A great lead vocal will make your recordings stand out on streaming platforms, radio, and social media. But it can be difficult to spotlight a poorly-recorded vocal in a crowded mix.

In this article, learn essential techniques for recording vocals and how to use UAD plug-ins for professional sound.

Prepare your Room to Record

Amazing recordings have been made in less-than-stellar spaces, so don’t let the technicalities of room acoustics and treatment get in the way of your creative process. However, before you set up to record vocals, do a quick check of your room.

Hardwood floors? Drywall? Windows? All of these surfaces cause reflections, which can muddy your recordings.

For an inexpensive fix, place area rugs and hang blankets over walls or windows to reduce room sounds while you record. This dampening will improve the clarity of your tracks and give you better results when applying plug‑ins.

Best Microphones for Recording Vocals

Large diaphragm condenser mics are more sensitive to the human voice than dynamic or ribbon mics. They are the preferred choice for recording vocals in an isolated environment.

There are great options at various price points. Choose the highest quality mic you can afford without breaking the bank, and consider mics with features like selectable polar patterns and pad switches for added versatility.

Watch: Recording Vocals with Auto‑Tune

Which Polar Pattern is Best for Vocals?

A microphone’s polar pattern represents how sensitive it is to sound at different angles.

For a single vocalist recording over a backing track through headphones, a cardioid pattern is best. This focuses the mic’s sensitivity to sound directly in front of it, and helps reduce unwanted noise behind and from the sides of the mic.

When recording a vocalist with a backing band or other live sound sources, consider a microphone with a hypercardioid polar pattern to further reduce background noise.

How to Record Vocals

For an inspiring vocal performance, comfort is key. Make sure your singer has everything they need to give a great performance, then position the face of the microphone between 4" to 8" from their mouth. If using a condenser mic, place a pop filter between the mic and the singer’s mouth to avoid plosives.

Next, connect your microphone to your audio interface with an XLR cable. If you are using a mic that requires phantom power, make sure it’s switched on. Now, it’s time to route your signal in your DAW, set your preamp gain, hit record, and make history.

Learn More: How to Record with Apollo Interfaces

What are Cue Mixes?

When tracking vocals over pre-recorded material, it’s important that the vocalist hears only the elements of the track that they need to give a great performance.

A cue mix or “monitor mix” is a dedicated audio feed used to deliver a unique mix of the song to the singer, sometimes via an auxiliary track within your DAW or as a dedicated cue mix routed to your audio interface’s headphone or line outputs.

How to Use Plug‑Ins on Vocals

If you own an Apollo audio interface, you already have an included plug‑in bundle stocked with emulations of classic mic preamps, compressors, reverbs, and more. These very plug-ins have been used to record and mix countless hit records and can instantly inject analog warmth and character into your tracks.

Let’s go deeper and learn how UAD plug-ins solve the common issues that arise when recording vocals.

Realtime UAD Plug-In Processing

In a modern recording setup, adding multiple plug-in effects like reverb, compression, or delay to your vocals while you record results in latency — the audible time delay between what you sing and what you hear through your monitors or headphones.

Audio latency is the bane of many a beginning engineer’s workflow as it makes singing awkward and unnatural.

Apollo interfaces feature built-in DSP, which offloads processing from your computer and effectively allows you to record through UAD plug-ins with near-zero latency. This Realtime UAD Processing will change the way you record and monitor vocals with plug‑ins.

What are Unison Plug‑Ins?

Certain UAD plug-ins use Apollo’s Unison™ technology, which allows them to sound and behave like the preamps on real analog hardware.

Using these UAD plug-ins while you record gives vocals the studio-quality tone and response of legendary mic preamps from Neve,^® API,^® SSL,^® Manley,^® and more.

To hear your vocals through Unison, simply place a Unison-enabled UAD plug‑in on the dedicated Unison insert slot in the Console app or LUNA.

Watch: Unison Plug-Ins vs. Vintage Analog Hardware

Final Tips for Recording Vocals

A lead vocal can make or break your song. But with preparation, proper microphone choice and technique, and understanding how to use plug‑ins, you can quickly achieve more professional sounding vocal recordings. Here are some key takeaways:

Remove room sounds. Cover hard surfaces with blankets and rugs to reduce unwanted reverb and room coloration from your recordings.

Get comfortable. Allow your talent the best shot at a great performance. Offer a warm beverage or bring the lighting in the room down for a moodier atmosphere.

Make headphone mixes inspiring. Add reverb, delay, or compression plug-ins to cue mixes to bolster a singer’s confidence while monitoring through headphones.

For further reading, be sure to check out these related articles: How to use Plug-Ins on Vocals, How to Set up Unison Technology with Apollo, How to Record Hip‑Hop Vocals

Plugging In & Getting Started

Learn how to power up and register your pedal, get your free bonus effects, and more.

Operating Modes & the Preset Footswitch

Learn footswitch operating modes and how to save your favorite effect as a preset.

Using the UAFX Mobile App

Learn how to use UAFX Control to unlock the latest features on your pedal, including tap tempo, buffered bypass for effect trails, and more.

Answer these three questions to find the perfect audio interface for your needs.

There’s a lot to consider when choosing an audio interface. While it may seem like a big list of things to keep straight, it isn’t. Here are three questions to help identify the perfect interface for your needs.

1. What Type of Producer Are You?

Do you track and mix full bands, or just record alone at home? Maybe you're a singer/songwriter looking to deliver polished demos to a backing band, or a professional producer who needs a full arsenal of inputs and outputs for large mixes. Let’s hone in on the features you should be most aware of based on your production needs.

Bedroom Producer, Guitarist, Singer-Songwriter

Until recently, there simply wasn’t a way to record and mix professional‑sounding audio without spending thousands of dollars on bulky analog equipment, microphones, and high‑end monitors. Today, Grammy‑winning records can be made in a bedroom. So if you plan to record just your voice and a guitar or keyboard, or your process involves layering (overdubbing) live or virtual instruments — consider a basic two or four channel interface with quality audio conversion, and allocate any leftover cash to better microphones and acoustic treatment.

Recommended interfaces: Volt, Apollo Solo

Project Studio, Electronic Producer

As your mic collection and plug‑in library grows, you may find yourself moving from the category of “bedroom producer” to project studio owner. With this comes the need for expanded inputs and outputs.

