What if everybody was perfect. Every basketball shot would go in (or would it get blocked by the perfect defender?), every golfer would shoot the same score, and every batter would hit a home-run (or would they get struck-out by the perfect pitcher?). What if every pitcher pitched a perfect game? Than the 2.96 perfect games thrown this year would have no value.

What if everybody was capable of composing music at the level of perfection? There would be no Mozart or Beethoven… And, even some of their works are not as great as others, which is why their greatest works are most loved!

The fact that we’re not perfect allows us to appreciate and embrace what is Perfect. Man cannot appreciate perfection until he has experienced imperfection. And this appreciation is what fuels our interest and gives life to our existence.

Integrity is doing what is right, when nobody is looking.

I do not find fault with this statement, but I’ve never been left with the impression that it is complete. Today, I thought of an amendment to the saying that I think completes it.

Integrity is doing what is right, when nobody is looking, and holding to what is right when someone is.

Peer pressure causes the sacrifice of integrity in ways that no person would when alone.

What do you hope to accomplish with this recording?

Music is a far-reaching, powerful method of communication with sufficiency that strengthens and heals the soul. It is fitting when words are inadequate. If words could say it all, why would music ever be written?

The Entrance of Sound, is focused on musically caring for those who are enduring pain and suffering. It is mostly original compositions, with a few hymns. After working at the Topeka Rescue Mission for several years, I have a greater understanding of life, having witnessed so many heart-wrenching stories, such as the following.

He was the step-father of a child who had been graphically abused by the biological father. Personal challenges lead his family to be homeless. After building a relationship with him, I learned that many of his own problems existed since his mother tried to murder him by cooking him in an oven. The only reason he was alive today was that his dad forgot his wallet after leaving for work, came home, discovered him in the oven, and saved his life.

What could I do? What could I say? Words were inadequate. I went on a journey to discover how I could help him and others in painful circumstances, and this recording is the result. For those who are enduring pain, the messages of love, hope, and purpose need to be understood. This recording is a carrier of these messages.

Where do you get your ideas?

My musical vocabulary is added to by life experiences. As a beginner, my creativity was limited by my lack of understanding of the basics–theory, chord structure, and melodies. But, once the musical foundation was understood, my creativity was released to be expressed.

My ideas come from being aware of my surroundings: the melody of the birds singing, the instrumentation of leaves rustling in the air, and the percussion of the crackling fire.

Example: my wife (who is an authoress) and I recently took one of the most beautiful walks of our life. It was a foggy, mysterious evening set around a frozen lake. The ground was covered with snow, and there was a waterfall which still flowed. Absolute silence was in the air, except for what nature itself permitted.

As we were walking, my wife was on one side thinking about how she could describe the setting with words while I was on the other side thinking of how I could describe the setting with music. There was mystery, peace, the sounds of geese flying, and the rhythmic timing of our feet thumping on the sidewalk. All of these things could easily be captured into music by composing the impression that it left me or by imitating the sounds of nature on the hammer dulcimer.

I also get ideas from the innovation of other musicians. I listen to all types of music, as there is so much to be learned and absorbed.

What do you do to fill in the holes that inevitably present themselves?

The deepest holes for this project were the limits I set on myself—solo, the same hammer dulcimer for all tracks, and no overdubbing. I wanted more unity with mood, tone, and message in this release. Musically, I wanted themes to exist throughout the recording and similar chord changes to commonly appear. Obviously, this is a framework which could easily create a lifeless recording. The deepest hole which needed to be filled could easily be summed up in one word: variety.

My primary method to create variety was chord development. Chords change the feel of a song, dramatically. In fact, I developed chord progressions before composing the melody and deciding the rhythm. The songs needed depth and cerebral stimulation to accomplish my message, and quality chords seemed to be the most fitting remedy.

In my previous recordings, I’ve relied on dramatic mood, tone, and instrumentation changes to give the recording variety.  This project is solo and cannot rely on other instrumentation to complete it. There must be tension, release, melody, percussion, and embellishments–all happening on one instrument.

With this in mind, the playing approach to each track must be diversified or the CD would quickly become dull.

How do you diversify your skills?

Once you’ve been playing for a while, you’ll develop a style which is uniquely you. This is one of your greatest strengths. But, it can easily become a hindrance since it’s easy to approach every song the same way using the same licks, chords, and rhythms.

To overcome this, I record videos of myself playing and study exactly what I do. Then, I think of different ways to play things. It is amazing how many different opportunities are out there if you just stop and think of alternative methods.

Additionally, to spice things up, I’ve used alternate tunings, non-typical timing signatures, and unique keys to the hammer dulcimer such as C#minor. When playing in these different fashions, I find much diversity.

I also listen to other hammer dulcimists. There is, however, a big trap which is easy to fall into–copying. Instead of copying, I want to learn what it is they do, and why they do it. I can learn those methods to apply to my skill set and uniquely execute them.

Briefly summarize the process you use for creating a recording.

I tend to capture a recording emotionally before logically. I feel it before I create it. It may take a few months or a few years to come up with the ideas of a project.

Once I start processing my ideas, I compose the tunes, practice them, and analyze them. Then, it’s just a matter of going into the studio prepared and getting a perfect take.  I typically record 2-3 tracks a session to be as fresh as possible and get the best take I can. Each tracks needs to sound exactly as it should. I take my time and don’t get in a big rush. Once I am satisfied, it is released.

