj bit too by playing a D7.

Hmmmm... Yup, I'm going to have to nick this technique for my own diabolical recording experiments.  :twisted:   :lol:

[SerFox]

Jem, you have too many plugins...

[rogerg]

Why thank you!

It was 4 takes of Dec playing my lovely Taylor acoustic (now sold, a mistake in hindsight...) It was recorded with a Neumann TLM 103 through my trusty Focusrite Platinum Voicemaster Pro with the vintage harmonics turned up a fair way, the optical compressor just set to a very light squash and the tube sound setting set halfway between cool and warm/mellow and bright.

From there it went through the Focusrite D3 compressor in ProTools and through McDSP's excellent excellent Filter Bank plug in. Probably with a load of air added and most of the bottom rolled off. I added some extra bite with the Sonnox Oxford Transient Modulator plug in. Then the first set of two takes would be panned hard left and right and the second set of takes panned in a bit from the first two.

The extended chords were done by Dec playing different chords on two of the four takes, so on two takes, he'd play an A maj, then on the next 2 at the same point, he'd play a B7. He did that with the C maj bit too by playing a D7.

Et voila!

someday you should try something interesting.