Consider a rackmount or desktop interface that can comfortably accommodate the analog I/O needed to handle multiple microphones and audio signals simultaneously. Typically, you’ll need a minimum of four mic pres for tracking, and multiple outputs for routing signals to headphones, monitors, or hardware processors.

At this stage, a single interface might simply be too limited for your needs. So consider investing in computer systems and recording platforms that allow features like daisy-chaining between interfaces so you can better scale and expand as your studio grows.

Recommended interfaces: Apollo Twin, Apollo x4, Apollo x6

Pro Producer, Band, Film Composer

You’ve reached the stage in your recording journey where you require more than a handful of inputs. Or perhaps you’ve saved up enough money to produce your band’s next record.

If you record more than eight live sound sources at a time, or mix songs with dozens of tracks and plug‑ins, your interface should have the highest quality audio conversion and routing capabilities. Apollo rackmount interfaces deliver not only stellar sound, but built‑in DSP for near‑zero latency processing when recording with plug‑ins.

Recommended interfaces: Apollo x8p, Apollo x16

2. Desktop or Rackmount?

In the early stages of building out a studio, space is a serious commodity. Rack equipment, while visually appealing and professional looking, can be both expensive and cumbersome. On the other hand, desktop interfaces don’t always meet the preamp count and I/O requirements needed to record a live band. Let’s expand on the pros and cons of desktop vs. rackmount.

Desktop

The ultimate goal of any interface is the same: pass audio signals to and from your computer. The best audio interfaces offer high quality A/D and D/A audio converters, additional inputs and outputs, and added monitoring options — but these premium features aren’t just reserved for more expensive rackmount interfaces.

Many desktop audio interfaces deliver the same sonic benefits as their rackmount counterparts, with a streamlined workflow and easier access to monitoring options, talkback, and headphone outputs. Plus, their smaller form factor means they can be stashed in a backpack or laptop bag for on‑the‑go tracking and mixing.

Ultimately, if you require only a small handful of analog ins/outs and aren’t tracking and mixing large‑scale commercial projects, a quality desktop audio interface is a great solution.

Recommended interfaces: Apollo x4, Apollo Twin, Apollo Solo, Volt

Rackmount

Rackmount audio interfaces can free up your desk space and give your studio a bit more "professional" look. But more importantly, you'll get the benefits of added I/O and premium features like surround sound support. These are obvious advantages if you plan to record and mix full bands or multi‑source instruments like drums.

Most rackmount audio interfaces feature a multitude of analog and digital ins and outs. These can include balanced line connections, MIDI, S/PDIF, and the all‑important mic preamps. An interface like Apollo x8p prioritizes preamp inputs with eight Unison^™‑enabled mic pres — an excellent choice for fully in‑the‑box studios — while the mighty Apollo x16 delivers 16 channels of analog I/O via DB‑25 connections for console‑based/hybrid studios.

Tip: The number of dedicated preamps is a spec that you should be acutely aware of when shopping around. Many rackmount offerings include both the number of preamps and line/digital inputs when tallying I/O. Always check to see specifically how many preamps an interface offers.

Recommended interfaces: Apollo x6, Apollo x8, Apollo x8p, Apollo x16

3. What type of connections does your computer have?

For many of us, a computer and basic DAW is the starting point for recording and mixing our own music. Whether you’re running a Mac or Windows operating system, consider your computer’s built‑in connections when deciding which audio interface to purchase. Let’s focus on the big three.

Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt is the current reigning champion of data transfer. With throughput speeds up to 40Gbps, it’s far faster than other existing connections and is widely available and compatible with newer Mac and PC systems.

Thunderbolt tends to be the primary format on higher-end interfaces such as the Apollo X desktop and rackmount line. It’s backwards compatible with older versions, and more importantly, it supports the ability to daisy chain between devices. This means you can connect additional interfaces or other Thunderbolt hardware for added inputs and outputs as your studio grows, all while saving those precious connection ports on your computer.

Recommended interfaces: Apollo Solo, Apollo Twin X, Apollo X Rackmount

USB

Of all current data-transfer formats, USB wins for longevity. The different iterations of USB prove that it’s a perfectly viable option across a wide range of equipment. USB interfaces are available for both Mac and PC, however Universal Audio’s Apollo Twin USB and Apollo Solo USB models are designed specifically for Windows users.

While it appears that USB has the staying power for now, thanks to its adequate transfer speeds and backwards connectivity with older versions, it’s important to note that while all current Thunderbolt ports can accept USB‑C, not all USB‑C ports accept Thunderbolt. Lacking cross‑connectivity and the ability to daisy chain devices, along with inferior read/write speeds compared to Thunderbolt, systems relying solely on USB are less scalable and adaptable to future connection types.

Recommended interfaces: Apollo Twin USB, Apollo Solo USB, Volt

FireWire

The days of low‑bandwidth audio connections are behind us, and each type of connection discussed here can push plenty of digital data for working with basic audio tracks. However, of the three mentioned, FireWire seems closest to being phased out in favor of both speedier (Thunderbolt), and more widely compatible (USB) offerings.

At the time of writing, there are still a handful of audio interfaces that continue to support FireWire. However, there are no new computers that support this connection type. Despite having similar data transfer speed to USB, FireWire has simply aged out.

Recommended interfaces: Apollo FireWire

Final Tips for Choosing an Audio Interface

For many of us, recording is a life-long passion and career. But at the earliest stages, choosing an interface can be a big decision. Here are some final thoughts when deciding which audio interface is best for you.

• Think ahead. A new audio interface should meet your current needs, but also fulfill you down the road as the scope of your interest and passion for recording grows.
• Think realistically. Just because a wall of rack equipment looks professional doesn’t mean it is the most practical option for your studio or budget.
• Choose your own path. Make conscious purchase decisions that are informed by your creative needs, workflow, and budget — not others.

If you’ve been considering a new interface and are curious about Universal Audio’s line of Apollos, click the link below to learn more about the features that distinguish Apollo from other interfaces.

Enjoying this content? Sign up for the UA Newsletter and get even more free tips, plus exclusive deals on hardware and UAD plug-ins
— Paul Kobylensky, McCoy Tyler

Whether you’re tracking a singer/songwriter or an orchestra, DSP resources are vital to your recording sessions when using the UA Console app.

