Fastback Studios just wrapped up a recording & mastering session with the Bill Mattocks Band.  This band has and long set-list of songs that will entertain any event or nightclub.  Here is a quote from Bill Mattocks on his experience at Fastback.

 
Where do I begin?  I just finished listening to the master mix.  Jason did a wonderful job, not only with mastering but the whole project. He’s kind of become the 7th member of the band.  The both of you have made this a great experience, for me and the rest of the band. I already have been talking Fastback up to as many people I know, I will continue doing the same. The liner notes on the CD will feature Fastback Studios in a strong way. Thank you!  - Bill Mattocks

This last weekend we started a new project with a band called Dicktionhead.  I believe this band has a very bright future in the punk/hard rock scene because they have incorporated a Celtic melodic twist with musical change-ups to the traditional punk sound.  This full-length release should be available May 2007.  Listed below is how we mic’ed the session.
 
Drums:
1). Kick Drum In: Audix D-6.  Mic-pre, Grace 201 – left channel into the Urei 546 EQ. Left side.
 
2). Kick Drum Out: ( 4ft with a blanket covering ) Rode NTK tube mic with the Grace 201 – right channel into the Urei 546 EQ. right side.
 
3). Snare Top: Shure SM57 going to a Avalon 737SP channel strip.
 
4). Snare Top: Neumann KM84.  Mic-pre, Focusrite ISA 428 then through a custom LA-2A compressor.
 
5). Snare Bottom: Telefunken M16 tube mic.  Mic-pre Focusrite ISA 428 with a Urei 1176 compressor.
 
6). Rack Tom: Sennheiser MD 421 run through a custom Neve mic pre & EQ left side.
 
7). Floor Tom: AKG D112 run through a custom Neve mic pre & EQ right side.
 
8). High Hat: German condenser mic no markings.  Mic-Pre Foucusrite ISA 428
 
9). Left & Right Overheads: Rode NT2, mic-pre the Universal Audio 2-610.
 
10). Back & Front Room Mics: German condenser mic’s no markings, mic-pre Focusrite ISA 428
 
 
Bass Cabinet:
 
1). The bass cabinet was a Gallien-Krueger 4×10 with a 1001RB2 head.  We mic’ed it with a Sennheiser MD 421 and mic-pre & compressed with a Manley SLAM Left side
 
2). The DI signal was a Sansamp Bass pedal, mic-pre & compressed with Manley SLAM Right side
 
Guitar Cabinet:
 
1). Fender Blackface showman with a Hiwatt custom 4×10 stereo cabinet, purple tolex.  The color of the amp has nothing to do with the tone, I just thought it is cool.  Offset to the side of the cone we paired a Shure 57 with a refurbished Lomo 19A19 by Manley Labs.  We ran both mics through our Neve stereo custom Lunchbox.
 
Vocals: TBA at a later session in the month, This recording session was only scratch vocals.

The studio blog seems to be very successful with regular viewers and constant positive feedback and I would like to thank you for taking the time to read, record and hopefully learn about “how to” record and how we operate Fastback Studios.  I really believe why we are doing well is because it shows in the final product of the recording and the understanding that each artist and project has something new to give to the audience.
 
I often write on how to record but why should you the artist record and be a part of Fastback Studios.  Well, here are some quick facts why you should consider recording with us.
 
1). Gear:  Our gear is very cool.  We have equipment from the 1940’s to today.  When bands are seeking for that British tone such as EMI (Abbey Road Studios) or the American sounds of such as Stax, Sun, Capital and Atlantic recordings.  We have that same gear to create that sound!  As a side note some of our equipment has come from historic recording studios that have recording some of our favorite songs.
 
2). Rooms: The Studio is equipped with a large live room, separate engineering room, lounge and 3 ISO booths.  Plenty of space to get creative in.
 
3). Rates:  Our rates are very competitive for both the indie artist and the record labels; we have the same quality or sometimes even more gear and more square footage than other noteable Seattle studios.  Our value is our service to the artist by including the engineer, 2^nd engineer and using the best equipment possible for the project.
 
4). Staff:  We love what we do, we love the process of recording and enjoy meeting new friends and are excited when we have help the artist or label achieve their goals.
 
5). Quality: We are very serious about releasing quality products to the public, your experience and final product at Fastback Studios is our business card.
 
6). Location:  Fastback Studios has easy access off of the I-5 Freeway with many close amenities for the artist.
 
7).  I would like to thank some of our affiliates for helping Fastback Studios achieve our goals.  If you have a moment please visit.  Music Preperation - City of Seattle recording Studios - Myspace Fastback site

We have just added the Neumann U47 and U48 mics to our collection.  These two mic’s are the flagship of the recording industry.  Here is the difference between the two mics.  In the postwar Neumann factory in Berlin, Neumann’s 1947 sealed Ni-Cad cell,  introduced the U47, the first switchable-pattern condenser mic. The microphone that began the age of modern studio microphone technology, the U47 featured a high-performance VF14 tube and the dual-diaphragm M7 capsule, essentially back-to-back cardioid capsules that could be combined to create an omni pattern or used singly for a cardioid pickup. Due to distribution issues with Telefunken and post-war production snags, the U47 officially debuted in 1949. Eight years later, the U48 — a cardioid/figure-8 switchable version — was added to the line. 

Fastback Studios Neumann mic collection consist of “The Neumann Bottle” which is the reissue of the 1932 CMV3A hot swapable mic capsules - U47 & U48 - M49 - U87AI - KM100 w/-10db pad - KM84 w/-10db pad - KM184.

Fastback is adding a new ISO booth.  ISO #1 is 5×5, ISO #2 is 6×8 and our new ISO#3 that is now under construction will be 8×9.  Basically we are taking our open drum riser and enclosing it for vocals, stand up bass and amps.  Why are we doing this?  because we are recording a lot of live keeper tracks and want a real good separation of sounds when it comes to the mixing session. 

How are we doing this?  The riser is 8″ off the floor filled with 1 ton of sand.  Cover the top of the floor with a thick carpet pad and carpet.  We are using steel studs as framing and caulk between all the open gaps and angles.  Once the faming, double payne angled windows and solid core door are in place we install 2 sheets of 5/8 drywall, 1 sheet of 3/8 sound board, R-30 insulation then the process is repeated on the other side of the framing, 2 sheets of 5/8 drywall, 1 sheet of 3/8 sound board.  By the time we have completed the walls they will be about 7″ thick before applying diffusion panels to the live room side of the ISO booth.