Hands On!
Here at Chilli Inc Studios, we are committed to helping talented artist and musicians (and budding sound engineers) perform to the best of their ability. Playing an instrument (and that includes your voice!) is one thing, but recording it in all it’s acoustic (or electrical) glory is another! We have developed a series of educational classes and programmes to demonstrate that recording isn’t just a case of pointing a microphone at an instrument and pressing the Record button (although we will show you how effective this can be)! We want to show why we are able to get the sound we do from the space we have and what impact getting the right recording can have on the final mix. So, for this reason, we have developed a series of classes for recording different types of instrument.
We use industry-recognised professional recording and mixing software and plug-ins for all the sessions so that you can take what you’ve learned and use this in almost any other professional recording studio.
- Pro Tools 8/9
- Logic Studio 9
- Reason 4.0
- Waves v 7.2/8 Gold bundle
For those that want the analogue touch, we also have an 8 track 1/4” tape recorder that we can use to demonstrate the differences between analogue and digital recordings.
Recording Acoustic Guitar - Masterclass
What will you learn?
We will take you through the process of understanding your instrument and getting to know it intimately before letting you loose on the recording console. We explore the space within the studio to determine the best place to record, the pros and cons of each type of microphone, cable, outboard equipment, direct injection (DI) and best mic positions.
We then move on to the recording phase using a Mackie 24 track 8 bus stereo mixing console, where you will learn the basics of gain structure, optimum recording levels, compression, equalisation (EQ), panning techniques, sound fields (stereo, quadraphonic or 5.1 surround) and guitar effects (flange, phase, chorus, delay etc...) and the importance of reverb.
Who is this for?
Initially, we had planned this one day class for beginning guitarists and home recording enthusiasts, but could quickly see the benefits that this could give to a young producer or singer/song writer. But we don’t like to pigeon hole people and second guess who should or shouldn’t be on this programme - if you’re interested in recording acoustic guitar then this would be a good starter to get you going...
How long is the programme?
One day (9am to 5pm) should be enough to get you up to speed with your instrument and be comfortable at being able to get the best out of it when you want to record yourself.
How much is it?
The one day programme comes in at £150 for one-on-one tuition, or you can put yourself in a class of up to 3 delegates for £100 each.
Recording Electric Guitar - Masterclass
The electric guitar... developed and built in the early 1930’s, the electric guitar has become the symbol of rock and roll and has been the inspiration behind plethora genre’s of music. Little has changed in the physical mechanics of the electric guitar - it still has (in most cases) six strings that vibrate over an electromagnet which produces minute electrical signals which need to be amplified. But improvements in microphone, amplifier, driver and pickup technology have seen the guitar move from an accompanying instrument for big band or jazz ensembles, into an instrument that stands out on its own merits.
What will you learn?
Guiding you through (very) basic electronics (the need to understand the basics of transistors and vacuum tubes can make an enormous difference to the sound you get), we will attempt to give you a thorough grounding in the electric guitar and its constituent components. From here we will discuss the different types of guitar to select from, different types of pickups that they use, selection of amplifiers and how all of these can affect the sound and tonal quality of the guitar.
Once we’re happy that we can get sound out of the guitar and amplifier, we will then consider microphone selection and placement to get the optimum sound and level from the amplifiers driver. We then move on to the recording phase using a Mackie 24 track 8 bus stereo mixing console, where you will learn the basics of gain structure, optimum recording levels, compression, equalisation (EQ), panning techniques, sound fields (stereo, quadraphonic or 5.1 surround) and electric guitar effects (flange, phase, chorus, delay, echo, overdrive etc...) and the importance of reverb.
Who is this for?
Anyone who wants to know a lot more about recording electric guitars. Whether you’re an experienced musician who wants to know a bit more about the recording side, or a complete guitar beginner, there’ll be something for you in here. Also, for those engineers/producers that don’t have any formal education in sound engineering or music technology but want to understand the technology behind the music.
How long is the programme?
One day (9am to 5pm) should be enough to get you up to speed with your instrument and be comfortable at being able to get the best out of it when you want to record yourself.
How much is it?
The one day programme comes in at £150 for 1-on-1 tuition, or you can put yourself in a class of up to 3 delegates for £100 each.
Recording the Human Voice - Masterclass
What will you learn?
The human voice is unlike any other instrument. It’s sound changes in so many ways. You will learn the importance of warming up the voice and getting the best out of the performer. You will also learn the different techniques in recording vocals for music or voice over, over dubbing, audio books etc... For performers, you will learn microphone technique for the different types of microphone, the importance of the pop shield, sibilance, plosives etc...
We then move on to the recording phase using the Mackie 24 track 8 bus stereo mixing console, where you will learn the basics of gain structure, optimum recording levels, compression, equalisation (EQ), panning techniques, sound fields (stereo, quadraphonic or 5.1 surround) and recording the voice.
Who is this for?
Producers, recording engineers, music vocalists, voice over artists and anyone who wants to know more about recording the human voice.
How long is the programme?
This is a half day program (either morning or afternoon) which lasts approximately 4 hours.
How much is it?
The one day programme comes in at £150 (+VAT) for one-on-one tuition, or you can put yourself in a class of up to 3 delegates for £100 (+VAT) each.
The half day vocal recording session is £85 (+VAT)
What else do you get?
Apart from professional studio tuition from a seasoned recording and mixing engineer and producer, you will also receive a training manual detailing all the salient points of the days training and a CD containing all of your recorded material! If you are a Pro Tools 8/9 or Logic 9 user, we will also provide you with the complete session folder on either DVD or CD (or USB stick if you bring one along!).
Where do I sign up?
Here!
If you’re interested in any of the above Master classes, please fill in the online form here. Someone from the studios will be in touch in the next couple of days to confirm your availability.