Dulcimer stays prominent

This means that the dulcimer should be the most prominent instrument in the mix. When people buy a hammer dulcimer CD, they want to listen to a hammer dulcimer, not your other instrumentation. Thus, I feel that it should remain front and center. I can only think of a reason to pan if you have more than one dulcimer.

Record in stereo

To see my suggestions for how to do this, read this article.

Hammer Dulcimers are not recorded often

Many producers/engineers have little to no experience with recording the hammer dulcimer, and it is a different approach than with other instruments. In the music production industry, most ears have been trained to record the more common instruments such as the guitar, piano, violin, cello, etc. And, not surprising, most music recording gear is designed to do well with recording these instruments. Thus, finding the right ears and equipment to produce a hammer dulcimer recording is a challenge.

Personally, I like an unprocessed sound. When listening, I want it to be as if you’re sitting next to it. Sound simple? Actually, it’s not. Recording equipment translates sounds so many different ways, getting it to sound “real” is tough!

Don’t over-compress!

I’ll start with common mistakes that professional engineers make with the hammer dulcimer. First mistake: over-compression. Since the hammer dulcimer is a percussive instrument, when it is recorded it is extremely easy to have hits which attack your ears. This is not always an indication of a poor performance, but is often the nature of the instrument. It’s very simple for engineers to solve this issue by over-compressing the interpretive life out of the recording. Some compression will result in a more polished feel, but hammer dulcimers simply do not sound realistic when over-compressed. Be careful!

Analog is your friend

The second biggest mistake of engineers is to automatically record and mix completely digital. But digital tends to be harsh. Combine that with a percussive stringed instrument, and you get an overbearing attack (which is why engineers will over compress) The way to solve the issue of the attack is analog equipment. From my experience, recording with top-tier analog pre-amp and mixing with an analog reverb (to add a realistic smoothness) will solve 80% of the attack issues. The other 20% can be solved with the mixing board and compression. To prove this point and for comparison purposes, listen to Stillness (pure-digital) to Desire for Departure (analog/digital combination) and you tell me which is a smoother, more realistic sound.

Control the reverb

The third big production mistake is too much reverb. Commonly, reverb is added to smooth out the attacks since they were unaware of how to record the dulcimer to begin with or other alternative ways to enhance the smoothness. While this is understandable, too much reverb still sounds bad, processed, and unrealistic. The hammer dulcimer provides enough natural reverb by itself that it needs little to no reverb added to it. In my opinion, the only need for reverb is to add a consistency, smoothness, and polish to your mix.

This is what my methods for recording the hammer dulcimer will sound like:
Download audio file (deeplove.mp3)

I’ve found a room, about 8x8x8 with sound paneling setup to prevent room reverb is best; the dulcimer has enough natural resonance which causes conflict with room atmosphere.

Record in stereo! Unlike some instruments, you can’t effectively capture the complete hammer dulcimer with one microphone. If you’re tempted to record in mono for any reason, don’t do it. You’ll regret it one day. (And if you need mono in the mix for an effect, you can always convert stereo to mono.)

Personally, I like the sound of the hammer dulcimer to be very focused and responsive. I’ve found the setup shown in the photos to be the most effective for my desired sound. While there are those who may have good reasons to disagree, I think two microphones is best. I feel that whenever more microphones are added, the sound become less focused. Don’t try to make the microphone setup any more complicated than it needs to be.

The most important thing is the height of the microphone since this will effect the way it picks up the reverb and natural attack of the hammers. There’s no magic science to the heights since all equipment is different, just be sure to try different heights. Get the microphones as close as you can without interfering with the hammers or recording too much attack from the hits. (Also, I understand that the microphones with this setup may interfere with your vision…give yourself time and you’ll adjust) The bottom line for mic placement is this: you want the right combination of minimal attack and minimal reverb. If a sacrifice must be made, sacrifice slightly more reverb for less attack.

Also, the microphones in the photos shown are NOT the ones I record with. Do you really think I would share with you my top-kept-secret of the trade? When choosing a microphone, you want a large diaphragm mic which is extremely quiet and has a lot of sparkle. [hint]Audio Technica just might make a good mic.[/hint] Follow your engineer’s recommendation unless you are one .

Last but not least: use an analog preamp!. This will smooth the recording out and decrease the attack, saving you hours of mixing headaches. It will also create a warmer, more realistic sound. The preamp I used on Desire for Departure and The Entrance of Sound was certifiable the actual preamp that the Beatles voices flowed through for some of their recordings. So, it was ancient history fit for a museum, but in this scenario far out-performed a $15,000 21st century digital preamp which I sound tested along with it. There was absolutely no comparison.

]]> http://joshuamessick.com/making-a-winning-recording/how-to-mic-the-hammer-dulcimer/feed 2 http://joshuamessick.com/announcements/the-entrance-of-sound-released-2 http://joshuamessick.com/announcements/the-entrance-of-sound-released-2#comments Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:45:20 +0000 admin http://joshuamessick.com/?p=714

The Entrance of Sound
Solo Hammer Dulcimer. No overdubs. 100% Natural Sound.

Listen to the entire album for free. Please consider making a donation.

© 2010 by Joshua Messick. Unauthorized copies (physical or digital) is strictly prohibited. These songs are authorized to be listened to exclusively on www.joshuamessick.com.

Download audio file (InstrumentsWithVoices.mp3)

One of my favorite things to do is play at assisted living communities. It amazes me how the words I speak have little to no impact to those who have the misfortune of losing the functions of their minds. But, music can always be understood and communicates to them in ways which my words never could.

The mystery of music fascinates me.