Dusty Wakeman at the Americana Music Festival & Conference 2013
The Americana Music Festival & Conference 2013, held in Nashville from September 18 through September 22, brought together an assortment of music artists, rising stars, and other music industry notables for four days of music and education. Among numerous activities, Mojave Audio and its sister company Royer Labs conducted a home recording seminar as a means of demonstrating the companies’ products and to give conference attendees the opportunity to experience the capabilities of these products firsthand.
The two companies created a “pop-up studio” for a seminar conducted by producer/engineer Dusty Wakeman, president of Mojave Audio. The seminar took place in a rectangular conference room, which served as a stand-in for a bedroom/living room/garage studio. The featured artist for the seminar was guitarist/vocalist Anne McCue and her band: Jay Weaver (upright bass), Randy Leago (accordion), and John McTigue (drums).
“Our purpose here today is to share with you some basic recording tips and techniques you can use to help solve commonly encountered recording issues and improve the quality of your recordings,” Wakeman told the assembled gathering.
Using mic preamps provided by Vintage King Nashville, the session was recorded on an Avid Pro Tools system using a Universal Audio Apollo interface, with reference monitors provided by Focal Professional. Microphones from both Mojave Audio and Royer Labs were used to capture all performances.
During the session, Wakeman discussed commonly encountered acoustical considerations that take place in the home studio environment, and showed treatment options provided by Auralex Acoustics. He discussed the importance of microphone placement, proximity effect on the sound, tips for minimizing plosives, and other important considerations. After each of the first two takes by the band, tracks were soloed and adjustments were made. The third take was agreed upon by all to be the keeper.
“This year’s Americana Music Association conference was exceptional,” Wakeman says. “There was lots of great music, the vibe was right on, and the atmosphere was really conducive to learning. We had some great people at the recording seminar and they were really appreciative of the efforts put forth by Anne McCue and her band. The pop-up studio was a tremendous success and we fully expect to conduct more of these sessions. It was great fun and, most importantly, I believe everyone in attendance learned something that can help further their careers.”
Visit Mojave Audio at mojaveaudio.com.
Visit Royer Labs at www.royerlabs.com.
Learn more about the Americana Music Festival & Conference at americanamusic.org.
