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 record

If 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-videos

Mastering Info:

      - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-spektakulatius-0

Final 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-baffles

Final 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

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