Equipment

DAW – Pro Tools 2022, 2023 @24/48 kHz; Converter/Interface – SPL Madison; Microphones – RCA 77-DX (Vocals), Coles 4038 (Guitars), AEA R88 (Dr OH), MKH40 (Choir), MD421 (Bass Amp), MD409 (Vocals), Echolette ES-14 (Guitar Amps and Vocals), Lauten Clarion (Kick) and MD441 (Snare); Preamps – Retro Channel Strip (Vocals, Bass and Guitars), SPL Channel One, SPL Gain Station8 (Dr & Bs) and Maag Preamp (OHS); Analog Processors – Teletronix LA-2A (Everything), SPL Kultube (Piano and Dr), Altec 436C-moded (Guitar Amp) and DBX160x; Plugins – FabFilter Pro-Q3, Plugin Alliance SPL Iron, Maag EQ4, etc.; Analog Summing – SPL MixDream; Mix Bus – SPL IRON and SPL Passeq; Monitors – Focal Trio6; Headphones – Focal Clear MG Pro; Mastering Chain – Manley BACKBONE, SPL PQ, ADL 1500, SPL Passeq and Pendulum Limiter; Mastering DAW – Reaper @24/96 kHz; Mastering Interface – Avid MTRX Studio

Music

“Passage” is a soul song recorded by a Quebec-based duo named G!ve. It is based on a poem by Sol Mandlsohn and features music composed by Caroline St-Louis. Stephan Ritch produced, arranged and mixed the song. Caroline St-Louis performed the song on vocals and piano, with Stephan Ritch on guitar, vocals and electric bass, along with Jonathan Kayer on organ and Jahsun on drums.

The drums, bass, guitars and lead vocals were recorded in Ritch’s home studio, while Ritch recorded the organ at a friend’s house with a laptop and a UAD Apollo x8 interface. Caroline St-Louis arranged and conducted the vocal ensemble LaVibz, which was recorded at St-Matthieu Church in Montreal. Finally, Guy Hébert mastered the song at Concrete Mastering in Montreal.

“Passage” is a track from Of the Bird, Flying, an album, like the song, based on the poems of Sol Mandlsohn.

G!ve, a duo with Carolyn St-Louis and Stephan Ritch, was asked by the organizers of Canada Audiofest to record a song based on Mandlsohn’s poem “Journey” for their performance at the 2017 Montreal Audiofest. Afterward, Caroline was drawn to other poems in Mandlsohn’s book, also named Of the Bird, Flying, and eventually wrote an entire album based on them; one of those songs is “Passage.”

Review By Dave Martin

“Passage” has a gospel-influenced sound. The organ intro played on a Hammond B with a Leslie is part of that vibe, as is the great choral arrangement. The chord changes, the groove, and the marvelous tone and phrasing of vocalist Caroline St-Louis all support that feeling.

Digging into the production, producer Stephan Ritch is a fan of ribbon microphones and old-fashioned processing. The lead vocal was recorded with an RCA 77-DX and the guitar (a 1971 Telecaster) was primarily played through a 71 Fender Princeton that was miked with a Coles 4038. The organist’s Leslie cabinet was miked with an AEA R88 for the top and a Sennheiser MD 421 on the bottom rotor. The drum overhead mic was an AEA R88.

Ritch’s bass track was played on a Fender Mustang bass plugged into an Ampeg B15 miked with a Sennheiser MD 409 (paired with a Radial DI), and some less common—but very cool—pieces of gear, including an Echolette ES-14 (a rebadged Sennheiser MD 409M), and an old modified Altec 436C compressor. Ritch captured some great tones, which means that not only does he have good gear, but he also knows how to use it to its best advantage.

Dave’s Suggestions

For this month’s Spotlight, I’m not going to make suggestions for the producer, mixer, singers or musicians who helped to create “Passage.” They’ve created a lovely setting for Sol Mandlsohn’s poem, and I loved listening to their vision of the final recording. But for those of us listening for the first time, I’m reminded of a couple of things I’d like to share and a couple of things for RECORDING readers to think about in your own recordings.

First, listen to the organ, and more importantly, listen to the way that the organist used the drawbars to change the tone of the organ through the different parts of the song. Then, listen again to the organ part and notice how the organist used the Leslie cabinet (which only has two speeds) to get all the changes you hear in the track. I love that.

These days, I suspect most projects are recorded with musicians coming in at different times; sessions with every musician playing together in the studio where they can listen to each other and adjust their playing to fit with what the other folks are doing are becoming relatively rare. So, here’s another thing to consider when putting a session together: Who records first?

Using “Passages” as an example, the main guitar and organ tracks were played at different times. If the guitar track was finished first, the organist would listen to and adjust to mesh best with the guitar track. If it had been done the other way, then the organist would have played the part they thought best, and the guitarist would need to adjust.

You hate to start having second thoughts about a track played a week or a month ago as you are recording the last instrument on the song. While you can go back and re-record the old track, doing so takes time and possibly money.

Have a Vision

Here’s how I approach this sort of project. I start with a vision of the final mix. That way, as I go through the process of recording each musician, I’m listening to what each person is playing with an idea of what I want their track to sound like in the finished mix while also listening for each musician to play something that I didn’t expect—but that I like better. I’ve found that pre-planning for each track tends to work better than letting each person play and hoping it’ll all work in the end.

Location, Location, Location

Finally, this track was recorded in three different locations. The vocal ensemble was recorded in a church, the lead vocal (and most of the instruments) were recorded in a studio and the organ was recorded in a third location. Should you find yourself doing this sort of recording, you might think about the ambience around each instrument. The ambience around the ensemble is quite roomy, while the lead vocals are quite a bit drier and more intimate, with the organ being somewhere in the middle.

Some folks would try to make the whole group sound like they’re playing in the same space (which would require more reverb—or at least longer decay times—for those who didn’t record in the church), while others don’t worry about that sort of thing at all. Both approaches can work but thinking about the differences—and consciously making a decision—is generally a better idea than not considering the end goal.

But as I said earlier, I like G!ve’s “Passage” and love the work that Caroline St-Louis, Stephan Fitch, and all of the other musicians and singers did to create it.

Summary

This is an amazing recording of a lovely tune and you will want to hear the rest of the album! Order your own copy at: give.band/

Dave Martin is a producer, engineer and bassist. Dave owned Nashville’s Java Jive Studio for close to 25 years. Dave has recorded, produced and/or played with symphony orchestras, rock and roll icons and country music legends ranging from the Old Crow Medicine Show, The Dead Pickers Society, Porter Wagoner, Robben Ford, Billy Cobham, The Box Tops, Carl Verheyen, Richie Faulkner (Judas Priest), Adrian Belew, Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Eric Johnson, Robbie Fulks, Steve Vai, The Coasters and others. Dave is also a member of the Western Swing Hall of Fame.