Artist Name: Jenine Title: Around Town Genre: Rock/Pop Rating:
Equipment Used
PC with MOTU 16A audio interface running Cakewalk SONAR Platinum and Rapture soft synths. Yamaha console with stock preamps. Yamaha HS5 monitor speakers, beyerdynamic DT 150 headphones. Mics: AKG D-112 (kick), Shure SM57 (snare, toms), Behringer B1 (hi-hats, overheads), sE Electronics sE2200 (acoustic guitar), RODE NT2A (vocals, sax). Ibanez Artwood acoustic guitar, Ibanez Roadstar bass through Line 6 Helix, Kurzweil digital piano.
Production Notes & Credits
“Around Town” is a female vocal rock song. Peter produced/recorded the track and played guitar, bass, and keyboards. Larry Rose was on drums, Jenine played the piano and sang the vocals, and Phil Holder rounded things out on sax. Peter says the track was “Recorded in my self-constructed converted double garage consisting of a booth and separate control room.”
Reviewed By Marty Peters
This month’s Spotlight is a catchy, well-designed track chock full of great tones and performances. Built around a fairly simple melody line, Peter, Jenine and company have put together a fine arrangement that leaves plenty of room for all to shine.
Setting up the track with a simple but effect ambience via Jenine’s solo vocal over a “walking street sound” music library bed, things quickly start to take shape. Peter has done a superb job with all of his tones here, particularly the marriage between his drums and bass. The Ibenez Roadstar bass/Line 6 Helix signal chain comes up aces—rarely have we heard a more blended and balanced rhythm section, it’s simply a pleasure to listen to!
Moving on, Peter has done a tremendous job on the vocal recording as well. Jenine’s stellar voice is beautifully captured and presented in the mix. The RØDE NT2A large-capsule condenser mic is an ideal fit here, with absolutely no artifacts to be found. We also dug the subtle processing on the vocal… a little verb/delay goes a long way, says the wise man! The RØDE also shone on Phil’s fantastic sax solo. We got a serious E Street Band vibe there, friends—no small compliment indeed.
As we have said many times before, all this sonic goodness would simply be for naught without a great mix, and fortunately Peter delivers the goods once again. “Around Town” features more than a few arrangement twists and turns; they are handled gracefully here, without the energy or volume discrepancies that we too often find. Well done by all!
Suggestions
Lots to learn from here, loyal readers—great song, cool arrangement, obvious care taken every step of the way. Combine that with a room full of skilled performances, and the quality literally shines through. Oh, and did we mention catchy? We’ll gladly be humming it for days!
Summary
Fantastic!
Contact
Peter Hanmer, [email protected]