Channel DSP Pairing is an exciting new feature for Apollo interfaces that automatically distributes plug-in processing loads across paired DSP cores on a single input. This means you can run larger plug-in chains on individual channels with the lowest possible latency.

In this video, learn how to harness this powerful new feature on your next session.

History

Mid/Side microphone recording is hardly a new concept. It was devised by EMI engineer Alan Blumlein, an early pioneer of stereophonic and surround sound. Blumlein patented the technique in 1933 and used it on some of the earliest stereophonic recordings.

The M/S microphone recording technique is used extensively in broadcast, largely because properly recorded M/S tracks are always mono-compatible. M/S is also a popular technique for studio recording, and its convenience and flexibility make it a good choice for live recording as well.

Why Mid/Side?

The main weakness of the XY microphone technique is the fact that you're stuck with what you've recorded — as well as its stereo image. And in some cases, collapsing those tracks to mono can result in some phase cancellation.

The M/S technique gives you more control over the width of the stereo spread than other microphone recording techniques, and allows you to make adjustments at any time after the recording is finished.

What You Need

While XY recording requires a matched pair of microphones to create a consistent image, M/S recording often uses two completely different mics, or uses similar microphones set to different pickup patterns.

The "Mid" microphone is set up facing the center of the sound source. Typically, this mic would be a cardioid or hypercardioid pattern (although some variations of the technique use an omni or figure-8 pattern). The "Side" mic must be a figure-8 pattern. This mic is aimed 90 degrees off-axis from the sound source. Both mic capsules should be placed as closely as possible, typically one above the other.

How it Works

At its most basic, the M/S recording technique is actually not all that complicated. The concept is that the Mid microphone acts as a center channel, while the Side microphone's channel creates ambience and directionality by adding or subtracting information from either side.

The Side mic's figure-8 pattern, aimed at 90 degrees from the source, picks up ambient and reverberant sound coming from the sides of the sound stage. Since it's a figure-8 pattern, the two sides are 180 degrees out of phase. In other words, a positive charge to one side of the mic's diaphragm creates an equal negative charge to the other side. The front of the mic, which represents the plus (+) side, is usually pointed to the left of the sound stage, while the rear, or minus (-) side, is pointed to the right.

How to Do It

The signal from each microphone is then recorded to its own track. However, to hear a proper stereo image when listening to the recording, the tracks need to be matrixed and decoded.

Although you have recorded only two channels of audio (the Mid and Side), the next step is to split the Side signal into two separate channels. This can be done either in your DAW software or hardware mixer by bringing the Side signal up on two channels and reversing the phase of one of them. Pan one side hard left, the other hard right. The resulting two channels represent both sides of what your figure-8 Side mic is hearing.

Now you've got three channels of recorded audio — the Mid center channel and two Side channels — which must be balanced to recreate a stereo image.

Now, if you listen to just the Mid channel, you get a mono signal. Bring up the two side channels and you'll hear a stereo spread. Here's the really cool part — the width of the stereo field can be varied by the amount of Side channel in the mix!

Why It Works

An instrument at dead center (0 degrees) creates a sound that enters the Mid microphone directly on-axis. But that same sound hits the null spot of the Side figure-8 microphone. The resulting signal is sent equally to the left and right mixer buses and speakers, resulting in a centered image. An instrument positioned 45 degrees to the left creates a sound that hits the Mid microphone and one side of the Side figure-8 microphone.

Because the front of the Side mic is facing left, the sound causes a positive polarity. That positive polarity combines with the positive polarity from the Mid mic in the left channel, resulting in an increased level on the left side of the sound field.

Meanwhile, on the right channel of the Side mic, that same signal causes an out-of-phase negative polarity. That negative polarity combines with the Mid mic in the right channel, resulting in a reduced level on the right side. An instrument positioned 45 degrees to the right creates exactly the opposite effect, increasing the signal to the right side while decreasing it to the left.

What's the Advantage?

One of the biggest advantages of M/S recording is flexibility. Since the stereo imaging is directly dependent on the amount of signal coming to the side channels, raising or lowering the ratio of Mid to Side channels will create a wider or narrower stereo field. The result is that you can change the sound of your stereo recording after it's already been recorded, something that would be impossible using the traditional XY microphone recording arrangement.

Try some experimenting with this—listen to just the Mid channel, and you'll hear a direct, monophonic signal. Now lower the level of the Mid channel while raising the two Side channels. As the Side signals increase and the Mid decreases, you'll notice the stereo image gets wider, while the center moves further away. (Removing the Mid channel completely results in a signal that's mostly ambient room sound, with very little directionality — useful for effect, but not much else.) By starting with the direct Mid sound and mixing in the Side channels, you can create just the right stereo imaging for the track.

Another great benefit of M/S miking is that it provides true mono compatibility. Since the two Side channels cancel each other out when you switch the mix to mono, only the center Mid channel remains, giving you a perfect monaural signal. And since the Side channels also contain much of the room ambience, collapsing the mix to mono eliminates that sound, resulting in a more direct mix with increased clarity.

Other Variations

While most M/S recording is done with a cardioid mic for the Mid channel, varying the Mid mic can create some interesting effects. Try an omni mic pattern on the Mid channel for dramatically increased spaciousness and an extended low frequency response.

Experimenting with different combinations of mics can also make a difference. For the most part, both mics should be fairly similar in sound. This is particularly true when the sound source is large, like a piano or choir, because the channels are sharing panning information; otherwise the tone quality will vary across the stereo field. For smaller sources with a narrower stereo field, like an acoustic guitar, it's easier to experiment with mismatched mics. For example, try a brighter sounding side mic to color the stereo image and make it more spacious.

As you can see, there's a lot more to the M/S microphone technique than meets the ear, so give it a try. You'll find it to be an incredibly useful method to attain ultimate control of the stereo field in your recordings.

Here are some drum loops made with Mid/Side microphone recording. The mics were about 5 feet in front of the kit, head height with the drummer in a small room.

The Laws of Physics

Essentially, phase refers to sound waves — or simply put, the vibration of air. When we listen to sound, what we’re hearing are changes in air pressure. Just like the ripple of a stone in water, sound is created by the movement of air. And just as in water, those movements cause a rippling effect — waves comprised of peaks and troughs. Those waves cause our eardrums to vibrate, and our brains translate that information into sound.

