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Here at KOMODO we love rock. We love it so much that we offer not only good sounding rock recordings, we also offer:
Expert drum tuition (Kyle Walker Drumtech).
Anyone who has tried to record their own band knows how easy it is for the end result to sound like crap. The heavier the band, the harder it is to get it sounding clear and powerful at the same time. Our own CD collections include a very wide selection of metal, ranging from the heaviest death metal though to punk and commercial rock.
Not content with just pressing record and sticking it on CD, we will spend the right amount of time getting the right sounds for your band. Drums usually get recorded with at least one microphone per drum, to get that ‘in your face' sound, and allow the mix engineer as much flexibility as possible for complex mixes.
Before coming to the studio, we would advise you to record your songs in your practise room. and send us a copy. This ensures that we know what kind of sound is appropriate for your recording and also alerts us to any issues that we may want to discuss with you before the first session. (If you are concerned about copyright issues, see links at bottom of page.)
The recording studio itself has a chilled atmosphere, where those recording can work hard while those not recording can sit in, or relax in front of the TV/DVD/VHS/playstation. Using Protools with a wide selection of microphones, tasty plug-ins, solid-state and valve outboard gear, we can get you the sound you want.
Recording FAQs:
Q: Do you use drum samples?
A: If you have specific samples that you considder to be part of your band's sound (or your music is SO heavy every hit has to be identical...), or change your mind about the kick sound after it has been recorded, samples can be used to replace the drum hits. Generally though, Komodo's aim is to produce a good recording of the elements within your band. Our experience, our own drumkit and professional equipment combined with a good drummer can produce great sounds, just as in any other professional studio.
Q: What about electric guitars? Do you use pods?
A: Although digital simulation technology has come a long way in the last few years, Line 6 pods and Behringer V-amps still can't cut it compared to a top notch amp. Used for rhythm guitars, simulators give an artificial feel to the final mix. We have a few amps in the studio for your use, although we would suggest you bring whatever amps you can get your hands on for the studio. (we would reccomend Mesa Boogie, Carvin, Soldano, Bognor or Marshall)
Q: I like the sound I have on my BOSS GT5 / ZOOM etc... can i use that?
A: Since you're the paying customer, you can use anything you like. We would reccomend however that you bypass any EQ that the pedal may have and use an amp to EQ the sound. This produces much fuller sounds. (this is also true for gigs.)
Anyone can push faders until they think the balance of the instruments and vocals is right, but that is only the very last step in the mixing process. A mix consists of editing, getting the best sounds for each instrument, fitting them all together with EQ and compression, and getting the ambience right. This is when the faders can play their part.
KOMODO offers mixing as a separate service for bands who have access to the original multitrack recordings, whether done in a professional studio, live at a gig, or even recorded by a well-meaning friend in your practice room…(if we don't think your recording is good enough to get the results you are hoping for, we'll tell you before we start working on it.)
For our 3 day demo scheme, the mixing is done on the third day, which typically breaks down as follows:
In the morning, the least exciting editing needs done, such as cleaning up tom tracks, fixing fills, and sometimes tuning vocals.
Please remember:
More Practise = Less Fix + Better Mix
The better you are prepared BEFORE you come to the studio, the more time can be spent on getting the mix as kick-ass as possible.
Mid-day, we batter our heads with drums, bass and guitars, getting the sounds necessary for the song. (fat bass, snappy snare etc…)
In the afternoon, those great sounds are fitted together sonically (EQ) and dynamically (compression) to produce a tight sound. Once the overall sound is right, the faders play their part in balancing all the parts appropriately for different sections of the songs. (for example making sure the acoustic middle 8 is quieter than the chorus…)
The idea is that the mixing is finished that day, with the band present.
Once the mixes are complete (during the third day of the session, preferably with the band present), our mastering engineer ensures that the different songs work well side by side, and that the final CD will plays back faithfully on as many systems as possible. A result of mastering is usually a louder CD, but…
BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING MYTHS :
1 – “A louder CD sounds better on the radio”.
