| Music Business 11: Sound-alike Recording By Roy Vogt Bass Instructor, Belmont University |
Print This Lesson |
I just experienced an unusual studio project, yet it was one that many of you will have a chance to work with in this day of Karaoke recording. I was booked on a series of recording sessions to record the tracks for a Cher tribute show. The music ran the timeline of the early 1960s to her latest Dance Club hits, so it demanded a wide array of approaches and thought processes. I used my new Eden Navigator Preamp, my Modulus Quantum 6 string fretted bass, and a Behringer Multi-effects unit to achieve the desired results.
The key issue with the creation of a sound-alike track is matching the notes and matching the tones. Fortunately, the producer-arranger on the session, Nashville keyboardist and arranger Michael Behymer (keyboardist with B J Thomas among many other credits) prepared meticulous charts. For the most part all I had to do was read the bass lines (yet another strong argument for working on your sight-reading). The rest was considering and matching the tones of the original tracks.
I generally favored the front pickup of the Modulus and used the Bartolini pickups in a P-Bass type configuration (this particular bass can be switched between Humbucker, Out of Phase Humbucker, and P-type configuration) and played with a pick muting with my palm for the early 60s, Carol Kaye tracks. I used a more even balance of the two pickups and played fingerstyle for the 70s and 80s material. For the Dance material, I used the Octave divider in the Behringer unit, played the part up an octave, and used the pick and palm mute combination to approximate a synth bass. It worked pretty well and the producer was happy with it.
Normally, I never record effects on a track like that, preferring instead to add the effects in mixdown, but since we were doing all the basic tracks (20 songs in 6 medleys plus interludes) in one day I took a chance and printed the fake-synth parts.
The two key job skills I used for this session were:
good sight-reading - the only way to record 6 medleys you've just seen, all in a single day
listening and matching the tones of the existing tracks - besides the odd soundtrack for a tribute show (pretty rare, actually), I do know several musicians that make a tidy sum recording Karaoke sing-along tracks and matching tones, feels and attitude for the given track. It's an obscure but nonetheless valid part of studio work and many players do the occasional sound-alike session.
This session just goes to show that versatility and adaptability can take you places you never thought you'd go.
Peace and Low Notes,
Roy C. Vogt
Nashville Bassist
Bass Instructor, Belmont University, Nashville, TN
Print This Lesson | Return to Lesson Index
Roy's Bio | An Interview with Roy | Visit Belmont U. | Visit Roy's Website