When we record sound, the diaphragms in our microphones essentially replicate the action of our eardrums, vibrating in accordance with those waves. The waves’ peaks cause the mic’s diaphragm to move in one direction, while their troughs generate movement in the opposite direction.

The first illustration below shows what happens when we’ve got two channels of a signal in phase. When both channels are in phase, we hear the sound at the same amplitude level at the same time in both ears.

But if one side of the stereo signal is reversed, as shown in the second illustration, the signals will cancel each other out. In fact, if we were using a pure sine wave, combining both signals out of phase would result in silence, since the sounds would literally cancel each other out.

In the real world, we normally don’t listen to pure sine waves. Since most of the music we hear and the instruments we record are a complex combination of multiple waves and harmonics, the results of phase cancellation will be equally complex.

In the Studio

When recording, phase issues can quickly become complicated, usually becoming a problem when more than one channel is used to record a single source, such as stereo miking a guitar, multi-miking a drum set, or using a microphone/DI combo for bass. As sound waves of different frequencies reach different microphones at different times, the potential for one mic to receive a positive phase while another receives a negative is greatly increased, and the relationship between all of these waves’ phases can be unpredictable. In fact, the more mics in play, the more inevitable some sort of phase issues become.

Let’s look at a simple scenario, like a stereo recording of an acoustic guitar.

Most often, two mics will be set up, with one pointed toward the sound hole to pick up the lower frequencies, and the second mic pointed toward the neck and fingerboard to pick up the attack. Of course, the guitar’s frequency range covers several octaves, which means a wide range of different audio wavelengths. Since the mics are a fixed distance from the source, those different waves will arrive at the mics at different points.

Inevitably, one or more harmonics will end up sounding weaker than the rest. Your best practice would involve moving the mics very slightly — even a fraction of an inch can make a difference — until you achieve the best sound to your ears. Another solution would be to use a mid-side miking technique, which you can read about in our Mid Side (MS) Mic Recording Basics article.

Again, the more microphones used in a recording, the more potential for phase problems. In modern music recording, that usually points to the drum kit. Consider even a single snare drum, miked from above and beneath. Since the top and bottom heads of the drum are usually moving in directly opposing motion (when the top drum head is hit, it moves inward, causing the bottom head to move outward), the two mics will record signals that are directly out of phase.

Now factor in the hi-hat mic, a pair of overheads, at least one kick drum mic and one on every tom, not to mention the relationship to ambient mics, and you’ve got a sonic soup that’s ripe for phase problems. That’s why many microphones, as well as mic preamps and consoles, offer a phase flip switch. It's also why a lot of “old school” recording engineers wax nostalgic about the days when they recorded a kit with only two or three mics!

There are plenty of other “gotchas” that can introduce phase problems into your recordings. For example, a bass track recorded direct (DI) can be too clean sounding, so putting a mic on the bass amp cabinet and mixing the two sounds can give the extra “oomph” it needs — but it can also introduce phase problems.

Even certain delay settings, including pre-delays within a reverb patch, can create a delay of your original signal that ends up being out of phase

Check Your Speakers

Phase cancellation can also occur by simply wiring speakers incorrectly, inadvertently reversing the polarity of one channel. It’s surprising how many home stereos — and even project studios — have their monitors wired out of phase. In some circumstances, it may not even be apparent without careful listening. Though this is commonly referred to as “out of phase wiring,” technically-speaking it’s an issue of polarity. That said, the audible effect of this polarity reversal is the same as you get with phase cancellation.

The easiest way to check your speakers is to sum your mix to mono (more on this later). Many stereos and most mixing consoles allow you to do this, but even in stereo, there are some telltale signs of phase problems.

What does a phase problem sound like? Since phase cancellation is most apparent in low frequency sounds, the audible result of out of phase monitors is typically a thin-sounding signal with little or no bass sound. Another possible result is that the kick drum or bass guitar will move around the mix, rather than coming from a single spot.

Another common artifact of out-of-phase stereo mixes is where signals panned to the center disappear, while sounds panned hard to one side remain. Often this will be the case with a lead vocal or instrument solo — the main part will vanish, leaving only the reverb. In fact, this is how many of those old “remove the lead vocal” karaoke boxes work — they flip the phase of one side of the stereo mix, relying on the assumption that in most commercially recorded tracks, the lead vocal is panned dead center.

So what’s the fix?

As with most things, the answer is “it depends.” Assuming you identify a phase problem during the recording process, a fix is as easy as moving a mic or flipping the phase on a mic or its input channel.

When attempting to capture ambience, there's also a quick cheat: the 3:1 Rule of Mic Placement. Put simply, when using two microphones to record a source, try placing the second mic three times the distance from the first mic, as the first mic is from the source. So if the first mic is one foot from a source, the second mic should be placed three feet from the second mic. Using this simple 3:1 rule can minimize phase problems created by the time delay between mics.

Of course, if the problem doesn’t show itself until you’re mixing, it’s often possible to pull the tracks up in your DAW, zoom in close on their waveforms, and slightly nudge one track just a bit. You’d be amazed what a difference just moving a track by one or two milliseconds can make. There are also some very effective phase alignment plug-ins on the market that can really clean things up — and even serve as great creative tools — one of which is the UAD Little Labs IBP Phase Alignment Tool Plug‑In.

Sum It Up

We’ve only scratched the surface, but the bottom line is that phase issues are a fact of life, and practically unavoidable.

The first order of business is to identify the problem. Most phase problems will not show themselves in stereo, and will only appear when you collapse your mix into a single summed channel. That’s why it’s critically important, as you build your mixes, to check them regularly in mono. Don’t wait until you’ve got a completed mix to sum it into mono. Check the basic tracks, especially drums and bass, early on in the process when the arrangement and the mix are less dense and fewer things are going on. And check it again every time you add a few more instruments, or change a track’s EQ, or add reverb.

As with many things, the sooner you catch a phase problem, the easier it will be to fix. Happy mixing!