This is explained by Radio processing experts Robert Orban and Frank Foti*:
‘Hypercompressed material does not sound louder on the air. It sounds more distorted, making the radio sound broken in extreme cases. It sounds small, busy and flat. It does not feel good to the listener when turned up, so he or she hears it as background music.'
(page 274 Bob Katz – Mastering Audio)
2 – “The bass should go as low as possible”
(Low bass makes a song sound slow and crap on systems that can't play the low bass. The only places for sub-bass are cinemas and clubs.)
THESE ARE MYTHS. Check out http://www.loudnessrace.net/links/ for more details.
You can either design your own, or we can help you put together graphics for your CD. KOMODO takes care of the whole process.
If you are designing your own graphics, please submit the element of the design (layers) seperately, as we often need to make small changes which cannot be made if the text is embedded in the background.
Please submit your graphic ideas in the following formats (preferably PC):
.tif | .jpg | .bmp | .gif | .psd
KOMODO offers Cassette and CD duplication, including on-body printing. A number of CDs with full graphics are included in some of our finance schemes. For details call 02892 688 285.
KOMODO offers Sound Reinforcement to our demo customers at reduced prices. We are fully mobile and can cater for small to medium-sized PA.
We can also record live events with a mobile rig.
For a comprehensive quote, details of our finance schemes or a sample of our work don't hesitate to pick up the phone.
KOMODO GEAR LIST:
Software: Pro Tools with loadsa tasty plug-ins (clocked from Focusrite ISA 428)
Microphones: Soundfield, Neumann TLM103, AKG414 B-ULS x2, AKG414 TL2 x2, D112, SM57 x4, SM58, Blue ball, AKG C4000B, AKG C3000 x2, AKG C1000s x3, Rode NT2, MXL, Shure BG4.1 x2, shure 849, loads of Sennheisers etc...
Outboard: Focusrite ISA 428, Symmetrix voice channel, TLAudio Ivory x2 & TLAudio FAT2 Valve compressors, TC electronic M2000, Digitech DSP256XL, Lexicon 200...
Monitors: Mackie HR824, Spendor SA200, Spendor SP2/2 (Mastering)
Musical equipment (free for your use): TAMA Superstar Custom 8 piece with selection of Zildjian K's, A's and A Custom cymbals. Fender Jazz bass, Hohner 5 string active headless bass, Washburn 5 string active bass, Aria Pro 2 bass, AMPEG SVT2PRO bass amp with 8x10 cab, SWR redhead valve bass amp, Marshall all valve bass amp, Ibanez S series, Fender stratocaster, BC Rich Warlock, Tanglewood Les Paul, Westbury Standard, Marshall Bi-chorus 200 (best Marshall combo ever), Fender guitar amp, KORG N1 Weighted Keyboard, Boss FX: DS1, Powerdriver, Metal Zone, Octave, Bass chorus, Morley Wha & more...
Komodo Links:
Drum Tuition (Kyle)
Bands: (please make sure that the tracks on their myspace are the tracks that we recorded) ROCK/INDIE: The Scream Ignition Heathrow Yesterdays Tetra Neon The Wrecks The Morning After Veteran Stratospheric Nectar Soundstone The Beekeeper Summit The Red Admirals Dust Ill Will Midnight Noise Conspiracy Java Shrine The Black Alley Screens Square Peg Furnell Invinyl Marble Bell Voltage Voltage Dirty Stevie Grabbit Phonya Head Rush White Label Waxx Unless Session Metal/Thrash/Emo: Chosen Rigger This Years Black Absent Method Existing Threat Gama Bomb Putrefy Angel Chambers Spiral Force The Smallprint Linoleum Eulogy Cholo Mirthless Throat Locust Shatter The Sun Punk LTR Kill Your President Too Fat For Porn Next in Line Running with Scissors Acoustic Wes Grierson Chicks With Picks Adele Ingram-Magee Nina Armstrong For The Craic Sal Hanvey JustJezebel The Shoals
Mags Alternative Ulster Kerrang! Metal Hammer Terrorizer Metalworksmagazine Copyright etc... MCPS PRS PRC Musicians Union Other Rosetta Bar Belfast Metalireland punkforit musicsceneireland