EPISODE · Jan 28, 2026 · 1H 18M
Mike Senior Returns!
from Sound Discussion
Returning guest Mike Senior joins us for our Season 3 Premier (!!!) to break down one of the most ambitious recording projects you’re likely to hear about:tracking an entire 8-piece band live, on location, at speed — without losing the performance or your sanity.Mike walks us through how he recorded 13 songs in just a few days, capturing real performances instead of chasing perfection. We dive deep into:-Recording full bands live (and why it saves time)-Letting spill work for you instead of fighting it-Editing and fixing mistakes without killing the feel-Why mic choice, placement, and polarity matter more than plugins-How performance beats perfection every time-Building a portable, high-channel-count recording rig-Fast headphone mixes that keep musicians inspired-Mixing decisions that start before you ever hit recordIf you’ve ever felt stuck chasing “perfect” tracks in a home studio — this episode might completely reset how you think about recording.This is a must-listen for engineers, producers, and musicians who care about feel, momentum, and making records that sound human.Spektakulatius: https://spektakulatius.de/ Album: '10' (2014)Tracking Info: - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-spektakulatius - https://cambridge-mt.com/rs2/ch11-case1/Mixing Info: - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-spektakulatius - https://cambridge-mt.com/rs2/ch11-case1/#mixing-a-small-studio-ensemble-recording-demonstration-videosMastering Info: - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-spektakulatius-0Final CD: - https://spektakulatius.de/2023/08/06/10/ Album: 'About Christmas' (2018)Tracking Info: - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-spektakulatius-revisited - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-making-custom-bafflesFinal CD: - https://spektakulatius.de/2023/08/06/about-christmas/ For lots more information on my ensemble-recording techniques (and specifically the 'peer array' methods I used for Spektakulatius), see Mike's book 'Recording Secrets For The Small Studio': - https://cambridge-mt.com/rs2/main/ Gear links: Asparion D400T & D400F hardware controllers: - https://www.asparion.de/en/products.html#tab_d400 Ferrofish A32 A-D/D-A converter: - https://www.ferrofish.com/a32-dante-converter-multimode/ RME MADIface USB: - https://rme-audio.de/madiface-usb.html Superlux R102 ribbon mic (which is still for sale new at £88!): - https://www.thomann.co.uk/superlux_r102.htm Toneboosters freeware plug-ins: - https://cambridge-mt.com/ms3/links/#freeware-top-ten Soundtheory Gullfoss: - https://www.soundtheory.com/gullfoss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
Returning guest Mike Senior joins us for our Season 3 Premier (!!!) to break down one of the most ambitious recording projects you’re likely to hear about:tracking an entire 8-piece band live, on location, at speed — without losing the performance or your sanity.Mike walks us through how he recorded 13 songs in just a few days, capturing real performances instead of chasing perfection. We dive deep into:-Recording full bands live (and why it saves time)-Letting spill work for you instead of fighting it-Editing and fixing mistakes without killing the feel-Why mic choice, placement, and polarity matter more than plugins-How performance beats perfection every time-Building a portable, high-channel-count recording rig-Fast headphone mixes that keep musicians inspired-Mixing decisions that start before you ever hit recordIf you’ve ever felt stuck chasing “perfect” tracks in a home studio — this episode might completely reset how you think about recording.This is a must-listen for engineers, producers, and musicians who care about feel, momentum, and making records that sound human.Spektakulatius: https://spektakulatius.de/ Album: '10' (2014)Tracking Info: - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-spektakulatius - https://cambridge-mt.com/rs2/ch11-case1/Mixing Info: - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-spektakulatius - https://cambridge-mt.com/rs2/ch11-case1/#mixing-a-small-studio-ensemble-recording-demonstration-videosMastering Info: - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-spektakulatius-0Final CD: - https://spektakulatius.de/2023/08/06/10/ Album: 'About Christmas' (2018)Tracking Info: - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-spektakulatius-revisited - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-making-custom-bafflesFinal CD: - https://spektakulatius.de/2023/08/06/about-christmas/ For lots more information on my ensemble-recording techniques (and specifically the 'peer array' methods I used for Spektakulatius), see Mike's book 'Recording Secrets For The Small Studio': - https://cambridge-mt.com/rs2/main/ Gear links: Asparion D400T & D400F hardware controllers: - https://www.asparion.de/en/products.html#tab_d400 Ferrofish A32 A-D/D-A converter: - https://www.ferrofish.com/a32-dante-converter-multimode/ RME MADIface USB: - https://rme-audio.de/madiface-usb.html Superlux R102 ribbon mic (which is still for sale new at £88!): - https://www.thomann.co.uk/superlux_r102.htm Toneboosters freeware plug-ins: - https://cambridge-mt.com/ms3/links/#freeware-top-ten Soundtheory Gullfoss: - https://www.soundtheory.com/gullfoss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Mike Senior Returns!
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