When it comes to iconic mic preamps, the "Big Four" manufacturers — Neve, API, SSL, and Universal Audio — are responsible for some of the most revered preamps ever made. Hardware like the Neve 1073 and API's 512 and 212L mic preamps, as well as classic SSL pres and Universal Audio's own 610 tube preamp have shaped the sound of modern music with their own unique character and flavor.

But what exactly is that thing that each of these mic preamps gives you? How do they shape your sources and how can you best use them to enhance your productions?

Here, three recording giants — Joel Hamilton, Gimel Keaton, a.k.a. Young Guru, and Joe Chiccarelli — breakdown the differences between the "Big Four" iconic mic preamp designs — and their UAD plug-in equivalents — and how you can harness their unique fingerprint on your tracks.

Are preamps the most crucial link in the recording chain?

Joe Chiccarelli: In terms of signal processing, yes, the preamp is going to make the biggest color change in the sound.

However, an early mentor of mine — engineer Shelly Yakus, who recorded John Lennon, Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, you name it — explained to me that you’re going to make the biggest change in a sound by changing the musician, because the instrument is literally in their hands.

You’re going to make the second biggest change in sound by changing the instrument; a Stratocaster versus a Les Paul, for instance. You’re going to make the third biggest difference in sound by changing the microphone. And the next biggest difference is the preamp.

Joel Hamilton: At any given stage, the delta — the difference from where the signal is in terms of volume and timbre, and where we want it to go — is critical. And the delta is the largest when you go from mic level to line level.

Your mic preamp will reveal the texture of your sound more from mic to line, than in any other stage of the recording process. That’s why there’s so much mythology surrounding Neve, API, SSL and the UA 610 preamps.

What are the key characteristics of each of these preamps?

Young Guru: The SSL has a punch that no other preamp has. That’s why people love it to mix rock and roll, and why they love it to track and mix hip-hop, because it’s extremely punchy and clean. It’s great on drums, and it’s great for providing an overall blend for final mixes.

That said, if I still want punch, but a little more character, I’ll go with an API, which has more crunch and drive in the harmonics. That’s why virtually all my mixes for the last 15 years have had API preamps on the drums. I love tracking drums through them. They offer the best combination of clarity and sizzle, along with the punch you need for rock and hip-hop drums.

Joe Chiccarelli: They all have their own distinct character. Typically, Neves have a warmer, fatter, more “retro” rock and roll sound, partly because our sense memory of that sound comes from the ’70s rock and roll records that were recorded using Neve consoles.

The API is a much faster and more aggressive, midrange-forward type of sound. The SSL, which was made in the ’80s, is a much brighter, faster, and perhaps a more clinical sound.

They all overload very differently, and the way the preamp compresses and distorts, and the way the transformer saturates the sound all contribute to their unique color.

The Neve may be a thicker, richer distortion, while the API might be a more aggressive, “grittier” kind of distortion. The SSL will be a brighter and harsher and more odd-harmonic version of distortion.

Joel Hamilton: In some ways, the actual preamps in Neves and APIs aren’t so very different, but the EQ sections really diverge: the frequency points that are chosen to accentuate, the way they boost or cut.

The APIs are like a solid, faster version of the same kind of muscle as the Neve — they make me think of California rock rather than British rock, like the Neve. If Neve is the heavyweight, the API is just below that in weight class, but that just means it’s a little leaner and more nimble, but with that mid-forward tone, it can still really throw a punch.

The UA 610 is like the Rolls Royce of preamps, a premium sedan that has a really powerful motor. It’s not especially fast, but you get there in style, for sure. It seems to add harmonic content, especially when you push it.

Conversely, if you push an API too hard, it’s going to melt whatever’s running through it, because they’re so damn hot. But if you open up a 610 and get it to the edge of driving, there’s simply more harmonic content there than there was at the source, and it’s all euphonic. You’re adding even-order harmonic content that actually helps it to live in the mix, that helps it “read,” even if you’re listening on your iPhone.

What about the SSL preamps, which many rock engineers covet primarily as mixing tools?

Joel Hamilton: The SSL preamp might lead you to believe that it’s not as exciting as an API, or as sexy as a 610, or as beefy as a 1073, and yet we’ve heard SSL preamps on so many hits, it’s ridiculous. There are so many classic lead vocals that were tracked entirely on an SSL, and they’re 100% perfect.

At polite levels, it can be hard to hear a substantial difference between these preamps. How can you reveal those differences and listen for them?

Joel Hamilton: A tube line amp, like the 610, sounds not unlike a discrete transistor line amp, like an API, when you’re just kind of going through it politely. But when you crank it up to +4dB or more, that’s pedal to the metal. When you really step on it, it reveals what’s under the hood. Think about it, when you’re just sort of cruising along at 55, it could be a Honda Accord, a freight train, or a Ferrari.

Young Guru: When you drive the input of a preamp, you’re literally sending it through more harmonic stages, so you’re making what happens to the source on a harmonic level more prominent.

So if you really want to hear the distinct colors of a particular preamp, try turning up the input to exaggerate their characteristics. You’ll really get a sense of its colors.

Joe Chiccarelli: When you’re listening to all these different preamps, try to listen for a difference in the low end, as well as a difference in how the preamp responds to the “transients.” That is, how much clarity there is in the top end in the initial attack of the instrument or vocal  sound.

And yeah, you’ll definitely want to listen for differences in the amount and quality of the distortion that each preamp produces when you drive the input stage. One might appear to be a bit clearer or more “transparent,” or even invisible, like the SSL. Others might sound a lot more colored and saturated.

What are some other sources and scenarios that seem best suited to particular preamps?

Joe Chiccarelli: It depends on the type of music you’re doing. If I’m recording something that wants to be a bit more retro, ’60s-sounding, and I’m recording bass guitar, I will probably grab a UA 610.

If I’m doing something more aggressive and rock n’ roll, that wants to be dirtier and thicker on the bottom, I might go with a Neve. If I’m going for a cleaner, more ’80s, more synthetic sound, especially for keyboards, I’ll go with something brighter, punchier and more in-your-face, like an SSL.

The APIs will be more aggressive in the midrange; they’ll have a bit more “crack” and “crunch” in them. Generally, I love the sound of APIs on snare drums and electric guitars, things that I want to pop out of the speaker more.

