Returning guest Mike Senior joins us for our Season 3 Premier (!!!) to break down one of the most ambitious recording projects you’re likely to hear about:
tracking an entire 8-piece band live, on location, at speed — without losing the performance or your sanity.
Mike walks us through how he recorded 13 songs in just a few days, capturing real performances instead of chasing perfection. We dive deep into:
-Recording full bands live (and why it saves time)
-Letting spill work for you instead of fighting it
-Editing and fixing mistakes without killing the feel
-Why mic choice, placement, and polarity matter more than plugins
-How performance beats perfection every time
-Building a portable, high-channel-count recording rig
-Fast headphone mixes that keep musicians inspired
-Mixing decisions that start before you ever hit record
If you’ve ever felt stuck chasing “perfect” tracks in a home studio — this episode might completely reset how you think about recording.
This is a must-listen for engineers, producers, and musicians who care about feel, momentum, and making records that sound human.
Spektakulatius:
Album: '10' (2014)
Tracking Info:
- https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-spektakulatius
- https://cambridge-mt.com/rs2/ch11-case1/
Mixing Info:
- https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-spektakulatius
Mastering Info:
- https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-spektakulatius-0
Final CD:
- https://spektakulatius.de/2023/08/06/10/
Album: 'About Christmas' (2018)
Tracking Info:
- https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-spektakulatius-revisited
- https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-making-custom-baffles
Final CD:
- https://spektakulatius.de/2023/08/06/about-christmas/
For lots more information on my ensemble-recording techniques (and specifically the 'peer array' methods I used for Spektakulatius), see Mike's book 'Recording Secrets For The Small Studio':
- https://cambridge-mt.com/rs2/main/
Gear links:
Asparion D400T & D400F hardware controllers:
- https://www.asparion.de/en/products.html#tab_d400
Ferrofish A32 A-D/D-A converter:
- https://www.ferrofish.com/a32-dante-converter-multimode/
RME MADIface USB:
- https://rme-audio.de/madiface-usb.html
Superlux R102 ribbon mic (which is still for sale new at £88!):
- https://www.thomann.co.uk/superlux_r102.htm
Toneboosters freeware plug-ins:
- https://cambridge-mt.com/ms3/links/#freeware-top-ten
Soundtheory Gullfoss:
- https://www.soundtheory.com/gullfoss
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