WireWorld - Michael Wagener's production studio just outside of Nashville. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: Michael Wagener, owner of Double Trouble Productions, has either produced, engineered or mixed just about every classic hard rock or metal group you could think of throughout the past two decades. He has produced countless hit records for acts such as Alice Cooper, Dokken, Extreme, Skid Row and Warrant, and has mixing and engineering credits on albums from colossal acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Janet Jackson and Queen. Wagener most recently stepped into his WireWorld production studio just outside of Nashville with guitarist Jeff Young for the recording of acoustic guitar on a collaboration with Brazilian artist Badi Assad (sister of the famed Assad Brothers) entitled "Nowhere." Wagener brought to the table a Soundfield MK V microphone system for capturing the essence of Young's prestigious 1955 Marcello Barbero flamenco guitar and found the results to be quite impressive. Wagener had worked with a Soundfield B-format style microphone for ambience on Warrant's "Dog Eat Dog," and had always wanted to try using a Soundfield microphone for something a bit more direct that would find a more prominent position in the mix. He also needed something that was going to sound genuinely natural to complement the organic sound 'Badi & Jeff' exemplify. "The guitar by itself sounded great, so the main point was getting that sound into the control room," explains Wagener. "The Soundfield system allows you to position the mic relative to the guitar, determine the depth of room sound, and stereo width - all from the control room without physically adjusting the microphone. That in itself is a wonderful feature." The microphone setup for Young's guitar was as follows: The Soundfield Mark V was positioned about two and a half feet away from the guitar, pointing at the low end of the neck, slightly above the guitar. A Soundelux 251 was positioned two feet away, same height as the guitar pointing to Young's right hand, slightly left of the soundhole, and a Schoeps CMC5/MK4 at the upper end of the neck, about 2 feet away, pointing towards the bridge of the guitar. Wagener incorporated a John Hardy M-1 preamp and a Summit EQF-100 for a slight high-end boost to the Schoeps. The 251 was going through a GrooveTubes VIPRE with no EQ. A Chandler EMI compressor was used for compression on the 251 and the Schoeps. The MK V's preamp/processor stereo outputs were sent direct through one of Wagener's Sony DMX-R100 consoles and then on to his Euphonix R-1 recorder in keeping with his desire to capture a truly natural sound. "I had tried a combination with a Sony 800 G on another project, but this combination with the Schoeps, the Soundelux, and the Soundfield MK V System was so natural sounding, I'd say it's some of the best acoustic guitar sound I've ever recorded," states Wagener. "I have a project coming up in September that's going to be recorded from the ground up in 5.1 surround and incorporates a full orchestra on a few songs. I intend to use the Mark V and the SP451 5.1 surround processor extensively for that recording." Badi & Jeff have found much popularity in Europe, and their new album includes masterful artists from all over the world playing souly natural acoustic instruments. The classical and flamenco guitar stylings of Badi & Jeff along with Badi's brilliant vocal work are said to have brought revitalizing change to the world of Brazilian music. For information on Badi and Jeff, go to www.nowhereland.ws |
Las Vegas Pro Audio 7320 Smoke Ranch Road Suite G Las Vegas, NV 89128 Phone: 702.307.2700 fax: 702.314.2764 sales@lasvegasproaudio.com    |