Joel Hamilton: I’ll use the API on anything that needs to be fast, like snare drums or a hard-picked bass part. Even some keyboards — Farfisa bass through an API is a classic sound. With an API you feel like you’ve got your hands on the steering wheel of something that took people to the top.

With overhead mics, I often use the Neve 1073, with Coles 4038 ribbon microphones, and I can throw a little bit of that 1073 shelving EQ on the top, and even the high-pass filter. That combination is never too trashy or shrill, it chills out the cymbals a little bit, and it feels really good with plenty of heft to it.

Interestingly, the tube crunch of the UA 610 Tube Preamp really pulls guitars forward, because the clipping is harmonically gorgeous and really animates the sound. It’s as if it’s the first time this sound is hitting air is when it’s coming out of my monitors.

What about vocals?

Joe Chiccarelli: With vocals, I want a complementary preamp. Meaning that, if I have a microphone and a singer that are both bright, I want a preamp that sounds rounder and softer, that’s going to add the missing pieces to the sound. Or if it’s a singer with a very midrangey, aggressive rock voice, you would want something to counter-balance that, like the softer, satiny 610. You can really shape the sound that way without ever reaching for EQ.

Guru: My go-to preamp for vocals is nearly always a Neve 1073. I trust it to bring out the midrange character of the vocals and place it out and in front of the mix. Even if there are other sounds that are loud and prominent, the vocals will still cut through with the 1073.

Of course, if you push the 1073, you get that more distorted rock sound, but it’s never what I call “screamy,” where it’s almost piercing or hurts your ears. With Neves, that distortion is inviting and warm, so it’s pleasing even as it’s really exciting to hear.

Are preamps as valuable a tool for line-level sources like samples, synths and beats as they are for miked sounds?

Guru: Absolutely. I come from the era where DJs always played and sampled a vinyl record through a DJ mixer, which is, in essence, just another preamp. These days, producers are doing a lot of that type of sampling work with an MPC or by downloading samples online, but I still want to give those sounds some sort of harmonic character, so it still has the feel and the warmth of when we all ran vinyl through a mixer.

I’ll often run synth and sound samples through the Neve 1073, especially when I don’t necessarily want to use EQ, but I want to give the sample some real presence and body. I’ll turn the input of the preamp way up, and bring the output down to keep the level correct. This gives the sound a lot of presence and character.

For drum samples specifically, I’m more likely to use an API and I’ll take advantage of the multiple outputs on an MPC to individually dial in the preamp sound for kick, snare, hats, and everything else.

Joel Hamilton: I like the SSL preamps on anything that’s already line level, like a drum machine. The SSL just has a way of carrying that sort of idiom, anything from a Janet Jackson or En Vogue record, where you want that perfect ’80s or ’90s R&B snare that just “splats” so well, that Timbaland-type of snare.

Working with all the electronic acts that I do, that type of SSL sound is crucial for me. Now, the artist may have created those sounds in Ableton or on an MPC, but I color it with the SSL for that modern analog vibe, and it gives it that correct, big-studio sound. The SSL is a great finisher.

If there’s something about the look, feel and sound of a Marshall amplifier that’s not synonymous with rock and roll, no one’s yet been able to find it. From its humble origins in a tiny London drum shop to its ubiquity today as the most recognizable and time-honored face of heavy rock, the Marshall brand is built on over 50 years of use by the players who’ve defined a genre: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Jimmy Page, Angus Young, Slash, Tom Morello, and countless others.

The four Softube-developed Marshall amp plug-ins available exclusively for UAD hardware and UA interfaces form much of the basis for the Marshall legacy. Each of these amps remain highly coveted and costly — with the Marshall plug-ins delivering dead-on results — and they each exhibit a different flavor of classic “Marshall Tone.”

Here, we decipher what makes each of these four iconic tone machines tick, and delve into the different components that contribute to each amp’s distinct, signature voice.

The Early ’60s. Marshall Bluesbreaker 1962

Introduced in 1964, the Model 1962 combo was forever immortalized on the strength of one album — John Mayall’s Blues Breakers Featuring Eric Clapton. The alarming aggressiveness and snarling sustain Clapton conjured from his Les Paul Standard/Marshall setup was startling, and became ground zero for god-like rock guitar tone.

Essentially an early JTM 45 head — created by Ken Bran and Dudley Craven — with an added tremolo circuit, the “Bluesbreaker” as it became known, sports all of the Marshall calling cards; singing sustain, punchy and present lower mids, and biting, yet smooth treble roll off.

But the Bluesbreaker is a different beast than more modern Marshall designs. For starters, its open-backed cabinet yields a less directional sound without the low-end knock of iconic 4x12 setups, and the dual KT66 power tubes yield a slightly more bell-like top end, and a clearer, less rabid midrange bark as later EL34-equipped Marshalls. The low-wattage Celestion alnico speakers also add their own compression and breakup characteristics, especially when the amp is cranked.

Also noteworthy is the Bluesbreaker’s GZ34 tube rectifier, rather than the solid-state rectifier found on Marshalls from 1966 on. This gives the Bluesbreaker its organic, smooth output-stage compression, and lovely “bloom” on sustained notes.

The Bluesbreaker features two channels: Normal (for a darker tone) and High Treble (for a much brighter sound), with a total of four inputs. By jumping the the inputs with a patch cable, you’re able mix the darker and brighter channels together for all kinds of tonal variations. Ultimately, the Bluesbreaker thrives in any situation a rounder, more burnished brand of low-to-medium gain Marshall fury is required.

Listen to the Marshall Bluesbreaker 1962 for UAD-2 and UA interfaces and hear for yourself the range of sultry, rich tube tones.

The Late ’60s. Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexi

Jimi Hendrix in full flow on Band of Gypsys? Plexi. Angus Young on Back in Black? Plexi. Cream-era Clapton? Plexi. Eddie Van Halen on VH’s classic first five albums? Plexi.

The petulant upper-mid roar and weighty lower-mids of the Marshall Super Lead through a Marshall 4x12 cabinet is a foundational timbre for rock rhythm guitar, as fail-safe and full of dynamics in the studio as it is on a stage.

Don’t be fooled by the model number “1959,” which does not refer to the year of manufacture. Instead, the 100-watt Marshall JMP Super Lead head was released in 1965, originally inspired by a request for a 100-watt head from The Who’s Pete Townshend.

With four EL34 power tubes, a solid-state rectifier section, and a 4x12 cabinet — or two — typically loaded with 25-watt Celestion G12H ceramic speakers, the Plexi is much more aggressive sounding than previous Marshalls. The move to EL34s added volume, punch, and by this time, the input tube featured a .68uf cathode bypass cap, enhancing the midrange drive that is synonymous with “Marshall Tone.”

What’s more, by the ’70s the Super Lead Plexi’s large filter cap arrays were used to give the solid-state rectified amps a stiff, solid low end, and the gut-punching cha-chunk we have all grown to love.

And while the EQ complement of presence, bass, mids, and treble controls allow for subtle tone shaping, the key to dialing in the Super Lead Plexi is by jumping the input channels and blending Volume 1’s bright sound with Volume 2’s bass-heavy, darker tone.

With all of the attention paid to its majestic roar, it’s easy to forget that the Plexi has rich, harmonically bountiful clean tones at the ready, if you back off your guitar’s volume control and lighten up your playing dynamics — as pretty much any live Hendrix recording illustrates.

With the Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexi for UAD-2 and UA interfaces, you get all the and hear for yourself the range of sultry, rich tube tones.

The Mid ’70s. Marshall JMP 2203

Organic enough for vintage rock and blues, and molten enough for metal, the JMP 2203 is the clear bridge from the classic rock amps of the late-’60s and early-’70s to the school of heavy-metal-approved amplifiers that would proliferate in the quest for more gain.

At its heart, and in terms of its aesthetics and power, the JMP 2203 — which eventually became the JCM 800 — is very much in the same spirit as a 100 watt Marshall Plexi with four EL34s in its power section. But there are very distinct differences with the JMP 2203.

First, instead of two channels and four inputs, there is only one channel with two non-blendable High and Low “Sensitivity” inputs. The Low input provides fat, lower gain sounds, bypassing one gain stage in the preamp, and a popular choice as a “pedal platform” for Marshall enthusiasts. Conversely, the High Sensitivity input will make humbuckers roar with tons of raunchy gain.

But the biggest difference is the JMP 2203’s master volume and “Pre-Amp” volume controls. By adding this cascaded gain stage in the preamp, and not relying solely on the power tubes for grinding tones, Marshall introduced thick saturation that was somewhat controllable thanks to the amp’s master volume.

Pairing the 2203 with a Marshall 1960B 4x12 cab loaded with Celestion G12T-75 speakers only enhanced the amp’s cantankerous nature, accentuating the punch, as well as snarling treble and midrange.

A favorite of Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde, as well as a diverse range of players from Jeff Beck and Andy Summers, to Tom Morello and the Pixies’ Joey Santiago, the JMP 2203 does not immediately give away its secrets. Even with its fairly modest controls, dialing in just the right amount of preamp gain for a particular part takes a good set of ears and a bit of restraint — it’s all too easy to go overboard.

You may also notice big differences in how much gain you’ll need with, say, a Gibson Les Paul as opposed to a Strat or a Tele or even a P-90 equipped guitar. Regardless, the Marshall JMP 2203 feels vibrant and explosive at almost any setting.

Hear for yourself how the Marshall JMP 2203 plug-in emulates all of the bold punch and dense crunch of this legendary tone monster.

The Late ’80s. Marshall Silver Jubilee 2555

Released in 1987, the Marshall Silver Jubilee celebrated 25 years of Marshall amp-building prowess (and 50 years of Jim Marshall’s life in the music business) taking the basic EL34-based architecture of their popular 2203 and 2204 models, and adding some new features.

Including proper lead and rhythm channel-switching via a footswitch, an input gain control, and a “Rhythm Clip” pull-knob to engage a wonder of molten diode clipping-assisted distortion with robust lower mids and searing treble.

Perhaps its most notable departure from traditional Marshall design, however, is its Pentode/Triode half-power mode, lowering power output from 100 to 50 watts. When in half-power mode, power tube compression and grit and less clean headroom are the order of the day.

A distinctly modern sounding amp, with more gain on tap than the 2203 amps, and a bit more bass response, the SIlver Jubilee is especially lethal when paired with its matching 2551AV 4x12 cabinet. Loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s — the first Marshall cab that used these popular speakers.

With a famously responsive and dynamic EQ section, the Silver Jubilee can tackle classic bluesy Marshall tones, dark ultra-mid-scooped rhythm chunks, or searing high-octane modern metal lead tones, which is perhaps why it quickly became the live amp of choice for Slash of Guns N’ Roses. Over the years, other Jubilee users of note include John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alex Lifeson of Rush, Steve Morse, and Joe Bonamassa.

Check out the the Marshall Silver Jubilee 2555 plug-in and how it expertly emulates he original amp’s unique preamp section, powerful EQ stack, and Triode/Pentode power tube operation.

Sculpting and shaping sounds on the way in — and printing those sounds — is how nearly every landmark album was made. Pushing a preamp, radical EQ textures, creative mic placement, each sound becoming a building block for the final mix, each sound informing the next. In a sense, a kind of mixing process embedded in the recording process itself.

But with so many after-the-fact processing and mixing options available, why bother? I mean, progress, right? We can decide on that stuff later.

Well, if history is any guide, fortune definitely favors the bold in audio recording.

Here, we talk with four titans of engineering and production — Joe Chiccarelli, Jacquire King, Joel Hamilton, and Trevor Lawrence, Jr. — and find out why committing to sounds during tracking is an essential part of their Platinum-approved workflow, and how UAD Unison mic preamp technology figures into it.

Commitment Issues

“Every classic album we love is the sound of commitment,” says producer Joel Hamilton. “Hitting the ‘record’ button is the commitment — using equipment on the way in to make it sound better is what we do. Period.”

Hamilton is certainly a true believer in shaping sounds before they hit “tape,” but do the artists he works with ever fight for a more open-ended approach? Evidently not.

“Look, if it sounds great on the way in, who would ever say, ‘Can we take that 4dB boost at 10k shelf off the snare? It sounds awesome, but I’m not sure I want it to sound awesome.’ Who would ever say that?”

Legendary producer/engineer Joe Chiccarelli agrees: “Making music is about having an auditory picture of where you want the finished album to be. My approach is always about committing to that end. Basically, I’m mixing the album before I even enter the recording studio. When I’m working on songs or arrangements, even in rehearsal, I’m always thinking about how these musical pieces of a puzzle all fit together. Even at this stage of the process, I am mixing in a sense. I am choosing my instruments and sounds, and thinking about their hierarchy in the song.”

Grammy-winner Jacquire King seconds that notion: “Creatively, I just think it’s always better to make firm decisions and carry them forward,” he offers. “If you’re working in a mindset and a framework where that is not the case, nothing feels final, or critical to the whole picture.” As for what types of processing he likes to do on the front-end to achieve those mix-ready results, King leans on the Unison-enabled UAD Neve^® 1073^® and API 500 Series EQs, UAD LA-2A, 1176 Classic Limiter, and Neve 33609^® compressors, and even the UAD Moog Multimode Filter, to name a few.

“The artists I work with trust the initial sound I’m going for, at least until proven otherwise,” says King. “But regardless of whether the sound is great, I’d still prefer to be bold from the start, and in the rare case that a sound doesn’t turn out to be ideal, then I deal with the consequences. That struggle can be great, too. No pain, no gain, right?”

Commit to Each Other

Perhaps another consideration when committing to sounds on the front-end is that these are the sounds that the musicians are hearing while performing the track. While a mixing engineer typically brings some measure of artistic license to a mix, it’s hard to argue with the band’s gut instincts in the tracking room, regardless of the endless ways one could swap out amp simulations, replace drums, or add grit to vocals.

“That’s why I pretty much commit everything, especially drums, bass, guitar and keys,” says producer Trevor Lawrence, Jr.

“What you’re committing to at that moment is the sound that inspired the musical performance. Listening to it without that sound could completely alter the intent of the performer.”

Lawrence Jr. also records through the UAD Neve 1073 for tracking drums with his Apollo, typically dialing in settings from scratch, but calling up Joe Chiccarelli’s presets for starting points as well. He likewise will send drum sounds through the UAD API 550 EQ and the UAD Manley Massive Passive EQ. “I also always use a UAD Shadow Hills Mastering plug-in on the stereo bus for reference,” he adds. “It makes everything sound better.”

While the idea of committing to sounds during tracking clearly hearkens back to the days of analog tape recording — when endless tweaking in the box simply wasn’t an option — Chiccarelli sees it more as part of an artistic process that’s just as valid now as it was when he got his start in the 1970s.

“I learned recording in the days of 24 track analog tape recording,” he says. “You had to make choices. The mixing process was a balancing process. Your sounds were something you achieved while tracking not while mixing. The mixing process is quick. There is very little room for second guessing.”

“In my experience,” he suggests, “recording is an additive process, where one element affects the sound of other elements to follow in the overdubbing process. A certain guitar or keyboard sound choice will inform me how the next element needs to sound to fit properly in the mix.”

Commit — But Have A Backup Plan

Still, if it’s true that in love “only fools rush in,” it may be equally true that audio engineers need to have a backup plan in case true sonic love fails to endure. Leaving a clean copy of a vocal or drum part may ensure that you’ve got options in case your Plan A doesn’t quite, er, pan out.

“Vocals are the only thing where you have to be careful to leave yourself latitude to change,” offers Jacquire King. “In those cases I’ll typically print a clean safety track, but I’ll still want to hear a committed sound as I’m continuing to build a total production.”

Trevor Lawrence Jr., perhaps contrarily, finds safety in the very act of printing his drum sounds to begin with, especially with projects that may involve multiple producers and/or mixers:

“I believe in being safe,” he explains, “so I go to great lengths to get the proper drum sound for the music. Using my UAD preamps, plug-ins and Apollos are a huge part of that. I print all of the plug-ins I use going in on the front-end, precisely because I want my sound to be the same on whatever system it's mixed or recalled on.”

That level of commitment extends to the effects that a given musician may use while they’re performing in the studio, especially in the case of guitarists who get much of their signature sound from effects pedals like delays and reverbs.

“If the artist is genuinely interacting with that effect, then yes, I’ll print what otherwise might be bus or send effects,” says Joel Hamilton. “In those cases, the effects aren’t just an afterthought, or a way for the mixer to create space or add rhythmic intensity — they’re really part of the song.” The same goes for Chiccarelli, who says that guitar or keyboard effects like flangers, distortion, and delay aren’t merely flavors that he wants to wait until mixdown to add, but are rather, intrinsic tracking elements that “become my sound for that instrument.”

According to King, keeping your productions fresh and timely is about being creative with plug-ins and outboard effects, but not shying away from committing to those sounds when inspiration strikes.

“Having the ability to print the effects and the sonic alterations you’re making is essential,” he declares “I like being in the mindset of ‘that is the sound of the track,’ that is what I’m working with, rather than, ‘that sounds cool — but I can adjust it later.’”

“If you work to make your sounds final every step of the way,” Kings continues, “at the end of tracking you’ll find that the sum of your tracks will help you identify them as ‘done,’ and then you just need to give it a great balance and space to have a finished mix.”

Chiccarelli concurs, and adds that Apollo and Unison technology are filling an important role in how he embraces this ethos of commitment, even when recording in less-than-ideal environments.

Committed, But Open To Change

Perhaps the accelerating change in the way we record has also led to a commensurate change in how we perceive the art of mixing. Unison technology may present an opportunity to reassess the traditional wisdom of what Chiccarelli calls the “additive process” of tracking/mixing, so that the movement from the tracking room to the mixing room is a more fluid and linear process. Then again, no one’s trying to turn back time; can we access the wisdom of analog recording and the bounty of digital processing simultaneously? Sure we can.

“More and more in music production,” argues Jacquire King, “we are, in fact, going for altered sonic versions of the instrumentation we are using, even if it’s coming from organic sources — real instruments.”

“Having access to high quality preamps and EQ plug-ins on the front end of the chain has allowed me to get close to my final picture, even when I am in the most remote or compromised recording environment. It allows for quick decisions on the spot.”

“Look, I tend to feel that indecision is the death of good art,” Chiccarelli concludes. ‘This is just my personal approach to recording, but I’m always in search of that end result from day one. I need the tools to commit to that end every step of the way. Being able to process and choose my exact sounds ‘on the way in’ will always be the way to go for me.”